RV FEATURE
Anyone who goes camping understands the
limitations that a lack of water can impose.
Whether you’re on a trip for a holiday, or are
travelling full-time like us, maintaining water
levels is an essential part of camping life. A lack
of accessible water, or a suddenly empty tank, is
a major concern. It is our number one reason for
needing to leave camp.
But some clever water-saving practices can
certainly affect how long your water lasts.
OUR GEAR
There are a number of items we carry in our
caravan to hep improve our water levels:
• A 12V pump along with various hoses and
fittings, allowing us to run water from rivers;
• A collapsible bucket the size of a typical
laundry basket, which can be used in multiple
ways, from catching grey water
under the van for ‘recycling’,
to acting as a portable bucket
to regularly hand-wash used linen
and clothing;
• The WikiCamps app for fast information on
nearby water fill points; and
• Water bladders (we have two 40L bladders)
and a filter for those times when we need to
top up our water levels but don’t want to drag
the caravan from its site.
Other items in our water-saving toolbox are
baby wipes, dry shampoo, wool wash, microfibre
towels and a heavy-duty spray bottle.
We also have separate taps for our caravan water
tanks. In all our years camping and caravanning,
we’ve found it easier if drinking water is kept
separate. Having a designated tank that runs to
its own tap (with filter) on the kitchen sink is a
great way to monitor drinking water levels.
RESOURCEFULNESS
It is important to plan your camps around
available water sources. The WikiCamps app
not only serves as a fantastic tool for finding the
best camping spots in unknown towns, it tells
you where to find the closest dump points and
potable water.
This is our number one tool when planning our
routes between destinations, the length of time
able to be spent at each campsite, and the level
of water-saving practices we all need to adhere to
before our next refill.
We have set ourselves up in order to utilise natural
water sources whenever possible, recently using
a river source at a free camp to fill our washing
machine, shower and clean our solar panels by
using our 12V pump and water hoses.
We keep bladders, hoses and the water filter in
the back of our 4WD for times when we are away
from the caravan but happen to pass water fill
points. This allows us to top up an additional 80L
of water, which can add a few extra days to a low
or no-cost camp.
We do what we can to give our water more than
one use. One way this can be done is to catch your
grey water under the van in a bucket, to use later
for anything that doesn’t require fresh water, such
as extinguishing a campfire at night, or washing
the kids’ filthy feet after a big day of exploring.
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