How much fresh water do you need on board?

[Paladin]

I've been having a discussion with my brother over the size of my on board water supply.
Now granted, it's very subjective and greatly determined by need and application but I have 100 gallons and my brother feels that's about 50% of what I need.
My thoughts are that:
A) I don't plan to boondock too much.
B) There are only two of us who will be on board most of the time.
C) I really don't want to carry 834 extra pounds of weight that I really don't think I need. (water = 8.34 # per gal x 100= 834)
D) All that fresh water will end up at some point as gray or black and much of it in my tanks thus requiring either more frequent dumping or more tank capacity there too.


How much fresh water (maximum) do you guys carry on board and how do you use it? How many people are using it?

-Dave

[steve wardwell]

we have 100 gals. Comming from the boating arena we know how to stretch it out,hand wash dishes, 2 gal.  sea showers the like, easily able to go 2 weeks. Although we also don't boondock often, we've never run out.......

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Dave,

I'd say, as much as you can possibly fit and you may have just enough!! Lol

It really depends on your needs... The average is around 100 gallons...

Good Luck
Nick-

[Lin]

We have 100 gallons but don't always travel with it full.  Best to have the capacity.  If you are going from campground to campground, you can travel with it half full (or is that half empty).  If you expect to be someplace without hookups, fill it and be prepared.  It seems to me that this is a better strategy than needing alter plans do to capacity limits.

[jjrbus]

I had a 90 gal tank. it worked for 2 with very little boondocking.I think the longest we went without hookups was 5 days.   Just because you put in a larger tank does not mean you have to fill it!  HTH  JIm

[Melbo]

I have 160 gallons of fresh and 100 gallons of grey 65 gallons of black -- we have never run out but the longest we have been out without hookups is 5 days -- We are not the conservative types we like to be clean and comfortable as we travel -- we did however go 12 days and not empty the black water tank because of a VERY slow sewer system one place we stayed.

HTH

YMMV

Melbo

[gumpy]

5 gallons per person per day.  Determine how many people you will have onboard and how long you want to boondock and multiply by 5.

We have 150. We just spent 8 days in the mountains with 5 people, and one day had an over abundance of extra family members come up, including a potty training
2 year old. On top of that, I made a parking mistake on the way up to camp, and lost an estimated 30 gallons from my overflow lines. So, by the 6th day, we were
running out of waterl. I happened to have some clean plastic 4-gallon buckets and was able to haul about 30 gallons from a nearby campground and pump it into the tanks. 

I still stand by the original estimate I used when I built my tanks. 5 gallons per person per day.

craig

[steve wardwell]

theirs really two ways to work it. 2 modes 1 you know your getting in to a dock so you can use water like ,well water. Or mode 2 your boondocking for a while so you know to shut the water off when you brush your teeth....all a state of mind  really not to hard to go 2 weeks on 100....and yes everybody is clean and happy.....................now if you have a daughter well.......................good luck with that..............s............

[cody]

100 gallons, we try to extend it by taking it in the right spirit lol.

[steve wardwell]

and of course we never ever drink water

[TomC]

I have 130gal fresh, 85gal gray, 45gal black.  Longest we've boon docked is 5 days and still had water left.  Now in the truck, I'll have 210gal fresh, 110gal gray, and 70gal black-cause I can. 
Just remember-I may have a 210gal fresh water tank, but that doesn' mean you have to have more then 50gal or so when travelling.  If you're going to boon dock, then fill it up at the last moment.  Good Luck, TomC

[JackConrad]

We have a 100 gallon tank.  Just my wife and I. If we watch our showers, about 10 days boondocking.  Jack

[steve wardwell]

back in the 80's we had a trawler with a 500+   gal water tank. It was great!  Can't say the same for the 800 gal fuel tank!

[FloridaCliff]

We have 120 gallons and has worked out fine for us on a 5 day boon dock.

That is 4 people X 5 gallons per day= 20 gallons daily X 5 days = 100 gallons used.

See, that darn Craig is always right....   Works with Jacks numbers too!

My favorite saying for boondocking comes from Kyle:

"If its Brown, it goes down, if its Yellow, let it mellow"

Ya just can't make this stuff up.......

Cliff

[Tenor]

We have 100 gallons of fresh water and with 2 adults and a 4 year old taking showers and shallow baths, we used 50 gallons on our last 5 day trip.  We should be good for up to 10 days.  To answer the original question, I think you could stick with the 100 gallon tank and be just fine, especially if you're not going boondocking very often.

Glenn