How much H20 do you need to boondock for a week?

[Putts]

Sweeeeet! Thank you for asking such a great question! And thanks to all the old hands who have, and may in future, answer the question. I'm in the planning stages and the information is invaluable.

I will be traveling alone with a dog...unless a small brown girl takes a fancy to me as I travel the desert SW and points south into into Central America. I plan a simple vehicle, but one that can let my practice my uke and write for four weeks at a shot comfortably undisturbed.

Putt, my step van housetruck, currently has a 60gal potable water tank, I plan another two 25 gallon tanks between the wheel wells. I'll have on-board a submersible pump, hose, and on-board filtration system, and will be able to fill and deliver the three tanks separately. (I've heard that rum is cheap in some CA countries. ) I have a composting toilet. And solar stuff of course.

- How long are you willing to go without decent Internet?

I'll take a device that can text communicate with loved ones, so when I want to be "out there" I'll have no desire at all.

- How long can you before needing to do laundry?

I'm thinking about once every 4-7 days. I'll use the plunger5gal method; from what I've seen 2 gallons is plenty. (Amazing the stuff I've learned in the last year lurking here.) So maybe 3 gallons a week on laundry and other cleaning activities.

- How long can you go with sponge baths before a real shower?

Yeeeesh. That's a question that haunts me. I've started doing a lot of things lately to change my lifestyle to live aboard Putt, but the one thing I've consciously decided not to change is my water usage. I love a good shower; I don't shower long, but I do like to be clean. I don't think I stink too bad, but I sweat like a pig and get all salty pretty quick. Hence the 110 gallons of water. I'll have a cold water shower hose inside a hatch and and an astro-turf matt. I doubt I'll use more than a gallon a day showering.

- How much food can you carry?

Working on learning to cook various beans and rice with a small induction cooktop compatible pressure cooker. (Holy crap, I had no idea you could cook normal rice in about 15 minutes.) Beans/dhal, rice, dried meat, canned veggies, frozen stuff...should be able to pack 2 months...the second month would kinda suck probably. I should mention I'll be using an induction cooktop, so not limited by propane, sunlight and solar makes unlimited cooking capability.

- How long can you go before you get bored or need a change of scenery?

I'm wondering that myself.

- How long before your composting toilet fills? (really not sure if this is a week or more/less)

Someone said 6 weeks in this thread; I'm thinking three for me. But a shovel and a hole makes that a no limit item as well.

So if my limits are "about a week" for most things...

With 110 gallons at at 3 gal per day I've got a 35 day limit without creek/spring replenishment.

Thanks for the question, looking forward to more answers here.

 

[John61CT]

I will be traveling alone with a dog...unless a small brown girl takes a fancy to me as I travel the desert SW and points south into into Central America.

LOL

Although there are some that would take offense at that little fantasy, I wish you luck with it, and sincerely hope you both find love and treat each other well.

"I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth."
— M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth

 

[Putts]

Thanks for taking it as meant. Knowing I'll be traveling a lot south of the boarder, it seems the most likely possibility for a companion. I'm not really looking for it...but if it fell (or jumped) on my lap I'd certainly take it as an opportunity to share and nurture our spirits. Thanks for the quote.

 

[John61CT]

mobile boarder

 

[tx2sturgis]

I will be traveling alone with a dog...unless a small brown girl takes a fancy to me as I travel the desert SW and points south into Central America. 

Are you any kin to Jimmy Buffet?

[font=Verdana, Arial]"[size=medium][font=Verdana, Arial]Wasted away again in Margaritaville,[/font]
[/font][/size]
[font=Verdana, Arial]Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial][size=medium][font=Verdana, Arial]But I know it's nobody's fault.[/font][/font][/size]


[font=Verdana, Arial]Don't know the reason,[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]Stayed here all season[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]But it's a real beauty,[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]A Mexican cutie, how it got here[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial]I haven't a clue."[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial][/font]

 

[John61CT]

I spent ninety percent of my money on wine, women and song, and just wasted the other ten percent.
— Ronnie Hawkins

 

[jonsun]

21 gallons pretty easy, 14 gallons conserving. 1/2 - 3/4 gallon for a camp shower is not hard to achieve.

 

[Putts]

Are you any kin to Jimmy Buffet.

But it's a real beauty,
A Mexican cutie, how it got here
I haven't a clue.

Well, I've got flip-flops. And no tatts...so plenty of room to rack 'em up.

 

[DLTooley]

Having more drinking water than you think you will need is a good idea, especially in rougher, drier, country. I drink filtered, but also bring along potable unfiltered as part of that back up supply.

 

[James AKA Lynx]

Evervbody is different. When we started out we used more.
I carried at least 1.5 weeks worth but we moved every 3 to 5 days.
At first, before you stop, plan where you can get water and food.
Always filter before use.

 

[Kenwrite]

Single 64yo male, living alone in an IMMOBILE 36' Class A on a friend's property.  Electricity comes from a single 120v 20amp extension cord, my ONLY source of power for last 25 months.  With no water hook-up I've brought all my water, except the actual water I drink, into RV in 1gal. jugs, which helps me monitor amount.  Using 16.0oz./500ml bottles of water and tracking other drinks I can estimate 3/4 gal of water through actual drinking (coffee is made with water from jugs).  I work part-time and thus I'm out of the RV no more than 40+ hours a week; I'll conveniently estimate I'm in RV alone 80% of time (Yes, I'm pretty much a recluse without even hitting the High Desert.)
Next year I WILL go mobile.  I've been planning and dreaming of finding, buying, and converting a Step Van into a re-titled motorhome.  So I've already spend hundreds of hours thinking about and estimating what I'll need and what it will take.  Based on all this rambling overkill backstory, here's what I foresee for a hoped-for isolated self-exile:

Internet: I'm an addict and haven't been without it more than a long weekend in last 25 yrs.  But I don't care.  I have a weather radio, and I always keep several blank bound notebooks (yes, the paper kind) for journals.  I've always said a man alone with his own thoughts should be in good company.  When I finally get a chance to go off into the wilderness to face the Devil, Facebook and YouTube will just have to survive without me.

Laundry:  Ok, from here on out we're assuming I'll be alone and away from people.  Thus I'll be quite comfortable wearing clothes multiple times: I'm not an active outdoors person.  With the amount of limited clothes I intend to take, multiple days each, and the fact that in the privacy of my RV I'm quite comfortable in my own skin or if it's cold a simple bathrobe...hell, 2months?  3?  With privacy and a warm clime, who knows?

Showers: Again, just me in the wilderness--with wet wipes and damp clothes I can go a day or three between showers, depending on heat and whether I *have* to do anything strenuous.  Plus i have the Navy shower down to an art; I can get CLEAN with 3 quarts.  But as far as how long I can go without a "real" shower--high pressure and all the hot water I want--hmmmm it's going on 2+ yrs. now.

Food:  During the last two winters, in case of being snowed in, I've made it a point of pride to keep at *least* 30 days of dried/canned/instant/etc. food in the pantries.  I eat food because I'm hungry, not because I'm a gourmand.  If I was headed for the hills, I could easily stock up 100+ days worth.

Scenery:  Hell, I've been stuck in one place 2yrs.

Grey tank:  I'll have a composting toilet and, out in the wilderness, a shovel.  So it depends upon how much space I'll have for TP (I'm surprised no one mentioned THAT as a limiter  LOL)

Lastly, the water.  Over last 2yrs I usually use 21-27 of the gallon water jugs a month.  I'll guesstimate a gallon of drinking fluids a day (I'm a big water drinker and I will *not* be rationing unless I have to).  The Step Van RV (SVRV) that I'm sketching up will have normal storage for 50gal, but space to easily add 70 gal more--kinda like stocking up a nuclear sub before leaving port; consumables stuck EVERYWHERE!)  So if my intention was to stay in the wilderness as long as possible depending *only* on what I bring in and therefore stocking up like mad, I can envision 3 months.  But then, I've been looking into solar stills online this past week....  ;-)

Ok this is all just projection, but it's based on my very frugal and minimalist lifestyle developed over the last 25 months in this flaky situation I've been stuck in.  I project that, if my goal is to stay out as long as possible and I have the time and $ to plan and stock up, seems like 3 months is a reasonable lower limit.
Hope someone gets some iota of use out of it.

 

[Putts]

I've been planning and dreaming of finding, buying, and converting a Step Van into a re-titled motorhome.  So I've already spend hundreds of hours thinking about and estimating what I'll need and what it will take. 

My brother.

So it depends upon how much space I'll have for TP (I'm surprised no one mentioned THAT as a limiter  LOL)

Ah, maybe we're not related...THAT'S PURE FRIGGEN GENIUS! Why haven't I thought of that?

 

[olddude48]

10 gal. for me and 100 gal for my wife ) <:

 

[LayWoman for Christ]

Many things can bump up the number - water intensive cooking, a hot/dry environment, long showers, leaving water out for pets, flushing toilet, etc. If you drink soda or beer and eat watermelon all day and never shower you won't need much.

When I went to Burning Man I would go through 1.5 gallons per day including a navy shower and that's about as intense an environment as it gets.

Bring a few extra gallons your first time and try it out before buying heavy reusable containers.

Better to overstock than not.  Remember all mentioned here.  Pets especially.

 

[IGBT]

I'll play.

We bought 28 acres in eastern Washington with no well.   Wells are deep here (500 feet) and can cost $20,000 or more even if they end up not producing water.  You also need to maintain a well and supply electricity for a pump.


So....I called the local city water department and found out they sell water for $5 per 1000 gallons.  We went to North40 outfitters and bought a 350 and 200 gallon ACE pick up truck style tanks  (safe for potable water).   About $200 for the 350 and $169 for the 200.

We have a 37 gallon tank in the living pod.

After a couple of months here I am finding we use about 200 gallons a month for two people, taking about 2 showers a week.   We don't really do anything when it is hot except play games and watch tv so not exactly getting sweaty and grimy.

It seems to be working pretty well.  $5 per month is a lot of months vs $20,000 for a well.  Zero maintenance too and the feed is gravity.

 

[wasanah2]

I'll play.

We bought 28 acres in eastern Washington with no well.   Wells are deep here (500 feet) and can cost $20,000 or more even if they end up not producing water.  You also need to maintain a well and supply electricity for a pump.

So....I called the local city water department and found out they sell water for $5 per 1000 gallons.  We went to North40 outfitters and bought a 350 and 200 gallon ACE pick up truck style tanks  (safe for potable water).   About $200 for the 350 and $169 for the 200.

We have a 37 gallon tank in the living pod.

After a couple of months here I am finding we use about 200 gallons a month for two people, taking about 2 showers a week.   We don't really do anything when it is hot except play games and watch tv so not exactly getting sweaty and grimy.

It seems to be working pretty well.  $5 per month is a lot of months vs $20,000 for a well.  Zero maintenance too and the feed is gravity.

That's nothing short of genius!  Way cheaper than digging a well and maintaining it.   Did you have to bury your tanks below the freeze line?

 

[Scout]

A trick i use to save water while backpacking is use sand or dirt to wash dishes(like a scrub pad), then it doesnt take much to wash the dirt off. It may sound gross to some but it works for me.

 

[breeze]

All good answers. First, are we assuming an unlimited supply of 'sponge cake'?

 

[highdesertranger]

yum, sponge cake. highdesertranger