Dry Camping Question

[Jmooney]

I think most states and even national parks have an entry fee ( or annual pass )

The booking fee for online reservations is ridiculous

But for those that have camped here.... It's worth it.

My.02

[Flyrotor]

I always add the water I need at home, never have even batted an eye about the extra weight, I have 90 gallons of fresh water and honestly have never noticed a difference in fuel mileage, it's only about 10% of my gross trailer weight, wind is definitely more of a factor in drag and resistance, my truck can handle the acceleration and braking without issue

[tjpolsin]

Originally Posted by DebKen

I did call the state park and they do have a place to fill the tank with fresh water. We never cook with or drink the water (we use bottled water for that) but I was concerned about having water for the bathroom and maybe to wash dishes. This will be our first trip through mountains with anything heavier than a pop up and since our fresh water would weigh 400 lbs we don't want to have that much extra weight. We will be able to dump at the park also so hopefully it will all work out ��

interesting, the only bad water I have ever tasted is San Diego municipal water. I have no problem drinking / cooking with campground water. If a well used for public consumption is contaminated and has complaints, the local health dept would shut them down.

[Filthy-Beast]

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

....... If a well used for public consumption is contaminated and has complaints, the local health dept would shut them down.

I prefer to not be the first case that leads to a health inspection and testing, just saying.

We use camp water for showers and washing, but cook and drink with bottled water. We bottle our own from our RO filtered water at home. I usually haul 10 gallons of "bottled" water.

filters only remove sediment, dissolved solids, and adjust taste. They do not stop bugs. A UV sterilizer would be required to do that.

[DocBrown]

You know the old saying, when visiting Mexico, don't drink the water? That's not because the water is bad. It's because you may not be used to the microbes in that water. If you lived there, you'd build up a tolerance to it. That's why the locals don't get sick.

Same is true for going just across state. What's in the water 200 miles from home may be very different from the water you're used to. Just because one person never had a problem with CG water doesn't others won't have problems. Some folks are just more sensitive to that then others. I got very sick drinking the CG water on a trip to northern WI in the mid-90s. Never had a problem before that. Now we use bottled water for drinking. For the small cost of a couple of gallons of water we have illness free trips.

[TWP723]

Always always always ALWAYS filter your fresh water. It's only as fresh as the source. I did alot of backpacking/mountaineering back when I was younger and that was a golden rule. Always filter your water. Even if you're not drinking it and just using for dishes, washing hands, etc. Bacteria is no fun folks. Been there...done it.

[Subaru297]

What filter would you recommend for filtering all the water going into your camper that can deal with protozoa, bacteria, and cryptosporidium. There are lots of filters available for backpacking but for filtering a lot of water for trailer camping I am unaware of anything.

Filtering for taste and particulate is another matter and much easier.

[SilverEscape]

We get water at the campground and filter it. I'll get a pic of our filter once we get home. We buy a new one each season. We use that for shower, dishes, hand washing and sometimes teeth brushing when the kids forget. We bring our own RO water from home for drinking and cooking.

[Jagiven]

Key is to call the park office. Trust me they get this call all the time. Most likely the have somewhere to fill, such as at the park office, dump station area, dedicated fill area, some have water spigots around the CG, just pull up to and fill up.

if they do not have water, ask for recommendation to secure water locally.

The water bandit, and fill tube adapter, shown above are really nice accessories.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by DocBrown

You know the old saying, when visiting Mexico, don't drink the water? That's not because the water is bad. It's because you may not be used to the microbes in that water. If you lived there, you'd build up a tolerance to it. That's why the locals don't get sick.

Same is true for going just across state. What's in the water 200 miles from home may be very different from the water you're used to. Just because one person never had a problem with CG water doesn't others won't have problems. Some folks are just more sensitive to that then others. I got very sick drinking the CG water on a trip to northern WI in the mid-90s. Never had a problem before that. Now we use bottled water for drinking. For the small cost of a couple of gallons of water we have illness free trips.

This is me exactly. As a young man, I traveled all over the place, never had a problem. Until I had a problem. It wasn't major, but it was uncomfortable and it happened repeatedly. I call it "travelers diarrhea" and it stems from drinking perfectly acceptable water that I'm not used to (different "critters" that my gut hasn't grown accustomed to; I'm one of the "sensitive" ones). So now we bring our own filtered RO water and only use the filtered city connection (or the tank) for washing and showering.

Problem solved, and it only cost us a buck to fill our 5 gal water cooler jug. If we're out for more than 2 nights, we'll supplement with some gallon jugs that we refill at home. My gut stays happy, and I can focus on having fun and not my proximity to the "facilities"!

[cekkk]

I'm thinking "traveler's diarrhea" is not something everyone suffers from when traveling. I am an iced tea drinker, so when eating out I get plenty of local water. Having traveled in my work for over 30 years and visiting every state save two, no one in my crew ever got sick on the local water. I will say a lot of the western states' water is pretty chewey!