Boondocking water usage, conservation, storage & sterilization

For a boondocker how long you can stay out before having to pack up and return to a dump site 

to off load and reload with water depends on many factors, some you can change or work 

around and some you cannot.

Water Storage

Lets start with water storage both fresh and provided by nature ie: rain, creek or lake water.

If your water storage tank is not large enough to last the amount of time you want to stay out

Add 5 gal water jugs to your rear bumper or inside the trailer.

Carry a 30 gal drum in the back of your pickup if you have one.

Resupply

For extra water put 5 gal buckets under your rain spouts when it rains.

Or dip a bucket in the creek or lake.

This water is fine for in use toilet or for use with a outdoor shower setup.

Conservation

Save your dish water or water from washing your hands for the toilet.

Use a biodegradable soap so you can dump your hand and face washing water outside.

Sponge Bathe daily, shower every 3 days or as needed.

Use wet wipes for washing up daily.

Sterialization

You can drink or use lake,creek or rain water for drinking or food but you need to run it though

a drinking water filter or boil it first.

Grey & Black water tanks

Some will say to dump your grey or black water tanks in a hole or ditch somewhere, as campers

we should find a better way of doing things then that. Grey water is usable for watering plants 

like a garden but the grease that you may put in it washing dishes may not be good for plants 

but if you are lucky and have separate grey water tanks for the shower then I would not be 

opposed to dumping that. I think dish water should be filtered , so I would prefer to dump that in 

the toilet.

That leaves us just the black water tank, not much you can do here beyond using it as sparing 

as possible only use a little water when you can, when you can't make sure you use enough for 

a good flush you don't want a plug.

So it comes down to your black water tank capacity for how long you can stay out and most are 

not that large. You could use a external storage tank in your pickup bed to gain a few more 

days, by usinga macerator and hose. 

If you are lucky two people may go twelve days before filling the black water tank and for 

full-timmers that would be pretty good and longer then most of use camp in one spot.