How Much Water Do You Need For Camping?

I don’t require to tell anybody about the importance of water and why do we require water while camping? We can’t live without water and that’s a fact. This fact turns into a challenge when we are out in nature with our RV or camping trailers and we only have limited resources for everything.

Camping is like carrying almost a little home to the campsite. You have to pack so many things and take care of many small things, there is no way you can plan it in a night, until and unless you are going with a professional organizer and they will provide you and take care of every requirement.

But the question is when you are planning everything yourself and boondocking, How Much Water Do You Need For Camping to go smoothly, and you don’t go thirsty. Although you can have various means to refill your water, one is how to get your RV tanks refilled. It would be great if you can plan and plan out at least a week of your camping trip’s water needs.

We have the answers to how much water do we need for camping trips?

Let’s get started, shall we?

Easy Guidelines For Carrying Water To Camping

guidelines for How Much Water Do You Need For Camping

These guidelines are based on your requirements based on what kind of camping you prefer to go to? How many people are with you? What kind of climate you are planning to venture out? And many more.

How Much Drinking Water For Camping?

First things first. Experts say a healthy adult needs to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day .

Your activities also affect your water needs like if you want to go hiking as well while you camp then you are obviously would be more exhausted and need to drink more water than usual.

The needs increase when you are on medication.

Bring at least one gallon of drinking water per person per day. Here are some facts, our body is approximately 60% water and you need sufficient water to stay healthy.

Dehydration is dangerous, especially when you cannot get medical help immediately. Dehydration will affect your mood and make you feel sick and that will eventually affect your camping experience.

Symptoms of dehydration-

Feeling thirsty
Tiredness
Dark-yellow and strong-smelling pee
Dizziness
Dry mouth, eyes, and eyes
Bleeding nose if it is severe

Water For Cooking And Cleaning

Well, of course, you will require water to make your morning coffee or maybe some cakes. Cakes? While camping? Here is how to bake cakes while camping?

If you are a serious coffee/tea drinker, you might go for several rounds of it in a day. Consider packing an extra 24 ounces of water for coffee/tea or any beverage you prefer. If you are just going to drink water then you don’t need to bring this extra 24 ounces of water. The amount of 24 ounces will increase if you have companions with you.

This was just the calculation for beverages, but you will need water for food as well, something like pasta or rice or even quick mac and cheesed or mug cakes require water. Don’t forget to pack water for cooking.

If you are having and cooking food, there have to be utensils, which will be used the next day as well. You can’t carry them dirty. This cleaning won’t be like home where you wash the utensils under the running faucet.

We cannot waste water when we have limited quantities. Here is when you can use disposable cutlery and save some water, you just need to wash the utensils that used to cook.

You might need to do that as well if you came prepared with pre-prepared food packets like pre-cooked potatoes in foil. Here is how to cook pre-cooked potatoes

You also require water for showering or at least rinse yourself. Keeping this in mind and then calculate the amount of water you would require for it. Of course, we have an article to how to shower while camping.

Water Needs For Car Campers

Car campers can simply pack their drinking water bottles or jugs with spots on them. It would be convenient to carry a 2-liter bottle for drinking purposes and then refill it later. You will, of course, have to carry extra for brushing, bathing, food and washing dishes.

Always have some water for cleaning cuts or scrapes if it happens. Just in case. But do not use drinking water for this. Use paper plates and then maybe burn them in the campfire.

You can cut water usage by using hand sanitizer and hand wipes instead of water.

Climate Also Decides Your Water Needs

Climate plays a major role in deciding how much water you need for your use. If the climate is dry and hot then obviously we will require more water. We tend to be more thirsty in summers.

It is a bit easy in winters, but still if you do not feel the urge to drink water in cold weather, you do need to drink the minimum required to stay hydrated. You can even melt the snow and use it for washing dishes and other stuff. Don’t drink the melted snow.

Don’t Keep Your Pets Thirsty

carry water for pets as well while camping

Don’t forget about your pets they too need water for drinking at least. Love your pets! They need fresh water to drink just like we do.

Get their bowls as well, equip yourself and calculate the water requirements as per their requirements as well.

Yuo can skip bathing your pets, as they will get dirty again very soon and a lot of water will get wasted.

Research If There Is A Water Source Nearby Your Campsite

Having a water resource nearby your campsite is a bonus. It is such a natural source of refilling water or maybe you do not need to carry extra water for bathing, just take a brisk swim in the water. Do not drink the water though if it is not purified.

But do not completely depend on the water source, as there is a chance that you are not allowed to enter water for some reason, or the excess id restricted temporarily for some reason. You would be glad if you carried extra water.

How Much Water For Backpack Camping?

Long story short, you do not go on long camping trips if you plan for a backpacking trekking, it ranges from a minimum of 6 hours to a maximum of 1 day.

Carry your water bottles with you, be equipped for at least 5 litres of water for a day per person. 5 litre is when there is no water refill spots. If you do have some refill spots, then carrying just 2 litre water bottle with you and refill from time to time.

If the day is hot, dry or humid, carry 1 litres per head per hour. This extra weight might be inconvenient, but trust me dehydration anf thirst would be worst.

Always Keep Buffer Water

Being prepared won’t hurt anyone, but do so on the risk of availability of storage in your vehicle. If you bring enough water, then you do not have to leave your campsite in search of water.

It would be a nice a practise, if you planned your water usage and stic to the plan. It wuld be one less thing to worry about. If you somehow extra water with you then don’t waste it or overuse it, ask if someone else need it or running low on water. Helping others might lead to making new friends.

How Much Water Is Too Much For Camping?

There is no such amount of water as too much water unless you bring the whole tank, but who does that? No one.
Here storage will be an issue, as you need to plan how to store this water as well.
What is the point of carrying too many containers if the people with you cannot have a seat in your RV?
Calculate smartly for your usage.
After you have figured out everything, carrying anything more than that will be more than enough for you.
Carrying more than required will only increase the weight and nothing else.
There are so many water refill spots around the campsite.

FAQs

How to carry water for camping?

Contaminants. You typically have two choices for carrying your water. The first is to use a hydration bladder, such as a Camelback or Platypus, that stays inside your backpack near your back and allows you to drink through a connected tube that comes out to your shoulder strap for easy access.

How much water do I need for 3 days?

Store at least one gallon of water per person per day for three days, for drinking and sanitation. A normally active person needs about three quarters of a gallon of fluid daily, from water and other beverages. However, individual needs vary depending on age, health, physical condition, activity, diet and climate.

How much water should while backpacking camping?

You should carry 1 liter of water for every 2 hours of backpacking you have ahead of you. Of course, adjust this for your specific situation. Consider your age, the intensity of the hike, your personal sweat rate, body type, duration of the hike, the weather, and the distance.

How long a 50 gallon water will last?

The average shower uses 2 gallons of water per minute, so that same 50-gallon tank is good for a little less than 17 minutes of hot water. Tip: As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for a tank capacity of 10-15 gallons per adult in your house.

Is 2-liter water a day good for health?

Health experts commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon a day. This is called the 8×8 rule and is very easy to remember. However, some experts believe that you need to sip on water constantly throughout the day, even when you’re not thirsty.

Conclusion

I hope this article answered all your questions about how much water you carry and how to plan your water usage. What all things you should keep in mind while calculating water usage.

I would prefer making a checklist of all the activities you would require water and then plan and base your calculation on the availability of water around.

If you have any camping story, do share in the the comment section below. We would love to hear those.

Check out our camping guides and much more on our website.

Until then happy camping!