Water use, storage and transport

[mrapocalypse]

Hi,

Wife and I are tyre kicking the idea of a Simpson trip later in the year!

Wondering How does everyone carry their water on long trips....

How much did you actually use. The recomended 5 litres to drink per day plus cooking and cleaning?

Built in tanks, jerry cans, bottled?

Did anyone recycle any of it and for what use?

We have a D2 V8 so we will be carrying a LARGE amount on fuel somehow, so lots of Jerry cans full of liquids of varying content and type will be our burden!

Cheers
Ian.

[Xtreme]

I've always carried water in multiple small containers.
Reasons -

If you get a leak, you only loose a small amount of your supply.
You can top up your supply with poorer quality water (bore water, creek water or whatever) along the way and this can be used for washing while keeping your good drinking water separate. This means that you don't have to carry as much.
Small containers are easier to refill than a large vehicle mounted tank.
Easier to monitor your usage - unless you have a good gauge on a large tank.Regarding quantity, 5 litres/person/day if a good starting point/guide. Best to monitor your usage on a few shorter trips first and then add the emergency factor.

[crash]

I can not agree more with extreme, especially after losing all of our water out of our camper trailer along the Oodnadatta trail. I also like the idea of the expandible bladders that can sit across the floor behind the front seats.

[sniegy]

I will ditto the first 2 responses,
I did the Simpson 3yrs ago in my TD5 & carried 4 10ltr boxed water bladder things from Coles.
You can also get 5Ltr container bladder things also, the 10ltr versions just packed nicely in the spot i had so i used these.
I like these for a couple of reasons apart from above.
When finished u can use the bladder to put in the fridge(blow some air in with your mouth) to stop things from breaking-eggs come to mind-from the sand dunes.
U can also store them in the vehicle in various places to stop rattles etc.
Easy to pick anywhere too, whether it be Mt Dare or Alice springs there easy to obtain & Cheap!
Have a great trip.;)

[mrapocalypse]

Thanks guys.... That really helps.

2 20l jerry cans sit nicely behind the front seats, (only 2 of us), and maybe we will get a variety of disposable containers to stash wherever we can.

nice!

[Tango51]

Thanks guys.... That really helps.

2 20l jerry cans sit nicely behind the front seats, (only 2 of us), and maybe we will get a variety of disposable containers to stash wherever we can.

nice!

Careful! Foodsafe plastics especially for water!

[Scallops]

I've got a 70l water tank that sits in the rear passenger side of my Defender on the Outback drawers. Short of a bullet - nothing is going to rupture this tank. It's a good solution because you can carry a decent amount of water - and it has a manual hand pump to operate - nothing to go wrong. It comes from Rangie Spares and I got it from Graeme Coopers in Sydney.

I also have a couple of 10 l water holders and 2 camelbacks (2l each).

[Rosscoe68]

hey there, my wife and i are also planning a simspon crossing later in the year,perhaps we can join efforts. :)

[Davo]

We only use those green plastic Army jerrycans. You know, the actual ones the Army uses, not the pretend ones. They're made by Proquip and have a sticker about how they are "Army Tough" or something funny like that. They are indeed very tough and last well. They are also dark green so that helps keep sunlight out.

We also have one metal jerrycan. It's a light blue colour and has a sticker on it about how it's NATO standard and has a special lining for potable water. I only got it because I'd heard of them somewhere and bought it when I saw it.

I prefer jerries because they are well-proven and easy to move around . . . er, especially when they're empty . . . and the green plastic ones have a threaded hole that you can drill through before you fit a spigot. Then you can stand it up somewhere and have running water.

[Sprint]

dont forget the age old universal bladder...... the goon bag! (wine cask bladder for the older generation)

holds 4-5 litres, easily moulds to fit in anywhere, and you can allways enjoy procuring them!

[Blknight.aus]

I agree with extreeme and my water carriage for cooma was 115l of potable in the trailer (60l drum, 20l Jerry 20l square drum and a milkcrate full of 600ml bottles) and 40l in the car (20l jerry 2x4l plastic bottles and 4x 600ml bottles)

The trailer setup is done so that hoses can be used to syphon drain into the kitchenette setup from 1 20l jerry on the top and then fill it from the bigger drum)

used only for drinking water and cooking (dont forget we also had coke and other purchased drinks) me and dad pretty much emptied the 60l drum and 1/2 the waterbottles in the 4 days we were there but we werent exactly practicing good water discipline.

[graceysdad]

To me this is the down fall of any bad situation gone wrong and its always water related, plus add some natural human mistakes and its a wonder some people do survive, my advice is to drain and clean out your washer bottles and fill with clean water and only top up with water, no cleaners, why? well if you should have the undesirable happen and you are short of water you will at least have a few litres between the washer bottles, Do the Discos have removable side panels in the back? the bladders mentioned earlier and the goon bags, chuck some in these cavities if you can, the old PVC tubing makes a fine water tank, under the trailer or across the front just about anywhere you can fit it, the Simpson is a trap for learners, reminds me a story of two blokes up north, there car broke down out in the boonies and in the infinite wisdom they chose to walk out, the big decision was wether to take the beer or the water, the beer won out in the end, anyway the guys died of you guessed it thirst, later when the vehicle was found they actually had enough water to see them through, silly buggers. If you can carry it, do so.

[Michael2]

On my Simpson Desert Trip ( http://www.aulro.com/afvb/sa-reports/39890-simpson-desert-2006-a.html ) I got a mate to drive a Defender tray back ute with a 400 litre water tank. It was plumbed to a Rinnai infinity Hot Water system and had a pump for running hot & cold water. That way we didn't have to drink South Australian water :D.

On my Defender I have a 44 litre water tank in the rear quater panel and a 50 litre tank that's only 8cm thick against the fire wall. For me water tanks are a must, as a family of five takes up all the room in the car. However before space was at a premium, I would have just settled for water cubes or jerry cans. There will be lots of movement across the Simpson, so it's best not to leave the plastic taps on while travelling, but block those holes with a bung. The taps are handy because you can then sit the cube or jerry on a table and get water without tilting it.

On a water conservation point, using mouth wash to brush your teeth instead of toothpaste requires less water for rinsing. You could save a whole mouthful of water per person per day that way. :D:eek:

Another good way to reduce water requirements is through well prepared food prepartion. We cooked all our meals before hand (Stir Fry, Beef Strog, and a couple of other dishes. Then froze them solid in the foil containers. These stacked neatly in the freezer. Each day we'd pull one meal out and place it in the esky to defrost, then at night we'd boil a billy with rice or pasta, then add the thawed meal. This meant no washing and cooking of vegetables etc. It saved storage space, preperation time as well as water.

Make sure you budget enough water for the car too. Normally that will be nothing, but a cooling system problem may suddenly cause it to require a hefty ration to top up.

[Michael2]

...On my Defender I have a 44 litre water tank in the rear quater panel and a 50 litre tank that's only 8cm thick against the fire wall. ...


That should read "CARGO BARRIER" - not "firewall". Obviously I need the EDIT button.
:bangin:

[JDNSW]

In a trip to the centre in 1964 two of us used four four gallon containers in a swb Series 2 (plus four jerricans of petrol - and not much else!).

In my current 110 I have a sixty litre sill tank, but always carry other containers as well. The advantage of an under vehicle tank is that it does not use interior space.

But I emphasise that you should not have all your water in one container - even if it is leak proof, people have been known to leave the tap on, and there is not really anything absolutely leakproof.

John

[Davo]

There will be lots of movement across the Simpson, so it's best not to leave the plastic taps on while travelling, but block those holes with a bung. The taps are handy because you can then sit the cube or jerry on a table and get water without tilting it.

Thanks for pointing that out. Yes, as usual, I forgot to mention something! The bungs should always be in place because those little plastic taps are a great way to lose water on the track.

At the moment I'm thinking of making a little system where a pump and tap are connected by hose to a jerrycan cap. Then I can just move the cap around from jerry to jerry to have running water. I have found that running water can make camping much, much easier but it's also a great way to waste water, too.

[mrapocalypse]

on our regular beach camping trips we are using about 10-12 litres between us per day including washing up, cooking etc.. But not including showers Etc.. Which goes with the theory of 5l pppd....,

So for a 10-12 day trip, (Is that about how long it takes to do the simpson) 120L or about six Jerry cans!

[isuzurover]

I did a 7000km trip recently, about 75% sealed roads. Carried about 100L of water. Some in heavy plastic (20L) drums, and others in 15L containers (the kind you buy in the supermarket - but fairly thick plastic).

About 3/4 of the supermarket containers split or rubbed through at the seams on the trip. I wouldn't take them again.

[weeds]

i have a 72L tank in my rear footwell with a pressure pump connected for my simpson trip, instead of cups we used drinking botles this means no water is thrown out of the cup when you need to pack it away.

we use paper towel to wipe clean dishes and pots prior to washing, less water required, we also wash in the water that we boiled the vegies in which is still normally hot after you have finished

i still had water in my 72L tank when i return from touring the simpson desert for 17 days, around 4L water per day for two blokes and one six year old

maybe the six thirty packs of beer covered the rest of our drinking

i had a spare 20L jerry on the roof rack for emergency use

[Bigbjorn]

There are caterers size wine casks, 20 litres, which can be rinsed out and reused. You may need to start emptying a few a good while ahead of your trip. Of course, you could take wine instead of water, get religion, and do the reverse of JC's party trick at the wedding in Cana. But a light sauternes is perfectly satisfactory for cleaning ones teeth.

[cookiesa]

More for others but having a family we have found that decanting in to one of the smaller 5L blue plastic containers and using water from that reduces consumption but also means an "accidently" left off lid, dropped bottle, over anxious pourer etc doesn't become a major issue. It is amazing how much more aware you are of consumption this way.

[Xtreme]

A friend of my father who travelled the outback and deserts during the early 60's even drilled holes around the sides of his billies so you couldn't use too much water!

[streaky]

I just found these water jerry cans from Front Runner in our 4x4 camping store.
Not only is the rescessed tap a good idea, these jerries also fit into a standard NATO jerry can holder.

Have they got South African Front Runner gear down your way? Or you try to make your own using Plastic welding?

S.

[lnd130]

opposite lock in brookvale now carry the gear from front runner a lot of defender based accessories in the catolouge i got from them looks like good gear...

[Bush65]

For water, I have a 45 litre stainless sill tank under left side of the rangie and a 55 litre bladder inside.

[RonMcGr]

Thanks guys.... That really helps.

2 20l jerry cans sit nicely behind the front seats, (only 2 of us), and maybe we will get a variety of disposable containers to stash wherever we can.

nice!

That should be plenty.
Dalhousie Springs and Purni Bore are good places to use local water for washing. Well they were in 1987 :D

[zulu Delta 534]

Mrs Zulu Delta empties her wine bladders (unaided), rinses and refills them with water, freezes them in the Waeco then uses them as ice blocks in the esky, and around and around the cycle goes. This cuts down on my overnight power requirements as I dont really need the fridge overnight, and they also can be used as a water source if and when needed.
regards
Glen

[mrapocalypse]

That's my next thread..... Ready!

[Mudnut]

From Michael2's post. Re: 44l quarter panel water tank.

I have spoken to Michael2 via e-mail last year, and his water tank in the quarter panel is form FRONT RUNNER 4x4 TECHNOLOGY - front runner 4x4 accessories ROOFRACKS&ACCESSORIES rooftop tents storage systems fridges freezers fuel tanks awnings camping winch towbars (http://www.frontrunner.co.za)

They also have fuel tanks that fit in the Rhs quarter panel (where the fuel filler is located) These are the ones that Opposite Lock supply, but much cheaper. Even with postage from South Africa.
Am still looking at getting one of these, but financially strapped at the moment.

Cheers,
Ken

[The ho har's]

We have a 50 ltr bladder (bought from a boat shop as they are cheeper than 4wd shops) it sits behind my D1 drivers seat as we have no back seats. We also carry empty 2ltr bottles which we fill up anywhere we can creeks, taps in parks, etc etc and use them for washing us and dishes etc, as it does not matter if it is a bit dirty. But we have just finnished building a slide on camper for the 130 so now we have two 50 ltr water tanks on board, we still will be taking the bladder empty just in case.
mrs ho har

[thebeast]

how durable are the wine casket bladders for bumpy rock and roll roads?

[EchiDna]

.........We also carry empty 2ltr bottles which we fill up anywhere we can creeks, taps in parks, etc etc and use them for washing us and dishes etc, as it does not matter if it is a bit dirty........

until you get a dose of Giardia...
Giardia lamblia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia)

or Cryptosporidia...

good article here:

Drinking Water Safety (http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Water.htm)

I used to drink water from the creek at my families place as a child, never got sick once but I did a couple of times as a know-it-all teenage hiker. when you are talking about having a limited water supply, the last thing you want is a dose of the squirts using up what limited water you have. highly recommend a steri-pen or equivalent.

[4bee]

Don't overlook the good old 2/3 litre milk bottles. As you use them drop a few drops of washing up detergent & some water. Good shake & let sit turning them every few days.
Before filling for the trip, rinse well & refill. Discard them after use if necessary. The 2 litre containers pack in nicely around the vehicle.

[Disco300Tdi]

how durable are the wine casket bladders for bumpy rock and roll roads?

I have never had a problem with them.

I also inflate an empty wine bladder to use up the empty space in the engel. It reduces the running time with less space to cool

[Chenz]

Did the Hay River track 2 years ago and borrowd a 75 litr flexi-tank bladder that sat under the back seat of he Fender.

Just bought one myself to use in the Simpson later this year. As there will only be two of us this time. I have gotten a carpet guy I know to make me a "cocoon" for it to fit in and lay across the floor in the back. Had no problem with this last time so don't see too many probs this time. We use a 20litre plastic jerry can that we decant into as a spare just in case the bladder does fail but the guy I borrowed it off never had a failare and neither have I.

[Chenz]

Did the Hay River track 2 years ago and borrowd a 75 litr flexi-tank bladder that sat under the back seat of he Fender.

Just bought one myself to use in the Simpson later this year. As there will only be two of us this time. I have gotten a carpet guy I know to make me a "cocoon" for it to fit in and lay across the floor in the back. Had no problem with this last time so don't see too many probs this time. We use a 20litre plastic jerry can that we decant into as a spare just in case the bladder does fail but the guy I borrowed it off never had a failure and neither have I.

[The ho har's]

Originally Posted by ho har
.........We also carry empty 2ltr bottles which we fill up anywhere we can creeks, taps in parks, etc etc and use them for washing us and dishes etc, as it does not matter if it is a bit dirty........





until you get a dose of Giardia...
Giardia lamblia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardia)

or Cryptosporidia...

good article here:

Drinking Water Safety (http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Water.htm)

I used to drink water from the creek at my families place as a child, never got sick once but I did a couple of times as a know-it-all teenage hiker. when you are talking about having a limited water supply, the last thing you want is a dose of the squirts using up what limited water you have. highly recommend a steri-pen or equivalent.


we only water from creeks for washing things hands dishes etc NOT for drinking that is what the water blader is for :)

[Aaron]

You have all neglected keeping the car sparkling.

Hard to find a dedicated Land Rover owner these days.

:wasntme:

[Xtreme]

Originally Posted by ho har
.........We also carry empty 2ltr bottles which we fill up anywhere we can creeks, taps in parks, etc etc and use them for washing us and dishes etc, as it does not matter if it is a bit dirty........

If you carry an extra cap with a 3 or 4mm hole in it, they're very effective for putting out the spinifex fire around your exhaust.

[EchiDna]

...we only water from creeks for washing things hands dishes etc NOT for drinking that is what the water blader is for :) ;)

just make sure to let the plates/cups dry properly between uses and you will be fine then...

[isuzurover]

how durable are the wine casket bladders for bumpy rock and roll roads?

We had a half full wine cask bladder rub through on the canning.

For water, we took 5x25 L good quality plastic drums. We drove over some of the worst corrugations I have seen. The plastic drums held up fine, and were convenient to use and refill.

The strongest and most durable container I have though is a 20L plastic drum that used to hold 7-up concentrate. It took weeks to lose the 7-up taste though and years to lose the smell!!!

[Ean Austral]

We used a 59ltr plastic tank from a camper trailer on the Canning trip last year.
Put it behind the front seat and sat in the foot well fine, ran a hose to a hand pump mounted on the cargo barrier.put a clear hose off the bleed cap to guage the water level.

Would use the same system anytime, had a couple of 2 ltr bottles under the front seat for spinfex.

The canning did have water available if not every day atleast every 2nd day.

Total cost to do the whole set-up was about $140 from memory, and you can get them tanks in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Cheers Ean

[isuzurover]

The canning did have water available if not every day atleast every 2nd day.



Yes, but as they are open wells you need to be careful. One guy travelling south told us he saw someone showering right next to a well, using the well bucket to draw water. When someone asked why he was doing it, he said he didn't have a bucket of his own :o .

We topped up our washing water drums, but didn't fill up with drinking water till we got to georgia bore.

[Ivan]

When we did the Simpson in my old D1 V8, I just took 2 20ltr Ex Army Water Jerry cans, plus an extra 2 10 ltr water Jerry cans and a pair of 5 ltr containers in the fridge. For fuel I had 6 20 Ltr Jerry cans of fuel strapped across the back of the cargo barrier. 8 Jerry cans (6 fuel and 2 water) fit nicely across the back of a D1 (removed the back seats first and moved the cargo barrier to the forward position). Carried all the camping gear with ease as well as fuel and water. It also meant I could fill the fuel Jerry cans locally at a lower price. Did have a roof rack and bag but only kept sleeping mats, deck chairs and the tent in it.

Ivan

[slug_burner]

Drove from Melb to the Kimberly via Flinders Ranges, Oodnadatta Track, Tanami, Gibb River Road up to Mitchell Falls, Kalumburu down to Derby back to Alice across Simpson down Birdsville etc. Used a Water Blader as used by Yatchties, connected two hoses one to fill and other with a tap. Placed between back of front seat box and parcel barrier behind front seats of the defender. The hoses could be pulled out without having to move the blader.

After six weeks I still had Melb water in the approx 100 ltr blader as I used local potable water where available.

Yes there is a risk of puncturing a single water container vs multiple containers but the bladers are very tough.

I found the yatch suppliers to be cheaper (more realistic) than the 4x4 suppliers.

[Ean Austral]

Yes, but as they are open wells you need to be careful. One guy travelling south told us he saw someone showering right next to a well, using the well bucket to draw water. When someone asked why he was doing it, he said he didn't have a bucket of his own :o .

We topped up our washing water drums, but didn't fill up with drinking water till we got to georgia bore.

Very true Ben, but we found good water in most of the refurbed wells and if weren't sure we didn't fill our tank..Could always boil it first I guess..

60 ltrs is alot of water if used sparingly..

I was more just offering a option of what we did, most guys had 3-4 20ltr drums,.... but they didn't carry as much wine as us:p:p:p

Cheers Ean