Weekend Camping without water?

Zachalyse

Zachalyse

Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Messages
826
Age
58
Location
Maine
I'm looking into purchasing a snowmobile camp that recently lost its water supply. Given the current conditions and timing it is near impossible to get a well dug and get under the camp for proper hookup and insulating. The camp is completely plumbed with kitchen sink and full bath w/shower.

Any tips on how I could affordably get minimal water usage. I'm thinking a 5 gallon pale with a drop in pump of some sort for the kitchen sink. Any ideas on how I could get water to the shower with heat? tankless water heater? The attic above the shower is accessible. How much water would I need for 2 or 3 quick showers?

Just looking for affordable options to make the camp functional through this winter. any thoughts on methods and system is greatly appreciated.
 
if you rinse, shut water, soap up then rinse again, the shower won't take much water, just look at a camping supply site at a portable shower they usually list the storage capacities, and # of showers you can get. that would give you an idea of how much storage you'd need
 
Use portable outdoor sun/shower bag. Warm the water on the stove pour it in, hang it up. Did it for years at deer camp in a 16x32 Army tent. We actually set up a plastic shower stall with a drain to outside and used it all year whenever we went there. I recommend changing the plastic push pull nozzle to a kitchen sink sprayer type it's way easier to use.
 
Use alcohol wipes to bath your self daily, this way you will not need to shower. Bring lots of propane to use with a stove to melt snow for water. Or just throw a large pot on the ol stove to melt the snow. Lots of simple things like this can be done. I used to live in the woods and went on many fishing trips summer and winter with never bringing water. Most of the time I leave with matches, a pot, pan and a hatchet.
 
Install a rain water catchment system coming from your roof

When I was in south Asia last in 2008, we built schools and health clinics for villages and small little remote towns where there in nothing. More so in Papa New Guinea.

Outside of the building off to the side, we built a pad for a 2000 gallon water supply that collected rain water from the roof.

In a nut shell, the rain water that landed on the tin roof of the building went into the gutter system and then into the drainage pipes that led to this 2000 gallon container.

On the pad, right next to the container was a pump that brought the water from the storage tank through the plumbing system into the building. Sinks, bathrooms, showers, you name it. it was like it had normal running city water. It also had plumbing running to a hot water heater on the roof where the water was heated by a solar panel which had a hot water storage tank mounted right next to it on the roof.

This was not a fancy or expensive design and it didnt have to be but I was impressed on how well it worked. So you see in very poor countries, this is how these people have lived for hundreds of years and think its the best. They come up with ways like this to live and not have to spend money they dont have. This would not be tolerated by any building code in the US becuase we are not villagers or cavemen but who to say you cant put it on a camping shack on your own property.

For drinking or cooking water you will have to bring jugs of bottled water.

http://www.sawater.com.au/NR/rdonlyres/E49EA34C-3400-40C9-9634-1B6F7966E7FA/0/RainwaterPlumbingGuide.pdf
 
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We get our water from the lake all 4 seasons, including the 550 gallons for the hot tub. I use a power ice auger in the winter.
This is my riding retreat. We heat water on the wood stove and use a cheap shower bag for washing and showering
 

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