DIRECTORY
How To Attain Water
Favorite Stores
Scavaging
Free Water
Ice
How To Safely Store Water
Gray Water
How to Attain Water
There are many ways to attain water, whether you’re in the wilderness or the big city. The important thing is to ensure it is safe, clean, potable water
Favorite Stores
Convenience store: take in jug and ask if you can get water. Offer to pay.
Grocery Stores:
Please purchase something if possible.
Meijer: has coke mix machines. Ice cold water.
Wal-Marts: water vending machines inside the store and most have trash cans outside for your trash.
Health Food Stores: Many have refill stations.
Laundromat: Some laundromats have refill stations for a small fee.
Vending Machines: purified water
FREE Water
City parks: water spigots and trash cans. stop and make lunch, dump trash, and fill up jugs.
Visitors Centers: at National Parks, Nature Preserves, & State Forests
National Forest Ranger and BLM Stations: water and dump your trash. Also a good source of information.
Campgrounds & RV Parks: If you are staying at a campground, many offer free potable water.
Gas stations: faucet for water; be sure it is potable.
Rest areas: water spigots and trash cans you can use.
Public restrooms: faucets. Can use a Water Bandit with a short hose to fill bottles.
Library: have fountains
Fire Station:
College campus: Some have filtered water fountains & charging stations. Be careful, some don’t want you on campus. Get a feel for it
<how to know when a campus is van friendly>
Scavaging
Creeks, Lakes, Waterfalls
If you are scavaging for water, make sure you have a way to filter it. You can purchase a water filter at most outdoors stores.
A common portable water filter option is Lifestraw.
If you don’t have a filter available, you can use iodine tablets or boil your water for at least 7 minutes to sanitize.
Options For Water Sanitation:
• RV water hose. one short and the other 10 feet long.
• Water Bandit. goes over the end of many faucets
• Backpackers water filter; gravity fed system. Dip a bag into the creek and hang it.
There is a tube coming out of it and you put the end of the tube into your water container sitting on the ground. Gravity pulls the water out of the bag, through a filter and clean water falls into your gallon jug. It works extremely well and is surprisingly fast.
Bleach to purify water jugs. Pour bleach water in hose and jugs to destroy bacteria at least twice a year.
ICE
Instead of purchasing water, I purchase ice and store it in my water cooler. By doing this, the water stays ice cold for a few days. If you want it warmer, you can boil it or mix it with hot water. You can get ice at about any grocery store
Walmart is generally the cheapest. They also have open restrooms and trash cans. Sometimes you can park overnight in their lots.
Meijer, Kroger & Associates, Safeway, Health Food Stores, Liquor Stores
How To Safely Store Water
Be careful about how you store water for consumption.
Do not store water in plastic bottles because chemicals seep into the water from the plastic. A water bottle can also reflect sunlight at just the right angle and set fire to your car.
There are many options for water containers. Many people opt for 5 gallon civilian or military-grade water containers.
The most healthy way to store water is in glass, but that can be impractical. Ensure that whatever container you use to store water is BPA free.
When deciding what type of water container to get consider the weight. 1 gallon of water weighs about 8 lbs. If you plan to refill your water by carrying it, it is smart to choose a container 5 gallons or smaller.
<Water container: how to safely store water
have a chart of water consumption for your size>
Gray Water
If you store water in your vehicle, you will also need to have a gray water tank to store used water to dump later.
Always make sure you use biodegradable soap if you will be dumping anything outside.
Make sure you only dump water in allowed areas. Many places do not allow dumping.
Never dump water near streams as soap is bad for the fishies!
🐟
For the best places to dump gray water check out waste disposal.
Food
Food gets it’s own category, obviously, as it is the center of life, the universe, & everything. Learn how to cook on the road & what is the easiest to store while keeping your belly full & your body energized for the next adventure!
