State Parks with no hook-up question

[Mellow Yellow]

We've camped in tent and pop up in many VT state parks. Toted water from the spigots and washed dishes outside. With the Sunline, we intend to haul some water from home in the freshwater tank. We'll likely use the shower and facilities at the campground rather than our own, but if we need more fresh water, do you all get it from the fresh water spigots.. and haul it to the camper? Assume the water at the dump station is not considered potable... not that I'd care to use it. That is the only hose connection we saw on our last visit to the park. Our state parks don't seem to offer any alernative.

P.S. for those who followed our "Freshwater Tank" thread, we ended up taking the entire tank off and cleaning it. We'd never have been able to do it otherwise. We ended up with a pile, literally, of algae and gunk on the driveway !!

[awellis3]

Originally Posted by Mellow Yellow

... but if we need more fresh water, do you all get it from the fresh water spigots.. and haul it to the camper?

I have a hand-operated water pump. I fill a 7 gal. container at the water spigot and pump from it into the TT. If I'm feeling my oats, I'll have Penny hold a transmission fill funnel onto the water fill and lift the container (56# of water) and pour the water directly. (It's faster that way.)

Teach

[JB2004]

When we camped in the NY State Parks (most did not have water sites) , they had spigots situated all throughout the campground. Some with a threaded connection, some not. You can get an adapter that slips over a water spigot that is not threaded, Camping World sells them. I would fill a 8 gal. plastic water can that had a retractable spout and refill the fresh water tank. Down here, it looks like a lot of the state parks have water and electric !!!

[pwb01]

We almost always dry camp and tote water in a 5gal jug. The jug has a spout that fits the opening to fill the tank. Being careful and taking quick, get wet, turn water off, soap up, turn water on, rinse, type showers, we add about 10 gal per day. I use an 18 gal wheeled portable dump tank every 2nd or 3rd day to bring gray water to the dump station. For a spigot, Camping world sells a "Water Thief" (mentioned earlier) to slip on the spigot to use a hose to fill your tank.

Consider multiple batteries for power. We use two for three days and 4 for a week. Just connect them in parallel (pos to pos, neg to neg).

[Janet H]

I think that a water thief should be required survival equipment for trailers. I rarely use mine but when you need it there is no replacement. Lots of older national parks have the same water issues - spigots with no threads. I carry a water thief and 2 folding buckets for this purpose...

water theif.jpg

folding bucket.jpg

[mainah]

I have collected rain water from the awning many times of course it does have to rain. After your water tank problems stream water may not be an option. If I know I'm dry camping I'll carry fresh water for coffee and drinking and have no problem putting stream water in the tank for bathing, cooking and washing up.

[aaron]

I spent a lot of time camping in state parks without water hookups. I got tired of a sore back from dumping water into the camper. Plus it always seemed I ended up with more water on me, in my shoes, and on the ground than in the fresh water tank
So here is what I came up with:
5- 6gallong water jugs from Wal-Mart
1- 12V transfer pump from Harbor Freight Tools
1- 12 V outdoor power outlet installed on the trailer tongue.
1- Folding hand cart from Sears
On the way to my campsite I stop and fill the fresh water tank on my camper. I also have the 6 gallon jugs in the bed. At this time I fill them too. The next morning I pump water directly into the fresh water tank. The only think I lift is a garden hose and small 12 volt water pump. I generally use 1-2 jugs a day. For longer stays, I will bungee cord a jug on my hand cart and visit the water spigot once a day.

[Poppy & Nana]

WOW I guess Leo and I are really conservative! We mostly dry camp and we can go 5 + days on the water that we put into our fresh water tank on the way into a campground. We do navy showers and I do bring bottled (gallon) water for making tea and any cooking I may need to do (pasta, corn), and I do bring bottled water to drink.....other than that we never have run out of water!

[JohnB]

We have a 40 gallon system which has approx a 32 gallon tank. We can go 4 days on the tank. And that is both of us taking quick, aka Navy showers, wet up, shut off, soap up, rinse off.

Dishes, now mainly done inside and or do outside in the tub like the old tent days.

We do have some filtered water ( 3 to 4 gallons on a long trip) from home for non chlorine taste drinking. Cooking comes from the tank.

When it is time to refill, I have 2, 3 gallons jugs. I'll throw in 6 to 9 gallons and be good for a day to day and 1/2. Then do again.

If I know the camp and I'm close enough, I bring extra water hose and refill the tank from the spigot. I have 150 feet of fresh water hose I can bring. I do this most of the time. Only haul it in the jugs when I really have to.

PS I blew up a store bought water thief trying to filter water with one. Worked good till the filter started to clog and back pressure came.... poof! Since then I have made my own from different sizes of cler tubing and hose clamps.

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by Poppy & Nana

WOW I guess Leo and I are really conservative! We mostly dry camp and we can go 5 + days on the water that we put into our fresh water tank on the way into a campground. We do navy showers and I do bring bottled (gallon) water for making tea and any cooking I may need to do (pasta, corn), and I do bring bottled water to drink.....other than that we never have run out of water!

That little lever (and twist knob on older trailers) on the shower head is sure a great feature just for this purpose! I just wish it completely shut it off and didn't still drip a lot, at least on mine.

Originally Posted by JohnB

PS I blew up a store bought water thief trying to filter water with one. Worked good till the filter started to clog and back pressure came.... poof! Since then I have made my own from different sizes of cler tubing and hose clamps.

lol, that made my night...

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

That little lever (and twist knob on older trailers) on the shower head is sure a great feature just for this purpose! I just wish it completely shut it off and didn't still drip a lot, at least on mine.

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

lol, that made my night...

I had been carrying that thing for 4 years and never used it. Brand new, never used. Until one campsite I needed to fill up. Was about 9:00pm, starting to get dark,never been to this camp before.

I found the water thief, yes I can still find it!.. put it on, brand new filter and start filling up the tank. Going good for maybe 5 minutes. Then the water is slowing down.... slower,then slower yet. The filter must be starting to clog on this CG water.

Then the thief blows off and water gushing... What? OK, go shut it off, put it back on, start it up again. Working OK for about a minute and, poof it blows off again...

After about 3 times of that I went and found a SS hose clamp and put on it. Yes, this is holding. Then the green soft rubber started to blow up like a balloon...

This isn't working... I finally got the tank full and the thief was toast after that.

Point: Do not use the thief with a filter. It cannot take the back pressure. OR use one and create Friday night entertainment at the CG!

[awellis3]

Don't forget cooler water. In my canoe camping days, I'd drain the cooler for drinking water. I know, I know, ain't very sanitary but it was microbe-free, unlike the river I was floating down. I still use this method when I dry camp in my pop up.

Teach

[Mellow Yellow]

Thanks for all the good advice !!

One more question. We just love our coffee and don't really think we can "do" instant anymore. What do you all do for that? I wonder if a DC pot is available? I can't really see us perking it over an open fire, cowboy style !

This is not critical... well, yes, it actually is !! If we are to be civilized at all we need that morning coffee !!

[Nancy G.]

Use a French Press--it makes great coffee anywhere you can boil water. Available at kitchen supply stores--maybe others now. We've had ours for years. It's a glass container in which you put coffee grounds and boiling water and let it "set' for 5 minutes, then press lid and pour--delicious!! Only downside is keeping it hot--we have a small one for the two of us (makes @4 cups) and just make another pot if we want more.

[MACK C-85]

wonder if a DC pot is available?

Yes, they are. They are also slow and power hogs, not really practical on battery power (they are really designed for running vehicle use).

I can't really see us perking it over an open fire, cowboy style

My mom had a perculator she used on the stove and it worked great.

Coleman makes a drip coffee maker for use on a stove (~$40):



And if you really want to go wild, they make a self contained propane fired one that works off the standard 'green" bottle!! (~$100):



Mack

[Mellow Yellow]

Thanks everyone. Checked out French Press and percolators and decided on a stainless steel stove top percolator so we can have a couple of cups of hot coffee each in the morning.

[264SRinPA]

We have a Melitta

https://shoponline.melitta.com/items/COFFMKRSPROVER

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Mellow Yellow

a stainless steel stove top percolator so we can have a couple of cups of hot coffee each in the morning.

That is what we use. I did get filters for it which really help.


I also have one of these from the backpacking days. You put the coffee in the filter, and lower it in a cup of hot water, let it steep. Works good. Had it for years. Do not recall it being that much back then. But with anything backpacking, light and small, it costs more...

REI back packer filter

[Mellow Yellow]

Originally Posted by JohnB

That is what we use. I did get filters for it which really help.

John,

What did you use for filters? The mess of cleaning the basket is the only drawback. We have Mr. Coffee and can easily convert filters, unless there is a reason to buy special filters.

Deb

[Tweety]

We tried the french press, but you have to buy course ground coffee for that, which we don't usually buy. Then we bought a 12V coffee maker which took half an hour to brew a tiny pot. We have the stainless percolater, but that is a mess to clean up, and takes a while to make coffee. Plus we don't always get up at the same time, so Mr. Sleepy's coffee would be cold by the time he got up. We finally found these which we love - the MiniMinit. They're like empty tea bags with a little plastic stick that goes across the top of your mug. You just put the coffee in the bag and pour water over it. Coffee is as good as the Keurig coffee at home, and there's no mess to clean up! I got them at an herb and tea shop near the house, but here they are online.
MiniMinit One Cup Coffee Filters