Water tank for overlanding.

So I'm heading on a trip on the El Camino Del Diablo and Mojave Road and I wanted a way to carry enough water to make my life easy. Longest time between fuel/water will be about 3 days. So for two passengers in the desert, we could certainly get by on 12 gallons, but for longer adventures I'd feel better with near 20. So I set out to find a way to get a tank mounted on the truck.

I found the perfect RV water tank on eBay that measures ~39x16x8 (about 20 gallons) that will fit up great against the front of the bed. (Then later maybe inside a trailer when I build one ) At only 8" deep it's not really taking up that much room for the volume either.

The plan is to secure it with straps so it's removable, and have all of my 12v pump connections quick release as well. Still brainstorming the fill tube.

I will update this thread as I progress.

 

Great project! When is the trip? One suggestion- keep extra water in separate containers in case there’s a catastrophic leak in your main tank, or the pump runs it dry while you are away, or the outlet tube leaks, etc...

 

Trip is the end of next month. That's a good suggestion for sure

 

To follow up, 4 LCI or Spectre cans gives you the same amount of water, prevents a complete disaster as mentioned, and they are smaller so easier to rearrange in the bed because inevitably, your mountain bike will be 1.5 inches too long, or your friend brought more camping crap than you thought...speaking from experience.

 

Sometimes the best suggestions arise from the worst personal experiences...

 

Yes, agreed with above. I have a few 5-7 gallon water jugs (bought at REI). Other than points mentioned above, they're also easier to load/unload than a heavy 20gal tank.

 

did you make it back, or are you still out there?

We want to hear about your tortoise racing and other fun stuff you did out there! Trip report?

 

You can also look at this, around $50 on line. It meets all the military specs.
We carry one on this for every couple of days that we camp...great product!

 

LOL!!!! We must have the same friends. I just got back from 9 days in CO. We were out for a few days at a time between resupply, but I also had water filtration and we used that a lot. I brought one 7 gallon along that we used mostly when we couldn't get water. I had planned for 2x 7gal, but we ended up with so much crap that one got cut from the list. 2 larger coolers along with kitchen and sleeping gear took up ALL the bed. My biggest issue was really weight. I already ordered the additional leaf for my Dakar mediums on the way there, well before I got to the trails. 20 gallons of water is 166 lbs. I lost what looked like 2" with what I had in the bed. The weight and loss of lift made trails harder, especially at 12k ft. My plan now is to REALLY slim down my gear and weight. We had 4 adults, 3 kids, and a German Shepherd along and used 5-6 gallons of the reserve water a day when resupply was not available. That said, if I was going to the desert, I would probably also go with ~20 gallons just to be safe, especially if I only had one vehicle along.

 

Haha, I never ended up using the tank in the truck. I think I may toss it in the overlanding trailer. Currently using a Wavian 5 gallon can on one of my swings, with a 7 gal Aquatiner in the bed if I need more for longer trips.

This cheap galley pump worked OK on my last trip, but I'd like something more robust and slimmer.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDCbWDSDzxL/

 

Looks great! I do like the hand pump on the water tank, does that pressurize it with air to get water out, or is it actually pumping water? Link?

 

Just pumps water okayish. I didn't trust it not to leak so I actually ran a rubber cap on the tip when not in use.

Sink Water Hand Pump,KISENG Double Action Camping Trailer Motorhome Replacement Caravan Sink Dispenser (White)

https://www.amazon.com/KISENG-Campi...1&keywords=galley+pump&qid=1597250997&sr=8-10

 

Thanks for the link! Did you make a custom cap for it by tapping the existing one? You have a good point, to prevent accidental leaks, I always take my spouts off when I’m not using them and keep a solid cap on when I’m driving around. I also like the locking ones when I put it outside of my truck, keeps scroats from poisoning the water hole!

 

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/...MI2ZqpjpOW6wIVi56zCh06hQp6EAQYBSABEgLtQPD_BwE
Although this doesnt fit with my typical philosophy of KISS... its low cost and benefits certainly seem acceptable.. I believe walmart also seels a similar product intended for the plastic carboy containers.. but could easily be modified..

or a simple mechanical one like this....

https://www.walmart.com/ip/NEW-Drinking-Dispenser-Water-Pump-for-5-6-Gallon-Bottle/219222572