Water is the resource without which a road trip turns into survival. Drinking, cooking, washing up, showering, flushing the toilet — all of this is a daily consumption that is easy to underestimate until the tank shows empty at the worst possible moment. Experienced travellers treat water like fuel: they always know how much is left, where the nearest refill point is and how long the supply will last. In this article we cover where to get water on the road, how much you need and how to organise your supply so you are never left "on a dry tank".
How much water you actually need
Before thinking about where to get water, you need to understand how much is used. Consumption depends heavily on your lifestyle on the pitch, but rough guides are:
- Drinking and cooking — 3–5 litres per person per day.
- Washing up — 5–10 litres a day for a group, if done economically.
- Personal hygiene (washing, teeth, a quick shower) — from 10–15 to 30+ litres per person depending on habits.
- Toilet flushing — a few litres a day if water is used.
In total a family of two to four people with moderate consumption uses 40–100 litres a day. Knowing the volume of your clean tank, it is easy to estimate autonomy: a 100-litre tank is roughly one or two days of comfortable living without a refill, and considerably longer in an economical regime.
Where to refill your supply
There are more refill points than a beginner thinks. The main thing is to gather them into your route in advance.
Campgrounds and pitches
The most convenient and reliable source is an equipped pitch with a drinking water point. In the catalogue such places are easy to find by the presence of a water supply: there is a tap with drinking water and often a direct connection to the motorhome. Filling the tank here is easiest: clean water, normal pressure, a civilised approach.
Petrol stations and large service complexes
Many petrol stations, especially large complexes on the motorway, have a tap of technical or drinking water, toilets with washbasins, sometimes special points for caravans. The water quality is worth checking: if it is technical water, it is fine for the grey-water tank and flushing, but for drinking it is better to keep a separate supply in canisters.
Shops, cafés and roadside services
On the road, bottled water always helps out: a shop by the motorway or in a village is a guaranteed drinking supply in canisters and bottles. At a café and roadside complexes you can often politely ask to fill up with water, especially if you are eating there.
Standpipes, springs and natural sources
In villages you find water standpipes, in nature — springs and equipped sources. This is free and often tasty, but requires caution: the quality of natural water is unpredictable. For drinking, such water is either boiled, filtered, or used only for technical needs.
Drinking and technical water — keep them separate
The sensible approach is not to mix them. Keep drinking water (for drinking and cooking) in separate clean canisters or bottles that you fill only from trusted sources. The motorhome tank can then be filled with less "dressy" water for the shower, washing and flushing. This way you both save the good water and insure yourself: even if the tank is filled with dubious water, your drinking supply is always clean.
What to fill with: canisters, hoses, adapters
It is worth assembling a water kit in advance:
- A drinking hose. Necessarily a special food-grade hose (usually white or blue), not a garden one: a technical hose gives an aftertaste and is unsafe for drinking water.
- Canisters. Several folding or rigid canisters of 10–20 litres — a reserve and a way to carry water if you cannot bring the vehicle to the tap.
- A funnel with a wide neck — to pour without spillage.
- A set of adapters. Taps come with different threads and diameters; a universal set of adapters saves you when "the hose does not fit".
- A pressure reducer — for a direct connection to the mains it protects the motorhome system from water hammer.
- A filter (mechanical and/or carbon) — for dubious sources.
How to plan water along the route
The principle is simple: never let the tank run to zero. Practical rules:
- The half-tank rule. As soon as about half the water is left, start looking for the next refill point rather than waiting for the "reserve" light.
- Fill up "in advance" before autonomy. Leaving for a wild spot or a pitch without water, fill the tank and all canisters before departure.
- Mark points in advance. Before setting off, find campgrounds with water, large petrol stations and shops along the route — so you do not search for water in a panic.
- Account for the season. In winter outdoor taps and standpipes may not work; in summer heat water consumption rises sharply.
How much to carry for a day and a night
Even if the tank is full, keep a small "untouchable reserve" of drinking water in canisters — in case the tank has to be drained, the system freezes or you are delayed on the road. The minimum is a few litres of drinking water per person per day. At night it is useful to have a bottle of water by the bed so you do not climb to the tank in the dark. Before a long stretch without settlements, increase the reserve several times over.
Hygiene of the tank and hoses
The source of water matters, but your own system must be clean too. After use, drain the drinking hose and store it in a clean bag, not dragging the end that goes into the tank along the ground. Periodically rinse and disinfect the tank itself with special products, especially after a long idle period. Otherwise even perfect tap water will pick up the smell of a stale tank in a couple of days.
Water quality: how to tell if it is drinkable
Not all tap water is fit to drink, even if it is clear. Before filling the drinking tank, assess the source by several signs:
- The purpose of the point. Civilised water points usually have a sign: drinking or technical. No sign — ask or treat the water as technical.
- Sensory check. Cloudiness, sediment, an off colour, a smell of hydrogen sulphide ("rotten eggs"), a swampy or chemical odour — a reason not to use the water for drinking.
- Chlorine. A strong smell of chlorine indicates mains treatment; such water is drinkable but unpleasant in taste — a carbon filter or settling helps.
- Local reputation. If locals have drunk from a standpipe for years, that is a good sign; if they only take it for technical needs, take note.
In doubt — boil or filter. A carbon filter improves the taste, a mechanical one removes suspended matter, and boiling disinfects. For regular autonomous trips it makes sense to carry a compact filtration system.
Hardness and water features in different places
Water from boreholes and mountain springs is often hard — with a high salt content. It is usually drinkable, but leaves scale in the kettle and boiler and lathers worse. In limestone regions the hardness is higher, in lowland and northern ones lower. For everyday needs this is not critical, but if you plan long use, periodically descale the boiler. In coastal zones beware accidentally getting salty or brackish water — it is unfit for both drinking and the motorhome system.
Where to get water in winter
The cold season changes the picture: outdoor standpipes and taps at some campgrounds are shut off to avoid freezing the pipes. Winter water sources:
- year-round campgrounds with a heated water point (worth seeking in advance);
- large petrol stations and retail complexes with indoor taps and toilets;
- shops — bottled water as the most reliable winter option;
- melting snow and ice — a last resort for technical needs; the consumption of fuel and time is large, and for drinking it requires boiling.
In winter it is especially important not to carry water in unheated compartments and to keep an increased drinking reserve in the warmth of the cabin.
How many points to put in the route
A good practice is to have at least one guaranteed refill point and one backup for every day of travel. For autonomous stretches (national parks, dirt roads, remote pitches) plan the supply for the whole autonomy period plus a reserve for a day or two of delay. Before heading "into the wilds", always fill up to the brim at the last civilised point — that is the iron rule of experienced travellers.
What to do if water runs out anyway
If the supply is running low and there is no refill point nearby:
- switch to a strict economy regime — washing up with wet wipes, giving up the shower in favour of a sponge bath;
- use bottled water from a shop for drinking and cooking;
- plan the route so the nearest stop is at a point with water — a campground, petrol station or village;
- do not drink dubious water without boiling or filtering, however much you want to.
Finding pitches with drinking water and a convenient water point is easiest through the catalogue: mark the points you need on the map and build them into the route.