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RE: TRAVELING WITH WATER FULL

Started by SactoCampers, May 14, 2003, 05:03 PM

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angelsmom10

 I know this was discussed on the old board, but what is the general opinion.
 
 If the site has no water -- do you.....
 
      fill up at home and travel with a full tank of water
 
      fill up outside the bath house when you get there
 
      carry containers of water and fill up once there
 
 
 
 I thought that is was OK to travel as long as it was full.  DH said no -- it adds pprox 200lbs.
 
 I know you don t want to travel with is only partially full as the water flops around.
 
 

SactoCampers

 angelsmom10I have towed with water but don t like to, although I usually will fill the cassette potty and the hot water heater is usually full too. But I don t fill the main tank. I have an aquatainer I use and a hand operated bilge pump to pump it into the tank:
 
 http://sactocampers.tripod.com/sactocamperswebpage/id9.html
 
 I m extremely pleased with this system and now I never have to worry about when/where I m filling up the water tank.
 
 If your tank is behind the axle, you don t want to drive with it filled. If you have a tow vehicle where the additional weight is an issue, you don t want to drive with it filled. If your camper has marginal carrying capacity and filling it will exceed that capacity, you don t want to drive with it filled. Otherwise, there is no harm in towing with it filled.

Tim5055

 angelsmom10I don t like traveling with a full tank.  Your DH is very close, figure 8 pounds for each gallon.  I don t know how bit the tank is on your Starcraft, but my Coleman with the hot water option holds 26 gallons (20 in the tank and 6 in the heater).
 
 So, 26 X 8 = 208 (your numbers may be different.
 
 Generally we travel with an empty tank, but full HWH.  If the campground has  several water sources around the loop, we jsut stop at the first one and fill up, then move on to set up.  From that point on it is 7 gallon blue containers to keep it full as needed.  For a weekend we can get away without adding water if we don t use the shower.
 
 If there is a single water source that is not available from the road, we go ahead and set up first.  Then we use the 7 gallon blue containers to both fill and keep it full.

Turn Key

 angelsmom10Would not tow with water in tank any further then needed.  If I camped w/o water hook-up and was intending to use the tank, I d fill it at the park or as close to it as I could.  If " taste"  is an issue, I d do the same, using that water for washing and bring in bottled water for drinking and cooking.  Just can t see a reason to cart water any further then needed.

tlhdoc

 angelsmom10We dry camp all the time and fill up at the campground.  I drain the cassette potty, water heater and holding tank before we go home.  I have a couple of green plastic " jerry cans"  that I use to refill my water tank, if we need to.

Venatic

 angelsmom10I guess I m the oddball here. Where I camp for hunting seasons, there isn t water readily available. So I fill my tanks plus bring along the two 7 gallon containers in case I don t have enough.
 
 Of course I m pulling my PU with a 1/2 ton truck with a 5.7 liter engine. I don t have any problems pulling the extra weight.

raven339

 angelsmom10I guess I m an oddball too...[8D][8D][8D]
 
 I travel with full tanks...Plus 4, 6gal water containers for a total of 50 gal. not counting 2.5-5 gal. of drinking water...
 
 OK...Never used it all...even with showers...But it s nice to have...
 
 Skol...

byrdr1

 angelsmom10I just filled my on-board tank up this morning, plus 6-6gal jugs.
 I am going to the race and there is no water unless I go to the other end of the race track from where I am campin . We woul dahve to get in the line to fill up and I like my well water better.
 It is only an 90 miles drive all interstate.
 I have done this on several occasions as we have to have water in the race track CG s.
 Plus we have our generators too...another 10gal of gas is being carried.
 

AustinBoston

 Venatic
QuoteORIGINAL:  Venatic
 I guess I m the oddball here. Where I camp for hunting seasons, there isn t water readily available. So I fill my tanks plus bring along the two 7 gallon containers in case I don t have enough.
 
 Of course I m pulling my PU with a 1/2 ton truck with a 5.7 liter engine. I don t have any problems pulling the extra weight.
 

 It really isn t about pulling the extra weight.  It s more about 1) weight distribution, and 2) exceeding the axle rating.
 
 Many (probably most) pop-ups are already close to or over their GVWR or GAWR (or both), so adding 200+ lbs. is a big deal.  Adding it behind the axle can be a big deal as well, especially if you already have trouble getting enough tongue weight.
 
 I don t mean to sound like I m saying nobody should ever tow with the tanks full, just that you need to know what the limiting factors are, and whether you are pushing those limits by filling up.  Being able to pull it isn t usually a factor.
 
 Austin

ForestCreature

 AustinBostonI tow with a full water tank often, water is not readily available at most places we camp. Our water tank is behind the axle, for balance I take an additional 21 gallons and put it up front of the axle to balance out the tongue weight. More often than not we use that extra water. Being a small camper, the majority of our heavy gear is in the van  so the weight in the camper dosent worry me.
 

wynot

 angelsmom10It depends on the water.
 
 If I don t know what I am going to get as far as water quality, I ll fill the tank.  I don t like beach water for instance, I d rather drink my own.  If I know the place doesn t have water hookups, I will usually fill the tank rather than fill up at the campground.
 
 My Utah needs every pound it gets in the front, so I make sure the hot water heater is full.
 
 I can honestly say that I have never noticed one iota of difference from empty to full tank towing although right now, the HWH has water in it but the tank is empty.

TheWallRocks

 angelsmom10It s one of the many reasons we don t use a tent any more...... convenience.  The tank gets filled at home so we don t have to deal with it at a CG.  We ve never been to a site with a water hookup, but that s the only case I wouldn t fill the tank.
 
 

whitestar505

 angelsmom10angelsmom10,
 
   Only fill up when going to a campground that is within 30 mins of the house. After that we fill up at the campgrounds. Hope this helps.

oldmoose

 angelsmom10Here s another oddball. If we dry camp, I fill up at home and top off at the campground. Never had a problem as our water tank is over the axle.