water bags -- crazy idea?

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baadpuppy

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So this crazy idea occurred to me today out of the blue, and I've been thinking about it all day.  Well, I figured someone out there must've done something similar to what I'm thinking, so I did a quick google search and found this page.

My crazy thought was that when boondocking, it would be nice to have an extra fresh water tank (or 2 or 3 or 4, etc), but that in general you don't want to waste that much space in the motorhome, not to mention carrying that much weight.  That lead to thinking about a plastic based "bag" that could hold fresh water, and be drained into the regular fresh water tank as needed.  It also seemed like you could take such a bag in your toad somewhere to get more water as needed.

The link above lists products that provde exactly that.

Now for the other half of the crazy idea....

Would such a solution work for the grey/black water tanks as well?  I imagine you would need to use a macerator to completely liquify things, and you would want to clean the bag out quite well at the dump station, but still it would be less bulky to store than a blue boy.  And such a bag would collapse down to a pretty small item for storage in the RV.  And you would obviously have to very clearly label each bag as to its purpose so that you NEVER mixed them up.  ;D

So I guess I'm sitting here wondering whether my idea is as crazy as it sounds at first.  What do y'all think?
 
Camping World sells one too. I'm not sure but I think CW's is designed specifically to ride atop a car or pick up truck.  I believe one of the forum members has one.

I usually use a six gallon container to assist when boondocking and then re-fill when I take my weekly dump
 
Jim, one of the big problems that i can see would be to make sure that it is placed somewhere that doesn't throw out your balance and your centre of gravity. While people will often disregard this fact to their detriment, water weighs, and it also can seriously affect the handling of your vehicle if it is stored inappropriately.
 
My wife and I have done quite a bit of boondocking, and we never run out of water. You might think that is a function of our water supply, but it is more a function of food, black water, and the general impression that after about 5 days it's time to get back to civilization.
When boondocking (like hunting and when in the far north) we shower less, and are very careful about our water use, it's a product of doing the same thing in sailboats (although very often it was permissable to dump blackwater overboard).
Anyway, my impression is that carrying large amounts of water or sewage (ewwwwh!) in your car or storage cabinets in the RV is not a good idea. Too much weight, too much hassle.
Rankjo
 
If you want to carry extra fresh water, why not use 2.5 gallon jugs.  They can be stored in the shower when it's not in use (which is less when boondocking) or some other out-of-the-way place.  Wouldn't even want to attempt to carry black or gray water in anything other than their attached tanks.  Yuck!!!

ArdraF
 
well honestly, I was thinking more along the lines of having the bag in the back of a pickup truck or the back part of an SUV, or even on a little utility trailer that could be stowed some other way when not in use.

I also have to admit that I was thinking of extended-stay boondocking.  rankjo makes an excellent point about shorter term boondocking.

As for using a collapsible bag for the black and grey water, I figured they would take up less space than one of those blue waste carriers when they were empty.  However, the bags, while cheap enough, aren't cheap enough to be disposable.  And I doubt I'd want a stinky bag hanging around in my storage bays.

thanks for all the comments everyone.  :)

jim
 
People who boondock for a long time have some very creative ideas.  Water bags or water drums seem to be very popular.  As do blue totes.  It's important to know, that water bags are not designed for high speed travel.  And that water weighs approx. 8.33 pounds per gallon.  So 40 gals. would weigh approx. 333 pounds.  So you have to think about where are you going to put the water bag for filling, transporting, and than how are you going to refill the rv tank. 

As for a blue tote, the larger, the more it weighs when full.  So I guess you need to decide how long your gonna boondock, and how often do you want to haul the blue tote to the dump station.  They are pretty sturdy.  We saw a blue tote connected to a atv today.  Going through the wash, on it's way to dump.

Or will it just be easier to drive to the dump station once a week.  Go for whatever works for you.

We carry a 40 gal. water bag, and a 22 gal. blue tote.  And although we have never used them, I feel a little more secure knowing we have them just in case.

Barb
 
I have carried extra water on a boondocking trip, usually in gallon jugs.

However, I think I'll stick to what I fondly call the "DBT" (Dreaded Blue Tank) for the black and gray stuff. It would be just my luck to spring a leak in a plastic whatever 10 yards before I reached the dump station.

Just a few thoughts, where would you keep the plastic whatever when not in use? I don't think the smell would come out very easy. I would also imagine that sooner or later it would start to stick together  and growing even more weird stuff then you put in it.  Filling it would be rather interesting project. (shivers at the thought), lol

JMHO,
s.
 
If I cleaned out my Mini-van carrying 350 pounds on the floor woudl not present a handling problem,  A ford pick up I'm not so sure but GM products in the bed of the truck, again, I don't think so

The CW bag is designed for roof mounting and there... It might

Of course if I put it in the bed or on the floor, i'd have to pump the stuff up


As for blue totes, if you get 15 gallon or larger you can get a "Tow hitch adapter" these are not intended for a lot of miles, nor a lot of miles per hour (Walking speed please) but they do work.. I have a 10 gallon one that none of the forum members have ver seen cause I don't tote it. I do have a hitch adapter for it as well, custom made from a 15 gallon adapter.

Works well.. I used to use this in my trailer days for gray water
 
John

John In Detroit said:
If I cleaned out my Mini-van carrying 350 pounds on the floor woudl not present a handling problem,  A ford pick up I'm not so sure but GM products in the bed of the truck, again, I don't think so

I'm probably misreading your post.  But are you implying that the bed of a truck can not handle 350#?  Or, that it's awkward to handle 350#?  However in any case, a truck bed can very easily handle that much weight and a whole lot more.  As for being awkward, for me, a truck is much easier to take things in and out than a trunk of a car or back of a van.

Having horses I lifted and moved hay, 50# bags of feed and other large/heavy stuff.  The truck was so much easier than a car or van.

Marsha~
 
Marsha:

Like you, my grocery list used to read:  milk, eggs, bread, alfalfa, hen scratch and pellets.  My old GMC 35 pickup rode like a Cadillac when I had 14 bales of hay cantilevered in the truck bed.  :D

Margi
 
I'm just digging Fords... Now a GM pickup ... No problem

An 80 pound bale of hay (I've thrown many of those around) is not a 300+ bag of water

Most of the ford pick ups I've driven... I was a bit concerned when I went around corners 10 mph under the suggested speed for that corner.. Not so GM or Chrysler products
 
While the water bag in the bed of a pick up might slosh somewhat .... what about making a wooden frame to help support it in the bed of the truck?
 
John In Detroit said:
An 80 pound bale of hay (I've thrown many of those around) is not a 300+ bag of water

But John ... 14 bales of hay x 80 pounds (a small bale to us) equals 1120 pounds.  As Betty would say:  no problemo!  :D

I can't figure out from your post whether you're pro-Ford and anti-GMC or Pro-GMC or anti-Ford ... not that it really makes a difference.  A pickup is a pickup and is meant to haul things.  :D  It's when they're NOT loaded (within weight limits, of course) that pickups are vulnerable. 

Margi
 
Make a wooden frame and let it do double duty.  If your fresh and waste bladders are the same size, it could support the waste water going to the dump station, then support the fresh water bladder on the way back.  I doubt you'll ever transport both at the same time.

Make the frame collapsable and you're set.  I once had a waterbed that used door hinges on each inside corner to hold the frame together.  You just pull the hinge pins to disassemble it.

I've used 50 gallon barrels to transport water and waste (in seperate barrels, obviously).  They work very well, with the drawback of having to store them someplace between boondocking stints.  The advantage of a waste barrel is it's bunghole accepts a standard 2 1/2" threaded plastic pipe, and it's easy to adapt that to a standard 3" RV dump valve.  Lay the barrel on it's side, run the Macerator hole into the upper bunghole to fill it, then when you get to the dump station connect a standard sewer hose to the dump valve and you're set.

I also considered making water transport containers out of plastic totes.  You can get them in capacities ranging from 20-45 gallons or more.  They can serve as support for a bladder bag and stacked when not in use or even used for other storage.  Just drill a hole in the bottom of one side for the inlet/outlet.
 
John, like Margi, I can't figure out where you are coming from on this.  You seem to have your facts mixed up with something else. 

All heavy duty trucks, (Chevy, Ford or Dodge) are built to carry stuff in the bed of the truck.  They ride and handle much better loaded.  In fact, I would often throw a couple of bales of hay (110# each) in the bed of the truck  just to give it a better ride.  My Chevy weighted about 6600# and had a GCVR of 10,000#.  Often I had a 2000# in the bed of that truck.  And the trucks don't handle any differently going around the corner than going straight.  So you have me totally confused. 

I know I'm going overboard on this; but, to state that a truck (any brand) can not carry more than 300# is incorrect information for those reading these posts.  (Sorry, old sysop mentality coming out.) 

Margi....I knew we had something in common.....hay. pellets, grain and old trucks. ;D    I loved my old 93 Chevry 1ton dually...but hated the gas mileage.

Marsha~
 
As I said, I've driven many trucks, Ford pick ups scared me when cornering a water bag, which might move, would not be somethign I'd want in the bed.  however that said, loading the truck down with a stable load would have improved the handling.

I just don't like Ford Pickups.. Big trucks are OK but I don't like Ford Pickups  They do not make me feel safe and secure like GM or Chrysler products
 
It is a matter of personal choices John.  I wouldn't buy a GM product but that does not mean they are bad for everybody.  I feel pretty much thae same as you described  you felt in a Ford in a GM pickup. 
 
Baadguy you need a trip to QZ to see some of the contraptions people have come up with.  I've seen a frame built over the cab of a pickup, with legs in the bed of the truck to support the backend of the frame.  They used what appeared to me to be a waterbed mattress to fill with fresh water.  They'd take that back to their 5th wheel and unload it into the holding tank via hoses fitted to each.  I don't know what they did about blackwater, but I'd bet on the blue boy.

Then there was the guys hauling a trailer full of barrells.  Some of each I'd guess.  And a whole lot of other ideas.  You really have to stand in line at the dump station to see the ingenuity of some of these people who want to boondock on the desert all winter.  There are some real genius' out there.

Daisy
 

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