Bare minimum water requirements

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:12 am

I'm trying to determine the bare minimum drinking water requirements for one person for 7 days on the playa. I'm a 3 year attendee but in years past I had a truck and trailer to haul lots of extra water. This year I have to pack ultralight and space is at a premium. I know the survival guide says 1.5 gal per person per day...for those of you who have been attending for years, is this the bare minimum? Is 1 gallon per day sufficient even if it's very hot? I'm looking for ballpark type figures to help me make a better determination of how much I'll need...and I know it can vary wildly. And no, I am not including shower water into this equation, this is drinking water only. Thanks for considering my info request. (IMHO, first timers should disregard anything said here and stick with the 1.5 Gal rule until they know what to expect on the playa.)

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:33 am

Under the circumstances, you should probably consult your doctor.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:41 am

You can save on having to bring water if you bring more beer...years of careful observation of persons at BRC has lead me to this conclusion. If this doesn't work for you, I recommend dehydrated water. It doesn't get any lighter than that!

Seriously, if weight/space is your only concern, you could leave each day to re-fill your jug ($20 each time you leave, but if 80lbs is a problem for you, you have to give up something!)

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:56 am

You can also supplement your water supply by keeping your coolers clean and filtering your ice meltoff. Not exactly Poland Springs, but mostly non-toxic.

Don Muerto · Post by **Don Muerto** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:35 am

I would not look to scrimp on your water supply as I am sure you will be surrounded continuously by hot air while on the playa.

If you need to save cargo weight, I would look to leave as much of your BS at home as you can.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:39 am

Dehydrated water! Great suggestion, I'll call up my local distributor and have 'em ship me 1000 dehydrated gallons. I can offer some free showers with that much.

Seriously it's not weight as it's the storage containers that's my problem. I want to keep the water in the car and not up on the rack on top. I'm real leery of the flexible water containers I've seen at Target and Wally-World. I don't know how well they hold up. And all the rigid containers I've found locally are humongous 7 gal blue cubes which are space hogs.

As for the cooler water I could run that through an MSR Mini-works filter and a MIOX UV filter after that...I forgot all about cooler water as a supplemental source.

Bob, I asked, she didn't have enough info to make a decision.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:41 am

Water is not something you want to skimp on, I always bring more than I need. How much room will an extra gallon or two of water really take up.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:01 am

Kinetic IV wrote:I want to keep the water in the car and not up on the rack on top.

Do you mean while driving? If so, why not just get all your water right before you head out to the playa?

If you mean while you're camped, can you put the water UNDER the car?

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:15 am

I haul my water with me because I had a really bad experience with Nevada water my first year out there. It didn't agree with me if you know what I mean. And coming in from the East there's no Simply Water locations like Reno has to let me stock up for a reasonable cost. I have no problem managing it once I'm on the playa. It's a matter of getting it there.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:29 am

Kinetic IV wrote: I'm real leery of the flexible water containers I've seen at Target and Wally-World. I don't know how well they hold up. And all the rigid containers I've found locally are humongous 7 gal blue cubes which are space hogs. .

Those "suitcases" (2.5 Gal.? Don't remember.) are fairly practical shapewise, and smash flat if you open the valve and stand on 'em. (Sometimes I forego cutting open the air vent nub just so they'll stay flat once you smash and then close the valve.) You can compact a few of them even more by slicing them up with your trusty Swiss army knife and stacking them. The blue cubes (KEEP OUT OF SUN!!! Just like blue TARPS!)are available in smaller sizes than 7 gal., just not EVERYWHERE. Those clear 2 gal. cubes are fairly tough- My pop still has one that's intact and watertight, that we used to irrigate pine seedlings back in the SIXTIES.
If you buy really big ziplock freezer bags, fill them with water and then stack them in your freezer to get frozen then you'll have meltwater of predictable quality later on, plus being able to pull and thaw them at whim. It's important to make sure the bags are DRY on the outside before stacking in the icebox, though- They'll stick together like crazy, otherwise!
Want to get REALLY obsessive? Measure the little out-of-the-way corners of your vehicle, and make plastic-lined forms from styrene packing scrap moulds for custom ice blocks....A big birdbath-shaped one to fit into the round hollow atop your spare tire, for example, or broad flat ones to go under the carseats.
Last-ditch plan: Old wetsuit plus aquarium hose plus coupla tubes of GOOP equals STILLSUIT. (Don't forget the blue sclera lenses!)

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:40 am

Now there's some ideas I hadn't even dreamed of. And I've got lots of cubby hole spaces. Thanks Robotland.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:51 am

Under the circumstances, you should probably consult your doctor.

<HOWLING!!!>

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:11 pm

Badger! If you can quit laughing for a bit, how much water do you pack with you when you go to the playa?

And smiling and laughing is good for you so laugh away.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:25 pm

Bringing the minimum amount of water implies that you will run out just as you hit the blacktop again (plus maybe a little extra). Why take the risk? What if you (or someone nearby) has heat stroke and needs to be cooled of NOW! Are you going to horde your water? I think the 1.5 gallons per day factors in things like cooking, cleaning, and emergencies, in addition to the drinking needs. So, while you may be willing to skimp on cooking and cleaning, still plan for emergencies.

btw - I bring 3x 6 gallon jugs (for emergencies and showers) plus 5x 2 gallon bricks (for drinking and cooking) bought on the road as I get to Nevada. That is for 8 days or so, comes out to 3.5 gallons per day. I have never run out (and would not ever want to). Rationing water is not fun in a desert.

Das Bus · Post by **Das Bus** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:50 pm

For ten days, I bring 10 - 24pks of single bottles for drinking & 20-30 gals for cooking/cleaning/showers. That's for four of us plus sharing with others. That's always been more than enough, but sometimes I still bring more. <I'm a little nuts that way!>

frenchblue1 · Post by **frenchblue1** » Mon May 09, 2005 7:07 pm

I freeze bottle water beforehand and use this to pack the food in/around. Keeps the cooler from being so messy and a great way to save on space. Less water poured on the playa and you have to Hydrate...heat exhaustion will knocked you out for longer than you think. Beer, water, shot, water, bloody mary, water, water, shot and go!

gnostikoi · Post by **gnostikoi** » Wed May 11, 2005 11:00 pm

Kinetic IV wrote:real leery of the flexible water containers I've seen at Target and Wally-World. I don't know how well they hold up.

For my two cents, I've had bad experiences with those clear plastic flexible water containers. I bought some to use for the burn last year, and fortunately I took them on a much less intense camping trip first, because they a) leaked pretty much constantly unless I kept the spigot facing upwards and b) were very difficult to pour from. They didn't really take up less space, either, since the volume of the water was the same - plus, the hard plastic containers could be stacked easily since they have flat sides.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu May 12, 2005 5:09 am

Maybe it's a case of "don't make 'em like they used to" with those soft H2O cubes....After this discussion I made it a point to inspect some at a local camping goods purveyor, and found them to be highly crappy. Not half as thick as the going-on-forty-years-old ones that Dad has, still intact. All clear plastic products are vulnerable to brittleness more than others, as they lack compounds that strengthen but also render them more opaque. A light application of Armorall helps prolong their useful life, but it's only worth the trouble if they're not crap to start with.

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Fri May 13, 2005 2:30 pm

Based on past years I'd say that 1.0 gal/day/person is OK for drinking water. I've been bringing 1.5 to 2.0 gal/day/person for some years, and I will again this year, and I always have excess at the end. But 1.0 gal/day/person does cut into your safety margin.

If you freeze a large block of ice in a clean, watertight container you get to use it for coolant and drinking without needing filtration. I've done this with gallon containers (the kind you get with milk) and the ice lasts for several days with a sheltered cooler.

In the spirit of community you might ask somebody you know who has extra space to bring extra water for you.

Good luck!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri May 13, 2005 4:23 pm

Last year on eplaya some guy was going to put a water bed on top of his car. Like the sad bunch we are. We all beged him not. In retro that would have been damn funny watching him fil up. Then the car fold under the weight. Could have gotten the prize on Americas Funnest

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Fri May 13, 2005 4:48 pm

More likely a winner of the Darwin awards.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:29 pm

Think I,ll setup a potable water vending tanker on the hwy just before you leave the road to the playa.

Iago · Post by **Iago** » Thu May 19, 2005 7:29 pm

Thanks to the 'Great Engineer in the Sky' all I need is lubricants, Lots and Lots of Lubricants.....!

Elemental666 · Post by **Elemental666** » Thu May 19, 2005 7:39 pm

sputnik wrote:More likely a winner of the Darwin awards.

only if he was sleeping under the car prior to it folding.

tola · Post by **tola** » Sun May 22, 2005 3:43 am

LMFAO

Will · Post by **Will** » Mon May 23, 2005 5:20 am

robotland wrote:Want to get REALLY obsessive? Measure the little out-of-the-way corners of your vehicle, and make plastic-lined forms from styrene packing scrap moulds for custom ice blocks....A big birdbath-shaped one to fit into the round hollow atop your spare tire, for example, or broad flat ones to go under the carseats.
Last-ditch plan: Old wetsuit plus aquarium hose plus coupla tubes of GOOP equals STILLSUIT. (Don't forget the blue sclera lenses!)

You might want to avoid the area directly above your muffler. On my car, that section of the trunk gets warm. Depending on your car, that area may get hot. You don't want the water to expand and burst the bags. Just put something else there, like your suitcase, and you should be fine.

Are there any pictures of stillsuits from the past? That would be something to see.

Grizelda · Post by **Grizelda** » Mon May 23, 2005 6:13 am

for what it's worth, I took 1.5 gallons per day last year, kept well hydrated, used the water for showers, and ended up with half of it left over at the end of the event. I didn't use any water for cooking though.

DiverDon · Post by **DiverDon** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:07 am

One trick I have used to conserve space is to use ice purchased at Camp Artica as a second source of water. I bring a couple of cases of drinking water, but use Ice melt for other needs....cooking washing, squirt guns, keeping the beer really cold

Ranger Genius · Post by **Ranger Genius** » Tue May 24, 2005 7:59 am

Last year I gave up on those 5gal water cubes and bought a 15 gal blue drum. More space efficient than those cubes, but also a bit of a pain, since it weighs 120 lbs when filled. Note to self: remember to fill the drum BEFORE putting it in the car this time. I WAS smart enough to haul it 90% of the way empty thus conserving fuel, then fill up at a rest stop. Don't worry about public water in NV, people. EPA standards are the same anywhere for water cleanliness and safety. I'm guessing Kinetic either accidentally filled up from a secondary water spigot, or is attributing to water digestive problems caused by something else (truck stop food, improper sanitization of dishes, et cetera).

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue May 24, 2005 8:15 am

It's the minerals in the water from place top place. It is all good but if your new to it look out. Middle Io. or Rocksprings Mt. will will give the MI. twit the shits for a week ;>)