Everyone knows water is essential to life. Even in cold climate areas, you need a minimum of 2 litres of water each day to maintain efficiency. But when touring in your 4×4, you don’t want to JUST be surviving, you want to be enjoying yourself. Here are just some of the things you’ll want water for:
This provides you with plenty of backup in case individual bottles do leak/fail. But is generally not as efficient due to the wasted space surrounding storing water bottles. The one nice thing is that you can slip plenty of them in small spaces that mightn’t otherwise be used. They come ready to drink straight from the container and can easily be thrown in a fridge if you like your water cold.
The next issue you’ll face when looking to get water on the road is sanitization. The water from your tap at hope is already pre-sanitised and safe to drink, so make sure you fill up before leaving. As you get on the road access to water can become less available. Petrol stations generally offer taps, as do caravan parks and towns. But you’re never 100% sure of the water quality. This becomes worse when you start getting water from rivers and watering holes in the bush. Sanitising your water is a simple way to ensure it’s safe to drink. Here are some great ways to ensure it:
Boiling water is the oldest way to ensure your water is sanitized. But bringing it to the boil isn’t enough. It needs to boil for 5-10 minutes to ensure that all bacteria in it is eliminated. Depending on how clean the water is, you may wish to also run it through a filter to get rid of any solids such as dirt, reeds and bugs.
Probably the least idea way as it can leave the water with a tainted taste. It again also doesn’t remove any solids, so again it’d be recommended running it through a filter. But it is a proven water to purify water and can be easier to use on large quantities than boiling.
Sources:
- http://www.wilderness-survival.net/chp6.php
- http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2011/tn9_how_much_water_en.pdf
