Water port sizing Q?

Anyone have the 3.8g is it enough water for two people to rise off? Or is the weekender 8g worth it? Also any one have a trick for filling from a stream? I just don’t wanna lug that 8g tube around if 3.8 is enough for a quick rise and some dishes.. if there is a thread I miss my bad. I did look.. thanks y’all!

 

I don’t have a Water Port, but when I wife and I dry camp I carry 10 gallons of water for 2-3 days. Usually dump 3-4 gallons when I leave. So far we haven’t used water to shower but if we did we would more than likely use the 10 gallons by the end of the trip.

 

I have the weekender mounted on top of my rack. I think it’s a great size for 2 people especially when you want to shower. I’ve timed the flow with the included spray attachment and it’s around 7 mins. Only downside is that it looses pressure and you have to use the pump cap they sell on their website.

 

3.8 gallon is good for one shower, IMHO. Rinse, lather, rinse, and out. Have some leftover, but not quite enough for another shower.

 

True we bring about 8 and dump out a few gallons but if a shower was in the equation ten may work.. thanks for the input! Appreciate it..

 

Good to know thank you! Do you bring a hand pump to pressurize it.? Also how’s the weight being on the rack? I’m leaning towards the weekender on the rack as well..

 

Cool that confirms it for me weekender may be the best option.. thanks for the response!

 

I have both. Weekender up top and day tank on a bed mount. I also carry 2 rotopax 2 gallons for refills. If it’s a warm sunny day, the weekender heats up awesome. If it’s cool, I heat up water in the jetboil and dump it back in the day tank. The day tank has been enough for 2 showers but we usually use it for washing hands and rinsing dishes. We have a collapsible dish “sink” that we use, just heat up some water in the jetboil for that also. I love having 16 gallons of potable water on hand. Here’s where they’re all mounted. We take the roof cases off during the summer so the weekender heats up really well. Winter camping involves a lot more crap…

 

Your build is really awesome. I love that you have an awning out the back of the rack. How does all the weight of that water impact your drive? I mean I don’t think my gas Mileage could get any worse but does it create an imbalance feeling on the roof rack? And are you even driving with it or are you filling it up at camp with creek or lake water?

 

21 gallons adds about 175 pounds.

So, anything under 10 gallons would be less than a child, in added weight.

 

Good point.

 

I'm also using the "day tank" (3.8). Good for 2-3 nights of dishes and some light rinsing of hands/face/hair but definitely not a shower unless you're going to refill.

I also carry 2 additional rotopax of water but don't often need them.

~35psi is usually good for the whole tank and I use my onboard air to re-pressurize the water port, just need need to be careful not to go too high and trigger the safety blowoff valve.

The worst thing about all waterport models is the leaky cheap shit plastic fittings they use.

 

I’ve heard a few people say that about the cheap fittings. You’d think they would update that with the amount of people that have had that issue..

 

Thank you! It’s definitely been a transformation through all the trips. But that’s what it’s all about. I wanted an awning off the back that would give some side protection also. Thought about a 4’ to keep it in tight but that wouldn’t really do much up that high, and I REALLY like being able to walk under everything when it’s set up. I ended up doing the 6’ wide awning even though it sticks out a bit on both sides and I’m really happy with it. The back is my kitchen so i wanted to have some protection from the elements. Comes off easy also for the tighter trails, wing nuts and lock washers.

I don’t really notice the extra water weight up there, still handles fine. Big reason i put it in the middle was for balance also. I don’t have a front sway bar either, and it’s definitely never going back on! But at this point it’s just a heavy truck! We fill them up before each trip also so we’re rolling with 16 gallons (warm weather only). At least at the start of each trip. Having a lot of potable water is really important to us. Extra fuel, not so much. Yet…

Averaging 16mpg with the tune now, keeping it around 65-68 mph. Any faster and the added drag just tanks the MPG’s. I love driving though, so I don’t mind.

The roof cases and diesel heater are only on during the winter. Water containers also aren’t filled during the winter. We just use bottled water. Logistics of winter camping just make it more…interesting… But it is awesome waking up to fresh snow!

 

man I’m only getting 13-14.. and a good snow camp in hard to beat.. we camp in our camper shell so I like the 6’ awning idea. Like a covered porch.. lol