Camping is a great deal of fun, but you certainly need to be a bit careful when it comes to conserving your water. This might not necessarily be because you’re on some Bear Grylls-type survival adventure and your continued health is at peril if you don’t employ the right survival skills. Rather, it could just make the camping experience a bit unpleasant if you cannot wash yourself every couple of days or you don’t have enough water to do some cooking round the camp fire with your favorite camping food.
Conserving water is simply one of the camping skills that will make the whole experience better. Running low on water could mean that you need to cut your intended trip short because you do not have enough water reserves to go on.
But why focus on the negatives? Learning the tips and tricks of water conservation is actually part of the camping fun! It’s one of the great camping skills, and it will give you at least a sense of adventure when you’re planning out your water reserves to make it to the next source or a designated point. This is actually why people go camping – to get away from the trappings of the modern word and experience a life closer to nature.
Finding Water
Before going on to the various tips for conserving water when you are using it in a camping setting, it’s worth returning to the practice of finding water when you’re camping. Depending on how “wild” your trip is, this could well be something that you would like to do. It can certainly be a lot of fun. For drinking water that you bring, one useful tip is to prioritize water that hydrates more efficiently. Water experts Synergy Science recommend hydrogen water for this purpose.
However, there are a few safety rules if you will be out looking for water. Specifically, there are two. The first of these might well be familiar – it is the classic tip of avoiding stagnant water and only drawing water from streams. The second is to carry a filter and use it. If you plan to aid your water conservation by finding more on the trail, then be sure to keep this in mind.
Conserving Water When Camping
Conserving water when camping certainly does not mean that you will only keep it for drinking and not take a single shower. Conserving water is about conserving it for everything you need to make your trip fun and comfortable (as “comfortable” as camping can be!) Here are some typical camping water uses, and how to conserve water when carrying out each one:
Washing Your Hands, Face, and Hair
- Use hand sanitizer
- Try out face wipes
- Us soap that can get to a good lather with the minimum amount of water (such products are available).
Showering and Bathing
- Try bathing in a stream (but be careful!)
- Hike and do strenuous activities in the mornings and evenings so you sweat less and need to shower less
- Use larger “baby wipes” to clean sweaty areas
- For portable showers, install a cut off valve.
- Stop water when lathering, start it when rinsing.
Shaving
- Do not do it
- Consider an electric razor.
Laundry
- Wash your clothes in a stream
- Hang clothes away from where you sleep to avoid condensation moisture stinking them out.
As you can see, you can pretty much do everything you do at home while out on the trail and saving water. It will not be quite the same, but you are hardly getting ready for a tie-and-tails party.
