The Complete Caravanners’ Guide To Carrying Water

Water is life on the road. Run out and your Big Lap stops dead. Most caravans come with basic water tanks, but serious travellers know that’s just the starting point. Between remote camping, extended stays, and backup security, you need a proper water carrying system.

The question isn’t whether you need extra water capacity, it’s how to get it. Tank upgrades, jerry cans, portable bladders, roof tanks, external tanks mounted under the chassis. Each option solves different problems and suits different travel styles.

Understanding Your Water Needs

Before diving into hardware, you need to understand consumption. The average person uses 50-100 litres per day at home. On the road, that drops to 20-40 litres if you’re conservative, or stays high if you’re not changing habits.

Water consumption breaks down into categories. Drinking and cooking takes 4-6 litres per person daily. Washing dishes adds another 5-10 litres. Showers are the big variable, from 5 litres for a navy shower to 40 litres for a full rinse. Add washing clothes, cleaning the van, and general tasks.

Your travel style dictates capacity needs. Free camping for a week requires 140-280 litres per person minimum. Caravan parks with facilities let you get by with much less. Travelling with pets, kids, or medical needs increases consumption significantly.

Weight becomes critical fast. Water weighs exactly 1kg per litre. A modest 200-litre system adds 200kg to your rig when full. That’s payload and towing capacity you need to account for.

Onboard Tank Options

Your caravan’s built-in fresh water tank is the foundation, but rarely sufficient. Standard tanks range from 70-120 litres in most vans. Quality varies enormously from flimsy plastic to proper marine-grade polyethylene.

Tank upgrades offer the most seamless extra capacity. Replacing your existing tank with a larger unit maintains the same plumbing and pump systems. You’re limited by available space and weight distribution, but it’s often the cleanest solution.

Additional internal tanks work where space allows. Many vans have unused areas under seating or in storage compartments. The challenge is plumbing multiple tanks together and maintaining level sensors and pumps.

Gravity-fed systems simplify plumbing but require height. A tank mounted high in the van can feed taps directly through pressure. You lose the convenience of pressurised water but gain simplicity and reliability.

Portable Water Containers

Jerry cans are the classic backup water solution. They’re portable, stackable, and let you carry exactly the capacity you need for each trip. Quality varies from cheap camping store plastic to military-spec steel.

Standard 20-litre jerry cans are the sweet spot for most caravanners. Heavy enough when full to be substantial, light enough to handle easily. You can stack them efficiently and they fit standard jerry can holders.

Water bladders maximise capacity in irregular spaces. They conform to available areas and can hold 20-100 litres depending on size. The downside is difficulty moving when full and potential puncture issues.

Aquatainer-style containers offer wheeled convenience. These rigid containers with built-in taps roll easily when full and stack when empty. Popular sizes run 15-40 litres with the Reliance Aqua-Tainer ~$35 being the benchmark.

Food-grade containers from industrial suppliers often beat camping-specific products on price. Restaurant supply stores sell 20-60 litre containers designed for water storage at fraction of retail camping prices.

External Tank Systems

Underslung tanks mount beneath the caravan chassis, protected from weather and theft. They’re permanent installations that don’t take up internal space or add handling complexity. Capacity ranges from 50-200 litres depending on available mounting area.

Professional installation is essential for underslung systems. The tank needs secure mounting, protection from road debris, and proper drainage. Plumbing integration with existing systems requires careful routing and leak-proof connections.

Roof tanks work on larger caravans with sufficient structural support. They require reinforced mounting and careful weight distribution. The height advantage provides excellent gravity pressure but makes filling more complex.

Drawbar tanks mount forward of the caravan axles, improving weight distribution. They’re easily accessible for filling and maintenance. The downside is ground clearance on rough tracks and potential departure angle issues.

External tank mounting systems let you carry standard containers securely. Jerry can holders, tank cradles, and storage boxes mount portable containers externally while keeping internal space clear.

Specialty Solutions

Water filtration systems extend your carrying capacity by making marginal sources usable. A good filter lets you fill from bores, creeks, and questionable town supplies with confidence. Systems range from simple carbon filters to full reverse osmosis units.

Atmospheric water generators extract moisture from air to produce drinking water. They’re expensive, power-hungry, and climate-dependent, but provide unlimited capacity where humidity allows. Practical only for permanent installations with substantial solar capacity.

Water recycling systems filter and reuse grey water for non-potable uses. Simple settling tanks let you reuse shower water for toilet flushing. More complex systems can return grey water to potable quality.

Collapsible containers maximise storage efficiency when empty. They fold flat for storage and expand to full capacity when needed. Quality varies significantly, with cheaper options prone to splitting and leaking.

Choosing Your Water System

Start with your baseline consumption and multiply by your longest expected stay between fills. Add 25% safety margin and you have your minimum capacity target.

Weight distribution matters as much as total capacity. Water should sit as low as possible and centred over axles. External tanks can actually improve stability by lowering the centre of gravity compared to internal high-mounted tanks.

Consider your physical capabilities. Lifting 20kg jerry cans repeatedly gets old fast. Wheeled containers, pump systems, or permanent plumbing might be worth the extra cost if you’re travelling long-term.

Maintenance requirements vary significantly. Jerry cans need regular cleaning and eventual replacement. Permanent tanks require professional servicing and are harder to repair. Balance convenience against long-term reliability.

Climate affects your choices. Hot areas increase consumption and accelerate algae growth in clear containers. Cold climates require freeze protection for external systems. UV exposure degrades plastic containers over time.

Your electrical system affects water choices. Pumps need reliable 12V power. Filtration systems often require mains power. Solar capacity and battery reserves constrain your water system options.

Budget for the complete system, not just containers. Mounting hardware, plumbing fittings, pumps, and professional installation add significantly to basic container costs. A $50 jerry can becomes a $200 system with proper mounting and filling equipment.