A Guide For How Much Water You Need To Bring Camping
Knowing that you’ll have enough water while camping is so important. Being out in the elements for long periods of time requires proper hydration. This guide will show you how much water you need to bring camping based on your camping circumstances.
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How To Calculate Water For Camping
A good rule of thumb when it comes to deciding how much water to bring camping is to have at least 1 gallon per person, per day of camping. This would equate to about 3.75 liters per person per day.
One gallon of water will be enough for an average person to stay hydrated, with a little extra water left over for cooking & personal hygiene.
In order to know how much water you should drink each day, a general rule is that the average person drinks about 2-3 liters of water each day.
To get a more accurate calculation, you can divide your body weight in pounds by 2 in order to determine how many ounces of water you should drink each day to stay hydrated.
For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, then you should drink 75 ounces (150 divided by two=75) of water on an average day.
One gallon of water has 128 ounces in it (or about 3.75 liters), so this gives you enough to drink with a little extra water just in case.
Water For Kids While Camping
Kids don’t require as much water as adults. They still need to be accounted for when you’re planning your camping trip and water needs.
In general, you can bring ½ gallon of water per child under the age of 10 per day. Once they get past the age of 10, it is safest to start bringing a full gallon for them.
You might also consider if your children will be drinking other beverages like juice or gatorade during the trip. This might help alleviate some of the amount of water that you need to bring for them.
Other Considerations To Plan For
Just having an average amount of water to drink each day might not be enough for your circumstances. You also need to account for these factors when calculating how much water to bring for camping:
- Type of Camping
- Climate
- Elevation
- Activities
- Cooking
- Personal Hygiene
- Pets
- Natural Sources
Types of Camping
The amount of water you need to bring with you while camping differs based on the type of camping you’re doing. Below are the most common camping trips to plan for.
Car Camping
Car camping is when you drive to a campsite and set up your tent (or RV) nearby. This might also be referred to as “dry camping” or “tent camping.”
During this type of camping, you typically don’t have electricity, but you might have access to public bathrooms and potable water.
It is a good idea to plan ahead and know what sources of water will be available for you during car camping.
Car campers should have at least one gallon of water per person each day of camping. You might want to consider bringing more water with you since you’ll have room to store it in your car.
You also might have more dishes and reasons to use larger amounts of water while car camping. This is something you need to consider when you’re planning how much water you need to bring for camping.
Backpacking
If you are on a backpacking trip, then your ability to bring large amounts of water is limited. 1 gallon of water per day might be too much to carry.
You need at least 2 liters per day while backpacking to make sure you are well hydrated. Then, you’ll need to plan if you’ll need any extra water for cooking or personal hygiene.
While you’re in the great outdoors, you might just consider using baby wipes or other means for your personal hygiene in order to conserve water.
Your camping meals probably use a few cups of water too, so you need to consider what meals to bring for the best water usage.
Bringing a water filtration system could be your best option while backpacking. This will prevent you from having to carry large quantities of water during your trip. Just make sure you know where the natural sources of water are along your route.
Climate
Climate is another aspect to consider when you are planning the amount of water to bring for camping.
If you are in a hot climate, your body will produce more sweat. Because you’re sweating more, you’ll need more water to stay hydrated. You might also want to consider bringing electrolytes to help your body stay hydrated more easily.
If you’re camping in cold weather, then you won’t need as much water. This is also something you’ll need to plan for as freezing temperatures might make it difficult to keep your water sources thawed out.
Also, there might not be as many opportunities to use natural sources if there is snow and freezing water on the ground covering them up.
You could always melt snow, but just make sure you are using good practices to ensure it is safe for consumption.
Elevation
Your elevation will play a role when deciding how much water you need for your camping or backpacking trip. Your body requires more water when you’re at a higher elevation.
A higher elevation typically means elevations over 4,000 feet. You should plan to bring one extra liter of water per day if you are at an altitude above 4,000 feet.
You should consider bringing even more if you’re closer to 10,000 feet or above elevation.
Activities
What activities do you plan to do while you’re out camping? Will you be in the sun all day? Are you going on day hikes?
If you plan to do a lot of physical activities while you’re camping, then it is a good idea to bring extra water with you.
You don’t want to become hydrated because you’re in the sun for long periods of time and exerting more energy than normal.
Cooking
When you’re planning your meals for camping, you need to consider how much water it takes to make each meal.
Are you boiling noodles? Making instant oatmeal packets (which require 1 cup of water each)?
You should also think about other cooking needs like making coffee and washing dishes when you’re planning out how much water you need for cooking.
This number will be different for everybody. To play it safe, you could plan to have 1 gallon of water per day designated for cooking while camping and washing dishes.
Personal Hygiene
Being in the great outdoors calls for a different hygiene routine. You might not have access to running water for showers and long toothbrushing.
Planning to have 2 liters of water for personal care during your camping trip is a good rule of thumb each day. This will allow you to brush your teeth and wash your face and hands a couple times each day.
Washing hair, depending on the length, might require more water. This is something you need to account for, or plan to do without.
Baby wipes can be your best friend if you’re in a remote location and unable to shower during your camping or backpacking trip.
Pets
You can’t forget to bring man’s best friend with you while camping! Your dog will also need their own supply of water during your trip.
Dogs should drink one ounce of water per pound each day. If your dog is 20 pounds, then they should ideally have 20 ounces of water for the day.
Dogs are a little bit easier to pack for because they can drink from natural sources without filters.
If there is a lake or stream near your campsite, your dog might be able to solely drink from the natural water source instead of packing water for them.
Natural Sources
If you have a natural, reliable water source near your campsite or along your backpacking trail, then you might want to plan to bring less water with you.
Instead of packing multiple gallons of water, you can plan to bring some form of water purification with you instead.
A few options are purification tablets, water filter bag, Berkey, LifeStraw, or a pot to boil water in.
Having a way to purify the water will allow you to drink clean water from any water sources you find.
Signs of Dehydration
Bringing enough water with you while camping is so important so you don’t become dehydrated. Dehydration can become very serious, very quickly if you’re not keeping track of your water intake.
These are the most common symptoms of dehydration:
- Thirsty
- Dizzy/Light-headed
- Tired
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Infrequent urination
- Poor concentration
Sometimes you won’t know you’re dehydrated until it is too late. It is important to keep up your water consumption, especially while you’re out camping in the elements.
How To Pack & Store Water While Camping
Knowing how much water to bring with you while camping is only half the battle. You also need to decide the easiest and safest way to transport the water to your campsite.
You have a lot of options when it comes to packing and storing water for camping.
In general, you want to make sure water doesn’t sit in the same container for more than 6 months at a time. Your containers should also be cleaned and sanitized before you store your water.
Here are some options of the best camping water containers to store water in:
Water Bottles
You can bring water bottles with you for camping. If you’re only going for a day or two, you might be able to get away with filling up a handful of water bottles for your trip.
You can also bring empty water bottles to fill up with water from a natural source and drink with a LifeStraw out of it if you don’t have fresh water.
This choice might seem overwhelming because you’ll need a lot of water bottles to fulfill your daily water intake needs.
Water Bladder
Water bladders are a great way to transport water for backpacking and camping. While you’re at the campsite, you can hang your water bladder from a tree and drink from it or squeeze the hose to allow water to fill up a cup.
Water Bladders are especially great for backpacking because they are shaped to fit securely inside your backpack without taking up too much space.
They are also lightweight & foldable, so they are easy to transport around.
Water Jugs
One of the easiest ways to pack water for your next camping trip is to run to the grocery store and buy gallon jugs. This will make it easy for you to count how many gallons you need for the days that you’re camping.
Water jugs are easy to pour, plus you can drink straight from them if needed.
They do take up a lot of space, so keep that in mind if your packing space is limited.
Military Grade Container
Our favorite way to bring water with us while camping is in a 5-gallon military grade container. You can purchase these in different sizes, but the 5 gallon jug is plenty of water for a 2-day camping trip.
Then, you’ll just need empty water bottles or cups to fill up from your large supply of water. You might also want to consider getting a siphon hose for easy access to pour the water.
This is a great option because this container takes up less space than packing your car full of 5 separate gallon jugs of water.
The only downside to this container is that if you buy an inexpensive brand made out of cheap material, then you need to be extra careful not to puncture it.
Losing 5 gallons of your water supply could be devastating during your camping trip.
Conclusion
Planning how much water to bring with you while camping is one of the most important parts of packing. As a general rule, you should plan for at least 1 gallon of water per person for each day of camping.
If you’re backpacking, plan to have at least 2 liters of water per day during your trip.
The most important thing is that you stay hydrated, but you also want to consider how much water you’ll need for personal hygiene, recreational activities, & cooking.
Use these guidelines to help you determine how much water you need for your next camping trip.
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Basic Camping Packing List
If this is your first time camping, or you need a refresh, then here is a free download for our Basic Camping Packing List. It is a full list of the basic items you need to bring for a successful camping trip.
