30 day+ Off Grid

[PointBreak]

Im planning on using my skoolie for more than 30+day off grid as much as I can. Anyone that has been doing this can you let me know how big water tanks are, how much electricty for mostly refridgeration, and just thoughts on things you need dont need. It is just me and my dog most of the time. Wont be catering for to many friends most of the time. Any thoughts on going 30+ days in the wilderness would be helpful.

[JDOnTheGo]

My limit (solo) is six weeks. I have 150 gallons fresh water and 115 gallon black/grey tank. I drink my water so consider that. Showers are the largest consumer of water so you have to get creative. Navy showers are critical with wet wipe/wash clothe 'baths' in between. If you don't know how to conserve water (like brushing your teeth with about a cup of water), time to learn.

Solar is magical and can supply all your needs if you design/build an adequate system. I am all electric (Samsung residential refrigerator, microwave, NuWave cooktop plus lots of other electrical things) and solar provides for all (except occasionally in the winter months during a long cloudy streak) - plus a big lithium battery bank.

[PNW_Steve]

JD,

You have me beat.

I thought I was doing OK being able to dry camp for three weeks with two people and 200 gallons of fresh water.

To be fair, some of us can get away with a navy shower every couple of days and be comfortable and not stink. Unfortunately I don't fit in that group. To be able to put up with myself I have to shower at least once a day. I use about 3 gallons of water per shower. Also, my traveling companion wasn't as focused on water conservation as I was.

While dry camping at Lk. Meade I tried bathing in the lake to save water. After 2-3 days I got really itchy.

[JDOnTheGo]

Excellent point Steve - I updated my response to note that I was solo. The stench is not nearly as noticeable when it is your own!!

I remember doing some mental math regarding gallons per day but can't recall the specifics. 3 gallons per day does ring a bell. At the time, I was probably drinking close to a gallon of coffee per day (not any more... ).

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by JDOnTheGo

Excellent point Steve - I updated my response to note that I was solo. The stench is not nearly as noticeable when it is your own!!

I remember doing some mental math regarding gallons per day but can't recall the specifics. 3 gallons per day does ring a bell. At the time, I was probably drinking close to a gallon of coffee per day (not any more... ).

The trouble I have is not that I offend other people but that I cannot stand my own fragrance. Solo doesn't help much.

Trying to quantify where my water was going I broke out buckets and a stopwatch. I timed showers, dish washing etc. Then ran the shower into a bucket at same settings and duration. I measured the water in the bucket. Worked out to 3-3.5 gallons per shower. About 1.5 - 2 gallons to wash a days dishes for two.

[Skoolmee]

JD and PNW, what type of shower heads do you use? If you used something like the Nebia, with a very low gpm, do you think it would make a significant difference? I ask because much like OP when I finally build my bus boondocking will be its primary purpose. Thank you.

[dan-fox]

Ever been to Oshkosh for the EAA Convention? Last time I was there (granted, 1997) this was their issue shower head. It worked pretty well, except if you have waist-length hair.



https://www.homedepot.com/p/Delta-Si...12-3/205936156

[kazetsukai]

Water usage was a concern of mine, I got these Niagara heads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UA5EHK


Twisting the head changes it between 0.5GPM/1 GPM/1.5GPM modes. 1.5GPM is quite a normal shower. 0.5 is more like a mist.



I would like a wand that I can activate with a button. Any recommendations there would be welcome.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

I would like a wand that I can activate with a button. Any recommendations there would be welcome.

Don't know if it's what you're looking for, but we got one of these snazzy little gadgets and it works like a charm. Really makes it easy to adjust the flow with a quick thumb action. It just screws right onto the shower hose.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

Don't know if it's what you're looking for, but we got one of these snazzy little gadgets and it works like a charm. Really makes it easy to adjust the flow with a quick thumb action. It just screws right onto the shower hose.

That looks like the ticket, alright.

[Iceni John]

One of my criteria for my bus is that it should comfortably support one person off-grid for at least a month, or two people for a fortnight. By comfortably, I mean taking a shower every night, using the loo and cooking normally (not that I ever cook much these days), maybe also doing a load of laundry in the washer/dryer every week or so, in other words not skimping too much. To this end I have a 110-gallon water tank on either side of the fuel tank, 220 gallons total, and when I filled both of them for a test-drive I didn't notice any difference in how the bus handled. I'll probably also have a small tank just for drinking water, maybe about 30 gallons if I can find somewhere to put it under the floor where unused real estate is now becoming scarce. If I really wanted to stay off-grid for longer I could probably get six weeks or more from the water if I adopted a more frugal lifestyle.

Electricity is taken care of by 2kW of tiltable solar, and there's a little 3.5kW generator if the sun doesn't shine for a few days. I'll have space for several months' of food, so the only thing to limit for how long I can boondock will probably be water. I've always thought, never more so than now, that my bus is a lifeboat, and if (when?) $hit hits fans then I'll decamp to somewhere remote until the dust settles.

John

[Native]

Originally Posted by Drew Bru

Don't know if it's what you're looking for, but we got one of these snazzy little gadgets and it works like a charm. Really makes it easy to adjust the flow with a quick thumb action. It just screws right onto the shower hose.

I wanted something like this for our house shower. Where did you find it?

[JDSquared]

Originally Posted by Native

I wanted something like this for our house shower. Where did you find it?

I was about to ask the same question

[kazetsukai]

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=aps&k=sho...er saver valve

[JDOnTheGo]

Originally Posted by Skoolmee

JD and PNW, what type of shower heads do you use? If you used something like the Nebia, with a very low gpm, do you think it would make a significant difference?

Details of my shower are here. Mine isn't anything special (in terms of water saving) - I manage that with the on/off valve. I can see why that would be important if you have someone that is unable to properly manage water use.

[Drew Bru]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=aps&k=sho...er saver valve

Yup, that's the one. I think I saw it on someone's skoolie blog out there in the internets somewhere. It's a slick little gadget, and makes it SO easy to save water. It's really just about perfect for mobile living. I got a 2-pack for like 8 bucks and I'm only using one of 'em. Figured I'd pass the other one on to someone else one of these days in our travels.

[PNW_Steve]

Originally Posted by Skoolmee

JD and PNW, what type of shower heads do you use? If you used something like the Nebia, with a very low gpm, do you think it would make a significant difference? I ask because much like OP when I finally build my bus boondocking will be its primary purpose. Thank you.

I used a generic RV low flow shower head with on/off on the shower head. Get wet, turn the water off, lather, shave, turn the water on and rinse.

There is a thread over on RV.net comparing various RV shower head options.. I think that it is in the "best DIY upgrades" section.

[PNW_Steve]

Something I found that made a big difference.

If the water is not "doing work" turn it off.

While lathering in the shower.
While brushing your teeth.
Rinsing dishes.

I was surprised when I started paying attention at how often we left water running when it wasn't actually doing any work.