Where to fill up your water tank?

If you stay at a camp ground or caravan site you can optain water easily at designated locations. But on extended remote trips in foreign countries you often dont have that opportunities. Also travellers who are staying wild don`t have that option.

During my jorneys in europe, africa or south america  I mostly was able to get water by asking at gas stations, at a car mechanics or truck service stations at higways at example. When I was more remotely, I did even ask in a farm who near the streets or at a private house. 

Also at 5 Star Hotels you often can see someone with a garden hose who is looking for the plants, an easy "drive by" action for us.

Today at 2021 we probably haven`t to be very creative anymore, as long as we have a internet connection. The following directory shows natural water sources world wide. 

https://drinkingwater.directory

If you use this Adress on your tablet or smartphone you can see all water sources nearby on a map. You can zoom and click on the different sources.

       

So If you need water you just look at a water source nearby and just need to drive there. But you can also use the coordinates to preview the area with Satellite-View or Street-View. You alway get coordinated or the more modern three word coordinates.

There you can find and optain drinkable water, but indeed - in severall ways to optain. Just rarely you will find something like a stopcock and probably never an garden hose what you can use to fill your tank. And not all water sources are easily to use if you plan to fill up your 15 Gallon tank, a reason why you probably will have to try 2-3 options for the best access.

If you like to use this options for water refilling you should look for gear to optain the water easily.

Personally I recommend to use something like a outdoor shower with 12v car plug and an foldable bucket. That way you can collect the water in your clean foldable bucket and pump it from there to your water tank, with removing the shower head. And can use it as campshower too. You can easily add a longer hose, those standard 78.74″ (2 m) will be too short in many cases.

Depending on your travel destinations you probably want to clean the water with a inline water filter who can reduces bad taste, odors, chlorine and sediment in drinking water. For that purpose such a portable shower kit will not be useful anymore, because the pump is not able to deliver enough pressure. 

There you should start a small DYI project to get what you need. I can recommend the brand surflo who delivers very strong and reliable 12v pumps. Unfortunately there you start to use more weight and your equipement will also need more space. 

Here you find my DYI portable three stage water filter 12v I did use for my transafrica journey. A water filter solution who is probably a bit overdone for the rest of the world.

Often you get told that you can optain water there from the owner - but the key is stolen. It is helpful to carry the right Tools (Lookpick) to open the faucet from time to time. Here I did detect some universal water key or alternative who can be helpful at home and on international travels too. 

How you will refill your water tank in the future? You can add here an comment or you can join the discussion at the Expedition Portal.