Posted 2013-09-16 6:40 PM (#154792) Subject: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 430 Location: TN
I am going primitive camping for 3 days next month. My fresh water tank in the living quarters hold 40 gallons which is more than enough for me, but I'm looking for advice as for water for my horse. My trailer is a 4 horse with a 6 ft. weekender. I am thinking about using a closed 55 gallon drum with a pump and putting it into the first slant on the butt side my trailer with the divider closed. This is the drum and pump I was thinking of. http://www.uline.com/Product/ProductDetailRootItem.Aspx?modelnumber...http://www.uline.com/BL_8159/Drum-Pump Any opinions???
Posted 2013-09-16 6:50 PM (#154794 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Veteran
Posts: 136 Location: Watertown, TN
Don't know why it wouldn't work. 55gal water weighs less than a horse. Unless you're going for a week, it should be plenty for a couple of horses. I think I would take a hose to slip over the pump outlet to get the water out of the trailer and not have to tote buckets.
Posted 2013-09-16 7:44 PM (#154796 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Regular
Posts: 61 Location: Pueblo, CO
We use a 35 gallon tank in the back of the pickup and siphon the water into buckets, etc. You would have to build a bracket if you laid the barrel down. Maybe some advantages if you have room in the truck bed.
Posted 2013-09-16 8:13 PM (#154798 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
I use a 55 gal plastic barrel in the back of the truck. Easy to get more water if needed.
If you use a short piece of hose with a valve at the end, it'll be very easy to dispense water. No need for a pump. Just start the siphon when the barrel is full. Close the valve when done. This keeps the hose full of water and ready to siphon the next time. Since the barrel is full, it doesn't take much suction to start.
Posted 2013-09-16 9:59 PM (#154806 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Veteran
Posts: 175 Location: Florida
Take a look at High Country Plastics tanks - available from ValleyVet and others. We use the half-moon tank cross-wise behind the cab. It will also fit lengthwise in the bed or in a trailer hay rack. I use an RV water pump to either fill buckets, or to refill the trailer tank. I also installed a hose spigot in the first stall to make watering in the trailer easier.
Posted 2013-09-17 8:21 AM (#154810 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
A drum would work, i have seen a lot of people use them, this is what we use and gets two horses by with drinking water for 3 days and you don't need a pump just a hose. click here- DIY living quarters
Posted 2013-09-17 6:23 PM (#154816 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
I have a 35 gallon upright tank that sits behind my saddle rack. (It's pretty standard in most of the Logan Coach trailers) Depending on where I go, this enough for a day maybe two for my 4 horses. If I can find water along the trail for the horses to drink and just top them off with a bucket of water in camp. I can get by with 5 gallons each per day. If I'm providing all the water, the horses can easily go through 15 gallons per day each.
If I am a little more concerned about water, I put an additional three 15 gallon mini barrels in the bed of my truck. These mini-barrels weigh 125lbs so I can man handle them if needed to place them on the tailgate or tip them on their side so the spouts can be used. Between this 45 gallons and the 35 gallon tank in the trailer I carry a total of 80 gallons for the horses.
I really try to find campsites where I can at least ride/lead the horses over for water in the morning and evening to get their biggest drinks. This may be from a spring, stream, lake, stock pond or guzzler. If they can get a couple of really good drinks during the day, they can often get by with sipping a smaller amount of water while the eat their hay in camp.
This is a spring on the mountain, About an hour into one of our rides where the ranchers have placed a tank to catch the dripping from the spring. We make sure the horses get plenty of time to drink all the want before we move on.
Often times on our desert rides we are letting the horses drink from Indian Bathtubs that capture run off from the thunderstorms .
These depressions in the solid rock floor of canyons trap water. Again we give the horses as much time as they want to tank up
It is actually pretty amazing just how much water I can find in the desert areas we ride. Of course over time, we have either found and been told where to find the water.
Some of these hidden tanks are big enough and deep enough to hide a car.
Others may be little springs or cisterns that ranchers or old cowboys have developed to catch water and hold it hidden away in sheltered spots.
Posted 2013-09-18 5:55 PM (#154827 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Veteran
Posts: 197 Location: AZ
55 gallon plastic barrel with siphon is the best way to go. We use a 55 gallon and have spigots on the top to fill and empty. We lay it flat on our truck. Worst case, you dump what you do not use before you leave camp. We also have some of the 5 gallon 'water dispenser' jugs with handles and fill those as needed.
Posted 2013-09-19 9:07 AM (#154849 - in reply to #154792) Subject: RE: Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
Regular
Posts: 98 Location: MD
When I think water may not be easily accessible, I use Electrolytes twice a day, Horse Quencher in 5-gal buckets and feed cube hay soaked in water twice a day. The hay is available at Tractor Supply in packages of 12 cubes. I have a bunch of the 5-gal orange painters buckets w/lids from Home Depot, I'll fill and put in the back of the truck.
Hauling Water for Primitive Camping
