What’s the best exterior water tank? Seems like the Yakima Road Shower is the standard bearer but is there better or less expensive? 4-7gal would be fine and needs to mount on my Martin rack immediately in front of the GFC on my '23 Tacoma. Suppose it could mount on side panel of GFC. Thanks!
For what its worth GFC does not recommended putting any water storage on the extrusions due to the high dynamic load that can be created. May be worth finding one that works with your Martin Rack.
Worth a LOT and a great point. Thank you!
Not sure how much water you need, or if you need a gravity-fed or have a pump, but this is the one I’ve been using with my joolca shower.
It fits in the bed of my truck up against the front wall so it keeps the weight low and centered. I also tend to drive with it empty and fill it when I’m close to my destination.
We have been using the WaterPORT for a few years now and its been great. More on the barebones side compared to some of the options out there, but it does the job just fine for washing sand off and rinsing dishes.
- 4 gallons
- Pressurized via hose/city connection
- Optional hand pump to pressurize
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The Nemesis for Overlanding and hiking is weight!
I now only carry enough water to drink and survive!
ALSO even more important is Keep Your Weight LOW!
This will keep your vehicle center of gravity low and my save you from rolling on your side
I carry two empty 6 gallons water bottles I bought at Walmart. And painted one black so on a cool day the sun might warm it. It does but not much. 6 gallons takes a long time to warm.
I only fill them when my wife needs a shower.
Now if I knew then what I know now I would have bought what my friend bought for showering.
He bought the Rhino USA 5 Gal / 20L Portable Solar Camp Shower.
Something to keep in mind.
The weight of a Toyota Tacoma, 2023 ranges from 3,915 lbs to 4,495 lbs and has a payload capacity between 1,095 lbs and 1,685 lbs.
This is the weight rating for paved roads. The weigh capacity goes down when you add a lift and when you drive off road.
I go to a CAT Scale and weigh my rig before going on a trip. It only takes a moment and the cost of $12.00 is well worth knowing.
So just to follow up on this,
@dmg5000 's water tank is 50 liters.
The water inside will weigh 109lbs or 49.8kg
The tank weighs 11 lbs.
Total full weight about 120lb.
I once weighed my full loadout and it was ~190lb. Meaning 460lb total (with GFC’s quoted camper weight). I imagine most folks run heavier loads than that, especially including a passenger.
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Yep, looks about right, which is why I fill up at the last possible moment. Also, I only carry that much when we know we’ll want showers at some point, less if it’ll just be me.
As with anything, there pros and cons that individuals must consider when dealing with weight. Getting a shower halfway through our adventures keeps the gf more motivated to go on these trips.
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My GFC friend Robert and going to Overlanding Events that have good training has help me tremendously.
When I go by myself my RAM 1500 is under weight.
When I take my wife we are over weight by a lot! And she only weighs 100lbs.
That is why I bought a heavy duty Mule Trailer my friend made for me. It handles well on fire trails.
Everything my wife wants she gets in the mule trailer.
If I listed everything you would laugh but Happy Wife Happy (what)?
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I used one of those 5 gallon stainless beer kegs and one of those propane-heated Kakadu electric shower units on a longer trip. It was awesome. Nature shower, best shower. Really does revitalize and made the next few days even more excellent. 5 gallons sure went quick tho.
For sure. One trip we were by a mountain spring and just piped that through the joolca for an insta/easy shower, but those spots are hard to come by.
I have a few couple collapsible 5 gallon jugs and have used those on occasion, but it’s always me that gets short-changed when the water runs out and I’m covered in soap suds.
A wise man once told me “Let me check with my wife” and I’ve come to understand his wisdom 
.
But honestly I’m the one that overpacks. My fear of running out of fuel, food, etc. makes for a heavy load.
Someone needs to start another suspension thread to discuss the best performing budget setups considering the extra weight we carry year round.