Need more water in your RV? Think horse tank!

Next to sufficient electricity, for a boondocker perhaps the second-most precious commodity is water. Cool, clear, water. For some, there's never enough. Perhaps they haven't been able to make the jump to "Navy showers," and insist on those long, drawn out times in the tub. How can you get enough water on your excursion if your fresh water tank is too small? Think about horsing around.

Half-moon lay down tank

Nah, we're not suggesting skinny dipping in the nearby creek. But horse loving folks who travel with their four-legged pals know that sometimes there's not enough water in their horse trailer for themselves and their equine friends. Enter auxiliary water tanks for horse folks.

These tanks are designed for the horse crowd: Some "double" as saddle racks, others are designed to ride in the back of a pickup truck, squeezed in between the sidewall of the truck and the trailer gooseneck. Since few of us have goosenecks (and more likely have fifth wheel hitches) they don't always cross over as well as some. Still, if you pull a travel trailer, the "48 gallon half-moon lay down" tank might work out for you.

18 gallon "slant" tank

The ones of real interest are designed for inside a horse trailer, tucked away in a corner or in a dead space area. Ranging from sizes that contain as little as 18 gallons or as much as 39, they stand upright (requiring some work at tying them in place) and can give you that extra edge when needed for more water.

How could you plumb such a critter? All of them come with hose spigots, allowing you to "gravity flow" your water where needed. Add an auxiliary 12-volt RV water pump, you can easily transfer your extra water into the existing house system through the normal fill port. Get even more fancy and you could run a permanent water line from the horse tank to the water line heading into your RV's water pump inlet line. 

Before you start your installation though, keep in mind the weight of the tanks plus that of the extra water. Don't overload your RV's weight carrying capacity, and don't place a tank where the extra weight may adversely affect load balance and road handling.

Here's a link to horseloversoutlet, a retailer of horse water tanks systems.

RVing in snake country

Boondocking – traveling out away in the "boonies" and away from traditional campground and hookups – has it's own variety of knowledge base. Recently an RVer who contemplated trying boondocking inquired of other RVers, "What about snakes?"

It's not uncommon to be a bit fearful of snakes, and when you get out away from the beaten track, it would seem you're more likely to encounter these slithering reptiles. So what about it? Can you go camping in your RV and still be safe?

A bit of knowledge can help overcome anxiety. First off, your chances of dying from a venomous snakebite here in the U.S. is near to zero. Each year, less than 8,000 folks are bitten by a venomous snake, and of those there are only about five or six fatalities. Put it another way, you're chances of dying in a motor vehicle accident are about 6,000 times greater.

Still, none of us want to be in that "six died from snakebite" category, or even of the 8,000 who are bitten and live. Here are some principles to live by:

1. Eyes open: Don't blunder through weeds and woods, and happily down the trail. While snakes will try and avoid you, if you see them, it's best to go the other way. When you step over a log or rock in the trail, LOOK before you plant your foot on the ground. Sweep your surroundings with your eyes. If it "looks out of place," stop and look again.

2. Ears open: In rattlesnake country a rattler will most often signal his presence with an unmistakable rattling sound, probably before you see him. STOP! Don't move – and try not to run – until you SEE where the snake is. Then go the opposite direction, withdrawing slowly.

3. Keep out of harm's way: Snakes like brush piles, log jams, root systems, and shady spots when the sun is hot. Being reptiles, they'll seek out a sunny spot to warm up when the weather is cold.

4. Footwear forestalls problems: Leather, ankle high boots are shoes are best for walking in snake country.

5. Water wise: Snakes often like to hang around water, so keep alert when swimming or fishing.

6. Don't sneak: Making plenty of noise while hiking alerts snakes of your whereabouts. They're really not interested in "human prey," and will do their best to get away from you, given the chance.

What if the worst happens and you get bitten? Forget the snake bite kit. Here's the best recommendation from the Mayo Clinic:

·    Remain calm.

·    Immobilize the bitten arm or leg, and stay as quiet as possible to keep the poison from spreading through your body.

·    Remove jewelry before you start to swell.

·    Position yourself, if possible, so that the bite is at or below the level of your heart.

·    Cleanse the wound, but don't flush it with water, and cover it with a clean, dry dressing.

·    Apply a splint to reduce movement of the affected area, but keep it loose enough so as not to restrict blood flow.

·    Don't use a tourniquet or apply ice.

·    Don't cut the wound or attempt to remove the venom.

·    Don't drink caffeine or alcohol.

·    Don't try to capture the snake, but try to remember its color and shape so you can describe it, which will help in your treatment.

Call 911 or seek immediate medical attention, especially if the area changes color, begins to swell or is painful.

Countless RVers who've boondocked through snake country often have the same comment: Very rarely have they seen a snake, and usually they'll just move along. Don't let fear cause you to miss out on a great RV experience, out in the boonies.

Let your light shine before men – with less power

Boondockers--those who by definition "camp in the boonies," away from utility hookups – have to be careful of their precious resources. One of the biggest pains is "running out of power." Lighting up the inside of the rig can consume a lot of juice in a short period of time. Take a minute and add up how much power you use:

A typical incandescent bulb light fixture, sometimes called a "pillow light" by its shape commonly uses an "1141" bulb. Each 1141 bulb consumes 1.5 amps per hour, and produces a pitifully small amount of illumination. At least that's what our aging eyes tell us. So we turn on another one or two, and pretty soon, we're happily munching away at the "house" battery.

In comparison, the typical "double tube" fluorescent lamp produces gobs of light for just two amps per hour. Wow! What a difference technology makes. Now compare the "latest technology" light fixtures that produce light with light emitting diodes. Super-efficient, they produce almost no heat (hence no waste), and use power measured in "milli-amps," or thousandths of an amp.

We use all three types of lighting technology in our rig. Turning on an incandescent light to fish something out of a dark corner doesn't take much power because we keep the use short. Fluorescent lighting is our "mainstay" giving us plenty of light to keep us working and safe at night. The pricier to install LED technology is perfect for a reading light. The latter may take you some time to get used to, as the "color" of the light is different, and it's best used as a highly directional light, but when your power comes from solar panels or precious gas-fired generators, you surely want to keep your power consumption way down.