How much water does a campervan really need? A look at realistic numbers
How long the fresh water tank will last is one of the first questions in a vanlife conversion. The magazine Vanlife Mag has published a water consumption calculator, and the reference figures in the accompanying text were worth reading.
According to the article, campers typically use 20 to 40 litres per person per day, compared with 120 to 150 litres at home. Minimalists get by on about 15 litres, and full-time vanlifers sometimes manage just 12 to 15. A 100-litre tank would theoretically last two people 2.5 days, but in practice it often lasts only two.
The biggest lever is the shower. Five minutes under a normal shower head uses 30 to 40 litres, a water-saving camping shower uses 10 to 15, and a so-called marine shower, where you turn the water off in between, uses only 8 to 10. For washing up, a two-bowl system uses 5 to 8 litres, compared with 15 to 20 litres under running water.
The article also gives a sense of tank sizes: 30 to 50 litres in compact campers for one to two days, 80 to 100 litres in vans for three to four days, and up to a week in larger motorhomes. One litre weighs one kilogram, which belongs in payload planning. Fresh water in the tank should also not sit for more than about a week.
Some of the figures in the text contradict each other slightly, and all of them are estimates. In the end the editors recommend simply measuring your own consumption. I can only agree.
Source: Vanlife Mag
According to the article, campers typically use 20 to 40 litres per person per day, compared with 120 to 150 litres at home. Minimalists get by on about 15 litres, and full-time vanlifers sometimes manage just 12 to 15. A 100-litre tank would theoretically last two people 2.5 days, but in practice it often lasts only two.
The biggest lever is the shower. Five minutes under a normal shower head uses 30 to 40 litres, a water-saving camping shower uses 10 to 15, and a so-called marine shower, where you turn the water off in between, uses only 8 to 10. For washing up, a two-bowl system uses 5 to 8 litres, compared with 15 to 20 litres under running water.
The article also gives a sense of tank sizes: 30 to 50 litres in compact campers for one to two days, 80 to 100 litres in vans for three to four days, and up to a week in larger motorhomes. One litre weighs one kilogram, which belongs in payload planning. Fresh water in the tank should also not sit for more than about a week.
Some of the figures in the text contradict each other slightly, and all of them are estimates. In the end the editors recommend simply measuring your own consumption. I can only agree.
Source: Vanlife Mag
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