DIY Overland Water System | Building a 4x4 Truck Camper

[@KristoferTravelsHomesteading]

What a great feeling to have running water 🎉🎉

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

For sure! It taste like progress 😁

[@jeev49]

love the DIY build. Way more character than your avg Broverlander

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Haha. "broverlander" 😂

[@mr.toliver2717]

Super bad ass , look forward to see traveling that rig 🏕️🏕️👏👏👏👏👏

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I'm super excited to get this thing diald in an go camping!

[@westcoasthiker76]

Well done - and great editing too , thanks !!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@boymeetsbush8232]

Very well though and as always excellent workmanship.

[@chad2886]

The install looks good but man the sloshing of the water would drive me nuts when you're driving.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

It's not too bad in general, only if there is a quick shift from passenger to driver or vice versa when the tank is less than 3/4 full. when it really shifts it is louder than I had expected though. On the plus side, the pump is really quiet from inside the camper.

[@FeedMeAQuarter]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal If it gets too annoying you might be able to find a tank with internal baffles. It's common in fuel tanks to prevent the liquid from moving as much so maybe someone has something similar for a water tank.

[@JacobDeFilippis]

Amazing build. You might consider getting a larger grey water tank, or an outlet valve that could be plumbed to an exterior jerry can. Even in my small rig, me and my wife after a night or two of camping fill up 3-5 gallons of grey water just washing dishes and brushing our teeth.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for the input. I'll keep it in mind as we take the camper on its first test runs

[@LincolnHarmer]

You are good my friend. I know a good engineer when I see one. My only suggestion would be to add a ball valve on the other side of the spindown filter. Flushing it won't be able to clean it entirely after awhile. I have used the same exact filter. It will need to completely taken apart so you can clean the screen and you don't want to have to drain everything completely to do it.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks A second ball valve as you describe would have been a better idea. I left a little extra hose between the spindown filter and the pump so I can disconnect the up-flow side of the spindown filter and just pull it out the driver's door with the hose still attached to remove the lower housing and access the filter for cleaning. Not the most elegant solution, but it'll work

[@skudwoofer]

cant wait for you guys to do another mexico trip!!!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks. I'm hoping to get my ducks in a row and make it happen this winter

[@theangrypickleadventures1368]

Nice to see it coming together, such a great build.

[@DeanFamilyAcres]

Love that you stuck with a T100! Cool build, might consider clear filter housings on the water filter, it will allow you to check for maintenance much easier.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Good tip. Thanks

[@airbrushken5339]

I'm using your design ideas on a trailer. I'm older than dirt, retired as teacher...was a bump and paint guy in the 60's -70's. My idea was to make it removable and if it works well I can unbolt the cabin from the trailer and mount it on a Toyota 4 wheel drive 8 foot flat rear tray...turn my trailer bock into a utility ... then maybe my sons will stop asking to use my UTE... nice post...thanks

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Haha. The lengths you gotta go to to keep your sons outta your Ute! Glad you could find some useful ideas in my videos. Good luck on the build project.

[@blakeveit2061]

Love the content. I appreciate DIYers showing the details in stuff instead of snapping their fingers and showing it done. Keep up the good work. I just checked out the link to the water filter you used because I couldn't find one smaller than 1 micron when I built our system but when reading the description they don't list the micron rating for that second filter and only say that it filters like a 2 or 3 micron filter but captures some bacteria and viruses that are smaller than that. I'd be interested in upgrading our system to these if they do what you say but can't find that .02 micron rating you mentioned.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I searched long and hard to find something less than a .5 micron that could be used in a pressurised system. According to the ClearSource RV website, all of their filters are NSF-rated and on the "virusguard" replacement filter page they state that it has "filtration effectiveness of .02 microns" I haven't used it enough to vouch for its effectiveness yet. It does allow for good water flow and the city water i've run through it tastes good.

[@blakeveit2061]

Thanks for the information and clarification. I'm going to pick some up.

[@mrad4234]

Another great project, thanks for the thoughts behind the build

[@نايفالقحطاني-ص6ق9ب]

Hello, I have followed the method of filling the panels with foam insulation material, and I learned a lot from you. I want to ask you, is it cheaper to buy ready-made sandwich panels, or is the method you follow

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for watching Shipping of sheet products is pretty expensive, so it will depend a lot on what you are able to source where you live. It will also depend on the design of your camper. If you are building a 8 foot cube, then you can use the sheet products very efficiently and so the manufactured panels would make more sense. That being said, my method was definitely cheaper for me.

[@paulsink2800]

Awesome job.

[@stanb990]

Great build I'm still in the learning and planning stage I'm planning an in cab water tank system similar to yours Someone actually makes a tank design to fit against the back cab wall My only issue with your build is that no filter will eliminate viruses Water has to be treated with iodine, chlorine or uv light. One guy uses pool chlorine discs in a tibe prior to the water Goin through the charcoal filter

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I don't honestly know the regulations, but it seems odd that companies can state that their filters remove viruses if they don't. Quite a few companies make filters for backpackers that make this claim.🤷‍♂️ Adding some bleach to the tank is an easy option as well

[@stanb990]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal no filtration system advertises that they remove viruses They remove sediment, protazoa, and bacteria Only purification can remove viruses Chlorine, iodine, or UV light Reverse Osmosis I believe removes viruses, but I really don't understand that system because I'm not interested in it. Chlorine and iodine in the water will be removed by the charcoal filter at the end So you would have to add with each use

[@robinpalculict2594]

We did that kind of set up for a recycle shower system only we added s UV water sanitizer to be sure the recycle water is sterilized. We drain and refill the system after each persons use. The system will recirculate on 1.5 gallons of water. If you added a UV sanitizer to your setup you should nit have to boil the water before drinking???

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

that is a really cool idea. i haven't seen anyone do that before. in theory we don't need to boil water that has gone through this filter system. the final filter is a .02 micron, so it is supposed to remove bacteria and viruses but we haven't used it with non-municipal water enough yet to sat for sure the advertising is true.

[@zacharyhassan9721]

Where are you guys planning on going?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Lots of trips around the Baja Peninsula, a trip up to Alaska and around the western USA, and hopefully down to south america eventually

[@KS-pw3vp]

Hi when i click your link for the Product Used it's not taking me to the product list. Curious to know the size of your water tank and where you got it. This is exactly what i a looking to do for an overland trailer project. Great work! thanks!

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Thanks for letting me know. It's a 20 gallon tank. This is the product link: amzn.to/3VUhFgh

[@OttoMatieque]

I must have missed this video when if first came out. So you to a rough filter before filling the tank and then to a bio-health filter when the water is pumped out and before use? It would be nice to be able to do all the filtering before filling the tank. What were your thoughts on this? I am doing some prep work on my 12' utility trailer and pickup truck for a trip we are taking to Mexico for the winter. My family (wife and two children) are planning to spend a couple of months in the Baja. I enjoyed your trip videos to the Baja (they gave me some inspiration).

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Cool, glad you enjoyed the videos. My best memories from childhood are from family trips to Baja. Hope you all have a great time! As far as the water filtration system goes, you are correct, I fill the tank with unfiltered water and then filter it when it is pumped out of the tank for use. I set it up this way for 3 reasons. 1. I feel better about drinking water that is basically coming right out of the filter, opposed to water that I filtered, then dumped in to the holding tank to mix with whatever water was left in the tank and hope that no new bacteria or viruses grow while it's sitting in the tank before I drink it. 2. I wanted the tank filling process to be as quick as possible since we often filled from taps at gas stations or parking lots in between destinations. 3. I wanted the filling process to be versatile so we could fill with a hose from a tap or with a bucket from a lake or well. I'm not saying this is the best way to do it, but this is what my reasoning was when i set mine up this way.

[@OttoMatieque]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal I figured you had thought things through and the ideas make sense. My utility trailer has water tanks and our trip from a couple of months ago we got some algae growing in the tank. It didn't cause any health issues, but was unsettling. I need to paint my tanks black to prevent ambient light from helping algae grown. Maybe a good water filter should get on the next upgrade list.

[@OttoMatieque]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal I am getting a 46 gallon auxiliary gas tank later this week and plan to mount it in the pickup bed. I want to have the extra capacity and the ability to filter gas before it goes into my truck tank. This will be handy on trips where gas stations are sketchy, and or far apart.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@OttoMatieque Wow, 46 gallon auxiliary, you must have a hefty truck to add that kind of weight. But you gotta have fuel and water. Those were the things that would force us to alter our plans because we were running low... well, and money I suppose😅

[@OttoMatieque]

@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal the truck is an F150 and most of the load is in the small trailer. My loaded trailer is around 3,000 pounds and the truck's towing capacity is 12,000!

[@michaelstrinich5413]

Why did you choose to mount 20 gallon water tank on the driver's side of the truck which adds that potential 170 lbs of water on the driver's side of the truck behind you and your weigh also on the driver's side versus balancing the weight by mounting the tank on the rear passenger side of your Toyota T100?

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

Good question. My wife likes camping as much as I do, so she's in the passenger seat on pretty much every trip. On long drives she likes to slide her seat back and recline. By mounting it on the driver's side, I could position it based on where I put the seat while I'm driving, leaving some room behind the tank for storage. If I put it on the passenger side and left room for my wife to recline, I would have lost that storage space and she wouldn't be able to drop the seat all the way back.

[@michaelstrinich5413]

There's always a reason for the method and madness. Thanks for the timely response.@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal

[@youarehere1251]

The noise from the moving water might be unbearable while driving off-road 🤔

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I drove it around a bit with some water in it. I can hear it when it realy gets sloshing, but it didn't bother me. Maybe because the old truck was pretty noisey already. I could see how it would be way more obnoxious in a new, quite vehicle.

[@billj503]

Should you be in a serious accident, that water tank being in the cab; well, it could kill you. Those straps wouldn't prevent it.

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

So, are you anti having anything heavy in the cab, or are you saying I need better straps.

[@billj503]

Even if you made the straps to a point that they would not fail, something else would. Imagine a likely and plausible accident where you have someone cross over the line, the water tanks mass and inertia will not stop. Yea, I would get it out of the cab.@@TheTravelingTogetherJournal

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

@@billj503 Thanks for the input. I'm not an engineer, so maybe I'm missing something obvious, but my thinking was that 20 gallons of water ways about the same as an adult person. If it is on a mount attached to the cab with the same bolts the seat was attached with and strapped to it like a person would be strapped with a seatbelt, I thought I'd be OK. Might need to re-think things though... Thanks again

[@billj503]

Think it like this, tanks with fluid in motion slosh and roll trucks over when they turn, hense baffles so the water cannot cause a sledge hammer effect. If you tank is 2/3 full in an accident, the math says the tank will become a sledge hammer 105lbs @ 176ft/sec =50,545.1ft/lbs and that wants to go exactly wear you are sitting... ? @@TheTravelingTogetherJournal

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

OK. Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me@@billj503

[@scarfacezalusky8238]

Promo SM 🙈

[@SanDiegoCAUSA]

This is 2 years old, give us a live update 😒

[@TheTravelingTogetherJournal]

I started the build over 2 years ago, but I just put the water system in about a month ago. I've been putting more of my time into doing camper projects lately, so I will have more videos soon.