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Camping Water Requirement Calculator

Work out camping water requirement instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Camping Water Requirement Calculator

Camping water is drinking plus cooking plus washing: 3 litres a day drinking in temperate weather, up to 6 in heat, plus 1.5 for cooking and about 1 for hygiene. Water weighs a kilogram a litre, so a four person three day trip needs 78 kg — carrying it all is rarely practical.

Formula

Camping water

per person per day = drinking + cooking + washing; total = that x people x days

Worked example

With the default values below, Camping Water Requirement Calculator returns Total water required of 78.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

People
4 people
Days
3 days
Climateone of Cool, Temperate, Warm, Hot and arid
Warm
Cooking water per person per day
1.5 L

Results

Total water required
78.00 L
Per person per day
6.50 L
Water weight
78.00 kg
Drinking water component
48.00 L

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Camping water
  3. 3Total water required= 78.00 L
  4. 4Per person per day= 6.50 L
  5. 5Water weight= 78.00 kg
  6. 6Drinking water component= 48.00 L

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I carry it all or filter?

Filter or treat wherever a source exists. Carrying more than a day's water is impractical, which is why route planning around water sources matters.

Is 3 litres a day enough?

For moderate activity in temperate weather, yes. Hot weather, altitude and hard walking can push it to 6 litres or more.

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