When it came to planning our second van there were a few things we really wanted to 'level up' and the water setup was one of them. This may seem like a simple setup for a lot of folk but for us this is pure luxury.
What We've Used
Water Pump (20psi) - Shurflo Trail King Pressurised Water Pump
Accumulator - Fiamma Expansion Tank
Water Filter - 3M HF10 Microbial Reduction Filter
Underslung Hot Water Tank (8L) - Whale Expanse Water Heater
Underslung Fresh Water Tank (66L) - Leisure Lines Tank Kit
Shower Outlet - Whale Elegance Tap
Pressure Washer Outlet - Whale Easi-Slide Water Out Socket
Sink - Single Basin Sink
What's New
The first new addition we really wanted in this van was on tap hot water. We were fed up of boiling saucepans of water for our bucket showers and washing up in cold water so figured it was time to treat ourselves to a hot water tank. We opted for the 8 litre gas powered (electric available) underslung Whale Expanse Water Heater. It is a total game changer! When you want hot water all you need to do is flick a switch and 20 minutes later you're good to go. The best thing about the Expanse is that because it is underslung it doesn't take up useful internal storage space.
One of our biggest challenges wild camping is finding places to fill up the water. We really wanted to find a solution which would allow us to fill up from natural water sources so we wouldn't have to fork our for campsites just to fill up our tanks. Our solution to this was installing the 3M HF10 Microbial Reduction Filter which means we can now fill up from streams, rivers and other clear flowing water sources as and when we need to. It has been a total game changer.
We didn't stretch to the luxury of installing a toilet or internal shower but we did decide to fit external shower and water outlets so we could shower and wash the dog more easily on the road. We have a Whale Elegance Tap which is linked to our cold and hot water supply for showers and a Whale Easi-Slide Water Out Socket for washing our gear and the dog (sorry Bear!). Our pop up shower tent does the job of providing privacy in busy places or campsites.
