Water consumption

How many litres per day per person do people estimate they need in the simpson?
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Reply By: Member - Paul F (QLD) - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:27

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:27
We're planning on 6 litre's per person per day in June this year. This includes cleaning etc.

Regards

Paul
AnswerID: 364278

Reply By: Member - Footloose - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:28

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:28
Summer or winter ? Around 5L pp per day in winter. In summer you'd be mad to be there anyway (and the place is closed to tourists)
AnswerID: 364279

Reply By: tim_c - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:31

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:31
I've heard generally 5L per person per day, and I generally carry at least that much. Note that in hot/dry conditions you may have to drink 2-3 or even 4L per day (eg. bushwalking) but will depend how much time you spend out of your a/c 4WD. The remaining has to cover cooking, cleaning dishes, washing/bathing, etc. It will depend how careful you are with it - ie. how much water do you use for cleaning your teeth? How often will you be cooking soup or boiled eggs?

You should also carry a contingency in case your crossing takes longer than planned - the last thing you want is to add water/dehydration concerns to any problems you may encounter.

Yes, it adds up very quickly, and it's heavy, but it is essential. You will think it is a ridiculous amount of water, but you'll be surprised how quickly you'll use it up.
AnswerID: 364280

Follow Up By: Carlin - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:48

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:48
So ........ 2 adults and 2 kids will be 20L per day??
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FollowupID: 631970

Follow Up By: tim_c - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 13:12

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 13:12
Yes, absolute minimum.
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Reply By: Vince NSW - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:48

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 12:48
Carlin
On our last crooing we worked on 5 L per person per day and then had the same amount as back up. Finished the trip without going near the back up water BUT it was nice to know it was there.
We only used for cooking & drinking and washing dishes, but you can get bthem clean with a very small of very hot water. Used baby wipes to keep ourselves clean and has a LONG shower in Birdsville.
Vince
AnswerID: 364283

Follow Up By: Kim and Damn Dog - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:11

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:11
Gidday

You can avoid using water to wash the dishes etc in sand country.

Once the meal is finished, clean off the grime using a few hands full of sand. If you don’t believe me give it a go.

We were taught this by an old Dover around the sand country of Lake Alexandrina back in the late 50’ and I still do it to this day.

Regards

Kim
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FollowupID: 632011

Reply By: stevesub - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 15:03

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 15:03
We use 15l per day for 2 people drinking, cooking and washing up - nothing else. Even hands we use the hand sanitiser stuff

Stevesub
AnswerID: 364308

Reply By: Voxson - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 16:50

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 16:50
wow,, interesting how different people use water.

On each of our trips across the simpson we used approx 1 litre each for drinking.....
And approx 2 litres between us for cooking and washing up...
So thats 2 litres each in total per day...
Then at night (late afternoon) we got stuck into grog....
A 50litre container and a supermarket style package of 24 bottles of water is usually heaps..
AnswerID: 364326

Follow Up By: Russ n Sue - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:11

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:11
One litre for drinking? Did you check your pulse to see if you were still alive? The average adult respires (breathes out) 600ml overnite while sleeping (the lungs are moist by necessity and that condensation you see built up inside your tent is what you have breathed out while sleeping). Then there's what you perspire, what your digestive system requires, what your brain needs etc. Not to mention having the odd pee to keep the kidneys functioning! (Did you pee?)

Even in winter 1 litre is a dangerously low amount of water to drink. It seems the top up with grog must have been quite large.

I would suggest against taking the advice given by Voxson.

Cheers

Russ.
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FollowupID: 632012

Follow Up By: CJ - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 20:38

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 20:38
Maybe your one litre per day for drinking may be misleading. You probably had beer and softdrinks as well.

For backup, incase of emergency, etc. stick with 5litres per person
CJ
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FollowupID: 632073

Follow Up By: Voxson - Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 00:42

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 00:42
How many litres per day per person do people estimate they need in the simpson?

Hi Russ...
Can you see the question which i have reposted>>>>
Here it is again...

How many litres per day per person do people estimate they need in the simpson?...

Right,,,,,,

He didnt ask,,,, How many litres per day per person do people estimate "I" need in the simpson? Did he?????

So i told him of my needs......
Because he was asking about peoples needs in general..
Between two of us we could sustain life by drinking 1 litre of water per day each and having a can of grog with lunch and the drinking more grog later that night,,, maybe even 4 or 5 cans...

Then i said "A 50litre container and a supermarket style package of 24 bottles of water is usually heaps.. "...

Thats approx 65 litres of drinking water for a 4 day crossing....
Thats 8 litres each a day if we want it....

Please enlighten me on how much water you would take to cross the simpson desert in the mainstream time of year......
At this stage i feel i dont need to stand corrected by you.....




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FollowupID: 632104

Follow Up By: Russ n Sue - Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 01:21

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 01:21
I didn't correct you. I suggested that your water consumption not be accepted as advice by the original poster. Someone had to.

Anyone whose grog consumption exceeds their water consumption while in the desert is playing a dangerous game indeed.

Russ.
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FollowupID: 632106

Reply By: jdwynn (Adelaide) - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:34

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:34
Carlin, as many have said, you should work on 5 l/p/d. You will even see some recommendations for 6 and 7 l/p/d. Having said that, we've spent many trips working on strategies to limit our water use, and now comfortably manage 2-3 l/p/d amongst our family - including a Simpson Xing in April with temperatures above 35degC each day. We pre-cook a lot, choose cus cus to rice, wipe dishes with paper towels before wash, do the top-tail thing with baby wipes etc etc. Admittedly, we haven't done too much walking/hiking on the type of trips where we were measuring and conserving our water use. If 5 l/p/d works out to carrying too much water, do trial trips and work out your own use (then add say 50% for safety), and practice ways to conserve water. cheers
AnswerID: 364333

Follow Up By: jdwynn (Adelaide) - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:42

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:42
Meant to say, don't forget there is a good amount of water up there most of the time. Refer thread 42880.Eyre Crk is s'posed to be 16km wide ATM - may not be ok for drinking but ok for cleaning / other stuff.
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FollowupID: 632022

Reply By: Robin Miller - Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:36

Monday, May 11, 2009 at 17:36
Hi Carlin

Our records show that in the many trips though there we have done we have averaged about 1.5lt per person per day which includes everything.

Note We usually need zero for dishes washing etc , and this is supplemented by about a 1 lt per day of soft drinks , juice or wine.

We also take water as 10lt cardboard casks which ensures its always good , don't loose it all if leaks, allows for easy management and creates space in car as casks get burnt when empty etc
Robin Miller

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AnswerID: 364335

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