Camping planner / Camping water

How much water per person for camping?

For a simple trip where you must bring your own water, start with one gallon (about four liters) per person per day—then increase it for heat, strenuous activity, pets, cooking, and washing.

What the gallon includes

Treat the baseline as the group's total starting supply for drinking and simple camp use, not a promise that it will fit every itinerary. Cooking water, dishwashing, unusually hot weather, long hikes, illness, children, and pets can raise the total. If the campground has reliable potable water, you can carry smaller containers and refill them—but verify before leaving home.

Important: water from lakes and streams can contain disease-causing organisms even when it looks clean. Follow current treatment guidance and local warnings; some contaminants cannot be made safe with an ordinary backpacking filter.

How to carry it

• Divide the supply among two or more containers so one leak does not take everything.
• Keep drinking water separate from melted cooler water.
• Bring filled personal bottles for the drive and first activities.
• Check the campground's current water notice immediately before departure.

Sources

• National Park Service: Channel Islands camping — lists one gallon of water per person per day among needed gear.
• National Park Service: Canyonlands backcountry camping — uses a minimum of four liters (one gallon) per person per day in demanding, water-scarce conditions.
• USDA: food safety during outdoor activities — advises bringing bottled or tap water rather than relying on untreated lake or stream water.

The 50% hot-weather option is a conservative First Camp planning buffer, not a universal agency formula. Adjust for the destination and the needs of your group.