RVers have a love-hate relationship with bottled water. It’s a familiar sight in many RVs—a case of water bottles tucked away in storage, ready for the next stop.
For some, it’s about peace of mind. There’s something reassuring about knowing exactly where your water comes from, especially when you’re traveling across different regions where water quality can vary greatly. You might not always trust the water hookups or local supplies, but a sealed bottle provides consistency and safety.
For others, it’s all about taste. Let’s face it: Tap water can taste different everywhere you go. But with bottled water, you know what you’re getting every time. Whether you’re boondocking in the desert, parked at a busy RV resort, or camping near a pristine lake, that bottled water offers the same refreshing taste you’ve come to expect.
Now, we’d like to know your take on this. Do you buy cases of plastic water bottles when you hit the road? We’re talking about those large bulk packs you find at Costco or your local grocery store. Do you always keep them on hand, stock up just occasionally, or avoid them altogether?
Cast your vote and let us know! And if you’ve got more to say, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Why do you choose bottled water (or not) for your RV adventures? Have you found a great alternative? We appreciate your input.
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RVDT2743
Yes, buy them the least expensive way possible. And, we try to recycle every last one of them.
AHHHHHH! The often cited “recycle” myth!
Remember……”the road to he!! is paved with good intentions”!
I put all of our “recyclables” in the proper bins, (it helps me sleep at night), but in reality I have no dreams of them ACTUALLY being recycled!
Exactly. Less than 10% of all plastic actually ends up getting recycled.
You would be surprised at how many ‘recycle’ bins are put into the regular trash.
Also, a lot of campgrounds are located in rural areas where recycling is not done.
We save the gallon bottles from windshield wash and even the RV antifreeze jugs.
Fill them with a bleach mixture and rinse thoroughly. No taste!
We carry 4-5 gallons of our house water with us for drinking and making coffee.
Each gallon is equal to about 10, 12 ounce bottles. 5 gallons equal 50 bottles.
The biggest hesitation is the required storage space. So we look for the 24 bottle rather than the jumbo 36ish bottle packs.
Yes we do and recycle all.
Pets dislike changes in their water sources. Upset digestive systems are no fun.
Recycle please.
I buy them by the case and use flavored packets in them. Usually by them from Aldi or if someone has them on sale. Trouble with the bottles is they don’t care how they make the bottles. Many of them are crooked or deformed in some way.
We don’t buy bottled water period.
Smart!
We don’t buy bottled water. We have one gallon jugs and fill them at water stations some Wal-Mart stores have them . I don’t like the small thin water bottles. Plus no worries about recycling or paying deposit.
Yeah, and most of the time you get a bath just trying to open the bottle!
Walmart sells insulated 1 gallon jugs in the camping section. I think Ozark is the brand.
I only buy them when we’re camping. Otherwise I fill up an insulated bottle at home. I also fill old milk jugs at home and take them for our dogs.
Why don’t you do the same for yourself?
I use a blue filter outside and a Brita pitcher inside to filter my water. I never buy any bottled water. When I see people buying cases of water I think about all of that plastic that might end up in a landfill. The bonus is I don’t have to store all of that water. 22 years full time, I even drink the city water in Quartzsite, where I winter.
High-quality water filters aren’t expensive and they produce “bottle quality” water for pennies per gallon. Most bottled water is actually filtered water from a municipal water systems, anyway. It makes sense to cut out the middle man and all the plastic waste, and just filter the water yourself.
I love this comment
My wife drinks the small bottled water whereas I drink wine or beer, LOL. We also have two 3 gallon refillable water bottles that we refill at the Primo Water station at Walmart’s.
We don’t regularly drink botted water but we carry a case in each vehicle so we are never without water. Those cases usually last a couple of years.
I just read recently that u should never drink the bottled water if its been in your car subjected to heat at all.summer cars get hot inside well I tried thewater1 time I had in water bottle and it did taste kinda funny but from heat exposed its not good they stated🤦♀️🤷♀️
We buy gallons of water instead of single serve bottles.
We make coffee, and anything else you can think of with our well water, but my wife won’t drink it. I still don’t understand….
I never cared for them but my wife used to buy them frequently. Now she has switched to a generic Britta water filter and loves it. A few less bottles for the land fill. A small step towards lowering single use plastics. And don’t fool yourselves, most recyclables are in the same landfill as last week’s orange peels.
After finding mysterious brown water from the hookups at several Thousand Trails parks, we drink and cook only with bottled water. That isn’t Texas Tea.
We don’t buy bottled water.
Single use plastic is a shamefully senseless way to fill the landfill.
If anyone honestly thinks their plastic bottles are recycled, they need to type a simple question into Google, “Is plastic really recycled” and see what they’ve been missing.
Interesting that nobody mentions the new measurements that show around 250,000 plastic particles per bottle. These microplastics are being found everywhere including the brain. What could possibly go wrong?
Stainless steel water bottles need to be cleaned regularly but they save waste and reduce the amount of plastics going into every part of our bodies
We don’t buy bottled water to use exclusively for water in our TT, we use a Brita filter for drinking, whether from the tank or water hook up. I do take it when my friend who is water-fussy camps with me. I always have a case at home, though, for various uses. I need bottled water for sinus rinsing, so that is a back-up for distilled gallons.
We rarely buy bottled water. When we do, we’re traveling and we buy gallon jugs and refill them when possible.
We put a RO system under the kitchen sink in our last 2 campers and have never had to buy plastic water bottles. It is wonderful!
It saddens me when I see so many empty plastic water bottles – everywhere! It’s so easy to use water filters and we all have a variety of tumblers that keep our drinks cooler than those nasty plastic bottles. We talk about our environment, keeping healthy, hiking, etc, yet so many are still buying plastic bottles?
We installed an under-counter RO system for drinking/cooking water 2 years ago as full-timers…..works great!! No regrets!
We buy a lot of bottled water but we give it to the postal carriers, delivery drivers, service providers, etc. We place a cooler with water, Gatorade and cans of Diet Coke and Diet Sprite on a table by the front door alongside a box of snacks…chips, nuts and cookies.
Water in bottles is many times more expensive than water you run thru a filter–and often of lower quality.
I never buy bottled water at all. I have 3 Rubbermaid bottles I fill up every day in the summer and take with me in the car in a cooler. I live in Brampton, Ontario and we are very lucky to have one of the best drinking tap water.
At home we use multiple 5 gallon bottles that we refill with filtered water. While camping we normally have 1 5 gallon bottle that we use and refill as needed. There are times when we do buy bottles of water, but more often we use our 5 gallon bottles.
I have a Berkey water filter and have five dedicated glass bottles we use with Arizona ice tea packets.
I love my Berkey!!! I get water from any source-Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron, Moosehead Lake- even brackish water from Chassahowitzka River in coastal Florida, and it is all really great! The Berkey is kind of pricey, but with all the money that I have saved over the 7 years that I’ve had mine, it is well worth it.
I have a hiatal hernia and acidic waters like Dasani just tear my stomach up. I carry water bottles to know what ph water I’m drinking. I do use a LifeStraw tumbler to filter out the microplastics. https://lifestraw.com/products/lifestraw-go-series-water-filter-tumbler?variant=51747006808431
Living on the West Coast of Florida, on a well, we keep a minimum of 5 cases on hand at all times and then put a case in the RV when we go out traveling
I only use stainless steel gallon containers. I want to reduce my plastic footprint in the environment and in my body
Those small plastic bottles are an ecological nightmare. That is why many National Parks have banned them and do not sell them in their stores, They provide stations to fill your refillable bottles instead. I carry several one gallon refillable bottles and I also bring a Brita filter in the trailer. I recycle EVERYTHING I can, but like others have said, I am not convinced that they actually get recycled.
The least expensive way to have fresh water and avoid filling landfills and oceans with plastic bottles…..buy a counter-top,gravity-fed, water filtration system. I have a Berkey brand but there are numerous other brands. I drink fresh water all day and serve it to my rescued Toy Poodle and two stray kittens. I replace the two internal filters every two years.
We bought a Berkey many years ago when we were still cruising on our trawler. It has served us well and eliminated all those plastic bottles. We still tend to carry a few plastic water bottles with us – just in case.
I’m not an RVer but I drive a lot for work as a retail merchandiser and I have to keep lots of water on me to avoid having to stop somewhere, wasting precious time I could be spending working, or buy it in a store when I’m thirsty. So it saves me a lot of money buying bottled water.
ETA I have reusable bottles that I take with me filled but I can’t always refill them on the go. So having lots of water on hand is very helpful!
We use potable water and our Seychelle Pitcher! Water tastes great and we save money and its better for the planet. Drinking out of single use plastic bottles that you know have been stored in warm temperatures is not healthy. If you’re going out exploring use a stainless steel insulated water bottle.
We buy cases and cases of water because how safe is public water. At least we know where it comes from. Bathing in it is scary enough. We do our research on the water we drink but now we are trying the britta filtered water from costco because I know I’m changing the filter when it tells me to and for some reason i trust it more.
I never buy water bottles. I have a berkey gravity water filtration system that I love. it’s the plastic version so I can monitor the water level. And you can clean the filters when the flow slows, so you’re not buying filters every month. It’s kinda pricey up front. I think I paid $300 but well worth the investment for me
I would think that people who RV like being in nature and want to protect the environment. Buying plastic bottles is awful. Very few actually get recycled and end up in landfills. Do better
I carry blue jugs of water from home. Less waste and I know the water won’t upset the dogs’ systems and the jugs are part of my hurricane kit as well.
We do buy by the case but we give individual bottles to the postman, delivery drivers, etc.