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Wandering
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Joined: 08/03/2004
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We have been Rving for nearly 52 years. Our 1st RV, 1960, was an 8' Tropicana slide in camper on a 8 year old used Pacific Telehone 3/4 ton pick up with a 6 cylinder Chevy engine. We are on our 3rd class A motor home now and we do alot of dry camping. We never carry more than 1/2 tank of fresh water when travelling (100 gallon tank) & have never had a problem in securing good potable water when we arrived at our destination. As far as dumping grey water or anything else the answer is absolutely never, no, nada! Enjoy your new rig & relax!!
'03 Safari, DP, 36" Nissan 4X4 toad
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msmith1199
Central, CA
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Joined: 10/07/2001
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David0725 wrote:This is our first time dry camping and as we are filling up the 100 gallon fresh water tank it dawned on me that this is over 800 lbs of water. Is it normal to drive down the highway to your destination with a full fresh water tank? I recognize it would be ideal to fill up when we arrive at our destination but I don't think they have available pottable water. Also is it legal and ethically ok to let your grey water go into the grass when dry camping? I never had but just want to prepare if we overfill the grey tank.
When I had my gas motorhome with the V-10 I could tell when the water tank was full versus empty. The motorhome handled differently and I could feel the extra weight. With the DP I don't see any change in power, but I get a better ride when the tank is full. The heavier the DP is the better it seems to ride. When I first bought it after I test drove it, I noticed the dealer had filled the water tank and had both the gray and the black tank full of water. When I asked about this they said they did that on all of the DP's because if you don't put some weight in them the ride is not smooth and they don't want people test driving them like that.
2004 National Tropi-Cal T-350, Class A, Triple slide, 330 HP Cat DP.
2006 Dodge Dakota 4x4 or
2002 Harley FLSTF Fat Boy on a Trailer or
2004 Polaris Quad on the Trailer
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ArcticDodge
Sammamish, WA
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Joined: 05/02/2005
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How far are you traveling? I'd be fine hauling all that water a couple hundred miles but would not want to do so across the country.
Grey water dumping is a third rail of RV'g. Some are just fine doing it while others equate it to near nuclear waste status. I dump grey water frequently as I boondock and dry camp most of the time. I use a bucket and fill it up a few times and carry it off to some thirsty vegetation away from the area or others.
When dry camping at established campgrounds you can put gray water down spigot drains that you always see people washing dishes at. Some CG's even have designated dry water dump spots.
2009 Komfort 256TS
2001 Dodge Ram 3500 QC 4x4 Cummins DRW
2005 Dodge Durango Limited AWD HEMI
2001 Sebring Convertible
1995 Miata M-Edition
2005 DRZ400
1 Wife  2 Boys UW & Bellevue College
1 Trixie (Bichon Frise)
Only 23 years to retirement!!!!
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David0725
Florida
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Joined: 11/19/2006
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ArcticDodge Im not going far at all 45min away from the house to the run away country concert. http://runawaycountry.com/ last year I had full hook ups but this year I was to slow and got put in the dry camping sites 
1994 Holiday Rambler Imperial DP
1999 Honda Accord V6 Toad
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Jackha1949
Any Where USA
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Joined: 07/16/2008
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I most always travel with a full tank of water it really helps to make the MH more stable especially in windy conditions. We had a 34' Journey and the full tank helped, however, we just traded for this 40' Horizon so I'm not sure how a full water tank will affect the ride and handling of the MH. I do think the full water tank will add to the ride of the MH. I have never noticed any real difference in MPH with or without a full water tank. Dumping gray water is a definite NO NO. Hopefully, there is a dumping station nearby or just be really careful how much water you do use. Good Luck and Happy RVing!
Jack & Peg
USN Ret AGC
K1ZMB
Sioux Falls, SD
06 Itasca Horizon 40KD
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FormerBoater
South Florida
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Joined: 02/08/2009
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David0725 wrote:Thank everyone!! I filled it up And ready to go!! And no gray water dumpping for me!
Good decision!
We always travel with full fresh, empty black and grey.
Coach seems to like this configuration.
Just spent 4 days dry camping at a music festival with another couple and we had to travel home with 1/4 fresh, 3/4 grey and 1/2 black.
We all took daily "boat showers" and thus were able to stretch the 110 gallons of fresh water and not fill the grey tank.
BTW, dumping grey water is not legal in Florida.
Dave
1998 American Eagle 40EVS
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RV Volunteers CONUS
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
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Joined: 04/22/2006
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If you ever have a breakdown over a holiday weekend, you'll be glad you filled the water tank.
2006 Allegro 34WA, Workhorse W20
2013 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ
TST 507RV TPMS
2009 Blue Ox Aventa LX
2009 Break Buddy
Swagman XC-2
Roadmaster Dual 2" Drop Receiver
VOLCONUS
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sowego
northwestern corner of the Nebraska panhandle
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Joined: 03/14/2006
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We travel with about 2/3 tank from one stop to another just in case we need to dry camp one night. Long distance travel with a full tank is of course doable and a great convenience just in case... However in most cases you can find potable water at Flying J, any campground and state parks. State parks will require you to purchase a pass to enter to fill and dump tanks. Camp grounds will charge also.
It is usually against local ordinances to dump anything but fresh water on the ground. The cows dump worse than that on our land! However we dump our tanks into the septic system. Depsite the cleaning fluids, soaps, etc. gray water is full of bacteria that can be harmful and smells almost as bad as the black tank.
2002 Tiffin Phaeton
2005 Malibu Maxx toad
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wolfe10
Texas
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Joined: 10/08/2000
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Jackha1949 wrote:I most always travel with a full tank of water it really helps to make the MH more stable especially in windy conditions. We had a 34' Journey and the full tank helped, however, we just traded for this 40' Horizon so I'm not sure how a full water tank will affect the ride and handling of the MH. I do think the full water tank will add to the ride of the MH. I have never noticed any real difference in MPH with or without a full water tank. Dumping gray water is a definite NO NO. Hopefully, there is a dumping station nearby or just be really careful how much water you do use. Good Luck and Happy RVing!
VERY difficult to draw this conclusion without a lot more information.
Where is the potable water tank located?
Very different answer is over the front axle vs behind the rear axle.
Very different answer if that weight would make the front axle well over weight or subtract hundreds of pounds from it.
Size and therefore weight of water is, of course, the other issue.
Some coach makers did a much better job of balancing front to rear axle weights. Clearly location of potable water makes a difference. Cheaper to put it in the wet bay (generally near rear axle) because plumbing runs are shorter. But, as on our Foretravel they located it and any other weights (generator, fuel, propane) they could FORWARD (over front axle) to give better weight distribution in a diesel pusher configuration.
Brett Wolfe
1997 Safari Sahara 3540
EX: 1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
FMCA Forum: www.community.fmca.com/index
Diesel RV Club:http://www.dieselrvclub.org/
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2gypsies
Enjoying the West!
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Joined: 04/02/2003
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ArcticDodge wrote:
When dry camping at established campgrounds you can put gray water down spigot drains that you always see people washing dishes at.
Oh, so you're the one! We have volunteered at parks where we, the volunteers - not getting paid - had to actually remove the rocks and soil from underneath those spigots to clean the garbage debris out so there wouldn't be standing water when folks, once again, washed their dishes and dumped their grey water on the ground under the spigot. We also had folks dumping buckets of water in the sinks set aside for washing dishes. We even had one guy standing IN the sink taking a bath!! So the next time you wash dishes in those camp sinks or under the spigots - think of who used it previously. Thanks a lot for helping to keep camping areas pleasant for the next user!
Extremely Happy Full-Timers for 16 years
.... now trying to adjust to 3-season traveling - and it isn't easy! 
2004 40' Newmar Dutch Star Diesel Pusher
2004 Jeep Liberty
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