What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Carrying Water Guerrilla Style (idea)

Mountaineer

Mountaineer

Member
Basically playing with this idea at the moment.
I have to walk the brush a number of miles to my site
then climb about 150 ft up a cliff.

There is no source of water within a mile of my guerrilla site,
and carrying a pack of water jugs is cumbersome at best.

I was thinking of getting away from carrying jugs in my pack
and carry one large container instead.

I think it would be possible to carry much more water this
way, and that by eliminating the swag caused by multiple
jugs on the back, make the job of carrying water easier.

Here is a picture of the items I am thinking about using:

picture.php

One 10 to 12 gallon RV water tank
and a military duffel bag.

When I put the tank into the canvas duffel bag
it should look like an ordinary camper's back pack.

I know this is going to be a heavy haul when assembled
and filled, but not any heavier than carrying my soil mix.
Plus I can easily hide it near my guerrilla spot, allowing me
to carry it to the water and fill and about 1 mile back full.
This seems easier than carrying less water for more miles.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

I will post a picture of construction and of the finished
pack as soon as I can find the materials I need.

I know the duffel bag can easily be found used and cheap,
hope that I can find the water tank used and cheap also.

I don't plan on climbing the cliff with this thing on my back. lol
I'll use a rope to pull it up after I'm at the top.
 
F

fishheadbob

Member
8 Pounds per gallon, plus the few pounds the bag and tank weigh. If you're in good shape you can do it, if not do a test walk with 100 pounds on your back and see how it goes.
 
nomaad

nomaad

Active member
Veteran
I think u might want to look into a bladder-stylw water tank vs the one you picture in the first post. It will conform better ot the shape of your back and the bag its in. basically like a huge camelback.

you guerrilla growers always blow my mind. balls of steel and serious determination. respekt.
 
Browser

Browser

H8ters gonna h8
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Yeah, I would go with the bladder style container:
- Ligther
- More flexible, adapts to your backpack
 
B

bluebuds

Member
use tarps under thick brush to use as a rain collector. under thick brush a camo tarp would be hard to see from an air plane or helicoptor. just a thought.
 
ThcInfused

ThcInfused

Member
yeah the idea should work, especially with the bladder idea nomaad mentioned. i'm lucky enough to have a (hopefully) year round creek this season
 
B

B. Self Reliant

I've thought of the same thing. The thing that holds me back from doing it is the fact that it weighs so much and it's tough to hide the strain of 100 + pounds when talking to a passerby. There's not much backpacking where I'm at, and even then, most backpackers are into lightweight stuff. If someone comes up to me and I've got 100 pounds on my back (or even half that), I want a good answer to give them and I can't really think of one. . . the normal excuses/reasons seem unbelievable because none of them involve a hundred pound pack, especially if it's sloshing around.

I do use a military A.L.I.C.E. pack for my grow stuff (Osmocote, peat bails, castings, tools, etc), just not water. If you can physically carry 100 + pounds on your back, and you're either were willing to bet that you won't see anyone or you have a killer excuse, I think it's a great idea!

Also, be aware that the "pack" pictured in your image is not a backpack that you'd want to carry on your back for more than a couple hundred yards. It's not even a pack, it's a seabag. They're usually used to carry clothes, and I'm not sure how they'd hold up with any sort of sharp or large/hard object. There's no structure to it whatsoever, it's just a floppy piece of cloth. If you want a pack with a frame that's made to carry odd objects (large crew-served weapons, ammo cans, water jugs), get a military A.L.I.C.E. pack. They're from over 10 years ago now (M.O.L.L.E. gear replaced it DOD-wide about a decade ago), and they have metal external frames that large rigid objects can be ratchet-strapped to. . . with or without the actual pack around it. It would fit a traditionally shaped 5-gallon water jug just fine. MOLLE frames are plastic and don't accommodate large rigid objects, plus the frames break under a loty of weight, so stay away from those too.

Good luck with your search!
 
ISP_SmokeTrain

ISP_SmokeTrain

Member
When preparing planting holes for outdoor growing, I always put a gallon of perlite in the bottom of each hole. It's much easier to hump in dry perlite IMHO. Mulching around your plants conserves water also. Do both of these, and cut your watering trips / volume by half, easy.
 
Mountaineer

Mountaineer

Member
Thanks for all of the great suggestions everyone. :tiphat:

I found the parts to complete my original idea, so I might as well
start assembling it tomorrow when it's light enough to take pix.

As far as weight concerns, I have been carrying 56 liter bags of soil
in one of those duffel bags for a number of years now, and I'm
pretty sure that's over 100 pounds.
When ask about the weight of my pack, it's just extra weight for
exercise, but I have only been ask once over several years.

I appreciate all of the tips and ideas. They are all good, and I will
probably end up using a combination of these ideas.

Even if my idea fails, someone might benefit from the suggestions
here, so please keep them coming.
:smoke out:
 
Mountaineer

Mountaineer

Member
I finally found a spare daylight hour to put this idea together.

Here is the basic assembly and the finished product:

picture.php

Top Left: One used 10 gallon RV water Tank $5, fiberglass & one surplussed military duffel bag $5.
Top Right: I decided the best way to squeeze the tank into the duffel bag would be to stand the tank
upright and get the bag started over it.
Bottom: After some struggle, the pack is completed.


The fiberglass tank should be both light and durable.
At least I hope it is durable since it will have to be raised up a cliff with a rope.

picture.php

The cliff doesn't look so big in the picture, but is about 150 ft.

I will be testing the pack for ruggedness and durability in a few days, and will post results.

:plant grow:
 
dubwise

dubwise

in the thick of it
Veteran
I hope that the straps on that bag can hold that weight. It would suck to have your bag half way up the cliff and the stitching fails. If anything, bring a short section of webbing to tie as a sling, and attach your rope to it (rather then the bag). Good luck!
 
bagada

bagada

Member
ISP_SmokeTrain said:
When preparing planting holes for outdoor growing, I always put a gallon of perlite in the bottom of each hole. It's much easier to hump in dry perlite IMHO. Mulching around your plants conserves water also. Do both of these, and cut your watering trips / volume by half, easy.
Click to expand...

how does putting perlite at the bottom of the hole conserve water?
 
ISP_SmokeTrain

ISP_SmokeTrain

Member
bagada said:
how does putting perlite at the bottom of the hole conserve water?
Click to expand...

Bagada, Perlite holds 15 times it weight in water. By putting it in the very bottom of your planting holes it acts like a private water reserve. As the soil above it dries out, the Perlite releases water to rehydrate that soil.
So basically, when it rains the stuff will hold the extra water that would normally drain away. This cuts down on the number of watering visits you'll have to make and the volume of water you'll have to use.
I would not use vermiculite for that purpose, as it tends to get overly soggy and bogs down / compacts. Perlite, expands as it hydrates and shrinks as it releases it's water, it's a much better option.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top