This Genius Accessory Changed How I Car Camp Forever

After several weekend camping trips with multiple families, all with young kids in tow, it was obvious my camp kitchen setup was missing a key ingredient: an efficient, mess-free way to handle water.

Cooking for multiple families meant water was constantly in demand—whether for rinsing a coffee mug or scrubbing a cast iron pan—and our old solution (a basic water cube with a gravity-fed spigot) just wasn’t cutting it.

It took up a lot of table space, and manually twisting the spigot on and off when my hands were covered with soapy grey water, or trying to hold a pot for filling was grating on me.

Ben Bowers for Gear Patrol

The hunt for a better solution led me deep into the world of portable camp faucets. Turns out, there aren’t many out there. Outside of DIY hacks involving sketchy pumps on Amazon, tubing guesswork, or specialized RV gear, the only real turn-key system was from Dometic.

Despite some sticker shock—the faucet and jug typically retail for just under $170—I took the plunge at REI.

Now, after (nearly) two summers with the system in tow, I can confidently say this: it’s one of the best camp kitchen upgrades I’ve ever made, and I never want to car camp without it.

A Camp Kitchen Game-Changer

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The Dometic Go Hydration Faucet and Jug are designed to work seamlessly, though you can use each piece of gear without the other.

The 11L Hydration Jug is rugged and thoughtfully designed. It has multiple handles for easy carrying and tie-down points for transport. It also has two openings: a large cap for filling and cleaning and a smaller, spout-compatible cap designed to integrate with the faucet’s hose.

The faucet is the star of the show here, though. Once charged via USB (yes, MicroUSB—more on that later), it attaches to the jug’s smaller port via a hose. You can also place the end of the hose directly in any container of water if you aren’t using the faucet with the companion Hydration Jug

The faucet then mounts magnetically to a low-profile puck that you can stick to any surface in your setup. This allows flexible yet secure placement wherever you need water that’s as easy to set up as it is to break down.

Dometic

Using the system is straightforward and intuitive—even during the inevitable dusk scramble before dinner.

Once in place, the faucet turns the jug into a true running-water station. A double tap (usually) activates the flow, and a single tap stops it.

Though the faucet’s battery-powered whir sounds annoying, it pumps a strong enough stream to rinse off even fairly filthy dishes or fill something promptly without instantly gulping down your water supply or overwhelming your pot or sink.

It feels genuinely luxurious to turn it on and fill up a coffee kettle, or wash off a pair of kids’ hands that have grabbed god knows what without wrestling with caps or tipsy water jugs.

An under-faucet LED also turns on automatically at night to light the water stream, perfect for making nighttime hot chocolate or brushing teeth in the dark.

Areas for Improvement

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As much as I’ve come to appreciate the convenience of this setup, it’s not without its quirks.

First up: power. It’s integrated rechargeable battery charges via MicroUSB, which means keeping a cable around that’s quickly going extinct. A USB-C port would have been far more welcome, or better yet, the option to swap in AA batteries for trips when recharging isn’t convenient.

The faucet’s touch button can also be finicky when your fingers are wet, which is pretty standard when working around a camp kitchen and slightly undercuts the whole tap to activate the convenience factor.

This is presumably because the button features a capacitive touch sensor, which relies on the skin’s electrical conductivity to register touch.

Dometic

As such, it sometimes requires tapping multiple times or pivoting to using a dry skin patch, like the back of your hand or wrist. A quick dry off with a towel or sleeve is sometimes needed if the button area is wet.

The tube that attaches the faucet to the Hydration Jug is also just long enough to work with my kitchen setup. Still, placement may be limited in other setups, and it would be nice if Dometic offered a longer option.

Pricing and Availability

Dometic

Despite a few minor gripes, the Dometic Go Hydration Faucet and Jug system has been a game-changer in my camp kitchen. It brings ease and functionality that I didn’t realize I was missing until I had it.

I also haven’t run into any construction quality issues with either the faucet or jug to date, though it’s worth mentioning that there are user reviews online complaining about the jug’s cap breaking and/or leaking and the faucet failing. But that hasn’t been my experience, at least so far, after two years of admittedly irregular use over five camping trips.

No, it’s not the cheapest solution, and yes, the faucet could use a few upgrades. But if you’re tired of tipping jugs and fumbling with spigots, Dometic’s hydration system offers a smarter, cleaner, and more satisfying way to manage water in the wild.

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