When did Car camping become Boondocking?

[Artful]

http://rvlove.com/2015/04/10/29-boon....3arPeAjf.dpbs

29 tips for successful boondocking

1. Pre-plan your meals. Preparing and freezing meals or making salads ahead of time means there are less dishes to wash up, making it easier and allowing more time to relax and enjoy while reducing the need to go to the store – which is not always close by. As a bonus, this also keeps your trash to a minimum
2. Cook with gas. When you warm your meals in a saucepan on the propane stove or cook on the BBQ, it also means no noisy generator!
3. Buy or take separate jugs of drinking water to save the water in your fresh tank for washing and showering
4. Pre-wash fruits and vegetables while still at a campground (with water hookups) just before you leave for your boondocking adventure
5. Use paper towels to wipe dirty plates and dishes down first after using – this make them much easier to wash and uses less water
6. Limit your dishwashing to once per day – one sink load of dirty dishes per day is more water efficient
7. Keep a bucket in the shower to catch excess water and use that to ‘flush’ the toilet – this reduces water usage from the fresh tank and also helps reduce grey tank water
8. Consider letting the yellow mellow for your number ones to reduce the number of toilet flushes
9. Take quick “navy showers”. That is, jump in, get wet, turn off water, lather up, turn water back on, rinse off, jump out. Or shower only every other day or have a ‘sponge bath’
10. Track your water usage with Post-it Note markings on the side of your fresh water tank – it is a handy way to gauge how much water you are using and estimate how many days your water will last so you can make adjustments as needed, or simply relax about it a bit more!
11. Be sure to park a respectable distance from other RVers so as not to invade their space or views and also ensure your generator noise (if you use one) won’t bother them. This is especially important if you need to start your generator early in the morning (whether for work or coffee!). Be especially mindful of RVers with solar panels and park way well away from them (minimum 300 feet as a guide) – they will appreciate being sheltered from your genny noise (if you use one) so they can continue to enjoy the peace and quiet out there. Being respectful of your neighbors will ensure a pleasant stay for everyone
12. Park your RV in a direction that makes the most of the weather and sun location. For example, if hot and sunny weather is predicted and your RV has a lot of windows on one side, park so the window side is on the shady side. You might also be able to use the RV as a wind block if winds are common in the area
13. Find a place that creates a natural boundary around your RV so you feel more comfortable, safe and nestled in your space (thanks Technomadia for that one!)
14. Don’t use heavy battery drain items like the microwave or watch TV when you aren’t running your generator
15. Use a portable power inverter/charger to charge small electronic devices using the 12V DC socket on the coach dashboard when driving and/or when the generator is off
16. Limit your use of un-needed lights or electrical items when the generator isn’t running
17. Keep your night shades down during the hottest parts of the day to deflect the sun and help keep your RV cooler. If you have external window covers, those will be even better – put them on!
18. When staying in a hot climate, open your windows in the evening and make the most of the cool night air to cool down your RV
19. Only use the air conditioner intermittently, not continuously, to keep the coach at a comfortable temperature and to reduce the drain on the generator. Generators get better fuel economy when not powering as many items
20. Put a windshield cover on the front of your RV to help protect it from the heat and put tire covers on your wheels to reduce sun damage to the tires
21. Track your generator hours to estimate your boondocking costs and work out a daily average. It will help you weigh the potential cost benefits of adding solar power
22. Look up BLM or other public land apps or websites ahead of time to get directions and any other information you need to know about the area, such as fees and where to get permits
23. Use the satellite view on Google Maps or Google Earth to get a better sense of the terrain before you arrive
24. As a safety precaution, send your location details with GPS coordinates to a family member or friend so someone knows where you are
25. Pull in your awning and slides if it gets really windy – it helps reduce the surface area for the wind to catch, minimizes the rocking of your RV and will prevent potential awning damage
26. Check for sufficient cellular/internet coverage ahead of time using the Coverage map for your cell phone provider or use the Coverage App
27. Keep your trash stored securely inside and don’t leave food outside to prevent attracting unwanted natural visitors to your campsite
28. Be respectful of the environment and your fellow campers and leave no trace when you depart
29. Take time to sit outdoors and look up at the clear night skies. After all, that is one of main reasons you are camping out in the middle of nowhere – to truly become one with nature

We hope you found these tips useful and that they help you conserve water, energy and ensure a smooth, enjoyable experience out in the boonies!

[COLOR=#4A3E3E][FONT=Open Sans]Remember to share your own tips below – we’re sure there are hundreds more we could add to this list! With your help, we can make it even better

[RogerDat]

As an avid camper I can tell you boondocking is now considered a term for any camping where there is no electric, water or bathroom facilities. What you camp in does not matter it is where you are camping. Namely out in the boondocks.

Back when my parents retired they and other retired campers they traveled with would call it "dry" camping. Because in the southwest camping in locations that provided no water meant you were in the rustic middle of nowhere locations.

BLM and National Forest allow camping in large areas with no improvements other than maybe a fire service access road, or sometimes a cleared space and a fire ring. Free to cheap so for some people they are very popular. The debate between 9mm vs. 38 special has nothing on the what is appropriate gear or behavior for this kind of camping. Solar or generator, showers or not, how to manage batteries for maximum utilization. Zero impact vs. low impact vs. dig a slit trench and call it a bathroom vs. monster RV with satellite dish and big screen TV parked out in the desert for the winter waiting for a honey truck to come around and drain 50 gallon waste tanks. And delivery by a water truck shortly after. Different people would label that differently but some consider it all boondock camping.

Me I thought taking a tent instead of only a tarp for shelter when winter camping was just silly, got older and took not only a tent but a small propane lantern to take the chill off. People change, the definition of roughing it changes with them.

[JWFilips]

Oh so that is what I use to call Camping

[Apples]

.
I think RogerDat hit the nail on the head.

[Hickory]

Car camping?

Subject line a bit misleading. It's more like house trailer camping.
Even with my bad back, I'd much prefer sleeping on the ground to trailer park camping.
What's this country coming to?

[UKShootist]

Some interesting tips there, but.... Camping? With a shower, microwave, TV, generator, air conditioner?

[ole 5 hole group]

Well, it all depends on how close to a vehicle you can to set up camp or how many trips you want to make with a boat/canoe that will determine what you carry. Age does come into that equation but then again, age is suppose to mean you have gotten smarter over the years and with that definition, the ole timer just needs to bring younger blood with him to do the heavy lifting.

Now, if you are backpacking, you usually go pretty light, which to some people, even means cutting the tooth brush in half to save space.

What gets my **** is we usually go way back into God's Country and spend a whole day setting up camp, so we'll be prepared for anything & everything coming our way and have an enjoyable time in camp for the entire 7 to 10 days. Sometimes we have lousy weather, fish aren't overly active and we ruin a couple props etc. Then we come out, see a group of out of shape, city slickers in their home on wheels and they caught a ton of fish in the lake next to the road with a landing on it!!! Sometimes there's just no Justice in this world.

[flyingmonkey35]

Egads was camping on a lake the a few week ago and some one pulled up about 10 feet from. My rig and set up. There canopy was inches from my slide out. I packed up and left.

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[RogerDat]

Some interesting tips there, but.... Camping? With a shower, microwave, TV, generator, air conditioner?

Ok the shower is not overdoing it, at least in my mind. They make one that uses a small propane bottle burner with copper coil and a battery pump. You feed the pump from a bucket. One of these and a tarp to make a stall can make for a more pleasant week in the woods. Whole thing hose and burner and everything fits in a bucket. https://www.amazon.com/Zodi/b/ref=bl...rowse-bin=Zodi

I do know some folks that camp in southern states that consider AC a requirement to get a decent nights sleep. That AC in turn requires the generator, and since they have the genny why not bring the TV and DVD player? Sometimes it is nice to have electric and conveniences other times it is nice to get far away from people and simplify life. Lot of folks use a camper and campground as a base to do activities in an area, more of the personal motel approach. Others like myself are more into the snack, shoot, read, have a cocktail in that order. Followed by some good campfire cooking and sitting around.

[ole 5 hole group]

Hot water heater is for washing hands & face in the AM & doing dishes - baby wipes and a wash cloth keeps the baboon **** away, so we don't waste water showering, as hauling 6 gallon buckets of water isn't as easy as it use to be and back then, we didn't have baby wipes - just jumped in 34* water with a bar of soap when everything got a little "raw". We go through about 6 gallons of hot water per day on average - sometimes a tad less. We also use waste bags (poop bags), so when we break camp, nobody knows we were there, not even the chipmunks.

The refrigerator is the best thing going but a back breaker hauling it around, as it's a two man operation and sometimes steady balance is a good thing.

50+ years ago, you couldn't ever dream about portaging with this type of equipment but today we camp better than the fly-ins had it 20 years ago, and we envied them when we were passing through to other areas. We are now their equals - we just have to work at it, where they just put down the cash and don't worry about the details.

[flyingmonkey35]

My idea of camping. PS today at fort Bridger wy. 2016 Mountain man rendezvous!




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[trebor44]

If you aren't living in a tent or sleeping under the stars it really isn't camping! Frost on your sleeping bag is the only way to go. The boondocks is where I live!

[flyingmonkey35]

Greetings from Moab Utah Arches National park.


Found these in a book store



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[tomme boy]

This is how i have been camping. Right before I put up the tarp to cover us for the night. Thats my old lady already snuggled up.

[Mackay Sagebrush]

Looking at these pictures, I am so very glad that urbanites consider packing into a campsite with a bunch of other city dwellers, and setting up their 5th wheelers, unloading their ATVs, and sundry other junk "camping/getting back to nature/getting away"..... That means it is less likely I am going to run into anybody where I go. Frankly, if I can see a single other person, it is too crowded.

BTW, Idaho is FULL! NO VACANCY!

Californians, after destroying their own state, much like locusts have been in a mass exodus, coming to Idaho and screwing it up as fast as they can, trying to make it just like where they came from, and then get upset when those Idahoans who have been here our entire lives are not overly receptive to their California ways. "Rant off"..

[Walks]

WOW !
My Grandfather drove out with his Cousin from New York to Hollywood in 1924-25. Before there was a Route 66.
Met my Grandmother in Sulpulpa, OK. Married in a week. Worked for gas & food & lodging or Camped wherever/whenever they could.
That's what you call Car Camping.

[2400]

I never understood why people would haul or drive a big camper "out in the boonies" just to park 10' from another one.

I love tent camping and like to get as far away from others as I can. I'm usually able to go for 2 weeks or so and if I see more than 3-4 people I think it's time to move.

My ex and I were camped in WY after 10 days of peace and quiet we got back to camp one afternoon and there was a tent 4' from ours. The new couple thought we would like their company and that we could hang out for a couple of days. We were packed and gone in 30 minutes.

[Charlie Horse]

Ok the shower is not overdoing it, at least in my mind. They make one that uses a small propane bottle burner with copper coil and a battery pump. You feed the pump from a bucket. One of these and a tarp to make a stall can make for a more pleasant week in the woods. Whole thing hose and burner and everything fits in a bucket. https://www.amazon.com/Zodi/b/ref=bl...rowse-bin=Zodi

I do know some folks that camp in southern states that consider AC a requirement to get a decent nights sleep. That AC in turn requires the generator, and since they have the genny why not bring the TV and DVD player? Sometimes it is nice to have electric and conveniences other times it is nice to get far away from people and simplify life. Lot of folks use a camper and campground as a base to do activities in an area, more of the personal motel approach. Others like myself are more into the snack, shoot, read, have a cocktail in that order. Followed by some good campfire cooking and sitting around.

I just snagged a portable AC for $100 off Craigslist. You can find good deals on AC during the dead of winter.
Without an AC camping is worse than miserable in the heat and humidity.

[Charlie Horse]

I never understood why people would haul or drive a big camper "out in the boonies" just to park 10' from another one.

I love tent camping and like to get as far away from others as I can. I'm usually able to go for 2 weeks or so and if I see more than 3-4 people I think it's time to move.

My ex and I were camped in WY after 10 days of peace and quiet we got back to camp one afternoon and there was a tent 4' from ours. The new couple thought we would like their company and that we could hang out for a couple of days. We were packed and gone in 30 minutes.

I had the same thing happen in So. Illinois in the Shawnee. A couple pulled next to me with their camper and wanted to hang out and be friends. I left.
Good to hear that other people tent camp. I ain't gonna lie; if a good deal on a mini van comes along I'll get it, but I do like the handy-ness of my Honda Fit. But then again gas prices are starting to scare me so I'll probably just stay with the Fit.

[TyGuy]

This is how Wifey and I do “car camping.” Essentially just a a tent on the roof with a fiberglass shell on top. It’s pretty well sealed off from the interior of the car when we close the access panels so no HVAC from the cabin. If we can find a reasonably level place to to park we be in bed in a matter of minutes. (It would be quicker if my lovely bride’s pre-bed routine wasn’t so extensive… ) We are spoiled with being able to carry anything we could want. And if we want to hike out and tent camp that’s still an option too.

This was taken at a public campground in WY but it was so far off the beaten trail that there wasn’t another soul there. Almost an hour of driving down poorly maintained gravel roads and didn’t see another car the whole way there or back. It was wonderful!



I wish I would have taken a picture of it when we’re were camping at the KCR machine gun shoot this fall. It was a muddy mess and there were plenty of big trucks stuck deep. Our little rig was slung high with mud but we never got stuck. We had a lot of guys say they couldn’t believe we made it through without sinking it.