Input from Boondockers ??????

[Ozz]

I was wondering how some of you are doing with your 'off the grid' experiences when Boondocking.
I know Robbie has his Monte set up for it, and has solar, gen, Inverter. How do all of you manage, what length of stay, how do you handle the management of available water, sewage limitations, and so on.
It would be interesting to those of us who just stay in RV parks. It just may motivate us to get out of our comfort zone a little.
Thanks, Ozz

[ols1932]

Ozz,
We boondock a lot. We can go at least two weeks without dumping or refilling with water. We carry a 5 gallon bucket in the room with the toilet where we dump all our dishwater, shower water, etc. We catch the extra shower water (what you run waiting for the water to get warm) in a plastic pan (those kinds that you get when you're in the hospital--I have several!!), and the dishwater the same way, then dump it in the 5 gallon bucket. With this water, we then use it to flush the toilet, using a plasti cup. Our showers consist of Navy style baths, you know, soap up and rinse off. Can't afford to spend a lot of time under running water! This works great for us.
After you start, you'll find ways of conserving and enjoying yourself.

Orv

[Ozzie]

We have a lake place up in Northern Minnesota (woods, bears, etc.). It does have electricity, but we are on our own for everything else.
We've done the dishes in sink buckets and dumped in the black tank, and also the military type showers.
Teaching my family to conserve was a real challenge, but later on very rewarding as they are now aware of their usage.

I would love to be able to go longer as Orv does with the solar, etc.

[jrgwdenner]

Boondocking warning....it can become addictive! There is nothing so serene as a night in the desert. We use our Yamaha generator, mostly in the evening if we want to watch a little TV or get on our computers. We have found that we can easily go one week without hookups if we're careful. And that's about as long as we would want to be in the boonies. paper products help. No long showers, for sure. But it's a very comfortable lifestyle with a little preparation.

[AZCampinfool]

Ozz, I have found water and the size of the fiver to be the biggest limitations. Both fresh water, and then on the other end of the plumbing grid. I have several 5 gallons water containers, plus 1 15 gallon drum for extra fresh. I use a 12 volt pump to refill the fiver. I camp with 3 women, my wife and two daughters so you can imagine how much water we can go through if we don't watch it. My kids are pretty little so we also have to watch the bathroom habits like a hawk. I have gone as many as five days before I had to empty the black tank at a dump site. I use my twin Honda 2000's to recharge the batteries or if we use the micro, toaster, hair dryer etc. With the generators I have never had a power issue. I see you have an inverter so you would have to run the generator even less. An inverter is on my to do list...probably next year. All that being said, boondocking is my favorite type of camping but like I said you can't take the Monty just anywhere. I generally won't go down some road in the wilderness if I don't know what lies ahead. I have actually got out of the truck and walked to make sure I wasn't going to get myself in trouble. I have some friends who got in too big of a hurry and ended up doing some damage to their rigs. One turned into a tree, and the other got hung up on a hidden tree stump. Took out his steps! My signature pic is up on the Mogollon Rim in AZ in the summer. It was nice and cool at 7000' while it was 110 at home. Like others said, the stars, crickets, and just silence at night is amazing!! Plus, you can't beat the price!!

[rames14]

We have boondocked for five days at a time in the Rockies. We had four adults on one trip, also using the generator for some evening entertainment. The serenity is wonderful in the mountains as well. Last July, we were camped in Wyoming and saw what looked like sand dunes in the distance. When we road our bikes over, there was snow about 12 feet deep. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. But only if you like to be away by yourself. You will find that the silence can be deafening. But, the skies will be so clear that you'll see stars you didn't know existed. We especially like combining boondocking with out of the way hotsprings.

[bsmeaton]

Ozz,

No better way to get the best view out that back window!

Power is no problem for us with the gen (use to recharge batteries). Fresh water is easily obtained, even by shuttling with 10gal tanks from the park hydrant. Our biggest limitation is holding capacity.

[bigmurf]

Oh! I feel the urge to pull out my blue boy and play with it.

[noneck]

We boondock in National Seashore on East Coast....Its so difficult having to listen to the waves washing on beach, watching DirecTV, having to start up generator so the surger and sewing machine can be used to create grand daughter outfits (not me...my better half).

[scattershot]

We can go 5-7 days without hookups, and probably longer than that with some thought and effort, using our Honda 2000 to recharge the batteries. Biggest problem is water usage, and the biggest use is showers. We get around that by using "bath mats" for bathing. they are pre moistened towels for hospital patients to bathe with, and you can find them in drugstores or places like WalMart. You can buy the same thing at REI or Camping World, etc., but at a premium price.

You're in the woods, after all, do you really need to watch TV every night, or use all your modern appliances?

Try it, you'll like it!

[Parrothead]

I have another suggestion for boondockers. There is a shampoo that is waterless. Hospitals have it and you can purchase it in some large drugstores. This saves on water needed for showers. I use to use it when tent camping. I had forgotten about it until I was in the hospital last year. Heart attacks don't happen when you are fresh out of the shower with clean hair!! LOL
Happy trails..........................

[simonsrf]

Ozz, The comfort zone is not in a RV park. IMHO.

We have been trying to get this boondocking thing down to a science, because there is nothing like being in the wilds. We learn to conserve just a little bit better each time.

Find your limitations on all your resources. We prefer to boondock in ‘Cadillac” style, so our experience may be different than yours.

We watch TV every night, and have internet service on whenever the inverter is active. We carry an extra 3.2 cu.ft AC freezer (12 amps) that has a digital thermometer that we got at radio shack for ~$20 so we don’t have to open the freezer to know the temperature. Yes, boondocking with a freezer can be a real challenge, but we have it mastered to our satisfaction. We can carry plenty of food (Costco deals) and then transfer the food to the gas frig/freezer as soon as possible. We just recently bought an ice maker (2.8 amps) that makes fresh ice in about 8 minutes. This freed up lots of freezer space in both freezers, and allows us to turn the big freezer off earlier, so the large freezer is not used to make or store ice.

Our longest boondock was 12 days without any hookups. We moved because we needed new scenery. We do not carry extra water, and during the 12 day trip, we took two showers each and a daily wash-up and had a 1/3 reading on the fresh tank when we packed up. Measuring your ‘Navy’ style shower is easy, just open the valve and put your bucket out there…you could be surprised to know how little water you can use! We always heat our dishwashing water on the LP stove, and only use the LP water heater during showers.

With only 2 people, we know that we can go at least 18 days without dumping the black tank. Haven’t had the chance to figure out exactly how long we can go, but it does have to be managed. You know the saying about yellow and brown…we live by it.

We never run the furnace at night while asleep, it uses too much electricity, and an extra blanket has been adequate even at 27 degrees. The two 30# propane tanks are adequate, and we have never run out. In the morning, flip the switch and in 10 minutes, the coach is warm. We use one LP tank as a reserve and the other as service, this method makes calculating propane usage simple. I haven’t found a decent propane measurer, but I am looking!

Adequate electricity can be a problem. Our solar powered system usually gives us enough electricity (except when I fall asleep with the TV on, now use the sleep timer). When we are in cloudy/shady areas, the generator can step up the batteries. We’ve used the generator twice in 7 months. Keeping the bank of batteries at a usable charge is challenging, but with practice, you can calculate your draw and charging rates. We keep a log, so now we can figure out our reserves. A day without any electricity is like living in a luxury tent…;…and then the batteries are recharged by the solar cells! Ahhh, a day with candles!

There are so many great spots to boondock. Using a computer makes finding a boondocking spot very easy. Spending time on the internet is a must for us; we plan our resource reserves which include fuel, food, electricity, tank storage, LP usage, and water.

Boondocking is NOT for everyone. We choose to conserve so we can stretch our time away from campgrounds and save our money. We love this lifestyle, we will be happy to answer anyone’s questions about our methods.

[jrgwdenner]

Robbie, that is an excellent and very helpful post. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us.

[Cat320]

These 'boon docking' posts are sure interesting! I spent 24 years in the Army, a great deal of it in the 'boonies'...now my idea of roughing it is when we can only get 30 amps, not 50 amps!

[Ozz]

Robbie, I was awaiting your response, that was a great post!
Thanks.