Must Have Boondocking Items?

drc5900 wrote:

LenSatic wrote:

TMBLSN wrote:

LenSatic wrote:
We can also carry up to 42 gals. of water in addition to the 31 gals. on-board.
LS

What do you use to carry that water? I've been looking for a good solution for transporting additional water.

Thanks.

Seven gal. Aqua-Tainers. We have 6 at the moment and take as few or as many as we feel are required.

LS

X2!

I mostly go Boondocking in the mountain rivers here in California.
But I do get to occasionally Boondocking the deserts.
I always bring extra water.
My little 24 foot Rollalong as a 40 gallon fresh tank and the 7 gallon bluebottle in the closet. And for good measure I take 2-20 gallon plastic storage tubs I put double plastic trash bags in them, and fill them up and seal them with plastic wire ties.
When I reach my destination I pull the tubs out put them next to the Coach and put a piece of plywood on top of them.
I got a nice little table now to dump******on while I'm there.
Plus I have all the other accoutrements to survival in the wild.
Rather than a shopping list here the areas that I always cover before leaving.
Health and safety- medical, first aid, and hygiene supplies.
Security and defense- weapons, ammo, and communication gear.
Food and shelter- emergency clothes and MRES, and as already stated, extra water.
Maintenance and repair- tools for automotive and coach systems including spare parts and repair materials.
At least two months worth of DVDs and music CDs.
The usual books on geology astrophysics astronomy modern blacksmithing Mountain man crafts and skills by David Montgomery, and a fine selection of Robert A. Heinlein books.
That Will Get Me to the Next Apocalypse.
Anymore questions?

I carry one of these even when I don't go Boondocking.Look here

pnichols wrote:
These items have probably been mentioned in some of the previous 5 pages of this sticky, but ... I consider boondocking "survival" RV items to mean what is essential for getting by in your RV in the comfort it was designed for (as opposed to using it as only a "tent type shelter") when you are drycamping in your RV anywhere in North America in just about any weather.

IAW the above, "what is essential" in one's RV IMHO consists of such things as:

- One-person tire changing capability for any tire on the RV on hard or soft surfaces
- Manual or powered tree-across-the-road cutting capability
- Remote area emergency outside contact capability ... extended range cell phone or satellite phone
- Manual or powered low-hanging-limb cutting capability
- Ladder access to the RV's roof
- Roof/window leak repairing capability
- High strength towing strap/chain capabiliy
- Full size shovel
- Leveling capability for worst-case all four corners of the main living space
- Spare parts for any living space item that could be trip-ending if it was to fail (i.e. spare RV water pump, spare propane refrigerator ignition points, spear propane water heater ignition points, etc.)
- Some spare parts for certain high failure rate items of the drive chassis (tow vehicle or motorhome truck chassis)
- Capability for extended time-period air conditioning in extreme heat that may come unexpectedly
- Capability for extended time-period heating in extreme cold that may come unexpectedly
- Fan capability as a backup to the air conditioning
- Plan B backup capability to the primary heating system
- Multiple ways of recharging the RV battery bank (more than one combination of solar/fossil fuel generator/wind turbine/fuel cell/converter/charger/etc.)
- Crutches (i.e. should someone sprain an ankle)
- A remote inspection scope (i.e. for checking some RV part failure/wire short/etc. in a hard to check area)
- Tire inflation capability for a complete inflation in a reasonable length of time of any tire on the RV
- Ground cloth/cover for inspection underneath the RV in dry or wet or muddy conditions
- Heating pad for sprained body parts
- Inside window insulation material for an unexpected long cold spell
- Vacuum cleaner to keep the interior from getting too gritty in windy desert conditions.
- Outside shower for pre-cleaning muddy items
- Positive awning latch to prevent unfurling in high cross-wind conditions when traveling
- Backup cooking capability to the indoor cooktop
- A backup to the RV's refrigerator ... a cold chest using ice from the refrigerator's freezer ... or an electric powered portable chest
- All the emergency medical supplies you can think of and find a place for
- All the tools you can think of and find a place for
- More than one umbrella for outside the RV in the rain or sun .... or worst-case for hiking in the sun for miles if your RV is broken down
- Spare oil/spark plugs/etc. for any generator(s) you might have along
- A way of starting the main drive engine if the chassis battery should fail
- Capability for off-loading the grey tank into the black tank until you can get to a dump station
- A way of getting water into your fresh water tank from any source
- A water filtration system

We cover all of the areas above when we pack our 24 foot Class C RV for boondocking. So we don't need specialized lists, we try to pack the RV with all of the above every time we take it out to provide maximum flexibility in where we want to go or in whatever unexpected situations we might find ourselves in.

Outstanding list. Very comprehensive. And yes, Boondocking survival means just for boondocking not for survival in a SHTF scenario.

These items have probably been mentioned in some of the previous 5 pages of this sticky, but ... I consider boondocking "survival" RV items to mean what is essential for getting by in your RV in the comfort it was designed for (as opposed to using it as only a "tent type shelter") when you are drycamping in your RV anywhere in North America in just about any weather.

IAW the above, "what is essential" in one's RV IMHO consists of such things as:

- One-person tire changing capability for any tire on the RV on hard or soft surfaces
- Manual or powered tree-across-the-road cutting capability
- Remote area emergency outside contact capability ... extended range cell phone or satellite phone
- Manual or powered low-hanging-limb cutting capability
- Ladder access to the RV's roof
- Roof/window leak repairing capability
- High strength towing strap/chain capabiliy
- Full size shovel
- Leveling capability for worst-case all four corners of the main living space
- Spare parts for any living space item that could be trip-ending if it was to fail (i.e. spare RV water pump, spare propane refrigerator ignition points, spear propane water heater ignition points, etc.)
- Some spare parts for certain high failure rate items of the drive chassis (tow vehicle or motorhome truck chassis)
- Capability for extended time-period air conditioning in extreme heat that may come unexpectedly
- Capability for extended time-period heating in extreme cold that may come unexpectedly
- Fan capability as a backup to the air conditioning
- Plan B backup capability to the primary heating system
- Multiple ways of recharging the RV battery bank (more than one combination of solar/fossil fuel generator/wind turbine/fuel cell/converter/charger/etc.)
- Crutches (i.e. should someone sprain an ankle)
- A remote inspection scope (i.e. for checking some RV part failure/wire short/etc. in a hard to check area)
- Tire inflation capability for a complete inflation in a reasonable length of time of any tire on the RV
- Ground cloth/cover for inspection underneath the RV in dry or wet or muddy conditions
- Heating pad for sprained body parts
- Inside window insulation material for an unexpected long cold spell
- Vacuum cleaner to keep the interior from getting too gritty in windy desert conditions.
- Outside shower for pre-cleaning muddy items
- Positive awning latch to prevent unfurling in high cross-wind conditions when traveling
- Backup cooking capability to the indoor cooktop
- A backup to the RV's refrigerator ... a cold chest using ice from the refrigerator's freezer ... or an electric powered portable chest
- All the emergency medical supplies you can think of and find a place for
- All the tools you can think of and find a place for
- More than one umbrella for outside the RV in the rain or sun .... or worst-case for hiking in the sun for miles if your RV is broken down
- Spare oil/spark plugs/etc. for any generator(s) you might have along
- A way of starting the main drive engine if the chassis battery should fail
- Capability for off-loading the grey tank into the black tank until you can get to a dump station
- A way of getting water into your fresh water tank from any source
- A water filtration system
- An adjustable roof vent near both ends of the living space, with vent covers over the vent lids, so that the interior can still be ventilated in heavy rains and high winds

We cover all of the areas above when we pack our 24 foot Class C RV for boondocking. So we don't need specialized lists, we try to pack the RV with all of the above every time we take it out to provide maximum flexibility in where we want to go or in whatever unexpected situations we might find ourselves in.

Roy&Lynne wrote:
Lots of wet whipes, a camp coffee pot, and sense of humor.

that sense of humor is definitely needed. I am beginning to feel as if I'm in one of the Hot Shots movies lol "what else could happen"? LOL I fell 2 months ago and broke my metatarsal and had to wear a "boot" Nice start to my 5 month boondocking vacation. :SThen...because everything is high up,cabinets, and my clothes closet, etc., my rotator cuff started to hurt and still does. Then....because I started doing everything with my other hand, my LEFT elbow is hurting. This morning when I got up, I realized I have a sliver in my right pointer finger. :S :p

won't go home though. I bad day camping is better than a good day at home any time hehe

forgot to mention the very start of our vacation. We were gone about 7 miles from home, and the motorhome made a horrible noise and we pulled over. The spark Plugs had "blown out". 3 days in the repair shop and we were on our way again. Then....2 flat tires on the way down. Maybe we should have stayed home lol

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but we bought something the other day that's cool. A handle that attaches to your inside screen. No more leaning all the way out to get my door. I simply extend my arm, and pull. :D

IDman wrote:
We always have a .357 Magnum and a 12 gauge, and not just when boondocking.

And if all else fails which will you use to blow your brains out? More food for the vultures if you use the shotgun.

A friend of mine would carry Bear Repellant with him whenever he went camping as well as the various arms that everyone else carried. Luckily we never had need for either one.

The only reason I don't like 6V setups is because of that -- lose one battery, you lost a pair. Plus, with 12VDC setups, I can use odd numbers of batteries to fill up every available space in a bank. However, if one has 6-8 or more 6 volt batteries, a loss of a pair may not be as significant as if someone only had one or two pairs.

Bend wrote:
I'm a newbie here and just to keep this thread active....

Therefore, I would never, ever think of using sets of 2 volt or 6 volt batteries in my TT because of 1 simple fact. Batteries die.

You need more 6V batteries. I have four. I don't think that I'll lose 3 at a time.