Ridiculously extreme boondocking tips
If you have both unlimited power and water, stop reading -- you don’t need these tips. And if you are still reading, you already know the obvious things -- switch to LED lights, use paper plates ...
Forum Discussion
Here's a few things we do or have read of others doing when boondocking:
- Don't take showers at all ... take sponge baths using warm water in the bathrooom sink.
- Off load the grey tank into the black tank since the grey tank fills faster.
- Use no inverters .... use direct 12 volt appliances as much as possible to eliminate conversion wasting of battery capacity.
- If you do take showers instead of sponge baths, install a recirculation system to reroute all initial water coming through the shower head back into the fresh water tank until it's hot enough so as to not waste fresh water or use up precious grey tank capacity while waiting for water to come out of the shower head warm enough.
- Use air conditioning as little as possible (but always have the capability along just in case). Instead, use a couple of 12V Fantastic Fans hanging on ceiling swiveling/tipping mounts to move maximum air inside the interior for minimum battery draw and no generator noise.
- For Class B/C motorhomes, keep the driving cab and overhead cab areas always blocked off as much as possible from the main coach/living area ... why keep warm, or keep cool, interior volumes that are not needed during certain times?
- In cool weather, whenever running the (big) generator to charge batteries, etc., have the generator also power electric heaters for interior heating so as to conserve propane.
- Whenever running the generator to charge batteries, etc., have the refrigerator powered from the (small or big) generator to conserve propane.
- Use propane to make coffee instead of a big inverter fed from precious battery capacity.
- In remote areas when permitted, carry grey water in buckets to a deep pit some distance from where camping is done ... and of course completely cover/bury the the pit when leaving ... so as to leave no trace.
- Whenever cleaning kitchen/eating utensils, always use a little amount of soapy washing water and a little amount of hot rinsing water in your kitchen sink(s) to do this ... never use running water out of a faucet.
- If you don't have solar, or solar isn't effective at the time needed, use a 2nd very small and very quiet portable generator to charge batteries and power small items instead of using a large generator.
- When traveling to, or camping in, boondocking areas in dusty conditions, always maintain positive air pressure in the coach interior so no road dust or dust from high winds can enter any opening.
- For boondocking a lot in the sun, use an RV that is painted as light a color as possible ... it's cheaper/easier to keep a light colored RV warm than it is to keep a dark colored RV cool.
- Don't take showers at all ... take sponge baths using warm water in the bathrooom sink.
- Off load the grey tank into the black tank since the grey tank fills faster.
- Use no inverters .... use direct 12 volt appliances as much as possible to eliminate conversion wasting of battery capacity.
- If you do take showers instead of sponge baths, install a recirculation system to reroute all initial water coming through the shower head back into the fresh water tank until it's hot enough so as to not waste fresh water or use up precious grey tank capacity while waiting for water to come out of the shower head warm enough.
- Use air conditioning as little as possible (but always have the capability along just in case). Instead, use a couple of 12V Fantastic Fans hanging on ceiling swiveling/tipping mounts to move maximum air inside the interior for minimum battery draw and no generator noise.
- For Class B/C motorhomes, keep the driving cab and overhead cab areas always blocked off as much as possible from the main coach/living area ... why keep warm, or keep cool, interior volumes that are not needed during certain times?
- In cool weather, whenever running the (big) generator to charge batteries, etc., have the generator also power electric heaters for interior heating so as to conserve propane.
- Whenever running the generator to charge batteries, etc., have the refrigerator powered from the (small or big) generator to conserve propane.
- Use propane to make coffee instead of a big inverter fed from precious battery capacity.
- In remote areas when permitted, carry grey water in buckets to a deep pit some distance from where camping is done ... and of course completely cover/bury the the pit when leaving ... so as to leave no trace.
- Whenever cleaning kitchen/eating utensils, always use a little amount of soapy washing water and a little amount of hot rinsing water in your kitchen sink(s) to do this ... never use running water out of a faucet.
- If you don't have solar, or solar isn't effective at the time needed, use a 2nd very small and very quiet portable generator to charge batteries and power small items instead of using a large generator.
- When traveling to, or camping in, boondocking areas in dusty conditions, always maintain positive air pressure in the coach interior so no road dust or dust from high winds can enter any opening.
- For boondocking a lot in the sun, use an RV that is painted as light a color as possible ... it's cheaper/easier to keep a light colored RV warm than it is to keep a dark colored RV cool.
