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
I spend a lot of time out in remote areas, where there is no water. Moving the truck into town, or where water is available, is not always an option, or I just don’t want to.
Starting with the propane, conserve in the way mentioned in the earlier posts. But, it is not much fun not being warm, so use the heater, but turn it down when you go to bed. Cooking on the stove/oven during the evening can be a great way of just warming up the place. Running a space heater, when the generator is being used, is a great way to save a few gallons of propane. Heat up watered down towels, to take towel showers, using the microwave.
One of the easiest and best ways to conserve water is using a water jug. You can set, the water jug, on a picnic table, or in my case, the counter over the sink;
I like using a 5+ gal Blue Jug, from Wal-Mart ($5.98). These jugs are easy to use, transport on the back of my motorcycle to refill, or in your case; your car. Plus they are good for a foot stool, while sitting in a folding chair. Using these Blue Water Jugs, cuts down on the water pump usesage, which saves batteries and their use forces you to conserve, as you see the water coming out and not hidden as an “endless supply” from some unseen water source.
I also supplement the Blue Water Jug with a water bottle, like a Bicycle Bottle or, my preferred use, a Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce bottle (available at Wal-Mart), reused (I am really big in reusing things).
These Sriracha Bottles are great to wash hands with, rinse off plates at the side of the camper, or into the weeds. They also work well just set beside the toilet, to rinse the bowl, when needed. The largest portion of Black Tank Volume is the water, from you on board water supply, used to rinse the bowl and solids. Using the Sriracha Bottle gives you more “direct” use, and what small boy doesn’t like a good water spray!
There are so many examples of ways to conserve water and it can be fun just to find these ways to conserve. One of these is as simple as filling an ice tray. Filling them under a tap wastes a lot of water where if you use a measuring cup (they use 2 cups of water for each ice tray) minimizes spillage and waste.
Another issue that wastes a lot of water is when you are trying to get hot water to the tap. Rather than run the water and waste the water down the drain, capture it. One is when you are “blending” the water at the shower. I use the Blue Water Jug, or just a wide mouth water bottle, to capture this water. By sticking the head into the Blue Water Jug and over the water bottle, you can save the water for future use and “feel” the water getting hotter, as it arrives.
As for Hot Water Heater, it only needs to be turned on about 15 minutes, prior to the shower being taken. Then turn it off. There shouldn’t be a need for it again, as the tank will keep the water hot for hours afterwards (keep it on a little longer, to replenish the water that was used to shower with). Also, with two young boys, Solar Showers is an excellent way to go. You can save the water in the camper by getting water from streams and lakes, by filtering it with a pillow case.
bryan
Starting with the propane, conserve in the way mentioned in the earlier posts. But, it is not much fun not being warm, so use the heater, but turn it down when you go to bed. Cooking on the stove/oven during the evening can be a great way of just warming up the place. Running a space heater, when the generator is being used, is a great way to save a few gallons of propane. Heat up watered down towels, to take towel showers, using the microwave.
One of the easiest and best ways to conserve water is using a water jug. You can set, the water jug, on a picnic table, or in my case, the counter over the sink;
I like using a 5+ gal Blue Jug, from Wal-Mart ($5.98). These jugs are easy to use, transport on the back of my motorcycle to refill, or in your case; your car. Plus they are good for a foot stool, while sitting in a folding chair. Using these Blue Water Jugs, cuts down on the water pump usesage, which saves batteries and their use forces you to conserve, as you see the water coming out and not hidden as an “endless supply” from some unseen water source.
I also supplement the Blue Water Jug with a water bottle, like a Bicycle Bottle or, my preferred use, a Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce bottle (available at Wal-Mart), reused (I am really big in reusing things).
These Sriracha Bottles are great to wash hands with, rinse off plates at the side of the camper, or into the weeds. They also work well just set beside the toilet, to rinse the bowl, when needed. The largest portion of Black Tank Volume is the water, from you on board water supply, used to rinse the bowl and solids. Using the Sriracha Bottle gives you more “direct” use, and what small boy doesn’t like a good water spray!
There are so many examples of ways to conserve water and it can be fun just to find these ways to conserve. One of these is as simple as filling an ice tray. Filling them under a tap wastes a lot of water where if you use a measuring cup (they use 2 cups of water for each ice tray) minimizes spillage and waste.
Another issue that wastes a lot of water is when you are trying to get hot water to the tap. Rather than run the water and waste the water down the drain, capture it. One is when you are “blending” the water at the shower. I use the Blue Water Jug, or just a wide mouth water bottle, to capture this water. By sticking the head into the Blue Water Jug and over the water bottle, you can save the water for future use and “feel” the water getting hotter, as it arrives.
As for Hot Water Heater, it only needs to be turned on about 15 minutes, prior to the shower being taken. Then turn it off. There shouldn’t be a need for it again, as the tank will keep the water hot for hours afterwards (keep it on a little longer, to replenish the water that was used to shower with). Also, with two young boys, Solar Showers is an excellent way to go. You can save the water in the camper by getting water from streams and lakes, by filtering it with a pillow case.
bryan
