To boondock or not?

An outside shower helps lessen the amount in the gray tank.
Find high altitude areas during the heat of summer. We are in the Sawtooth Mountains right now where it was 32 degrees this morning and may get up to 70 this afternoon. Up here, you can bathe in the rivers, though I would do it quickly. That water is cold!
We have solar, which is worth its weight in gold. You might invest in a small portable system in place of one of the generators. Generators require one to stay around camp a lot more to charge batteries. During the heat of the day, we tend to be out hiking, exploring, whathaveyou and don't worry about how hot the tt is getting.

Good source of information about what's possible (in the US) is the local US Forestry district office. They can tell you the LOCAL rules about NFS camping. Rules very by forest district and sometimes by seasonal issues so it's always best to check in. With a little practice a couple of people should be able to camp for at least a week on a 30 gallon gray tank. Economies are generally found in HABITS much more than equipment. In SOME areas (again, ask) it is permissible do dispose of gray water and sometimes even galley water in the forest. Where this is allowed the black tank become the limiting factor along with the fresh water capacity (which can easily be supplemented by any number of means). I've never seen boondocking as an economy issue however because it's hard to put a price on enjoyment. If you enjoy camping in a crowded rule enclosed commercial camping space (I avoid calling them campgrounds) then that's fine but if you enjoy being out in nature and experiencing great scenery and peacefulness then you have to prepare for the adventure.
Good luck / Skip

I would start out by saying the extra grand for the Honda set up is barely worth it for the slight reduction in noise level and the money could be spent on solar, extra battery, a inverter and LED lighting. All of that is overkill for a few nights at a time. Get the generator/s and you will be fine.

Should you decide you like the peace and quiet of Boondocking for longer periods, there are lots of things that will make it possible without needing to use your rig like a tent. We stay out weeks at a time and you would think we had hook ups.

bigorange wrote:
28 gal gray tank is a valid concern...how large is your fresh water tank? Our family of 4 can go 3-4 days on 40 gal fresh tank with a couple of showers. Most of us don't shower daily when camping unless it's really hot and we've hiked or done something else more active or dirty. Of course we have 2 gray tanks so that helps.

You can potentially minimize gray water by washing dishes in dish pans and dumping those vs running down the drain.

Fresh water is 32gal. We could carry another portable 10gal in the truck for drinking water refill or washing dishes.

If you can go 3-4 days on 40gal I think we will be fine. I don't expect more than 2 nights at any one place and we can always shower at the next campground after our 2nd night. Thanks.

28 gal gray tank is a valid concern...how large is your fresh water tank? Our family of 4 can go 3-4 days on 40 gal fresh tank with a couple of showers. Most of us don't shower daily when camping unless it's really hot and we've hiked or done something else more active or dirty. Of course we have 2 gray tanks so that helps.

You can potentially minimize gray water by washing dishes in dish pans and dumping those vs running down the drain.

Only you can answer this...

JiminDenver wrote:
Are you thinking of setting up to boondock for one trip or continue doing it after? Even a pair of Champion 2000 invereter generators will run you a grand, the Hondas that do the same job will run two grand. For one trip you would be better off renting them.

We boondock to avoid the noisy and crowded campgrounds, not to save on the fees. It has taken time effort and money to make our rig so that we can do this comfortable. Even now that it is set up, it would take four days in the state park a few minutes from us to cover the gas needed to get to and from the area we boondock in.

Check out the Boondocking section of the forum and you will see stickies at the top with lots of good info to help you out. List of what you need as well as sites that will help you find spots are all there.

Single trip for now but a 2 month long trip moving every 1-3 days. We'd get the Hondas because we hate noise. Renting is not an option but we could probably sell them almost at US buy price coming back into Canada. Call it a very cheap rental. Also there will be other summers after this one if we keep them.

I'l check the stickies in the bookdock section. Thanks.

Are you thinking of setting up to boondock for one trip or continue doing it after? Even a pair of Champion 2000 invereter generators will run you a grand, the Hondas that do the same job will run two grand. For one trip you would be better off renting them.

We boondock to avoid the noisy and crowded campgrounds, not to save on the fees. It has taken time effort and money to make our rig so that we can do this comfortable. Even now that it is set up, it would take four days in the state park a few minutes from us to cover the gas needed to get to and from the area we boondock in.

Check out the Boondocking section of the forum and you will see stickies at the top with lots of good info to help you out. List of what you need as well as sites that will help you find spots are all there.

Far to complicated to boondock, and expensive when you have to buy all that extra equipment, I think everyone (else) should stay in regular campgrounds. :B

That would leave more room in the boonies for me!

Moab high for today in the upper 80s. Rest of the week highs in the mid 90s. So if you boondock with no generators it will be very hot in the RV. If you stay in campgrounds/RV parks with electric you'll be a lot more comfortable. Your call, but I'd suggest getting a set of Honda 2000s with a parallel kit.