Whom Of Us Boondocks 14-days Or More At A Stretch?
I mean on a regular basis? Vacations like... Trying to get an idea of whom is whom...it helps. SOLAR or GENERATOR?
Forum Discussion
I have found it not as hard as one could think, although I have not done more than single-digit amount of days boondocking:
1: To minimize black water use (especially in winter), I line the toilet with plastic bags (I would recommend mounting a carabiner on a steel cable that is clipped on a handle of the bag so there is zero chance of hitting the flush pedal and having the bag become a major clog issue.) After using the bathroom, the bag get tossed in another plastic bag, and then tossed in a garbage. Said garbage gets packed out and makes its final resting place in a dumpster that I pay for.
2: In warmer weather, a full water tank, and lots of potable water jugs, the size depending on what punishment you choose to unleash on your back. I have found that four, five gallon jugs filled up last me at least a week. Colder weather, just jugs of water filled to about four gallons so if they freeze, they are less likely to burst.
3: Very dense food items to save space. I like taking cereal, dumping it into tight fitting containers, then tossing the boxes at the grocery store before leaving. This saves me a lot of space, as well as need for trash space. I also carry a MRE and a long term food stash as well. This was quite useful when I got stuck in an unexpected ice storm and couldn't break camp for a few days.
4: Plastic water bottles. I like carrying a few around because they can double as thermal mass for the refrigerator should I want to turn the fridge off, and if I do it right, it gives a day or two, even in the Texas heat of keeping food at safe temperatures.
5: Here in Texas, where it is hot and humid, I definitely use a generator and put a lot of hours on it. In cold weather, I mainly need something to offset the 10A draw from the furnace fan. Solar helps, but even then, a generator is a must to get the batteries topped off, otherwise they will be dead after day 2-3. Of course, I could use a Buddy heater which would not draw anything from the house jars... but I don't like the water it throws in the air, so I only use one in case of a real emergency (ran out of propane in the main cylinders, so have to break out the 16 ounce bottles.) Come 90 degree days and 100% humidity where fans don't help much, the A/C is a must. In warmer weather, I try to bring one five gallon container of gasoline for every day I plan to be boondocking.
My real limit for boondocking is time between showers. I can go a few days just using a washcloth on dirty parts, but after more than 4-5 days, I do need to take some type of shower. After that, the limit becomes fuel, either gasoline when it is warm, or gasoline/LP gas when cold.
1: To minimize black water use (especially in winter), I line the toilet with plastic bags (I would recommend mounting a carabiner on a steel cable that is clipped on a handle of the bag so there is zero chance of hitting the flush pedal and having the bag become a major clog issue.) After using the bathroom, the bag get tossed in another plastic bag, and then tossed in a garbage. Said garbage gets packed out and makes its final resting place in a dumpster that I pay for.
2: In warmer weather, a full water tank, and lots of potable water jugs, the size depending on what punishment you choose to unleash on your back. I have found that four, five gallon jugs filled up last me at least a week. Colder weather, just jugs of water filled to about four gallons so if they freeze, they are less likely to burst.
3: Very dense food items to save space. I like taking cereal, dumping it into tight fitting containers, then tossing the boxes at the grocery store before leaving. This saves me a lot of space, as well as need for trash space. I also carry a MRE and a long term food stash as well. This was quite useful when I got stuck in an unexpected ice storm and couldn't break camp for a few days.
4: Plastic water bottles. I like carrying a few around because they can double as thermal mass for the refrigerator should I want to turn the fridge off, and if I do it right, it gives a day or two, even in the Texas heat of keeping food at safe temperatures.
5: Here in Texas, where it is hot and humid, I definitely use a generator and put a lot of hours on it. In cold weather, I mainly need something to offset the 10A draw from the furnace fan. Solar helps, but even then, a generator is a must to get the batteries topped off, otherwise they will be dead after day 2-3. Of course, I could use a Buddy heater which would not draw anything from the house jars... but I don't like the water it throws in the air, so I only use one in case of a real emergency (ran out of propane in the main cylinders, so have to break out the 16 ounce bottles.) Come 90 degree days and 100% humidity where fans don't help much, the A/C is a must. In warmer weather, I try to bring one five gallon container of gasoline for every day I plan to be boondocking.
My real limit for boondocking is time between showers. I can go a few days just using a washcloth on dirty parts, but after more than 4-5 days, I do need to take some type of shower. After that, the limit becomes fuel, either gasoline when it is warm, or gasoline/LP gas when cold.
