Whom Of Us Boondocks 14-days Or More At A Stretch?

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Wilderness tip...

Every fourth day when there are three or more users, sprinkle a solid layer of LIME over the deposit. Anaerobic bacteria tend to be gram negative - therefore more likely to be a health hazard. The lime speeds up chemical decomposition, greatly suppresses insects and odor. At the end of usage, apply a thick layer of lime plus water. Then cover with 2' of dirt, compact, then keep filling until a small mound forms.

That's what I do, except I put lime in hole once a week (only 2 boon dockers).

We don't drycamp in the boondocks as long as the OP was asking about - as our "comfortable" duration time is limited to about 7 days without getting into full-blown backpacking mode ... due mostly to fresh water supply.

Our grey water tank can be off-loaded into the larger black water tank to extend our effective grey water capacity.

We don't have solar. For electrical power we have four day-or-night, rain-or-shine, combinations:

1) 4000 watts of 120V AC from our built-in generator fueled from our main 55 gallon gas tank. (fairly quiet)

2) 300 watts of 120V AC from our pure sine wave inverter. (no noise)

3) 650 watts of 120V AC from our small four-cycle Honda portable generator (extremely quiet)

4) Up to 60-65 amps per hour of 12V+ DC while idling our main engine's alternator. (ultra quiet)

Our coach battery bank capacity consists of 230 total amp hours from two 12V deep cycle AGM batteries.

Wilderness tip...

Every fourth day when there are three or more users, sprinkle a solid layer of LIME over the deposit. Anaerobic bacteria tend to be gram negative - therefore more likely to be a health hazard. The lime speeds up chemical decomposition, greatly suppresses insects and odor. At the end of usage, apply a thick layer of lime plus water. Then cover with 2' of dirt, compact, then keep filling until a small mound forms.

mlts22 wrote:
When I was in biology class, I learned that if stuff doesn't get oxygen, it decomposes ...very... slowly, so the bugs that will make people sick would remain in the soil for a long time.

Yes, it decomposes faster with aerobic bacteria. "Legal" septic tanks are made anaerobic only because North American bureaucrats, hand in hand with under-educated and over-emancipated suburbia have decreed the foul smell a greater evil than the actual contamination :)... Thus the drainfield has to work twice as harder.

This brings up another topic. I have heard about people digging latrine style trenches, using those for dumping their tanks, then when about to leave, tossing the dirt back over the hole. When I was in biology class, I learned that if stuff doesn't get oxygen, it decomposes ...very... slowly, so the bugs that will make people sick would remain in the soil for a long time.

What I wish that Dometic would do is make their vehicle exhaust based incinerator again. It definitely would solve waste problems in an extremely sanitary fashion. No compost, no dumping... just some ash left over.

Boon, I don't read Almot as saying you dump the whole 40 gallons.

And just where did I say the whole forty gallons at a time? :R
Burying sh-t in the ground is good for the trees by the way. More environmentally friendly than dumping it in the rivers like most cities in North America do.

Get a grip on life! :S

Sure, sure, bury your sh-t, empty everything in the bush... When I have to do this, I dig some shallow grave before emptying, or find a low-laying spot, and empty a bucket-load at a time, not the whole 40 gallons. This isn't something that you can do everywhere. After several weeks you will run out of propane, fridge is the biggest item.

Almot wrote:


PS: the whole "boondocking" question I don't understand. Living without re-supply of water and without sewer? This would be difficult to do for more than 2 weeks. And, if you have access to camp shower and toilet, this isn't a boondocking.

Boon docking where we go is quite easy to do for more than 2 weeks. Dig a hole out in the bush and put up a potty tent, re-supply the water from mountain streams (with a bit of chlorine added), empty the gray tank out in the bush. This is the way we do it.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Wow!
The number sure surprised me.
I was sort of self-conscious to admit the fitting of a home dishwashing/rinse sprayer in the shower...saves a lot of water but temp control is erratic. Dishes get pre-washed in salt water to the utter delight of little fish. Construct outdoor sanitary facilities
I like to live around my rig rather than in it. I sprang for a 20' totally enclosed porch with floor. It's safely stored at a friend's place where the air is dry...all 215 lbs of it. 1983 model. I remember how pricey the first 5mm white LEDs were. 51 watt Kyocera panels cost me $290 each! A shortwave radio for electronic entertainment. I don't believe I could spend time in a trailer park. Too confining and no adventure.

He is bored down there, shouldn't be a secret to anybody :).

Have any link to that enclosed porch with floor - Ok it was 1983, but maybe product name or anything similar today? I looked up, all mesh enclosures are of a quality that fits products of China era. Dengue-carrying mosquitoes are too much to my taste...

No adventure or entertainment - what, Templarios in your area are quiet lately?

PS: the whole "boondocking" question I don't understand. Living without re-supply of water and without sewer? This would be difficult to do for more than 2 weeks. And, if you have access to camp shower and toilet, this isn't a boondocking. I live like this (i.e. camp utilities) for months at a time, 490W solar, no generator. Half of snowbirds on dry camps live like this. Another half - in the same Az, Fl, Baja, Sonora - run their gennies few hours a day, with 200-300W solar on roofs, don't know why, and doubt that they do. Not everyone of them can tell the difference btw DC and AC.