The truth about Boondocking

[icanon]

I want to know the truth about Boondocking, the pros and cons.
I don't want it to turn into a 'story telling' thread but a thread about concerns, issues, advantages etc.

Some examples I wonder about are where to boondock, how do you know if you're allowed to camp there, how to know if you're not on private land and not get shot for camping there. What do you do with gray and black water? Do you pee in the woods or behind a rock if in the desert to save tank space? Yeah, seems like silly questions but I wonder what people really do?

How long do people stay in one place, do they move when they run out of water or food etc. Do you leave the TT there to get water or whatever?

Do you worry about theft, people roaming around near or in your campsite? I read somewhere about people being attacked by wild animals at night while letting their pet relieve themselves nearby. Is it the 'wild west' shoot first ask questions later?

I've read on the net lots of honky dory stories about boondockong but never the truth about some of the examples I listed above.

These are just some of the questions I'm asking myself and very interested in hearing from others who do this type of camping.
Please add other examples good and bad I love to hear about it and what to do.
Thanks

[icanon]

profdant139 wrote:
icanon, what part of the country are you in?

Canada Quebec actually. But I travel a lot, last year I did the whole eastern coast of USA, this year I'll be doing the Canadian maritimes, then in 2017 going western Canada leaving the TT there for the winter then the following year western USA coast line then the mid west back home. I love to plan ahead lol!

As you can tell I would like to 'boondock' a couple of nights during my travel between each destination for not only to have some time to do my astronomy but to save a little money, to have some peace and quiet and really enjoy the scenery.

[profdant139]

icanon, what part of the country are you in?

[pnichols]

Less Stuff,

I love that photo of yours showing you camping way out by a lake in Idaho ... you ever so often show it and it's one of my favorite real life photos illustrating what camping in the boondocks is supposed to be all about. We once camped decades ago like that completely by ourselves way out on the shore of Pyramid Lake ... I wish I had taken a photo of our campsite there.

P.S. I'm sure glad you gave up your old "Lots of Stuff" handle ... so I maybe can use it some day. 😉

[pnichols]

4runnerguy wrote:
I've been places where there was one light visible 50 miles away. Very dark!

If you want pristine dark skies that are waaaaayyyy out there ... try this spot:

42 degrees, 43 minutes, 24.24 seconds, N
by
119 degrees, 51 minutes, 37.53 seconds, W

You will have very little company there. We boondock camped there (the real deal) a few short years ago in our 24 foot E450 Class C ... spectacular camping - but be prepared for miles and miles of 7-10 MPH very dusty driving to get there and return. I had to maintain air pressure inside the coach to keep the dust from sneaking in. Our long range cellular amplifier and antenna were necessary to just barely get one bar on our cell phones. Don't try it unless the weather has been ... and will remain while you're there ... dry. :C

[we3]

Tagged for future use

[icanon]

Now I have to admit this thread has way passed my expectations with all the great info and links wow I'm truly happy, thanks everyone, thanks.

[4runnerguy]

I find we boondock a lot less than we used to. Believe it or not, one of the main reasons is that there are so many more boondockers compared to 30 or 40 years ago. Anymore, I find that we often have more space to the next camper at NFS CG's compared to many of the boondocking locations. Nothing like waking up in the morning and finding another group camped 10' from your rig. Of course we live in a state with thousands of campers and when we travel, it's also to quite popular destinations. Canyons that we used to drive up to camp have gone from a dozen or so occupied campsites to 100 or more on weekends.

In fact in some places like around Moab, they've simply closed thousands of acres to dispersed camping. They had to do it really. So much of the "soil" there is nothing more than sand, so even if people (tenters) properly dig cat holes, once the ground is disturbed, the wind blows it way, exposing all sorts of once buried "nastiness".

That being said, there are still a few, out-of-the-way places we boondock in relative privacy, here in CO and in other western states. Get away from major destinations like NP's and at least a two or three hour drive from a metropolitan area and you'll have more success.

I'm not trying to discourage you at all. Just bemoaning the fact the boondocking ain't what it used to be. Want to see stars? Head out to the middle of NV where there's thousands of square miles of BLM land. I've been places where there was one light visible 50 miles away. Very dark!

[icanon]

bka0721 wrote:
I have been writing articles and stories for a long time now and it seemed like a good fit to write about something that I am very passionate about and my lifestyle. That is living full time in a Truck Camper, while avoiding campgrounds. In 7 1/2 years, I have stayed in 14 campgrounds for a total of 48 nights, the remaining almost 2,700 nights (time off for backpacking and hospitalizations) were boondocking and or dry camping.

If you are unfamiliar with an online magazine, called Truck Camper Magazine, you might give it a look via this link CLICKY

Since this is a boondocking forum, with lots of helpful information and knowledgeable posters, I thought I would offer these links for your review. Thanks

Part I

Truck Camper Magazine




Part II

Extreme Boondocking and the TP Factor



Thanks.

b

Not familiar with truck camper mag but soon will be got your links added to my web favorite list as many with many others who posted links here is this thread. Thanks

[icanon]

profdant139 wrote:

By the way, here is a link to a blog post in which I have collected photos of our trailer in a number of different boondocking sites -- it'll give you some idea of the peace and quiet we are always hoping to find:

Boondocking photos

Thanks for the blog link. When I saw the pics with the milky way and starry night sky I said to myself that's where I want to go!

[icanon]

pnichols wrote:
Your question (the original poster's) sounds as if you are an RV'er looking to boondock on purpose?

Exactly.
I do some astronomy and want some great clear, dark, no light pollution skies and peace and quiet. Also, when going on long trips like to stop for a night or two in one of these places before stopping at full hookups CG's.

[bka0721]

As for your Personal Safety, while Boondocking, I have written another article on this subject, as well. There are many great suggestions from many here in this thread. The below links are just my suggestions, as well. Some I actually practice and some that I have seen or know others use themselves. How and what you do, to promote your own safety, is entirely up to you. I will just say this, statistically you are at a much great risk of an unlawful act against you and your property in a populated area than you would be in a boondocking location. So I would offer this additional article, for your opportunity to gain some perspective in the great outdoors.



Part 1 Clicky for Personal Safety for Truck Campers and other Boondocking RVs




Part 2 Clicky for Personal Safety for Truck Campers and other Boondocking RVs

[Less_Stuff]

pnichols, thanks for justifying my order of a camper without the forward facing window we even saved about $300. We ordered without the window because a rental motorhome proved cold sleeping by that window.

[bka0721]

I have been writing articles and stories for a long time now and it seemed like a good fit to write about something that I am very passionate about and my lifestyle. That is living full time in a Truck Camper, while avoiding campgrounds. In 7 1/2 years, I have stayed in 14 campgrounds for a total of 48 nights, the remaining almost 2,700 nights (time off for backpacking and hospitalizations) were boondocking and or dry camping.

If you are unfamiliar with an online magazine, called Truck Camper Magazine, you might give it a look via this link CLICKY

Since this is a boondocking forum, with lots of helpful information and knowledgeable posters, I thought I would offer these links for your review. Thanks

Part I

Truck Camper Magazine




Part II

Extreme Boondocking and the TP Factor



Thanks.

b

[pnichols]

Dan,

I like to call our RV camping style as the USET (U.S. Expedition Touring) style, since true expedition camping in the civilized U.S. is no longer needed or possible (unfortunately) ... so on-pavement or off-pavement road touring is actually just about all that can be done in rigs with all the comforts of home when you get there. (And yes .... I used to camp - but not in an RV - in the High Sierras and the High Uintas.) The USET style of camping kindof requires being ready for anything that can be thrown at you - given that it's in the U.S. where you're traveling - as opposed to Africa or Siberia.

The above is why I would probably not buy an Earthroamer even I had the spare cash. There's really no place where it's needed or can be fully appreciated in the U.S. or Canada, and we're not into driving or shipping or renting an RV anywhere else but those two countries.

The only thing "wrong" with our current rig is it's not 4WD and it's got one of those doggone forward facing cabover windows which - you guessed it - was broken by a rock thousands of miles from home and caused us a lot of grief and came close to truncating the remaining part of an otherwise spectacular trip. It's pretty hard to carry a spare forward facing cabover window along.

[Less_Stuff]

pnichols wrote:

My experiential based RV philosophy is this: You can't bring too much along ... only more than you can fit or more than your rig's weight rating allows.

Very interesting for ten years we took much less than we thought we would need then we sold the Truck and Camper.
Now take not much more than a suitcase with clothing and toiletries.
We found we can get what we need most everywhere when we travel.

However we never Boondocked longer than a few days before moving on.