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

[pnichols]

icanon & Gary,

Thanks loads for the link on RV'ing in Canada and Alaska. We're planning a trip for 2017 through Canada to Alaska and back, so we're beginning to collect info.

We'll probably be traveling through Canada using one of the two highly recommended inland routes. There is a third route through Canada that stays close to Canada's West Coast, but we we're not too hot on loading our RV on and off ferries. It's a widebody so we've learned that loading/unloading can be a white knuckle experience and also, our refrigerator is propane powered so tuning it off for ferry runs risks food damage.

[garyhaupt]

icanon wrote:

garyhaupt wrote:
Ya'll come on up to the Canada Forum icanon. We tolerate the Alaska folks too, but that's just the kind of people we are.

We got lots of good boondockin info and places to see and visit.


Gary Haupt

Is this the forum you're talking about RVing in Canada and Alaska ?

I had to look twice..looks different than what I am used to...but yes, that Forum. I go thru a different portal.


http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/65.cfm



Gary Haupt

[icanon]

Good tips about tire repairs.

[AH64ID]

With a tandem axle trailer you don't need a jack, just some blocks to make a ramp that puts the effected axle in the air. I would need a 3T jack to get a corner of my pickup in the air when loaded, so based on the number of flats I have had I carry a bottle jack.

I carry 2 spares for the trailer, an on-board air system, and a plug kit. On very remote trips I take two spares for the truck too.

[LenSatic]

pnichols wrote:
1. Fairly complete tire servicing capability, including - of course a full size spare, an extended height hydraulic jack, a full power compressor, cans of flat fix spray, a professional tire puncture repair kit,

Pretty much the same for tire repair except we carry a 2 1/2 ton floor jack. I hate working with the flimsy screw type and bottle jacks. The jack case fits perfectly between the Tahoe's second row of seats and the third row was removed the day we bought it. That's where the dog's travel cage is. He can watch DVDs or listen to his favorite music. He even has his own cup holders. 😄

LS

[profdant139]

"That bottle" changed our lives! Before you get the impression we have a drinking problem, here is the story -- we were avid hikers who stayed in dreary motels and ate in diners, with their salty food and meager wine lists. We had never camped in our lives -- it seemed too uncomfortable and grim.

Late one afternoon, we finished a long hike in the California redwoods, resigned to a long drive back to the motel in town. The trailhead ended in a campground. A well-dressed lady stepped out of her RV holding a bottle of Zinfandel and two wine glasses and brought them over to her husband, who was sitting in a lounge chair.

Suddenly, the light dawned -- camping was not necessarily about freeze-dried macaroni and a lumpy sleeping bag -- it could be about decent beverages and good food and a comfortable bed -- wow! Who knew?

The rest is history. And to us, one of the greatest pleasures of boondocking is enjoying a very civilized late afternoon beverage in a remote and primitive setting -- the stark contrast makes it even more delicious!

[AH64ID]

ReneeG wrote:


Central Idaho - Middle Fork of the Payette Area. This is a snowmobile parking area used frequently during summer and fall months for boondocking.

We have hit that spot several times ourselves, generally in late winter when there is still snow on the ground.

Here is our favorite spot on the edge of the Frank Church.

[ReneeG]

icanon wrote:
Renee

That's my kind of camping good bottle of wine next to a stream with mountains in the background,and some good friends to share with. Maybe one day our family will meet up and have that bottle.

I like that! DH and I have never met another RV'ing couple we didn't enjoy visiting with and we've met a lot on our travels. DH is super friendly. We always have plenty of wine on hand and mixed drink makings!

[icanon]

Renee

That's my kind of camping good bottle of wine next to a stream with mountains in the background,and some good friends to share with. Maybe one day our family will meet up and have that bottle.

[ReneeG]

Here are a few of our boondocking pictures -

Edge of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area in Idaho -


Same area, different spot, different year -


Central Idaho - Middle Fork of the Payette Area. This is a snowmobile parking area used frequently during summer and fall months for boondocking.


Same area as the first, different spot, different year - it's our favorite!


We carry our own outside equipment to setup when boondocking -


Different RV, first one we boondocked with -


Our first boondocking spot, ever! It was a great introduction as it wasn't far from the road - giving me that "sense of security" that I now know wasn't.

[icanon]

garyhaupt wrote:
Ya'll come on up to the Canada Forum icanon. We tolerate the Alaska folks too, but that's just the kind of people we are.

We got lots of good boondockin info and places to see and visit.


Gary Haupt

Is this the forum you're talking about RVing in Canada and Alaska ?

[garyhaupt]

Ya'll come on up to the Canada Forum icanon. We tolerate the Alaska folks too, but that's just the kind of people we are.

We got lots of good boondockin info and places to see and visit.


Gary Haupt

[icanon]

2oldman wrote:

we3 wrote:
Tagged for future use

I'll keep the url for future reference. Good thread.

Agree it is a good thread.

[2oldman]

we3 wrote:
Tagged for future use

I'll keep the url for future reference. Good thread.

[profdant139]

icanon, you have an ambitious agenda! We found that although there is a lot of boondocking in the Western US in the national forests, there is not as much in Canada, at least in the areas we wanted to visit. I would recommend posting inquiries in the Canada/Alaska forum -- there are quite a few experts on Canadian boondocking who are active on that forum. They will give you some great advice on how to avoid the logging trucks that speed through the back country.

But take heart -- the campgrounds in the national parks and the provincial parks are pretty nice, too -- well-maintained, spacious, and well-located. For example, this was taken from our campsite in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, south of Canmore:




With reference to astronomy, we found that the skies in BC and Alberta were plenty dark, even in the campgrounds, as long as you are not too close to a major town.