When did boondocking become weird?

[ohhell10339]

I always thought RVs were supposed to be self-sufficient; that they had water tanks and generators and waste tanks so that you could use them to go camping wherever you wanted and be independent. Now, apparently that's so oddball that it requires a label: "boondocking." Shouldn't that be the default setting for an RV? Why this feeling that one should end every day comfortingly hooked up to water/sewer/power/cable/piped-in oxygen, just like the home that you should probably never have left?

It seems to me that this feeling that you need to be plugged into the grid every moment that you're not actually moving is what enables all those shysters to sell a 100 square foot slab of concrete with a sewer outlet, electrical plug, and water spigot for the price of a hotel room (or more!!!). I honestly cannot fathom staying at one of those places any more than maybe once a week, when you can dump, flush, launder, and recharge everything. That might be worth the horrible expense. But otherwise, if you convince yourself you can't live without all those umbilical cords, even for a few days, then really, what's the point of even having an RV? Why not just drive a car and stay in hotels?

I guess my question is, when did this all happen? I know that in my college camping days, "boondocking" was the norm. At some point, which I obviously didn't catch, "camping" turned from parking your 23-footer out in the national forest for the weekend--no hookups--to paying $110 a night to park your 45-foot Behemoth Industries Luxury Cruiser at Slab Heaven RV Resort and essentially duplicating the experience of living at home.

What happened, exactly? When did boondocking start being weird?

[Chris_Lori]

pnichols wrote:

It looks like your first RV was similar to our first RV -> a 1969 Chinook chassis-mount Class C. This RV had propane powered lights, 12V lights, and 120V lights. To charge the battery we either had to plug in with hookups or idle the main engine when drycamping. That was a great rig, but it would definitely look like weird camping to use it today.

The memories... ours was a 1967 Layton 22 ft travel trailer, we used in until 2005 when it started having structural problem from termites LOL So we donated it to a hunting club in Tennessee to use as a shelter...

[pnichols]

Chris&Lori wrote:
Haha it was when they started to run everything with electricity... my first RV had a radiant wall heater, no A/C just a lot of windows, a water system that used air pressure, all plumbing went to one tank that we now call the black water tank, and a built in propane lantern... it only had a few 12v lights. We could stay anywhere in that rig for as long as we wanted!!! I still miss that trailer... sign 😕

It looks like your first RV was similar to our first RV -> a 1969 Chinook chassis-mount Class C. This RV had propane powered lights, 12V lights, and 120V lights. To charge the battery we either had to plug in with hookups or idle the main engine when drycamping. That was a great rig, but it would definitely look like weird camping to use it today.

[Chris_Lori]

ohhell10339 wrote:
What happened, exactly? When did boondocking start being weird?

Haha it was when they started to run everything with electricity... my first RV had a radiant wall heater, no A/C just a lot of windows, a water system that used air pressure, all plumbing went to one tank that we now call the black water tank, and a built in propane lantern... it only had a few 12v lights. We could stay anywhere in that rig for as long as we wanted!!! I still miss that trailer... sign 😕

[Trekkar]

Old_Man wrote:
OK, now we're into ad hominems. Have a nice day.

I don't believe any of the comments so far were directed at you personally. It seems that most of the thread has stayed on topic.

[Old_Man]

OK, now we're into ad hominems. Have a nice day.

[ppine]

If I needed scare lights and horns, or claymores and trip wire I would stay home.

[JaxDad]

Old_Man wrote:

Lantley wrote:

I hope you are very remote with no one nearby with all those scare lights horns and etc. Nothing like bringing city lights, noise and mentality to the middle of nowhere.
I would not want to be parked anywhere near all that excitement.

I will protect my family.

Protect them from sleeping?

I don’t know where you boondock but I know from trail cams I use when I boondock (I like to see what critters are around at night) those motion-activated lights would be on more than off all night long.

[toedtoes]

Skip the generator and you won't need the scare lights to scare away the theives. And if you don't need the scare lights then you reduce your eldctrical consumption and won't need the generator....

[Lantley]

Old_Man wrote:

Lantley wrote:

I hope you are very remote with no one nearby with all those scare lights horns and etc. Nothing like bringing city lights, noise and mentality to the middle of nowhere.
I would not want to be parked anywhere near all that excitement.

I will protect my family.

So will I, but I'm not living for the moment to protect them.
I don't need scare lights and horns to enjoy the peacefulness of a remote area. The baggage and worry we create is sometimes of our own doing.

[Old_Man]

Lantley wrote:

I hope you are very remote with no one nearby with all those scare lights horns and etc. Nothing like bringing city lights, noise and mentality to the middle of nowhere.
I would not want to be parked anywhere near all that excitement.

I will protect my family.

[Lantley]

Old_Man wrote:
Regarding safety in parks and boondocking...

I will use motion-sensor lights at night. All sides. Get too close, I'll have a nice sight picture. Of course, I don't need one with a shotgun. Just rock salt with the first shot.

Hell, I'd give them the Onan if they really wanted it. I'd rather sell it but if that's all it takes to get the GU to leave us alone, I'll disconnect it and leave it where they can just grab it.

But motion sensor lights are a must-have. The startle factor alone makes them indispensable. Might set it up to trigger an air horn, too. The brown stain in their pants would be worth it.

I hope you are very remote with no one nearby with all those scare lights horns and etc. Nothing like bringing city lights, noise and mentality to the middle of nowhere.
I would not want to be parked anywhere near all that excitement.

[Old_Man]

toedtoes wrote:


I wasn't talking about the wildlife's fear of man. I'm talking about man's fear of man. I don't fear man enough that I need scare lights when I'm out in the forest. I go there because I want to enjoy nature - and that includes the darkness.

I love the darkness, too. I am an amateur astronomer and citizen scientist. I allow my Mac to be used by a number of scientific projects, including SETI. If I'm watching video, I can pause the work until I've got the processor freed up. A very small contribution I can make.

Once I hit the road, I won't be able to do much so I'm letting them use my box. a lot. Anyone else take part using the BOINC application?

I grew up in the ghetto, followed by a stint in Texas (I'm back in California, now) and I have been mugged, attacked (when working as a newspaper photographer) and I've heard enough stories about people trying to rob the generator right out of the rig. Well they will not do that to me. Not on your life. I have dealt with bullies. ENOUGH.

At the end of the conversation, the bottom line is this: I will protect my family. Leave us alone and we have no problem. Bother us, we're going to have a serious problem. Wake us up at night, trying to steal our stuff and all bets are off.

I remember a year, back when I flew, I went air camping in Norcal. It was Memorial Day weekend and we parked in our usual spot, NOT in the campground nearby. There must have been 200 people in that campground. The piles of trash were beyond horror. Just the GU carrying on like horny teenagers.

Two of them started coming toward the plane. I could hear them talking and getting close. When it was like they were next to me, I pumped the shotgun. Theu turned around and walked away.

I will protect my family.

[toedtoes]

Old_Man wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I have never had a need or desire for scare lights. I enjoy seeing the nighttime activities of the animals where I camp and scare lights would chase all that away. Deer, coyote, raccoon, bobcat, and even bear are all things I don't want to miss due a fear of man.

Hmmmm, I don't think I can hold with this. I want wildlife to fear man. Wildlife should fear man. I'm ok with that. Set up a GoPro next to a salt lick or something.

I wasn't talking about the wildlife's fear of man. I'm talking about man's fear of man. I don't fear man enough that I need scare lights when I'm out in the forest. I go there because I want to enjoy nature - and that includes the darkness.

[Old_Man]

toedtoes wrote:
I have never had a need or desire for scare lights. I enjoy seeing the nighttime activities of the animals where I camp and scare lights would chase all that away. Deer, coyote, raccoon, bobcat, and even bear are all things I don't want to miss due a fear of man.

Hmmmm, I don't think I can hold with this. I want wildlife to fear man. Wildlife should fear man. I'm ok with that. Set up a GoPro next to a salt lick or something.