CHAPTER 1

What IsBoondock RVing?

Webster's New World Compact Desk Dictionary defines boondocks as "a jungle; theback-country; or a hinterland." As Jan and I understand it, the word derivesfrom the Tagalog word for mountain—bundok—and was picked up by U.S. soldiersafter the Spanish-American War when they were sent into the jungles of thePhilippines. It became more popular during the Vietnam War and has been usedmore and more by the general public ever since.

Boondock RVing (or camping) is, by an RVer's definition, camping with your RV ina place where there are no electrical hookups, water faucets, sewer drains, andphone or cable TV connections. This is also called dry camping or primitivecamping. Boondocking RVers are people who have their RVs equipped for this typeof camping.

We first started boondocking in the 1960s, and during that time, we had twodifferent RVs. Our first rig was a rented pickup camper, which we took on agrand tour of most of the western states. It had minimal equipment aboard: anicebox, two 110-volt lights, a two-burner propane cookstove, a water tank with ahand pump at the galley sink, a Humphrey propane mantle light, and a chemicaltoilet, which was just a large wooden box with a seat and cover, filled partlywith water and chemicals to control the smell.

(RVIA)

The trip was boondocking at its best. Our home was always with us, and we wereable to pull off the road whenever we chose to eat, sleep, and rest. Campinglife was simple then—and delightful. At night we would park our camper in aforest campground. With a gas light hissing away, we had comfortable warmth withplenty of light for reading and a battery-powered, shortwave radio forentertainment. The only problem we ever encountered was the lack of a furnace orheater, which we keenly felt when an early September snowstorm in YellowstonePark left behind 6 inches of snow.

After that trip, we bought a small Tow-Low trailer, which was a big improvement.Among other things, it had an AC/propane refrigerator, a convection furnace(although no fan), a pressure water system (using a hand pump to pump up the airpressure in the water tank), and a Porta-Potti toilet. With this RV, we traveledfrom New York to Nebraska, up through Canada, then into New England and down thecoast to our home in Connecticut, enjoying boondock camping wherever we couldfind it.

Today's RVs are much different from our early rigs. All the appliances andelectronics in modern RVs make them seem more like houses than vehicles, whatwith washing machines, dishwashers, slideouts, and the like. But with the rightequipment and some thoughtful planning, you can still take off in these modernRVs and enjoy the wilderness.

WHY BOONDOCK?

Ask any number of boondockers why they boondock and you'll probably get as manydifferent answers. For example:

* Enjoy the freedom.

* Save money.

* Experience primitive camping.

* Camp in our national parks and Forest Service campgrounds.

* Convenience.

* Visit the grandkids and other relatives and be able to park in their driveway.

* Get away from it all—cell phones, PDAs, faxes, e-mails, meetings, computers,and modern life in general—as much (or as little) as you want to; these daysit's easy to stay "connected" on the road.

Fun and Freedom

First and foremost, boondocking is fun. Imagine camping by a backwoods streamand having the option of either watching a football game on your satellite TVsystem or doing some fishing in the stream. Or you wake up with the earlymorning sun pushing through dense forest leaves, step out the door of your RVand onto a hiking trail. A few hours later, you come back, turn on thecoffeemaker, and e-mail your Aunt Tillie all about your morning.

With boondocking, you get to enjoy freedom of choice because you're not lockedinto camping in a full-hookup campground. You can choose a private campground aswell as a place off the beaten path. You can live simply and rough it, or pileas many amenities into your RV as you can.

We've roughed it and enjoyed it tremendously. But we also occasionally missedsome of our favorite television shows, particularly football games. So weeventually got a small, black-and-white, 12-volt DC TV with a good AM/FM radio.And with our shortwave radio, we could still listen to the BBC from London, theVoice of America, or even the Voice of the Andes even if we were really in theboonies. These gave us immeasurable pleasure. Today a satellite dish operatedfrom an inverter does the job, giving us plenty of movies, news, and sportingevents to watch.

We believe it's all worth it because many of these modern conveniences make forhappier camping. Boondock camping is all about being able to do what you want,when you want. Some of our books, at least in part, have been written in thecomfort of our fifth-wheel trailer while we boondocked. And we've enjoyed everyminute of it.

Save Money

If the main reason for boondock camping is to enjoy the experience, the secondmain reason is cost. RVing is one of the least expensive ways to live or travel.Many fulltimers living on fixed incomes from Social Security or pensions havefound this to be true, as have families who take vacations or spend weekendscamping in their RVs. Boondock camping is a wonderful way to make thisexperience even more affordable.

Additionally, the cost of staying in private campgrounds is increasing, going upby a dollar or more per night each year. We recently read an article inRVBusiness magazine, written by a campground spokesman, that stated the industryenvisions campground prices will eventually reach a level of 50% of the cost ofa midlevel hotel or motel. Consequently, if you would normally pay $100 a nightfor a hotel room, you would pay $50 a night in an RV park. Even those RVers whocan afford those prices may appreciate being able to average out the yearlycampground fees by boondocking as much as possible. If you pay $50 for onenight's camping and then boondock for the next three nights at no cost, you havereduced your average cost to only $12.50 a night for four nights of camping.

Please understand we are not advocating ripping someone off by free camping. Wehave seen some RVers sneak into a private campground after the office wasclosed, fill their water tank, dump their sewage, leave their garbage, use theelectricity, and spend the night, then leave early in the morning before theowner or manager arrives. To us this is stealing pure and simple. As you'll seein Chapter 2, there are many places where you can camp for free without cheatingor stealing.

Fuel Costs

In these days of high prices for gasoline and diesel fuel, doing a littleboondock camping can help equalize your RVing expenses. RVers are worried aboutthe high fuel costs and justifiably so. On a recent solo trip with our fifth-wheel trailer from Ventura, California, to Billings, Montana, and then toAlbany, Oregon, Bill spent $1,035 for fuel: 326.9 gallons of diesel fuel at anaverage cost of $3.15 per gallon. (Our usual mileage while towing is about 10miles per gallon.) Bill also spent $743 for campground fees and boondocked forsix nights. So figuring $25 per night, Bill saved about $150. It would have beeneven nicer to have boon-docked throughout the whole trip. It's possible thatfuel prices may come down ... but they may also keep going up. In any event,saving $150 is always a good thing!

A recent Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) news release polldiscussed this issue of fuel costs in light of RVing trends. Some of the resultsare listed below:

* 45% of RV owners said they may stay closer to home for their camping than theyhave in the past.

* 52% said they will stay a week or longer at one site to save on fuel costs.

* 67% said they will still use their RVs more than in the previous year.

* 37% reported that the cost of fuel would not affect their RV travel plans.

So whether you alter your RVing habits by traveling less or make no changes atall, you still can benefit from boondocking.

Experience Nature

There are many good reasons for staying in private campgrounds. You can enjoythe convenience of electrical hookups, cable TV laundry facilities, a sewer dumpat the site, and free running water. And there are times when a privatecampground is a necessity. In fact, we stay in them the majority of the time,particularly when we have a writing project to do or when we are in a hurry toget to a certain place.

But there are other times when we feel the need to get out in the wild and feedour psyches by being free. And being free means camping in an out-of-the-wayplace, so we can smell the mountain air, hear the waves crashing on an oceanbeach, or enjoy a scenic view. The wilderness is our particular religion, ourplace of worship, our nourishment.

Sometimes the wilderness is just an adventure in the unexpected, such as thetime in Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada when a bull elk looking for hisbride decided to bugle 20 feet away from our trailer at 2:30 in the morning. Itgot our attention real fast, but it has also given us something to talk aboutever since.

While some people may see boondocking as a means to beat the high cost ofprivate camping, we believe most RVers think of it as a way to be close to theenvironment in a natural setting. Falling asleep at night listening to an owlhooting near your rig or waking up in a beautiful location, perhaps close tospecial activities you like—such experiences are part of the joys ofboondocking.

We are fortunate to live in a country that offers so many places to get close tonature, such as our national parks and forests and recreation areas, all ofwhich have boon-docking campsites (see Chapter 2). Most small state and countyparks are also dry camps. A few may have electricity available, but that is all,and it will most likely be an old 15 amp outlet. Some dry camps might even havea trash station, but in effect you are still boondocking. A lot of the parks inthe mountains or along our beaches have nothing more than a space in which topark your rig.

Convenience

Overnight convenience camping is when an RVer pulls into the parking lot of ashopping center, restaurant, or retail store for one night, strictly forconvenience's sake, and resumes traveling the next day. Most RVers do it, atleast occasionally, and we have frequently done this type of boondock camping.Sometimes an area has no nearby campgrounds or the local campgrounds are full,or we are just trying to save a bit of money. Any modern RV is usually equippedfor overnight convenience camping, and if you're careful to conserve yourbattery power, you'll have no problems.

This topic, in fact, was discussed in an article in the July/August 2006 issueof Escapees magazine, the official publication of the Escapees RV Club, whichpromotes boondock camping. The article, "An Economist's Perspective," waswritten by Andrew Cornwall, who did a study for the government of Nova Scotia,Canada. The study investigated the economic effects on private campgrounds of aprovince-wide, overnight RV parking ban in business parking lots. The study'sresults apply to RVers in both Canada and the United States:

* Half of all RVers boondock in such parking lots.

* RVers stay in these lots 1.5 nights per month for each month they use theirRVs, plus 0.6 night for each 1,000 miles traveled.

* Convenience was the overwhelming reason given, followed by the lack ofavailable camping sites in the area.

* The existence of a parking ban caused one third of all RVers to boycott an areaand one half to have a diminished desire to visit the area.

These results demonstrate that all RVers need to boondock occasionally, and thatmore and more RVers are boondocking.

Another aspect of convenience camping is being able to visit friends and familyand park your RV in their driveway or backyard. You have the privacy and peaceof mind of separate living quarters, yet the convenience of being able to walkacross the yard to have breakfast with your grandchildren. Or you're in thereverse situation—you and your children are the ones visiting Mom and Dad. Sinceyour RV is already stocked and prepared for children, your visit is that muchmore relaxed and organized.

EXTENDED BOONDOCK CAMPING

Extended camping is when an RVer plans to stay at a site for two nights or more,perhaps even a week, a month, or a full season. This type of camping requiressome specialized knowledge, equipment, and techniques to do it successfully.These are primarily electrical in nature, with the most important concern beingthe proper charging of your battery. (We'll cover the electrical aspects ofboondocking in the latter part of the book.)

The reasons for this type of boondock camping also vary:

* Enjoy the wilderness or the away-from-it-all experience.

* Fish the rivers and streams of a particular area.

* Provide a base camp for hunting, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, orsnowmobiling.

Many snowbirds go to the desert areas of the Southwest and stay for a month oreven the entire season, camping without benefit of hookups. The most popularplace for boondocking is the stretch of highway between Yuma and the popularcenter of all boondock camping—Quartzsite, Arizona. Quartzsite's populationincreases every January, February, and March from 2,000 people to over 500,000RVers and rockhounds for the RV and Gem Shows held during this period. Once atQuartzsite, we met a lady who told us she had lived there for seven yearswithout any hookups of any kind. Now that is really boondocking!

A SAMPLE BOONDOCKING TRIP

To give you an idea of what boondocking might be like, we've created thefollowing fictional, but typical, trip. We'll follow Bob and Mary Jones as theytake a two-week boondock camping trip. Their RV is a 30-foot Class A motorhome(see Chapter 3 for more on types of RVs), and they tow a vehicle (which RVerscall a dinghy). As you read, please don't let the technical talk bother you;we've included cross-references to direct you to the main discussions in thebook.

First let's look at the equipment installed in Bob and Mary's RV:

* A converter/charger with a 45 amp output.

* A 4-kilowatt built-in generator. (Trailers can have this same convenience witha small portable generator of at least 1,000 watts.)

* A 300-watt portable inverter wired to the batteries.

* Two 100-watt solar panels with a multistage regulator featuring maximum powerpoint tracking (MPPT).

* Two 6-volt golf-cart wet-cell batteries, wired in series, with a total capacityof 220 amp-hours.

* A 30-wattTV satellite receiver (runs off the inverter).

* A 9-inch, 35-watt color TV set (runs off the inverter).

* A 17-inch, wide-screen, 75-watt laptop computer with a 120-volt AC power supply(runs off the inverter).

* A standard 12-volt DC/120-voltAC propane refrigerator.

* A cell phone.

* A SmoothTalker cell-phone amplifier.

* An engine alternator capable of delivering at least a 30 amp charge.

* A 50-gallon freshwater tank.

* Two 6-gallon jerry jugs for extra fresh water.

* Holding tanks: a 36-gallon gray-water tank and a 36-gallon black-water tank.

* Two 7-gallon propane tanks.

Day 1

Our couple, Bob and Mary, leave home for a two-week vacation. They spend theirfirst day driving along the interstate highway to their first night'sdestination—a convenience boondock stop in a Wal-Mart parking lot (see Chapter2). They arrive late in the afternoon, put the refrigerator on propane, and do alittle shopping.

In the evening, they extend their slideouts (sections of an RV that extend about2 to 4 feet beyond the normal width of the unit), and using the inverter, spenda few hours watching satellite TV They also have the option of answering theire-mail on the laptop by using a cell-phone PC card and amplifier (see Chapter7). Bob decides to surf the Internet for awhile looking for places to go.

With all this electricity usage, they will closely monitor their batteries' amp-hourconsumption tonight using one of the following instruments: an ammeter, anamp-hour meter (best choice), or a volt-ohm meter (VOM; see Chapter 9). Theycould also go low-tech and just estimate their evening's amp-hour consumption(see Table 8-3).

Day 2

Our couple decides to get an early start this morning. Since they plan to driveseveral hundred miles today they're confident the alternator will charge thebatteries enough to replenish the previous night's discharge (see Chapter 10).If not, they can use the solar panels in conjunction with the alternator to dothe job (see Chapter 12). Another option would be to charge the batteries usingthe generator and the converter/charger as they travel throughout the day (seeChapter 11).

Bob and Mary finally arrive at their destination, which is the first wildernesscamping site they plan to visit. As they have previously visited the sitebefore, they know exactly where they wish to park their RV—along a prettymountain river. After setting up their camp, they drive to nearby Bureau of LandManagement (BLM) or Forest Service offices to pick up some maps of the regionand generally explore the area (see Chapter 2).

So far today, the only electrical appliance in use is the refrigerator. (Note:We never travel with the refrigerator in the On position. This not onlyconserves electrical power and propane, but more important, avoids the danger ofa propane explosion or fire in the event of a highway accident; see Chapter 5.)Because it's a hot day, Bob will be sure to run the refrigerator for an hour orso when they stop for lunch. If they keep the doors closed, this should beenough time to keep the food cool until they reach their campsite. Therefrigerator is the highest phantom load in the RV (see Chapter 8). It canconsume up to 1 ampere per hour or 24 amp-hours per day.