How We Boondock!
Boondocking, dry-camping, aka camping without any hookups looks different for everyone! We get a lot of questions about how we do it, and thought we’d share what boondocking looks like for US!
Prepping For Boondocking
We have a 42ft. fifth wheel with a 48 gallon fresh water tank, a 90 gallon gray water tank and a 45 gallon black tank. Before we set out, we empty our gray and black tanks and fill our fresh water tank. I meal plan for how many days we will be boondocking, making sure I have easy meals that don’t require a lot of dishes to clean.
We don’t typically use disposable dishes but we do when we boondock. I make sure I have disposable forks, spoons, bowls and plates. Examples of easy meals are frozen pizza, frozen lasagna, burgers or chicken on the outdoor grill, etc.
We make sure we have plenty of propane. We have 2 propane tanks. Our refrigerator, our stove/oven and our heat is propane. I make sure all of our laundry is done so we have all of our clean clothes available!
We Have Arrived…Now What?
Once we arrive at our destination, our goal is to use as little water as possible. We tend to camp in very remote areas, so this means the boys can pee outside! This saves flushes and saves room in the black tank.
For showers, we use body cleaning wipes and by the 3rd day, I usually feel the strong need to take a quick military shower (turn on water, get wet, turn water off, lather up, turn back on to rinse off.) The kids hate showering so they love the “sponge bath” body wipe showers!
If we start getting low on water, we use our 60 gallon water bladder & water pump to refill our fresh water tank. RV parks usually slow you to fill your water for $10-$20, but ask around to see if there are free places to fill.
Keeping the lights on & Batteries charged
We recently upgraded our batteries to 3 Dakota Lithium 12V 100AH deep cycle batteries and wow, what a difference lithium batteries make!
In order to keep our batteries charged, we have a 200W Go Power portable solar panel that works great on sunny days in keeping our batteries topped off. We also have a Vicron Multiplus C 12/2000/80-50 120V inverter & charger that allows us to use our battery power for our electrical outlets so that we can charge our laptops and phones, as well as use a hairdryer, microwave, TV, coffee maker, etc.
As a backup/supplement to our solar panel, we have a Predator 3500 Watt generator with inverter. With our new batteries and solar panel set up, we no longer need to run the generator every day, but it is still necessary to have. It’s been a lifesaver in some of the warmer areas we’ve visited, because we can’t run our A/C without it!
Our most recent addition is a lightweight, portable power station from Jackery that has several types of ports to charge things such as laptops, cell phones, and even small appliances. We can recharge the power station when the generator (or solar/inverter) is on to keep it full of power, or by using it’s own solar panel which we love!
We also enjoy taking this to the beach or pool when we need to keep charged.
Why we LOVE boondocking
Having full hookups is nice and easy, but we find those typically come at a price. You’re paying for the hookups and almost always in tight spots with lots of neighbors. We have found some of the most incredibly beautiful boondocking spots in remote areas. Wide open spaces, privacy, and pure beauty to enjoy! For our family, a nice mix of RV parks with full hookups and off the grid boondocking is what keeps us happy!
Check out some of our favorite boondocking spots.
Finding the perfect boondocking spot
How do we find boondocking spots? Campendium. It’s a website AND app where you can search for all types of camping spots. RV Parks, campgrounds, BLM land, parking lots for overnight stays, etc. Users can post reviews and photos of the options.
Harvest Hosts is a yearly membership that gives you access to a ton of farms, wineries, museums and breweries that allow you to stay overnight if you’re passing through for free! We’ve loved taking advantage of this deal!
What questions do you have about boondocking? What did I forget to mention? What tips can you give me?? Maybe your question / suggestion will be added to this blog post!
