Boondocking - An Alternative to Traditional Camping

Boondocking may not be a familiar word to a lot of RV’ers, Van Lifers, Tent Campers and the rest of the camping public, especially “newbies”… but it will be soon as more and more people are finding it can be a pleasant alternative to expensive RV parks and resorts.

Boondocking in the desert

Boondocking is sometimes referred to as dry camping or dispersed camping and is becoming more popular because people want to go camping in the great outdoors without being squeezed into small camping spaces in RV parks. Aside from that, the cost at most of these parks is comparable to a motel room and boondocking for the most part is free. If you are traveling from one destination to another, a stop-over at an Interstate rest area could be considered boondocking. Many of us living or traveling in our RV’s will spend the night in a WalMart parking lot, a Sam’s Club or a Truck Stop. Providing of course that there are no signs posted prohibiting such overnight parking. It’s always best to check with management. If I park overnight at any establishment such as WalMart, I always make it a point to purchase something while there and never leave any litter about. There is certain protocol you should follow; the first of which is common sense. Please don’t set out your lawn chairs and roll out your awning and slide outs and begin cooking your dinner. Actions such as that can ruin it for the rest of the folks that appreciates these establishments for letting us park there overnight.

I have been traveling in my converted van for years and have travelled across this great country several times. Boondocking to me is finding a nice secluded parking spot on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Land. BLM Land is owned by the Federal Government and is open for all of us to enjoy free of charge. BLM Land is not that plentiful on the east coast, but out west there are literally millions of acres. For example, I normally travel to southern Arizona and boondock in the Sonoran Desert during the winter, along with thousands of other boondockers.

Boondocking in a Class B or converted van

Not to worry though, because there are millions of acres in Arizona that belong to the BLM. During the summer months, I'm somewhere in the mountains in the National Forest.

Boondocking in a National Forest

Boondocking also means that you’ll be off grid all or most of the time, therefore you won’t have access to water and electricity hookups. In this regard, you must carry plenty of water and food and have a means for electricity. I have an AGM, deep cycle RV battery that is charged by my alternator when driving. When off grid and my battery needs recharging, I have solar panels that I hook to my house battery and the sun charges my house battery. My house battery is adequate to keep my refrigerator running and power my lights and charge my laptop and other electronic devices. I also have a Honda portable generator but rarely use it. I carry enough food and water to last me 2-3 weeks so I can be totally off grid for that amount of time. I have a portable shower that fastens to the side of my van with a magnet or over a tree limb and I have a 5 gallon bucket for my shower water.

The shower has a built in motor and pump that gives me a good shower. If it’s cold, I heat water on my portable cook stove and mix it with cold water to have a very nice shower. I found it on Amazon for something like $35.00. I also have a gym membership to Anytime Fitness. They have gyms in most cities throughout the country so keeping clean is not an issue. I can also stop at a truck stop and get a shower for 8-10 bucks and also do my laundry while there.

Boondocking might sound a little scary to someone that’s never done it but spending a couple of nights out in a familiar area might get you more comfortable with it. When my kids were young, we used to camp a lot, but mostly at traditional campgrounds. Now that my kids are grown, I’m basically a solo traveler and I love boondocking. I can’t remember the last time I stayed at a paid campground and I have no intentions of ever doing so again.

Since the Covid-19 Pandemic began, getting outdoors to go camping and RV’ing has become very popular. It’s next to impossible to find high top vans like my RAM Promaster, because the demand is so high right now with people buying them and converting them as I’ve done. Finding any RV, whether it be a Class A, Class C, Class B or travel trailer is becoming more difficult as inventory is very low.

Source: Most of the photos in this blog are provided courtesy of unsplash.com.

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