Boondocking Hangover

[Canefin]

People love complaining about others at RV parks fur sure! Tattle Tails!!!😝

[l1v3fr33ord1]

This is just a reminder to our West Coast friends that wide-open, warm and free spaces with great views are hard to come by in Florida this time of year...

[Canefin]

Anything is hard to come by these days in Florida thanks to our winter friends! Locals suffer

[okmunky]

Where do you spend the night while traveling? After 1 noisy night a Walmart I decided to find better options. Rest areas are even worse.

My first choice for a quiet night is in a small town. Parking lots near city parks or ball fields are usually flat and quiet. Those out of business gas stations often provide a canopy if rain is expected. Big parking lots of stores that close at night (like Home Depot) are good.

Ok Boondockers, where do you spend the night when in travel road?

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by joes2901

Dan McMartin, I too see the commercial RV parks as a gravel ghetto. I added all the stuff in my signature below in the first few months so I can boon dock in comfort with minimal hassle.

Where did you fit 800 Ah of batteries in your Bay Star? We can fit 4 batteries in our tray. If I went with L-16's I could get nearly 400 Ah usable in there...assuming the tray can handle 500 lbs.

Originally Posted by okmunky

Ok Boondockers, where do you spend the night when in travel road?

We haven't yet. We've only gone from spot to spot. We'll probably try to avoid Wal-Marts unless we need to shop too. Then why not? If I have a choice, I'd do Cracker Barrel (for obvious reasons ), Cabela's, or a small town or country road. Good question though.

With our 1-2-3 rule (100 miles a day, in camp by 2 pm and stay at least three nights), we rarely need a break from driving. We have a camp identified and often we've scouted it too.

[BOOZE TRAVEL]

We are 1st year newbys. Left Indiana a few weeks ago and are currently North of Dallas heading tward Roswell Monday then wandering to the GC south rim before pointing home.
Do you all have recomendations on where to boondock between here and GC? We are self sufficient for at least 10 days at a time. We haven't done anything east of the mississippi before but have been all over the south and east.
Thanks in advance.

[okmunky]

The forest surrounding the Grand Canyon is where I stayed when there. There's a forest road about 2 miles south of the GC entry gate that goes west. Several nice flat spots within the first mile.

You can pick up free forest maps at any ranger station that will pinpoint where you can boondock. Ask for a "Motoried Road Use" map or you can purchase them in advance here

NATIONAL FOREST MAP STORE | NATIONAL FOREST MAPS | FORESTRY MAPS | ATLASES | BLM MAPS | RANGER DISTRICT MAPS | RECREATIONAL MAPS| AVENZA MAPS

[AudiDudi]

Not boondocking, but nice and quiet campground on a Monday morning less than 15 miles from the city. Power only for about ~$12. Have since sold the TT.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by AudiDudi

Not boondocking, but nice and quiet campground on a Monday morning less than 15 miles from the city. Power only for about ~$12. Have since sold the TT.

Which city?

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by okmunky

Which city?

Black Sandy campground on Hauser Lake outside of Helena Montana.

[joes2901]

Originally Posted by Dan McMartin

Where did you fit 800 Ah of batteries in your Bay Star? We can fit 4 batteries in our tray. If I went with L-16's I could get nearly 400 Ah usable in there...assuming the tray can handle 500 lbs.

I found 11" of space between the top of the F53 chassis rails and the Newmar installed floor above. I also found the compartment in front of the fresh water tank was wide enough to lay 4 Lifeline L-16s on their 11" side and the 7" side was up with space for cables and a 1" plywood board to support the load between the chassis rails. Also, 1x2s were used to hold the batteries in place and they added strength to the 500 pound load. Lifelines can be used in any orientation except up side down.



I used the front of the compartment to install a MS 2812, BMK, AGS-N, Outback solar controller, etc. Since the Lifelines do not emit gases unless the charging voltage is too high, it is safe to keep all this stuff together and minimize the length of the cables used.





My 2012 Bay Star came with the Ford starting battery and 2 group 24 Interstate batteries under the hood on a rack in front of the radiator on the passenger side. I replaced all of them with a pair of Lifeline 4CTs for the engine batteries. I also ran 4/0 cables from the 800 AH battery bank to the front of the Bay Star and connected them to a board with + and - posts in order to hook up all the stuff Newmar had connected to the pair of Interstates. The 4CTs provide 220 AHs and very healthy starting power. I did this so I would not have to be concerned about 12v things running the batteries too low to start the engine. They also power the Equalizer jack system and steps. They fit where the 2 Interstates were. Finally, I used 4/0 cables for all connections between and from the batteries.

[touringmn]

Originally Posted by RPrince

That looks pretty nice!

Any solar on that unit, or just Genny?

[touringmn]

Originally Posted by dix39

Perish the thought, then type 2 will all become type 1 and where will we go? :-))

In over 40 years of RV traveling and more than 300k miles, I can't remember ever having a permanent sewer hookup. We have always used the on board water and holding tanks until we needed to dump, then dump, fill, and go on.

My first choice for camping is in the woods or desert, but that doesn't work very well for going from point A to point B, so then it becomes rest areas, truck stops, wide spots, or whatever is available.

I guess we would be extreme type 2 without solar panels, although the MH does have a small one. The lack of solar panels has never been a problem.

Enjoy!

Steve

Ahhh, this is sweet news! Never needed one cuz you rely on a Genny, and how large a battery bank?

[dix39]

As clarification, we did not spend much daylight time in the RV. If it was parked in the woods, it was there as a base for some activity that was pursued, in most cases, all day. When we were traveling the RV was running all day with the alternator charging the battery/s.

The first TC in the '70's-'80's had one battery that was used for both starting the RV and camper electrical use. There was no gen. I started the engine every 2 or 3 days to charge that battery. There was very little electrical use other than lights and pump. The heater was a pilot lighted "pot burner" type, water heater was pilot lighted, no micro, no TV, etc. We had it 15 years.

The second TC from '93 until just a few years ago had a starting battery and one 12 volt deep cycle for the camper. It had all the bells and whistles including gen and AC. Early on I added a catalytic heater to avoid running the camper heater which used a lot of battery power. We would generally use the micro in the morning or evening which required using the gen and also charged the batteries. I would let it run an additional short period for the batt. if I thought it needed it.

The current MH, a 26' Flair, has two 6 volt golf cart batteries and a starting battery. We use it about the same as the last TC.

IMHO, it is not so much about how much battery power there is as it is about how that battery power is used. We got along well for 15 years with very little battery power. Knowing that, we just didn't use very much. This would not work well for someone who went to the woods/desert to sit in the RV and watch TV most of the day, but that was not our lifestyle. We didn't travel the distances we did in order to do the same thing we could do at home. For us the RV's were a base that provided sleeping, cooking, and washing facilities at the end of a busy and exciting day that was spent either driving, hunting, fishing, visiting friends and family, or just exploring the beautiful country we live in.

Steve