Community Forums

KUZN EDY · 02-17-2012, 10:26 AM

Usually the places that i preffer to camp do not have facilities or are very limited so i have grown to preffer boondocking as i am set up for this. Dont get me wrong, i also enjoy the luxury of power, water and being able to dump my tank right at my spot before I pack up and leave. Im just not a fan of the expense of RV parks and the tight quarters. The reason we got a motorhome in the first place was to be more comfortable out in the middle of nowhere. When we want to pay $60-100/night for a vacation we usually go to hotels.

We typically camp in the california OHV (off highway vehicle) areas, Campgrounds with only "dump stations", All day beach days in the summer in a parking lot, tailgating events that last 12-14hrs, and even take the rig to a music festival once a year that lasts 6 days with no hook ups. I take my rig down to Baja Mexico once or twice a year for spectating off road racing events. I have a little Honda 2000 that supplies any power requirements and is extreemly quite. A small solar panel that keeps the batteries well mantained. I have two 55gal food grade water barrels for longer desert runs. (got them from an olive rancher for $10 each)

Its a little more work, a little more equipment, and some added initial cost for boondocking but well worth the locations in my opinion. Im not a big fan of all the rules to campgounds and resorts. I like to play my music as loud as i want whenever i want to, talk around a campfire as long as i want without some ranger or host coming by to observe some quite hours.

RanCarr · 02-19-2012, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMXDave

So to answer my own question: We prefer boondocking. Anyone else?

Some of us truly like boondocking but there is no place to boondock. The east coast of the USA is so built up there are few areas left where we wouldn't be trespassing. Even in TN places to boondock are hard to find. What we do is camp in those CGs with large sites and some privacy such as Seven Points just outside Nashville TN. Or Poole Knobs in LaVergne TN. Not all CGs are like parking lots. We avoid places like that.

Our only boondocking these days are at Wally World parking lots on our migration of FL in the winter.

RanCarr · 02-19-2012, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nuge

The DW and I kind of chuckle every time we pass one of those "right on the highway" campgrounds that the big city folks call camping. Who wants to listen to cars and semis cruising past day and night??

You chuckle instead of realizing that most of those people packed in like sardines next to the hwy are only passing through? That most are there for a night or two on their way somewhere else? That they may be visiting someone in the area or are there for a wedding or funeral? That they don't care about "communing with nature?" That they want an early start in the morning? No one "camps" in places like that. I don't know where you got that mistaken idea.

RanCarr · 02-19-2012, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ernsue

Anybody care to make public the best places they have boondocked,,we won't tell anybody,,

Nope... but just avoid the eastern third of the country if you want to boondock.

RanCarr · 02-19-2012, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBeachHous

Ive been RVing my entire life, and just in the past 6 years have we found the love that is our ATVs... Its so nice to camp in the middle of no where, ride for days in such beauty and peace and quiet... Its AWEsome!!!

Are your ATVs electric? Silent - so you can enjoy all that beauty, peace and quiet?

jimbo16720 · 02-19-2012, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RanCarr

Nope... but just avoid the eastern third of the country if you want to boondock.

I live in Pa which is in the eastern third and there are tons of places to boondock around here. Potter county Pa is called Gods Country and it's 13 miles in each direction to the 3 towns around me and none of the towns have more than 5000 people in it. You just have to get out of the city is why you have problems. A mile past my house the pavement ends and it's dirt road the next 6 miles to the next paved road. I can find hundreds of places I can boondock within an hours drive and already have it planned to camp along a stream this summer for a week and fish every day.

John Hilley · 02-20-2012, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo16720

I live in Pa which is in the eastern third and there are tons of places to boondock around here. Potter county Pa is called Gods Country and it's 13 miles in each direction to the 3 towns around me and none of the towns have more than 5000 people in it. You just have to get out of the city is why you have problems. A mile past my house the pavement ends and it's dirt road the next 6 miles to the next paved road. I can find hundreds of places I can boondock within an hours drive and already have it planned to camp along a stream this summer for a week and fish every day.

Is that public land? If not do you get permission to boondock from the land owner?

Wayne MD · 02-20-2012, 11:03 AM

ATV and quiet-well, they both don't belong in the same sentence. Ever.

chaunclm · 02-20-2012, 12:40 PM

We don't prefer boondocking to camping with full hookups; however, we do prefer wallydocking to an RV campground when we are in transit. Walmart Stores are usually a lot more convenient to the highway and we never have to disconnect. Our rig with both the truck and trailer is over 50 feet long so many times we are too long to fit in a smaller RV site.

We are fully set up to boondock as our rig is equipped with a generator, solar panels, 400 amp hours of batteries, and large 2000 watt inverter. But for everyday living it is nice to have all of the facilities.

We will never be very good boondockers as we have an asthmatic cat and have to run a clean air machine all the time with the windows all closed, but with our generator we can manage OK. Here is a wonderful RV park near Shenandoah National Park.

Cove Mountain RV park, Sevierville, Tennessee

Gary - K7GLD · 02-20-2012, 12:51 PM

Quote:

I spell boondocking.....S-E-L-F-C-O-N-T-A-I-N-E-D that's why I got the damn thing so I could have all the goodies and NOT hookup. Besides RV parks with hookups have no wildlife or trees. Just a bunch of TV watchers packed in toooooo close to each other.

Thank God for National Parks, State Parks, County Parks, BLM, Forest Service etc. etc. etc.

^^^^ X2!

In our part of eastern Oregon, MOST CG's are wilderness/boondocking types - away from crowding, neon lights and asphalt parking - we wouldn't have it any other way for our typical outings - that's what we BOUGHT our self-contained RV's for...

jimbo16720 · 02-20-2012, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Hilley

Is that public land? If not do you get permission to boondock from the land owner?

It's all public land and some state land. The Kinzua dam is 50 miles away and it has camp grounds and alot of dirt roads that you can drive down and stay for a while. Alot of streams have places you can set up and stay with out paying. I wouldn't stay more than a week or try to be a squatter. Most of the area in ncentral Pa is woods with plenty of dirt roads with alot of pull offs. I've never heard of any one complaining about people camping around here. I would ask if the land was owned privately and had no trespassing signs but I would even to walk on someone elses property.

cargovan · 02-20-2012, 08:25 PM

Boondocking if at all possible. It means best views and best locations.

Van.

HMXDave · 02-20-2012, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne MD

ATV and quiet-well, they both don't belong in the same sentence. Ever.

Good thing they shut off when not in use....just like TVs, cars, stereos, air conditioners.....

ghoststories · 02-20-2012, 09:05 PM

We haven't tried boondocking yet, but I would like to try it. Think we could take the MH to KY to some family owned land and hang out in a hollow....off the beaten path.