Hi - So glad there are no silly questions Being new to all this, I have no idea what Boondocking is. But I was excited to read that we can go solar!!
Racerguy said
07:45 AM Jul 5, 2011
Go to the search feature and type in boondocking.You will get many hours of reading on the subject.
Bill Adams said
09:38 AM Jul 5, 2011
Boondocking is simply camping without any hookups.
RVRon said
10:39 AM Jul 5, 2011
BenMary wrote:
Hi - So glad there are no silly questions Being new to all this, I have no idea what Boondocking is. But I was excited to read that we can go solar!!
The term "boondocking", from what I've heard, was coined by folks camping out in the "boondocks"... away from civilization, without hookups of any kind. Camping out in the "boonies" is now more aptly called "dispersed camping"... non-organized camping spots on government-owned land. Boondocking can be done anywhere from an overnight in a WalMart parking lot to an organized campground that simply does not provide hookups for your RV.
Although most RVs that have a generator are equipped to survive without hookups for a night or 2 longer stays require more sophisticated equipment and preparation. The solar panels are used to charge the coach batteries instead of using the generator. Of course you need some way to convert the 12 volt DC battery current into 120 volt AC current so you can watch your TV or use the microwave or coffee maker. That's where an inverter comes into play. Howard has a great overview of electrical systems if you want more info: http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html
-- Edited by RVRon on Tuesday 5th of July 2011 10:48:33 AM
53 Merc said
12:21 PM Jul 5, 2011
No, No, NO!!! My wife says boondocking is anything less than 50 amp, water and sewer hookups. ;)
Luvglass said
01:57 PM Jul 5, 2011
Yes mine too - and you can add pool.
blijil said
11:20 AM Dec 24, 2011
My late addition to this subject would indicate that the lack of internet access and marginal cell phone access and no air TV could be a part of boondocking. We call it dry camping ie not even water hookups or dump sights much less electricity. Often we don't have a local water source and have to haul water several miles.
We love it and spent more than 90 days doing just that this summer with varying degrees of isolation but no RV park with the electric cord serving as our ball and chain. Our Denver kids joined us for a few days in northern Colorado and asked, "How did you find this place?"
Larry and Jacki
Jack Mayer said
12:32 PM Dec 24, 2011
....and "blacktop" boondocking usually refers to an overnight stop without services in a parking lot. Often a WalMart lot. Or a casino lot.
Terry and Jo said
07:40 PM Dec 24, 2011
Well, to me, a night in a Walmart, or for that matter, anywhere else that is nothing more than a stopover for sleeping is not boondocking.
Since 1976, Jo and I and our family have spent a lot of vacations in a National Forest campground in Colorado called Purgatoire River Campground. While there are developed sites but no hookups, there are outhouses, and in one place in the campground, an old fashion water pump.
Being out in the the beauty and wonder of nature with very few other campers around is very near to heavenly. While our new 38' fifth wheel won't let us get the "prime" campsites because of its length, there are still a few spots big enough for just about any size of RV.
Purgatoire River Campground has seen us there in both RV's and tents. Wonderful place to get away, especially the week before Labor Day weekend. Usually the only ones in the campgrounds are those that have parked there to go hunting up on the mountains.
Terry
makntracks said
07:29 AM May 15, 2012
My husband isn't happy either without full-hook ups. I LOVE to boondock! Save money and get back in the woods where you have some privacy. I get tired of the awning to slide accomodations of most campgrounds.
-- Edited by makntracks on Tuesday 15th of May 2012 07:33:36 AM
cherab831 said
03:55 AM Jun 30, 2012
The word boondocking comes from the filipino word "bundoc" (not sure of spelling) meaning mountain far away by itself, coined by American soldiers serving in the Philippines who then brought it home and as boondocking and it came to mean in the middle of no where.....
NWescapee said
05:17 AM Jun 30, 2012
Boondocking to us means finding BLM dispersed camping and seeing WAY more stars than any other site we usually stay in.
NorCal Dan said
09:48 PM Jun 30, 2012
Let's not forget mooch-docking...parking in a friends driveway ;)
jennifer123 said
07:23 AM Apr 25, 2014
Hi,
You can check out more information about boondocking on following link:
Well, to me, a night in a Walmart, or for that matter, anywhere else that is nothing more than a stopover for sleeping is not boondocking.
Well you beat me to it. As I said before but got treed and flamed..............Walmart is not boondocking and shouldn't be used as if it is a campground. They are to be used as an overnight sleep stop if you wish. No slides, no jacks, no awnings, no chairs, no bbq's, etc. Some think it's boondocking and will stay for weeks. Some will sniff out places where there are power receptacles in parking lots to "charge up" their batteries or power up their RV..........That is NOT boondocking.
Lucky Mike said
08:28 AM Apr 25, 2014
boondocking.... is placing your Rig in the wilderness with no hook-ups....
Dry camping...is placing the rig in a designated campsite or parking lot in Urban areas with no hook-ups
Wally docking....Walmart parking at walmart "overnite"
TRAILERKING said
08:31 AM Apr 25, 2014
Lucky Mike wrote:
boondocking.... is placing your Rig in the wilderness with no hook-ups....
Dry camping...is placing the rig in a designated campsite or parking lot in Urban areas with no hook-ups
Wally docking....Walmart parking at walmart "overnite"
Good Post......................
bjoyce said
09:19 AM Apr 25, 2014
On the Escapees forum this subject quickly gets into flame wars. Boondocking is jargon or slang and has different meaning to different people. I use it interchangeably with "dry camping" and I am not going to change.
BiggarView said
09:36 AM Apr 25, 2014
bjoyce wrote:
On the Escapees forum this subject quickly gets into flame wars. Boondocking is jargon or slang and has different meaning to different people. I use it interchangeably with "dry camping" and I am not going to change.
That's what makes free speech so great, Bill. People not agreeing to disagree, what a concept.
Lucky Mike said
09:45 AM Apr 25, 2014
I just take the word boondocking from its origins..(Bundok).. which had nothing to do with RVing and how it originated.....less chance of opinions or arguments.
Bundok...
Boonie's.......
the sticks.....
backwoods...
backwater....
Middle of no-where.......
Walmart backlot on Friday nite.........
The Junkman said
11:58 AM Aug 14, 2014
Boondocking appears to be a West coast thing.. as East and mid country.. it seems almost a myth, unless you include truck stops and walmart..
I went looking for threads on boondocking ... and it seems that is what most everyone says..
Maybe when I finish my east coast tour, I will spend a few nights in the boondocks on the west coast.. we will see.. For now though, being east bound.. make no sense adding solar panels and lots of batteries, since there is no place good to park your rig on east/mid-east coast anyways..
bjoyce said
01:28 PM Aug 14, 2014
Lots of boondocking in Newfoundland, which seems very East to me. We have friends who have boondocked at many places in the east, National Forests, Elks, Moose, Escapees Days End, church land, lots of places. Many listings on http://harvesthosts.com/ are in that part of the country. Remember that many of us do not stay a month or more at most places, durations in nights and weeks are normal.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 14th of August 2014 01:31:08 PM
The Junkman said
03:12 PM Aug 14, 2014
Thanks for the link.. but there is no way I'm going through all that for 1 free nights stay in someones backyard...
I think I'll save the boondocking for the left coast.. I know around here ( Vegas ).. It's very common , and many run out to the desert to camp..
And when I said East.. I meant USA.. lol..
Lucky Mike said
05:01 PM Aug 14, 2014
There is plenty of boondocking on the east coast and a great deal of it is in the northeast Regions....you will find it if you look for it....
I am an east coast boondocker........west coast is easy......east coast takes savy!!!
Sushidog said
07:32 PM Aug 14, 2014
There are lots of "dispersed camping" on forest service land (state and national) in the east too. I prefer the south east: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennasee and North Carolina.
Several of our fellow dreamers Boondocked all last winter in Florida..for 3 months
The Junkman said
08:09 PM Aug 14, 2014
I'd love to dig into this, but not going to be able to give it the attention it needs right now.
I will look more into when I'm relaxing around the RV, in a couple weeks.. Sounds like it can be done.. I knew it could be done when moving pretty quick. I hope not to be like that.. though, a month in 1 spot may be too long for a specific area.. I can't see a month being too short?.. Unless your sitting in a chair watching stuff most days ? I guess it depends what your into..
jimindenver said
08:19 AM Aug 16, 2014
I have been camping for 40 years and until I joined the forums, I never knew that I was Boondocking. Try telling my family that has camped just as long or longer that I am going boondocking and they just give a blank look as to say "huh". Tell them I am heading up to the boonies and they will grin and say son you grew up in the boonies, what are you talking about.
Lucky Mikes post has it right with the difference between dry camping and boondocking being location but I can see how it gets blurred. Where I camp if you see a stone ring, you can camp there. The whole rangers district is one giant camping area. The next district over has a handful of spots just off a road. The district beyond that numbers their clearings but that's as far as it goes, there are no amenities. Each district dictates where you are allowed to go even though there is no campground.
The dry campgrounds in the area can be little more than boondocking in that you get a picnic table and a outhouse. You are in the same areas, sometimes just down the road of someone boondocking and some are even free. The biggest difference to us is that we will be close enough to hear someone run their generator.
So it is ok if what I think of as boondocking is different than others because what they are allowed to do is different. The only time I have trouble with the terminology is when someone feels the need to correct someone else because their definition is different. In the end it is all just campin.
Hi - So glad there are no silly questions
Being new to all this, I have no idea what Boondocking is. But I was excited to read that we can go solar!!
Go to the search feature and type in boondocking.You will get many hours of reading on the subject.
The term "boondocking", from what I've heard, was coined by folks camping out in the "boondocks"... away from civilization, without hookups of any kind. Camping out in the "boonies" is now more aptly called "dispersed camping"... non-organized camping spots on government-owned land. Boondocking can be done anywhere from an overnight in a WalMart parking lot to an organized campground that simply does not provide hookups for your RV.
Although most RVs that have a generator are equipped to survive without hookups for a night or 2 longer stays require more sophisticated equipment and preparation. The solar panels are used to charge the coach batteries instead of using the generator. Of course you need some way to convert the 12 volt DC battery current into 120 volt AC current so you can watch your TV or use the microwave or coffee maker. That's where an inverter comes into play. Howard has a great overview of electrical systems if you want more info: http://www.rv-dreams.com/rv-electrical.html
-- Edited by RVRon on Tuesday 5th of July 2011 10:48:33 AM
We love it and spent more than 90 days doing just that this summer with varying degrees of isolation but no RV park with the electric cord serving as our ball and chain. Our Denver kids joined us for a few days in northern Colorado and asked, "How did you find this place?"
Larry and Jacki
Well, to me, a night in a Walmart, or for that matter, anywhere else that is nothing more than a stopover for sleeping is not boondocking.
Since 1976, Jo and I and our family have spent a lot of vacations in a National Forest campground in Colorado called Purgatoire River Campground. While there are developed sites but no hookups, there are outhouses, and in one place in the campground, an old fashion water pump.
Being out in the the beauty and wonder of nature with very few other campers around is very near to heavenly. While our new 38' fifth wheel won't let us get the "prime" campsites because of its length, there are still a few spots big enough for just about any size of RV.
Purgatoire River Campground has seen us there in both RV's and tents. Wonderful place to get away, especially the week before Labor Day weekend. Usually the only ones in the campgrounds are those that have parked there to go hunting up on the mountains.
Terry
My husband isn't happy either without full-hook ups. I LOVE to boondock! Save money and get back in the woods where you have some privacy. I get tired of the awning to slide accomodations of most campgrounds.
-- Edited by makntracks on Tuesday 15th of May 2012 07:33:36 AM
Hi,
You can check out more information about boondocking on following link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/what-is-rv-boondocking
http://freecampsites.net/what-is-boondocking/
Hope helps you.
Well you beat me to it. As I said before but got treed and flamed..............Walmart is not boondocking and shouldn't be used as if it is a campground. They are to be used as an overnight sleep stop if you wish. No slides, no jacks, no awnings, no chairs, no bbq's, etc. Some think it's boondocking and will stay for weeks. Some will sniff out places where there are power receptacles in parking lots to "charge up" their batteries or power up their RV..........That is NOT boondocking.
Dry camping...is placing the rig in a designated campsite or parking lot in Urban areas with no hook-ups
Wally docking....Walmart parking at walmart "overnite"
Good Post......................
That's what makes free speech so great, Bill. People not agreeing to disagree, what a concept.
Bundok...
Boonie's.......
the sticks.....
backwoods...
backwater....
Middle of no-where.......
Walmart backlot on Friday nite.........
I went looking for threads on boondocking ... and it seems that is what most everyone says..
Maybe when I finish my east coast tour, I will spend a few nights in the boondocks on the west coast.. we will see.. For now though, being east bound.. make no sense adding solar panels and lots of batteries, since there is no place good to park your rig on east/mid-east coast anyways..
Lots of boondocking in Newfoundland, which seems very East to me. We have friends who have boondocked at many places in the east, National Forests, Elks, Moose, Escapees Days End, church land, lots of places. Many listings on http://harvesthosts.com/ are in that part of the country. Remember that many of us do not stay a month or more at most places, durations in nights and weeks are normal.
-- Edited by bjoyce on Thursday 14th of August 2014 01:31:08 PM
I think I'll save the boondocking for the left coast.. I know around here ( Vegas ).. It's very common , and many run out to the desert to camp..
And when I said East.. I meant USA.. lol..
I am an east coast boondocker........west coast is easy......east coast takes savy!!!
Here's some good sites:
www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25469769.cfm
www.freecampgrounds.com/index.aspx
www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation.html
gypsyjournal.net/free_campgrounds.htm
www.allstays.com/
www.thewanderinghobo.com/Travelling/Boondocking/listings.html
Chip
I will look more into when I'm relaxing around the RV, in a couple weeks.. Sounds like it can be done.. I knew it could be done when moving pretty quick. I hope not to be like that.. though, a month in 1 spot may be too long for a specific area.. I can't see a month being too short?.. Unless your sitting in a chair watching stuff most days ? I guess it depends what your into..
Lucky Mikes post has it right with the difference between dry camping and boondocking being location but I can see how it gets blurred. Where I camp if you see a stone ring, you can camp there. The whole rangers district is one giant camping area. The next district over has a handful of spots just off a road. The district beyond that numbers their clearings but that's as far as it goes, there are no amenities. Each district dictates where you are allowed to go even though there is no campground.
The dry campgrounds in the area can be little more than boondocking in that you get a picnic table and a outhouse. You are in the same areas, sometimes just down the road of someone boondocking and some are even free. The biggest difference to us is that we will be close enough to hear someone run their generator.
So it is ok if what I think of as boondocking is different than others because what they are allowed to do is different. The only time I have trouble with the terminology is when someone feels the need to correct someone else because their definition is different. In the end it is all just campin.