Share your boondocking tips and tricks

[Chuck]

Are you an experienced RV boondocker? Please share some of your tips and tricks here in this forum (200 words maximum). We'll reprint one of your postings in each Saturday's RVtravel.com newsletter. Thanks.
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[DocScott]

Our heater failed last spring and we bought a "Mr Heater" portable catalytic heater at Wal-Mart. It worked well for us in our 30-foot class A.
Now we have been dry camping on weekends since late October in CT and we use the portable heater all the time.

Conserving battery power (of which we have 4) is the main reason we started using the CAT heater.

It's nice to move the heat where you are sitting, especially if you're reading or just lounging around.

Surprisingly, the best benefit is a quiet night's sleep without the furnace cycling on and off all night.

Be Cautious: Some ventilation is necessary and you should check LP and carbon monoxide detectors for proper operation.

2007: I purchased the extension hose kit, 20 lb propane tank and a marine thrudeck fixture to replace the use of propane cylinders. Mounted the Heater Buddy on the wall near the entrance running the propane hose through the wall into the cabinet under the fridge and then through the outside wall. Sure is nice to run it all wekend and not have to change those expensive cylinders!
(it could have been just tapped into the RV propane if I felt more comfortable about it).

See this web sites:
http://www.mrheater.com
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=12176&familyName=Seafarer+Rope+and+Chain+Deck+Pipe+Fittings

All the best,
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Scott & Linda
RV Pup & Cat, April & Patches
Heritage 2000 w/Horton toy Hauler

Who else bought an RV for their pets?
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Scott & Linda
RV Pup & Cat, April & Patches
Heritage 2000 w/Horton toy Hauler

Who else bought an RV for their pets?

[2oldman]

Small towns are the easiest and safest places to find a free overnight spot. Towns that have been hit by hard times may have whole sections of the former business area abandoned and full of empty space. Most have parks, nice parks with playground equipment, grass, and a perimeter road for camping. Many have water and a nearby dumpster. Churches are a good bet too - many have very nice level paved lots and won't hassle you about staying. They're desperate for business, so it's polite to buy fuel or patronize the local restaurant. Be careful of the railroad tracks - most towns do have a RR passing through, and if you're sensitive to noise, those whistles can jar you from a sound sleep. Also on the noise issue, get as far from a main road as you can, not only to avoid traffic noise but especially to avoid "jake brakes." Those things are really loud. Truckers often use them on hills or approaching a lower speed limit city limits.

Truck stops near small towns are a good bet for overnighting too. I like to find an independent gas station/convenience store with a very large lot, perhaps dirt, where I can be well away from the activity and noise of trucks coming and going. Before parking, pay attention to any fresh tire tracks or truck activity so you don't mistakenly end up in the 'roadway.' That's not good to discover at 11 pm!

Wherever you decide to stop, try to do it in daylight so if the cops are going to roust you, give them time to spot you well before dark. Far better then than while sleeping. I've never been asked to leave by the cops in any small town.

[w6pea]

We travel US-395 a lot. In the Sierra, there are a lot of small towns that allow overnight parking for RVers. I also like the BLM and USFS campgrounds for boondocking. I have 2 100w panels and 6 6v batteries so we can pretty much live off the grid for a couple of weeks at a time. We travel to a lot of Endurance Rides for people with horses and a lot of the places (most) have no hookups, and few and far between restrooms. (Porta potties) are the norm. We also have a "Mr. Heater." We have not had to use it, but will use it instead of the forced air heater in the coach.
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Without Truck Drivers America Stops
I need more Coffee & Bushmills

[DXSMac]

If you are boondocking, you have to be careful that you don't fill up the tanks too fast. I don't know how it works with couples, but I'm a solo and it takes longer to fill up a black tank (about a week...). However, I fill up a gray tank in two days! So what I do is when I am boondocking, I wash dishes in a Rubbermaid tub, and then dump the soapy water down the toilet. This helps dilute the black tank to empty better, plus lots of soap to add to the mix, and keeps me from filling the gray tank.

JJ
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Please check out my blog on RV'ing without a tow car:

http://rvingtoadless.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave me any comments.

[porscheracer]

One of the first things we looked at when considering motorhomes is tank capacities. We dry camp a lot at the races we work for up to 2 weeks at a time.

We too have learned to conserve the most critical resources - water and gray tank space. Taking "Navy" showers (wet down, turn off, soap, scrub, rinse) and using disposable dishes, flatware, and cooking vessels/utensils allows the 2 of us to go over a week on the 100 gallons in the Vectra - or 4 days in the View.

If it is practical on your coach, look into some method of diverting/moving gray water into the black tank. On the Vectra, we installed a third knife valve at the dump port and use it to close off the dump. Then we open the gray (first) and the black for long enough to transfer several gallons. Of course, it only works if the gray is much more full than the black. On the View, however, that setup is highly impractical.
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Norm & Janet
'08 Winnebago View 24H / '09 Escape XLT AWD toad
'05 Winnebago Vectra 36RD / '03 Dakota QC 4x4 toad, or a 24' trailer with another car;
Probably somewhere in NA - or maybe on another continent.

[bremmie]

[Dustybrush]

Took our RV to Montana for Christmas. Forgot to check the forecast!
It became 25 BELOW zero. We were plugged into electric at son's house but furnace couldn't keep us warm. Took thin blankets, sheets, beach towels, etc., and clothespinned them to the valances on the windows so they would be 'insulated.' Problem solved. We put a small clip-on lamp close to the water pump. Had to use the hair dryer one morning for a minute to get the pump thawed but no problems. SINCE then, we keep a roll of quilted foil insulation cut to window size and take it along if we are headed north in the winter. RVs are not suited to these temperatures but when the weather "gives you lemons-make lemonade!" We have since purchased an 07 Winnebago Voyage and it has dual pane windows. The 94 Adventurer didn't have them -part of the 25 below problem! Wouldn't recommend going anywhere in such cold weather but never dreamed it would become THAT cold.

[DocScott]

To save battery power you could use candles, but they have proven to be rather dangerous. We have had candles themselves turn into a scary, raging, sparking fire! Some were tea candles where the aluminum appeared to catch fire and burn furiously out of control!

Now we use LED lights...Check these Oout:

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/24-LED-Utility-Camping-Light-Case-of-2/3011048/product.html
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Scott & Linda
RV Pup & Cat, April & Patches
Heritage 2000 w/Horton toy Hauler

Who else bought an RV for their pets?

[DXSMac]

My RV shower is 3 inches deep. If I use a rubber stopper, I can fill it and pretend to have some semblance of a "bath." This seems to use less water and doesn't fill my grey tank as fast as even a quick shower.

JJ
_________________
Please check out my blog on RV'ing without a tow car:

http://rvingtoadless.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave me any comments.

[Bo Walker]

I really didn't like when Jan loaded a small electric heater into the motorhome simply because it adds weight. Well guess what. Shortly after we set up camp in Enota RV Resort near Hiawassee, Georgia, the temperature droped down into the 20s. Being from Tallahassee, Florida, that's cold. We don't even winterize our rig here. Any how, The furnace failed to work. We pulled the electric heater from underneath the bed and put her to use. It pretty well kept our space toasty.
We searched for a repair shop and decided to remove the furnace and take it to the shop.
Gause RV Center INC on highway 288 was not far from camp which made it even better. Mr Gause took the furnace apart and cleaned it. He put it back together and tested it on the spot. We took it back and reinstalled it and it worked like a brand spankin new one.
Mr Gause and his wife own and manage a fine business and are very nice people who love rving. The cost for the furnace work was unbelievable low. I know their reputation brings them a lot of satisfied customers.
We certainly recomend them for your rv needs.
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Bo & Jan RVing for fun