Boondocking—Yes, you can do it no matter your setup

One of the most popular RV presentations my wife, Peggy, and I give is called “Don’t Be Spooked by Boondocking.” We’ve given that presentation to RV groups of all sizes, and it is one we have at the ready. We love speaking to RV groups and gatherings, by the way. 

Here, on RVtravel.com, we have reported a lot on how crowded some campgrounds are getting, and it’s true. Like many things, they’re also becoming increasingly expensive. Also, being in a place where you could hand a cup of sugar from your window to your neighbor’s really doesn’t appeal to me much. Boondocking is less challenging than many people assume, so let’s start at the beginning for you beginners. 

What is boondocking

For the purposes of this article, I’m going to refer to boondocking as camping without hookups. That simple. Like everything, there are a million permutations of the term, and people get all passionate about their particular version. If you care, define it how you like. 

I’m also going to lump overlanding into the same category, and now some of you have really flipped your lids. Sorry, not sorry. We’re all camping without hookups in this story, okay? Cool. 

Boondocking - yes you can

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Boondocking for beginners

First of all, whatever RV you have is already likely to be quite capable of spending time without hookups. Yup, even if you have zero solar whatsoever, you can likely spend at least one night, and often several, without ever having to hook into the planet. 

In fact, I know plenty of people who don’t even own a generator, shocker of all shockers, and still enjoy camping off the grid. 

Depending on your understanding of your RV’s systems, the first thing you might want to do is go find your favorite campground with hookups and then go camp there. And don’t hook anything up! No, seriously. 

By doing this, you’re now seeing how far you can push the systems in your RV. What works? What doesn’t work and why? 

Those systems that don’t work—can you live without them? Obviously, living without A/C in the south in summer isn’t likely to happen. So some of what you can do may be very weather-dependent unless you want to change systems in your RV. 

I’ve found there are plenty of off-grid alternatives to many of the things we take for granted that offer equivalent or even superior results. For example, instead of Keurig coffee, we use an Aeropress and heat the water with the stove that’s in our RV. There are plenty of alternatives out there, but the idea is to first see how well your RV works without hookups—and how well you work without hookups!

Once you’ve seen how far you can push the RV, you can either seek alternatives to the challenges you’ve uncovered or research how to overcome those challenges, like with the coffee example. 

Why boondocking

If you’re happy with the campground experience, then maybe boondocking isn’t for you. But what I can share is that I have had the most incredible experiences while camping without hookups. 

As a train guy, I’ve stayed at more than a few tourist train yards and gotten to play with trains while most of the other visitors had gone home. I have stayed at wineries, breweries, in historic places, and more. These adventures are so much more memorable to me than staying in a campground. 

Recently, as we meandered up Route 66 from Santa Monica, we got to stay at the famous Roy’s in Amboy, and the caretaker even let us into the historic Googie hotel lobby, not something most people get to do. 

We stayed in a desert mining town with some incredible mining equipment surrounding us, which was still functional. 

Of course, like so many RVers, we’ve stayed for weeks on end in the desert in Quartzsite, and do so every year. Why? It’s free, and there’s no snow. And now, so many of my RVing friends are there, too, so it’s a remarkable experience with friends. Did I mention the whole “free” part? 

However, don’t get caught up in the “free” thing—lots of times you might stay for just one night without hookups at a place like Cracker Barrel, and then you’ve got a dinner and a breakfast to enjoy if that’s your thing. That puts the cost on par with a campground, but you do get that breakfast and/or dinner. It’s all about priorities. 

We’ve also chosen the boondocking option (no hookups) when attending FRVA/FMCA rallies, which cuts our costs. 

Another thing to know is that there are opportunities to stay at festivals surrounded by things you might appreciate, like certain styles of music, renaissance fairs, hobby-specific events, and more. Many times, if you ask at larger festivals and tell them you can camp off the grid in your RV, it’s surprising the doors that open. 

Tools and tips

Unless your RV is truly unusual, you have holding tanks and a water pump aboard. How long those tanks will last depends on your use of them. That’s another reason for testing all this with hookups available before you go without. 

But you may also find that you need a medical appliance for sleeping, for example, and that gadget requires power. The obvious solution is to figure out how to power the outlets in your RV. But what if you could just plug into a portable power station instead? There are lots of reasons to have one of these, and now you’ve added another. 

You don’t necessarily have to have an elaborate solar array for boondocking. If you find you like off-grid camping, perhaps just some good portable solar panels are sufficient to keep your RV’s battery topped off. 

If you find that the battery is the issue, what is causing the greatest drain? In our case, our ancient Starlink Gen 2 dish is literally the biggest draw in our RV. The second is the 12VDC refrigerator. 

Well, really, the air conditioner is, but this is beyond basic. Running an A/C on battery power as we can is entirely possible, but you have to have one heck of a solar/lithium system to do so. That’s not what I’m advocating here. 

I think RV dealers installing anything but lithium batteries on modern RVs are doing us a huge disservice. So, it might be time to upgrade if your dealership saddled you with old-fashioned batteries anyway. 

If water is a big issue, there are also lots of ways to minimize water use, including plenty of really great tips right here on RVtravel.com. In fact, I’ve linked a bunch of great articles about off-grid camping below. 

I’m a huge proponent of Harvest Hosts, as well. They often have some incredible places that are unique experiences, like bison ranches, drive-in movie theaters, alpaca farms, and so many others. 

Be a good boondocker

If you do choose to give boondocking a try, whether that’s right around the corner or in some far-flung place, know that some agencies and individuals are becoming frustrated with boondockers and are taking away privileges. 

So, let me advise that wherever you choose to camp, leave the place as clean, or cleaner, than when you arrived. Take your trash and don’t create a fire pit if there isn’t one already there. 

Be cognizant of light and noise pollution if you have neighbors. And don’t dump tanks—even gray tanks—in boondocking spots. Gallons and gallons of water suddenly inundating a place can be damaging to that place. 

I’m sure nobody reading RVtravel.com needs that last paragraph, but I hope you share this on social media and among your friends. 

And, perhaps, I’ll see you in some great spot off the beaten path, because now you’re not spooked by boondocking!

Great resources

One of the great things about the huge legacy of content here at RVtravel.com is that you can find all sorts of resources hidden in plain sight in the search function. Do a search for a term in the blue search bar at the top of any page on the website—we’ve almost always covered it in depth, and that coverage is real intelligence, not that artificial kind. 

Here are a few links to articles, but there’s so much more. I also created an RV boondocking resource as well. 

• Here is my article about using the Aeropress—a great way to make coffee while boondocking
• What’s stopping you from boondocking?
• Boondocking at the world-famous Bagdad Cafe
• How to make boondocking fun for the partner who hates is
• An interesting way to find boondocking spots in the Southwest
• Yes, you CAN boondock in the Eastern U.S.
• How to save power when boondocking
• Don’t pay for more solar than you need (parts two, three, and four here)

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