How to make boondocking fun for the partner who hates it

By Nanci Dixon
I love boondocking, everything about it: the challenge, the isolation, ruggedness, sense of self-sufficiency… but my husband hates it. We are currently in a regional park with 50-amp electric hookups, amazing showers, and dishwashing stations. His comment: “I hate boondocking.” I wanted to respond: “Just wait until we get to the Harvest Hosts free-range pig farm next week…”—but I refrained.

My goal is now to make it as painless as possible for him and happy for me. Here are a few steps that may seem counter to true boondocking but are a good way to ease into hardcore boondocking, or at least keep the family happy.

Plan ahead

Before boondocking for a night, just a stopover, or for a week, plan ahead and get ready while power, water and sewer are available.

• Charge everything up. Make sure cell phones, rechargeable flashlights, weather radios, CPAP batteries, computers, tablets, solar chargers and solar lights are all charged.

• Clean and fill. Has your fresh water tank been sitting unused and full of stagnant water? Dump it out, sanitize and refill.

• Dump and flush. Empty and clean out the gray and black tanks.

• Fill your RV with fuel and propane.

• Fill it and freeze. Fill plastic gallon or half gallon jugs with water and freeze. These can go in the fridge to reduce refrigerator running time and provide cold drinking water as they melt.

• Check that the water pump, generator, and 12-volt systems are all operational. We carry an extra water pump just in case. What good is 90 gallons of fresh water if we can’t pump it out?

• Plan your route. Know where you are planning to stay. Make sure the terrain and size work with your RV. Good resources are AllStays, Campendium, Harvest Hosts, and Boondockers Welcome.

Scout it out

Check the terrain out before driving on unknown and unmarked roads. I have learned the hard way, and now make sure I check the GPS coordinates on Google Earth/Satellite. I have also learned when scouting for a site that while our car can easily navigate dips in the road, the motorhome can’t. It also can’t do tight turns in a forest. That is another story my husband never tires of telling.

• If possible, disconnect and search area for the perfect site. Mark it with a chair, umbrella, table, something to save it and find it again.

• Match your RV and vehicle for the terrain. A 4×4 truck camper can obviously go to more outback areas than a 40-foot motorhome.

Make boondocking painless

When we started out on this wonderful boondocking adventure, I went overboard on conserving every watt and every drop of water. I felt like a pioneer crossing the desert in a Conestoga wagon. And that was just going out for a day or two! No wonder my husband hated it! To top it off, we have 1,000 watts of solar, a huge battery bank, 90 gallons of fresh water and a 10,000-watt generator. So, now I try to make boondocking as painless as possible, and as close to having hookups as possible.

Power on

• Use the power. It’s okay to run the TV, turn on the lights, and listen to music. Just watch the house battery levels and recharge when needed. You might want to turn off the electric water heater, though.

• • Battery packs: We use a Southwire Portable Power Station that we can recharge with 120V or a solar panel.
  • Turn on the generator. Just be respectful of others nearby—generators are loud.

Water on

• Use the water. Be conservative about water usage but not fanatical.

• • Use paper plates.
  • Put a few drops of dish soap on a dish rag rather than in a sink full of water.
  • Wash dishes just once a day.
  • Heat water on the stove rather than with the water heater. Our water heater is so far back on the line that it takes almost a gallon of water to get hot water to the sink. We usually just turn the water heater off.
  • Use a dishpan to catch the water and save to put out a campfire, flush the toilet, and water a tree (if permitted), rather than putting down the gray tank. I use plastic buckets in the bathroom sinks to catch water.
  • Showers. If out for a day or two only, we will do a navy shower. But usually we just heat water on the stove and take a “bucket” shower.

Keep it warm

• Keep it warm and cozy. The temp cools down quickly at night and we use a Big Buddy portable propane heater to take the chill off. Note: Never ever leave the propane heater on all night or unattended!

• • Be aware that a propane furnace, while wonderfully hot, use a lot of 12V power. Monitor batteries and propane.
  • When charging up the house batteries at night, we plug in a portable heater and preheat the electric blanket on the bed.

Cool it down

• A/C and cooling:

• • Unfortunately, our solar system will not run the A/C, so we need to turn on the generator to cool it down. Some solar/lithium systems will run A/C units.
  • Pull shades or curtains down on the sunny sides.
  • Park where the sun will not directly hit the fridge.
  • Use awnings to shade sides of the RV, if possible.
  • Small fans can help move the air and not use too much power. Check wattage use.

Enjoy!

Boondocking can be more than painless—it can be happy and incredibly fun. Sit beside a campfire, take hikes, enjoy the beauty our natural lands offer and make it as wonderful and painless as possible!

Don’t miss…

• Are boondocking myths limiting you to crowded campgrounds?
• How to stay safe while boondocking: Gadgets to protect yourself
• Boondocking parking: Why you should park facing east
• Boondocking myths exposed—The truth about off-grid RVing
• Prepping for boondocking: Get ready for two weeks off-grid

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