For some, boondocking may seem pretty scary, especially if you’re a solo RVer. You think it might be scary out there at night with nobody around, no businesses, down a long, dirt road with no “easy” escape. But for others of you, you might feel safest out there. After all, no other humans means you’re safe, right? Here’s a great article about personal safety when camping on BLM lands.
RV parks can also be or seem scary. Doesn’t it seem like with so many other people around, so much could go wrong? Or maybe those other people could protect or help you if something goes wrong!
Where do you feel safer: RV parks? While boondocking? In both places? Please vote in the poll below and feel free to leave a comment.
The key word is FEEL not actually are safe just feel safe
It’s a simple question, no need to quantify a yes or no answer.
9mm
I don’t think it’s much feel safe ist knowing my surroundings. I guess hunting all these years and 20 years of military time it just comes naturally to know something of the area.
I personally feel safest boondocking, because non-human animals don’t carry guns.
My primary safety concern when staying at campgrounds is the overindulgence of alcohol, and the problems associated with it. Alcohol is the leading contributor of domestic assault, which is the most dangerous and volatile situations you can become involved in. I have personally witnessed/heard domestic assaults while staying at campground, which combined with the density and proximity of camping units, is a recipe for disaster. Multi-day entertainment gatherings (outdoor music festivals) are even worse.
“Safety in numbers” is a myth.
Plenty of backup usually keeps intruders away.
In an RV or not, I think most people are more fearful because of the deterioration of law and order which can be viewed nightly on TV. Some day I hope society wakes up to its mistake and takes serious steps to re-institute punishment.
When it comes to the News , if it bleeds it leads.
As a backpacker I got used to camping alone. But as I get older and hopefully wiser I think more about what could go wrong. In my 30s I had the experience of packing out the 2nd day of a planned 4 day hike with a broken toe. Old bones are very slow to heal these days and a broken tow is a tiny break compared to what else might be broken.
I wish there had been 2 additional response choices: I am a woman/man and I would feel safe boondocking IF there was at least one friend nearby. That way, if either one of us were to become ill or injured, the friend could help.
Never boondock so I feel safer in an rv park. However, also take precautions like locking the door after dark, always keeping a weapon close and having an entry motion sensor light.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 I can’t say. We have never boondocked in a remote area. Generally all our “boondocking” has been just “dry camping” when tailgating at college football games in Auburn, Alabama (DW is a rabid fan). Safe travels! 🙂
Can’t really give an opinion since I’ve never taken the MH in to the desert or other remote area. Not my thing. For me, parking in the wilderness is a Walmart parking lot in a city and I never feel totally safe there.
We don’t boondock, as such, for many reasons, not counting my husband’s backpacking. (I can’t do that anymore.) We mostly dry camp in USFS, state and national park campgrounds, with some amount of private CGs each year. We try to be aware of the surroundings, no matter where we are. I sometimes camp solo, either on the trip as a whole, or while my husband is off on a backpack or something. In most cases, if there are concerns, in a campground there are hosts or an office to tell about them.
Ironically we have just awoken to a sunny Glorious morning in Anza Borago SP, high up a mountain hill overlooking a vast green and yellow valley and several mountain ranges. There isn’t another soul around for a mile or more and certainly none I can see. Priceless. Is the wife nervous? A little, it’s our first time boondocking remotely and WOW so worth it kinda feel like Matt Damon in that Mars movie. Do feel better knowing I have 1 bar of 5g and 2 fully charged e bikes should we get stuck in the sand like we did yesterday fortunately then we were helped out by a couple of 4×4 and some kindness of strangers. You can get hurt or die anytime. Don’t waste your life on anxiety.
Soak it in Gary, and embrace the adversities! Those are the memories that will last a lifetime, and that you can return to in your mind anytime for a quick recharge.
Those who never leave the beaten path for an excursion down the road less travelled will never experience, nor understand it.
In the words of the great philosopher Zach Williams; “Fear He is a Liar”!
We’ve boondocked in Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Sawtooth Canyon, Borrego Springs and a few others. I never felt any danger or had any concern for any risk of robbers. It’s absolutely beautiful & safe. I feel the likelihood of any danger in the middle of nowhere is very slight. Since we have solar, and have a 40 gallon fresh, blk & gray tanks, we limit our stay to 4 nights. And we have a Chihuahua, so if someone approaches from a mile away, we know!
Running your generator during quiet hours may make you unsafe.