How We Earn Our Boondocking Freedom

We started boondocking before we knew what it was. Call it dry camping, dispersed camping, it means parking your RV in a legal place, no campsite and no reservation. It also means no services, toilets, recycling bins, potable water nor electrical outlets. If you’re getting started with boondocking, you might know the wealth of information found in apps like: The Dyrt Pro, iOverlander, Good Sam and others. User reviews provide insider information on road access, level parking space, noise, cell phone signal, nearby trails and activities, and even the safety of the location. It’s never been easier to truly get “out there”!

The freedom to explore and enjoy these gorgeous natural locations comes with incredible, yet simple, responsibilities. We need to tread lightly and advocate for these places, so they remain accessible to us and the next generation of RV enthusiasts. In this article, we provide actionable steps that every RVer can take to minimize their impact while maximizing their enjoyment.

1. Choose Your Spot Wisely

It’s not just opening an app and checking out the coolest boondocking areas; selecting where to physically park for a few nights means considering a few more things.

• Stay on the Path: Soil erosion is exacerbated by the weight of RVs, which compacts soil, reducing its ability to absorb water and support plant life. When RVers wander off of established paths or create new ones, they can destroy wildlife habitats, contributing to runoff, soil degradation, and long-lasting erosion. Cryptobiotic soils in the American West can take 100 years or more to regenerate from one footprint!

• Always look for established parking areas to avoid damaging untouched landscapes and vegetation. When these are not available, look for durable surfaces, such as bare rock, gravel or sand that are more resistant to wear, and more porous for ground water saturation. Always use designated trails when hiking or biking and only use motorized vehicles on trails or roads designated accordingly.

• Be Mindful of Others: Be considerate of other users by not parking too close to another party especially if you need to run your RV heater, or worse, a gas generator. If space is limited, be sure to introduce yourself to your neighbors.

• Keep One Eye on the Weather: Know the limitations of your vehicle, and the weather forecast. Many boondocking spots are on unpaved roads, which might be easy to reach in dry conditions, but are completely different in snow or rain. Trying to four-wheel it out of a location tears up roads, creates ruts and increases erosion.

2. Keep the Lights On

RVs provide great comfort and technology, but needing to run a gas generator in a popular boondocking area simply ruins the vibe. No one wants to listen to an engine while camping in a remote area. With so many solar panel options, and high efficiency LiFePO4 batteries, an effective, quiet, off-grid solar powered system is within reach of every RVer. Learn how to appropriately size a solar-powered system using our solar system sizing worksheet.

• Then, turn lights off… Using external RV security lights in a boondocking area will impact your neighbors with a different kind of pollution: unwanted light. The night sky is one of our best shared resources to be enjoyed by all. Bright unnatural light also disrupts natural behaviors of nocturnal animals, like the owl hunting down the packrat that’s checking out your engine wires, or even turtle hatchlings trying to get to the sea. Use low level, downward casting lights to minimize their impact and still be able to find your rig after an evening walk.

3. Keep the Home Fires Burning

• Campfire Safety: With an increase in fire bans across the continent due to climate change and drought, campfires are often in question. Boondocking areas can be littered with campfire rings, some within yards of each other based upon the aesthetic logic of their creators. Others contain half-burned wood, wooden pallets, metal cans and melted plastic which can be toxic.

RVers should bring their own portable fire pit/grill to keep fires small and controllable or use an existing campfire ring. Buy your wood locally, burn it completely and ensure your fire is “dead out” before leaving by dousing it with plenty of water and stirring the ashes cold. Finally, leave it better than you find it, break up unnecessary fire rings and clean up any fire pits in the area!

• Cooking and Heating with Gas: While cooking with propane is relatively efficient and sips at your tanks, running the RV heater or three-way fridge on the propane setting can really burn through your fuel. To reduce propane heating, try a mattress pad heater or RV skirting (see Gadget Box column on page 10), down booties or a small Mr. Heater portable buddy to heat specific areas of your RV. For refrigeration, many RVs now come with a boondocking setting that runs off of your 12V battery bank. Consider installing an additional 12V fridge freezer (paired with a solar-powered system) to keep food fresh for as long as you want to
  stay out.

4. Keep it Flowing

Water can severely limit your boondocking stays more than food or power. Use water like a traditional American home and your tanks won’t last long! Saving your fresh water for cooking and drinking while limiting bathing and flushing is your best approach. Consider using a portable toilet and shower.

• Water In: Most freshwater rivers and lakes in North America are non-potable due

to harmful bacteria and viruses. However, this water can typically be treated to make it safe for consumption by boiling (for at least one minute) or filtering with an appropriate device. But it cannot filter out pollutants, so choose water as far up the watershed as practical. Untreated water can be used for dishwashing, laundry or personal hygiene. If you’re nervous about untreated dishwashing water, use a small amount of bleach in the rinse water and allow dishes to fully dry.

• Water Out: Improper disposal of grey and blackwater tanks can contaminate water and soil, posing health risks to both humans and wildlife. Chemicals from soaps, detergents and human waste can upset the natural chemistry of ecosystems, leading to algal blooms (rapid accumulations of microscopic algae or cyanobacteria in freshwater or marine systems) as well as other negative environmental issues.

• Pre-wipe dishes before washing: Wash dishes in small bins to conserve water and carry out for disposal. Use biodegradable non-phosphate soap and filter out any food particles with a small sieve, then dispose in your trash. Scatter the wastewater in a different place each day (but never within 150 feet of a river/lake), to lessen the impact on a specific area and discourage wildlife from finding scraps. To locate water/dump stations, use an RV travel app like Harvest Hosts. Plan your trips into town around your tank level.

5. Stay on the Safe Side

Each person has a different threshold for safety. Ours generally assumes that where there’s more people, there’s more problems. We gravitate to remote areas that feel more secluded, and safer than large cities.

• Always scope out the camping area in daylight to determine if it’s where you want to spend a night. Trust your gut, if something doesn’t feel right, move on.
• Don’t leave valuables outside of your vehicles, and don’t leave any valuables visible inside your vehicles.
• Lock your vehicles and set vehicle alarms.
• Keep your phone on. Even in areas with weak cell reception 911 will still work.
• Make friends on the road, there’s a great community out there, and most folks have your back.

6. Pack it Out

Trash in the wrong place is not only unsightly, it can also harm natural areas and wildlife by teaching them to live off of human food/trash rather than finding their own. Micro-trash like twist ties, bread bag clips, chocolate bar wrapper corners, bottle caps and cigarette butts can be just as harmful because rodents and birds may think that they are food.

Bring trash bags and recycling containers to pack out what you bring. Before leaving, scour your campsite for all trash, including micro-trash left behind by others.

The Benefits of Boondocking

Over the past 14 years, we’ve experienced some of the most amazingly beautiful places on this continent, all from the comfort of our tiny rig. For those who love freedom, adventure and solitude, this is RV nirvana!

If you are new to boondocking, try unhooking your RV umbilical cords (electric/water/sewer) while at a serviced campground. Stay for a few days and see how long your resources last. Then try an off-grid campground for a longer visit before stepping up to boondocking. Soon, you’ll be a pro!

As RVers, we hold the keys to making a difference with each choice we make—from the paths we travel to the ways we manage waste—we either contribute to the problem or become part of the solution! Join us on this journey!