Whats the appeal?

You can enjoy all of your "luxuries" without being limited to campground shore power. Boondocking also doesn't have mean that you are isolated. It can also mean that you are not tethered by an electrical cord to the grid. There are many alternatives.

Boondocking has different definitions to different people. It is more on a spectrum than a set idea. One definition (of many) - "the practice of pulling off the highway to stay at free locations in your car, caravan, RV in spots that have zero or limited facilities."

My wife and I both use CPAP's and this made it difficult to camp like we wanted to. But finding alternatives to shore power freed us up completely. Probably 95% of my camping destinations do not offer shore power. Most of my pup use is at "social gatherings" in non-traditional camping areas. But because I carry my own electrical sources, I am not limited to where I can put my camper because of electrical needs.

By "cutting of the cord", it increases freedoms and lowers limitations. My present limitation are only determined by how level the ground is.

Even on the rare occasions that I do chose to go to a campground, I am still not limited if none of the electrical sites are available.

 

You're killin' me Smalls. When we went to YNP/GNP about five years ago, I absolutely fell in love with the area, specifically the area sometimes call the south fork of the Shoshone River. I would normally give an eye roll to people who talk like this, but that area just spoke to me. It's been five years since we were there but I can't wait to go back.

 

After all this time I’m still in awe of where I live. As far as camping and fishing you just can’t beat it. Let me know when you’re heading this way. Love to talk about the area and point you to a couple of spots.

 

Not a lot of places to boondock in the NY metro area. Lol. So i will stick to camping resorts and state parks. So its not boondocking, but its close enough for me around this area. Its whatever you like to do, and this is a good point, you can do as much of eaither as you want, or none. Its up to you. I use my camper for getting out into nature as much as i use it as a mobile hotel room.

 

We don't boondock, except for backpacking (which might be termed extreme boondocking), but most of our camping is dry camping, that is, staying in campgrounds that do not have hookups. We moved to a popup from a tent, so just being off the ground was more luxury, along with the option to cook inside when we wish. First popup was extremely basic, no power, only the stove (we removed the useless sink). Second popup had lights and a furnace (we again removed the sink); we added solar and that worked great. Our small (17') TT has more luxury/power items - fans, hot water tank, on boards fresh and waste tanks, flush toilet, fridge/freezer that works great. We kept the sink this time, don't use the shower but hot water is wonderful to have. We up-sized the solar panel, improved the battery, and we're good without hookups for up to 7-9 nights. solar works well where we usually camp.
We camp mostly to explore and enjoy an area, and often times, that means basic campgrounds. We don't boondock for a number of reasons, among them seeing some places that are regularly used by folks that don't care to take care of the place. There seems to be less impact on an area in many of the campground we use, where there is oversight of one level or another, trash removal (most of them).
We do use hookup sites more than we used to, for one thing, our season expanded yet again when we moved from popup to travel trailer. We use it in lieu of a hotel room to visit family and friends, and often choose a place with hookups. We also do so for overnight stops on the road.
For us, flexibility is important. Would we boondock? Under the right circumstances, sure. Just hasn't happened in 30+years of tents, popups, and travel trailer.

 

You can ask rangers in national forests. freecampsites.com is out there, but a lot of their sites are considered "overnighting" spots (like Walmart parking lots) rather than true boondocking. Word of mouth can find you something. But truly, the best way is to go out and drive and explore.

 

I haven't really bothered with boondocking at this point. I've been happy with my chosen campgrounds and the boondocking spots I'm aware of don't offer anything better:

one site is a magnet for partyers and druggies; another is basically a dirt pasture where a dozen campers park - it's got great views, but you in a parking lot with just a dry plain within walking distance; another is just a spot under the trees - pretty but the closest water is too far to walk and requires 4wd.

In comparison, my favorite campgrounds offer lots of boulders/trees/bushes between sites, water within walking distance and great views and pretty sites.

I think the best area for boondocking is from Idaho/Montana down to Arizona - so much open BLM land available. It just makes sense to boondock there.

I will say that being able to separate yourself from hookups can open up a lot of opportunities regardless of boondocking. You have more choices for camping sites in National Parks:

(his harness and leash was cloned out)

you have a ton of National Forest campgrounds:


you have COE and BOR campgrounds:


and you can even find some primitive BLM campgrounds:


All these photos were taken while hanging out in my campsites. Cheapest was $5 a night; most expensive was $26 a night. None have hookups. Only two have a dump station. All are amazing campgrounds that I would have missed if I insisted on hookups..

 

Here in Texas there is very little BLM land and that is 600 plus from our home. The closest National Park is Big Bend unless there is one in Arkansas that would at least 450. The National Forests in East Texas have a bad reputation of undesirables roaming around. All that said I am like someone else posted. I like to explore the area around where I am camped. Actually I don't feel comfortable leaving my camp un attended. I am not worried about being out there alone as I am always well armed. I just don't want to get in that situation. It is very expensive even when you are right. Also w/o a gen set you would be limited to late fall thru early spring because of the heat. My main thing is security. I think I need to develop some friends to do this with. I originally bought an off road tear drop to run mountain trails and camp on the run but, I am too old to get in and out of them easily. And the LW demands a shower once a day and would like 2. So we bought this PUP but, it would never hold up on the roads and trails I like to drive. Look at the White Rim road near Moab. That is the type of stuff I like. There are some nice Forrest roads in the Manti La Sal National Forrest near there also with camp sites on a lake at about 10,000ft. That could be nice in the summer time. I must say reading posts here is making me explore those ideas more.

 

Even if you don't boondock, try out some dry campgrounds. You don't have to do it all the time, but it can get you out camping in a pinch. And it can get you to new places and a bit further out than otherwise.

 

We prefer "primitive" campgrounds but will boondock if a spot shows up. We just don't always have time to look for something that isn't on the map so we usually head for the forest service campgrounds. (Some of them are even free!) Never have hooked up and don't even own a water pressure regulator thingy.

As busy as campgrounds have been with this pandemic, we're probably going to be leaving the popup trailer home this year. You can get a lot further in without it.

Probably gonna be following Grandpa Don on freecampsites now. Love that part of the world.

 

i haven't boondocked yet, but it's really all i want to do. i got my pup a year ago and have been driveway and SP camping learning as much as possible. I still have to sort out solar panels, but that's the next goal and then it's off to boondocking.

I camp to get away - and you can't get more away than boodocking

 

I love this question! Like most things, people probably like it for different reasons, but for me the appeal is mostly how I feel when being industrious, and finding creative ways to relate to the land while “out there”. It forces me to think in ways I don’t need to when I’m at a site in my pop up and have everything I need. I will admit, I’ve never boondocked with my pop up and I probably wouldn’t because it’s too cumbersome and I’d probably damage my rig. I also like the solitude of boondocking and find the process of being a bit afraid the first night, and easing into my surroundings to become more and more comfortable over time is what best de-stresses me.

 

to co-opt a commercial.... "THAT'S IT!!!... WE'RE GOIN' OFF THE GRID!!!"

Don't Fence Me In
Gene Autry
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don't fence me in

Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please
Don't fence me in​

Happy Trails!

 

I can see the appeal of boondocking and wouldn’t rule it out completely but it’s not for me. Yes you can have solar for power but I can’t run AC or my refrigerator on solar. I tent camper for a LONG time and now I like having the extras.

 

I'm not going to repeat all the reasons listed above for why I like boondocking, but one that I'm surprised I DON'T see, which is a big one for a cheapskate like me, is the fact that it's FREE! Not everyone is like me, but there is also a sense of satisfaction when you're sitting at a site with the camper and enjoying life while thinking I didn't pay a dime for this site. ;-)

As for resources, I'll share one more that I discovered recently that I haven't seen as often as freecampsites.net, campendium.com, or others. The iOverlander app on both Apple and Google app store is very good in my opinion. Worth checking out!

Safe travels!

 

I'm sure there are some on here that will use their campers for a "bug-out" solution. Anyone consider this?

 

For me it’s because this is my view when I wake up. Quiet. Beautiful. No one else around. Nothing like it!

 

NAH... too much of a target and not very "nimble" weaving in and out of traffic LOL ... (watch "the Edge of Tomorrow" with Tom Cruise)

Happy Trails!