Seven Tips for Successful Boondocking

Ah, boondocking. Just the thought of it evokes images of camping atop a remote desert mesa or upon a heavily wooded mountain forest next to a large lake. If you enjoy beautiful vistas, peaceful solitude, and clean air when you camp, then boondocking is for you. It's a hundred times better than listening to a teeth-rattling generator at a crowded campground or dealing with barking dogs at an ugly, asphalt-laden RV park. But it does take some preparation and a little know how to boondock successfully, otherwise your stay will be more frustrating, less enjoyable, and ultimately much shorter.

If you're new to the world of RV boondocking the whole process may at first seem pretty daunting, but it really shouldn't. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Like anything, it just takes a little practice to get over the fear and get comfortable with some of the basics. If you have a desire to conserve and possess a working knowledge of a few basic principles you can become pretty confident and proficient at it. So without any further adieu, here are seven tips to help you get started.  

1. Water Conservation: 

Of all your resources, water is your most precious. Use it wisely! Never leave your faucet running when using the tap. Use a half cup of water or bottled water to brush your teeth. Buy an Oxygenics shower head and take "Navy Showers," get wet, turn off the water, soap up, then rinse off. Use baby wipes for personal hygiene. For meals, use paper plates and plastic forks that way you won't need to wash dishes. When dish washing is necessary, wash them in a small tub and save the dish water for flushing the toilet. Keep in mind that limiting the amount of water you use also limits the amount of gray and black waste water you generate.

2. Potable Water Sources: 

Potable water can be obtained from numerous sources while you're on the road. These include state parks, campgrounds, and ranger stations as well as welcome centers, truck stops, and gas stations. Make sure you have a "water thief" handy (these can be purchased at any RV parts store for around $4) to hook up your water hose to non-threaded water spigots. Water can also be obtained from natural sources like lakes and streams, of course, but make sure you purify it first before you drink it. Few things can ruin a trip like a bad case of the runs. Buy a funnel or a portable 12 volt water pump to ease the task of filling your fresh water tank from natural sources.

3. Power Conservation:

Power conservation is also vitally important when camping off-the-grid. Use the water pump, inverter, and lights only when you need them. Replace your higher wattage incandescent light bulbs with lower wattage LED lights and install a florescent light in your kitchen. If you have a single 12 volt battery in your RV, and you're camping in cold weather, avoid using the power sucking furnace to keep warm. Use an extra blanket or two instead or buy a Wave catalytic heater (catalytic heaters use propane only). Another trick is to use flashlights, lanterns, and other lighting devices to conserve your RV's battery power. Tips on rigging your RV for boondocking can be found here.

4. Minimizing Black Water: 

Dealing with waste water will perhaps be your biggest challenge while you boondock. The size of your RV's black water tank is limited so minimize use of your toilet as much as possible (this is much easier for guys). Use public facilities or other locations as much as possible. Never fill your toilet bowl with water after flushing--use just enough water to cover the rubber seal. Again, use baby wipes for personal hygiene. As for disposal, dumping black water in the wild is illegal so you'll need to find a dump site after you complete you boondocking stay. Here's one RV dump website I've found useful on more than a few occasions.

5. Gray Water Dumping: 

Regulations for dumping gray water varies by state and agency. Some allow it, some don't and some have regulations that lie somewhere in the between. For instance, gray shower water or "wash" water is legal to dump in Arizona while gray water from the kitchen, which is classified as sewage, is not. Further complicating things, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prohibits the dumping of any kind of gray water on all properties they manage including the BLM areas around Quartzsite. The bottom line is that it's best to be safe than sorry and check with local authorities before you dump. Otherwise, you may receive a painful fine.

6. Limiting Waste:

Managing the amount of garbage you generate while boondocking can also be a challenge, especially for longer stays. If you decide to go the paper and plastic route for meals try and at least reuse your cups, we like to write our names on them using a sharpie. For pre-made meals, remove as much packaging beforehand to reduce waste. The same applies to any new camping gear you may be bringing along for the first time. As for food waste like meat, leave as little as possible as the smells can attract wild animals for miles. Suspend your garbage bag in a tree with a rope so wild animals like bears and racoons cannot get to it.

7. Other Considerations: 

Be mindful of others and the environment when you boondock. Apply the Golden Rule. Pick up your trash and leave your campsite pristine. You may think this is a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at the amount of garbage left behind on public lands. It's extremely inconsiderate, unsightly, and against the law. Stiff fines will be levied if you get caught (see Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart A, 261.11(d), under "Sanitation"). The best approach when boondocking is to simply leave your campsite in better condition than when you arrived. Keeping things picked up is not only the right thing to do, it's good for the environment.