We prefer to get away from it all and avoid private parks. We are pretty good at stretching our resources. Being self-contained offers us more freedom to relax in more quiet, beautiful sites. It seems that no services means more peace and quiet. Our camping friends, on the other hand, have admitted to being hooked on hook-ups.
We go both ways, but it depends on where we're going. If it's the larger surrounding area we're interested in, then hookups are great. Here I have in mind places like Grand Canyon, Zion, etc. But if we're basically planning to stay put near the rig, then immediate scenery is more important that hookups. Rallies are critters all to themselves, however.
Lynn
You can count me among those who avoid boon docking or dry camping if at all possible. Between ten years of camping using a cabin tent and the years of the WBCCI International Rally when only 3 AMP electrical service was available, I have had my fill of RVing without adequate utilities. My location in the humid Midwest region probably helps to form my preference as I can only take limited exposure to humidity and heat combined -- air conditioning is an absolute requirement for me when traveling East of the Rocky Mountains -- I still work and my time off is mandated by my work schedule that runs from mid-August through late-May so traveling in the "off" season is not yet an option. As a Free Wheeler, boondocking just adds too many additional chores that make camping more of a pain than a pleasure. I also find that I meet a number of interesting people in the campgrounds and RV parks where I stay.
Kevin
__________________
Kevin D. Allen WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Free Wheelers #6359 AIR #827
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 VORTEC/4.11 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)
1. Extra bedroom at our family's homestead cabin in the high desert. Plugged into any outlet for basic power. Sometimes have to run the generator for air conditioner if the cabin's electrical load is too large.
2. Non-hookup forest service campsites in the forest. Trailer holds enough food and water for a week. Use the generator to recharge the batteries when needed. Probably my favorite use of the trailer.
3. RV parks. Usually when touring cities and more developed areas. Take off in tow vehicle and sightsee. An example would be Betebel RV park in San Juan Bautista (toured Santa Cruz, San Juan, etc.).
This is all great reading as I contemplate adding gray and black tanks to my 55 Flying Cloud. I think I'll add them so I have the opportunity to boondock. My brother swears I'll love it. I also love the idea of adding solar panels and being self sufficient for several days at a time.
We like the trees and nature! If we can stay in a place that has hook ups and private spaces and offer the trees, nature and fire pits.... yippie! But, we also like to boondock, but usually for us that means "no hookups" and stay in a National Forest Service campground or similar. We did stay in a WalMart once.... too noisy and uninteresting for our style. (The noise was the parking lot sweeper truck at 3:00 a.m.) But, if we had to choose between one of those spendy RV places that are asphalt parking lots with hook ups, I'd save the $ and go back to a WalMart.... but as was pointed out earlier, it is a good thing we all don't like the same venue or we would all be much too crowded!
__________________ Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson!
Our vast experience - ie, 4 trips to date. We have had hook-ups each time. Only the first trip was w/o sewer. From our early camping days, a million years ago, we had a tent and no hook ups of any kind. So we are making progress. We do plan on spending time touring our wonderful country and will do both with and without hookups. Guess we will see and report as we have more trips logged.
We much prefer boondocking...but find a lot of times we end up at campgrounds with friends. Enjoy both...but we use our trailer more like a "tent" than a "hotel room" either way.
Shari
__________________ Vintage Airstream Club - Past President 2007/2008 WBCCI #1824 - DenCO Unit Past President (2005) AIR #30 - Join Date: 2-25-2002
We're desert rats who live on the western edge of the Mojave desert. Our trips are usually to the Mojave or Sonoran deserts. The majority of our camping is within eyesight of the middle of nowhere. We love off the map boondocking.
Although we camp in State Parks with our WBCCI Unit the FCU and in full hook up parks with the California Streamers our favorite place to be is still miles down some dirt road in the desert.
From Boondocking to five star RV parks, it seems we've tried it all and find Airstreams are wonderful and adaptable for most any environment. This past week, due to a mistake in reserving a 'water/electric' site in a Virginia State Park, we were forced to Boondock. No electrical or generators, no water and no sewer.....NO PROBLEM. We'd experimented in my sister's drive in Florida one Winter and knew we could hold out for three days with no hookups so were certain we could do it at this high elevation, deep in the forest with the temps only in the low seventies for highs. Indeed, we were so pleased and comfortable. We cooked, took showers, conserved our water in the onboard tank we had filled on the way in to our site and generally enjoyed our stay for three nights. Sunday we had enough power left in the two batteries to retract the slideout, raise the stabilizers and the tongue and get hooked up and out. It turned out we had water for toilet use on the way home. I doubt seriously we'd made it for four nights; however, Airstream provides us all with one heck of a trailer! We are so happy to have made the leap from an SOB to Airstream.
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