Hook up OR Not Hook up while camping

purman · 06-27-2009, 09:43 AM

Ok, We go camping with our friends who always want to camp at RV parks and hook up.

We don't... I figure why go camping if your going to be packed in like sardines.

Now, sometimes it is nice, but I would rather have trees and bushes and a camp fire pit and a little room between me and my neighbor.

I don't mind not having the hooks up for a little bit of nature.

Plus state parks are very nice. Places like Zion NP have electric hook up only but you aren't right on top of your neighbor either.

Anyone else share my feelings, and those who don't, what are your reasons for wanting to be right next to each other? Unless your with friends then I guess it can be fun...

If your out for awhile I can see doing a little of both...

Aerowood · 06-27-2009, 10:20 AM

My wife an I prefer not to use campgrounds for the same reason. Not that we do on occasion be we prefer boondocking. maybe its because Colorado has so many places to go that do not have campgrounds. We are leaving Sunday morning for the Crested Butte Taylor area.

Kip

Gypsy Jo · 06-27-2009, 11:01 AM

Much prefer boondocking. When we first started out 20 some years ago we did it in converted bus many campgrounds wouldn't let us in.Little did they know they were doing us a favor.I stay in national forest ,state,or county parks if can't find anything else.

Isadora · 06-27-2009, 11:20 AM

If we are going camping, and staying in a spot for a day or three then it is campgrounds and trees and campfires for us, but if we are traveling and need a "room" at the end of the day to sleep in, then it is an RV park with showers and wi-fi, etc. close to the freeway and stores for restocking. So it depends on the circumstances.

**wahoonc** · 06-27-2009, 11:23 AM

Both types, but we are choosy about our RV parks. We camped for several years in a popup and typically travel in a fairly limited area. So we know what works for us and doesn't. State parks have always been a good choice and we have a short list of favorite RV parks in a 3-4 state area.

Aaron

BWH-Utah · 06-27-2009, 11:29 AM

I have noticed that all responders so far are from the west, where boondocking is easier, more available. Hookups every now and then to recharge the battery, or when staying near a bigger town. Guess I don't see Walmart as boondocking. But, any night in an Airstream is a good one.

CrawfordGene · 06-27-2009, 11:37 AM

It depends on what the goal is.

We travel long distances to see things all over Canada and the US and for those reasons most of the time hookups are a good thing. After a tough day on the road, or local sightseeing, a shower and a good meal is great. In those instances we bring a mobile motel room and self service restaurant with us. We've got our own stuff with us, can eat well and sleep well. We'd rather not be crammed into small sites, and we try to choose places where there's some space, but mostly we are inside and it doesn't matter much.

But, there are times when it's good to be in a more rustic space. Then we can use the self contained unit version supplemented by a small generator and solar panel and maybe some extra water. We also have to figure out how to deal with the too small grey water tank. We get the advantages of the mobile motel and self service restaurant, and being out in the forest. Of course, it isn't like backpacking, or driving on 4WD roads to somewhere really isolated and tent camping. There's not much isolation these days though since every other person in Colorado has a 4WD and you can hear the engines in low range from miles away.

And then there are the blends of both—state parks with electricity, but no water or sewer, or water and electric and no sewer, or none, or rustic private campgrounds with some, but not all hookups. For long trips, a private campground with electric only saves a few bucks and you can use the dump station in the morning for the grey water.

My preference would be to be 30 years younger when I could backpack for days without knee or back pain and see the real back country. Seeing anyone but my companion was a treat because there were so few of us. A camp fire was mandatory, for cooking, warmth, and because they are so cool. We could drink out of streams or springs and there seemed to be a lot less giardia. If anyone has found the Fountain of Youth, please PM me. I'll bring the Safari to the trailhead and then start hiking.

Gene

**moosetags** · 06-27-2009, 12:05 PM

We are just the opposite. We use Lucy more like a hotel room than a camper. we rarely boon dock. We just don't care for it. When we do camp without hook-ups, it's usually at a truck stop when we are trying to get to a certain destination.

We always prefer a CG with five point hook-ups. If a CG doesn't have cable and wifi, that's roughing it.

We just use our Airstream differently than some folks. We never hang out at the campsite. We are always off doing something else. We have spent over 425 nights in Lucy in the past three years, and have pulled her almost 50,000 miles. We carry a couple of folding chairs in Lucy. We have had them out once in all those nights. We have never made a campfire. We rarely get back to Lucy before dark.

As far as we are concerned, Lucy is our escape pod that we use to see this great country of ours and visit friends and relatives in far away places. We appreciate those folks who camp in the woods as it leaves a campsite for us at the campground.

If we all like the same things, this would be a much more hectic world.

Brian

CrawfordGene · 06-27-2009, 01:39 PM

We do use the Safari much more like Brian and SuEllyn than any other way, but we think we'll boondock more, but don't seem to. Maybe this summer.

Gene

redeagle313 · 06-27-2009, 02:15 PM

Boondocking for us is a Flying J enroute to where ever we are trying to get to. We don't need fulll hookups, but my spouse and daughters remind me frequently that we are RV'ers,

not campers....and to them electrical hookups are a good thing. Water for showers, or a campground with nice showers is a bonus.

**Stefrobrts** · 06-27-2009, 02:30 PM

I don't find parking lots to be very scenic, so if I'm camping with the goal of spending time sitting around the trailer reading a book, I want it to be somewhere scenic. But every year we take a trip to Ashland Oregon and stay in a nice county park that is just a big parking lot with hookups. It helps that it is on a lake so there is a nice view. It's mostly our basecamp for going into town and seeing plays. So it depends on what we're doing and why we're camping.

Silvertwinkie · 06-27-2009, 02:35 PM

I know first hand that there are pluses and minuses to either way, but I am with some here where I find that being in a crowd is really neat sometimes, but yet many more times, I really like the primitive campgrounds. I have bought a 1000 watt propane generator to keep the fans going and lights more than 4 days (less if I have the stereo going, but when in the woods, why supply tunes?). I know some folks need A/C and once you have water hookups, you eventually will need sewer hookups. I have been known on occasion to go to the store before settling down and getting those 2.5 gal containers of water from the grocery store to help augment my fresh water supply and also use the rustic campground hand pump to fill my 5 gal container for hand washing etc. In the end it really depends on what you like, that's the joy camping and choices. I like a bit of both, but my real passion is going it alone being fully self contained. IMHO, being at hookups all the time, I could easily have stayed at a hotel, but I don't want to sell short those who prefer hookups cause to be honest after 3-4 days of boondocking, getting back some modern conveniences is really great.

TBRich · 06-27-2009, 04:41 PM

We do most our camping in state or county camp grounds, and sometimes in national forest camp grounds...usually there is electricity (the most important amenity to us) and sometimes water (a good thing), and once in a while sewer hookups (a luxury). We can go about a week on our holding tanks if we watch ourselves, and usually run out of fresh water before the holding tanks are full. (We use a 6-gal portable water to augment our fresh water supply if needed.) Cable is fun but doesn't happen often in these settings.

We much prefer public camp grounds over private parks because we like the space and not being in our neighbors' laps. We don't dry camp often, unless we are attending a rally, which ends up being good practice for us ... unless we need AC. We are trying to do more dry camping. We have solar which helps a lot, and we've gone for several days on the solar & batteries ... with no AC ... We are considering a generator for those times when we need AC or to boost the batteries. We know that being better equipped for dry camping will broaden the situations available to us and to camp for longer stays with no hookups ... and also reduce our camping costs... We've noticed that sometimes the best camp sites are those with no services.

Mexray · 06-27-2009, 04:57 PM

We're another in the Boondock 'camp'...so to speak, and we are from the West, where there are lots of opportunities get away from the crowds...

We have 'hook-ups' at home..

, that's why we love the AS to get away to the 'Boonies'...

Most of the State Parks, US Forest Service, BLM and Corps Campgrounds are void of hook-ups out our way, so we're used to running on battery power...