Primer: First Time Trailer Boondockers

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Martee

I just completed 10 days boondocking in the Adirondacks at an NY State campsite with my new FC25FB. It was at a campsite area that I have tent camped many times previously, but this was first time with my Airstream. Wow. Everything was easier and more enjoyable than tenting. Just to make it clear, there was no water, electric, sewer, cable, WiFi or even cell phone coverage.

1. I do think that having previous tent camping experience, certainly allows the boondocking Airstream owner to manage expectations. It becomes a more fun experience.

2. The Airstream trailer then becomes home-base for all activities, like hiking, canoeing or visiting any local attractions.

3. My Airstream has rooftop solar, but was almost useless because all campsites were under heavy shade trees. Add in normal cloudy and rainy days and solar was not effective. A small Honda generator I packed, maintained battery levels during certain hours.

4. Normally this campsite has always been fully booked during peak season from June 1st to September. It was 92% empty the day I checked out on June 27th. According to the campsite caretaker, they have noted major attendance declines over the past 5 years due to most "camping people" wanting full hookups.

Sadly, I am wondering if many people are passing up quality campsite locations, because they want to avoid the boondocking experience.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Glad that you enjoyed your first boon docking experience with your Airstream.

I agree that most campers,want full hookups. That is what makes the ability to camp without hookups so great. You can actually find a campsite and the the campers are quite a bit different than those that you find at a full hookup campground.

Dan

[tberg]

Originally Posted by Martee

I just completed 10 days boondocking in the Adirondacks at an NY State campsite with my new FC25FB. It was at a campsite area that I have tent camped many times previously, but this was first time with my Airstream. Wow. Everything was easier and more enjoyable than tenting. Just to make it clear, there was no water, electric, sewer, cable, WiFi or even cell phone coverage.

Do you mind sharing the name of the park/site?

[Jeff7176]

I have camped most of my life. Mostly tents, some trailers, mostly with no source of anything I couldn’t carry.

Then I found my bride who had no interest in camping. City girl. But then, at a car show in DC of all places, she had her first chance to get up close and personal with an AS. But we were city people now. I had a 911 so a trailer made no sense.

Fast forward five years. The 911 is gone and an F-150 is in. And then a chance trip to the AS dealer on a lazy weekend. She said, as we walked around, “we are not buying anything today.” An hour or so later she said “I want that one” and we crossed a new threshold in life with a 25’ International Serenity.

We had several practice camps. Close to civilization with full hook up and all. Lovely. And we began to become more adventurous and looked to get further away. I did buy a generator and we do have solar so we have a safety net of sorts.

On our first real boondocking experience we realized we missed one important thing. Fresh water. We figured we could find some along the way, but that was a bad assumption. So I found a grocery store and bought 25 gallons of drinking water (the checkout guy was clearly baffled) and we used a cut open water bottle as a funnel.

Now we have a real funnel only for water and five 5-gallon collapsable jugs we fill at home and carry in the truck (trailer is stored in VA, we live in DC). No more water concerns.

And to my surprise, the city girl let go. Bathing is generally a swim in the river or lake. Showers are rare. This is all surprising to me. We go out 3 weekends per month and one week per quarter.

And she’s now ready to sell the house and travel for awhile to see everything she’s been missing her whole life. So we have next spring set as our “leaving DC” time (daughter graduates from college in May).

[Len n Jeanne]

Jeff, a big "wahoo!" to you and your lovely bride.

[westcoastas]

This is a good thread - thanks Ray. The ironic thing, for us, was that we had finally been able to buy some camping equipment, went out camping over a week in the eastern Sierras, and on the way back came up behind an Airstream on Highway 395. While I was waiting for a chance to pass, I remembered how I had always wondered what an Airstream looked like inside, and right then made a vow to look at one when we got home. Within three months we had returned our REI tent, traded it in for cold weather gear, and hit the road for good.

Once we got a winter under our belts while safely working as camp hosts in a state park, we felt boondocking was the next step. The important thing was that we knew that all our appliances and trailer functions were operating. We also had accumulated the necessary gear for a prolonged stay beyond the extension cord: water and gas cans, a Honda 2000i generator, a shovel, and solar lamps. We bought a portable gray/black water tank so that we didn't have to break down the trailer to make a dump. We fill the portable tank to the point where we can still lift it into the truck bed; even a couple trips was more desirable than packing up our trailer. The longest we've stayed out in one spot has been 38 days and the farthest out away from a highway was 25 miles. We stayed for free in three different spots in the Sawtooths over 45 days. Now this doesn't mean we were self-sufficient for the entire time - we often made visits to a nearby small town to get supplies. We boondocked one week without replenishing the time we were out 25 miles; we could have stayed another week but we fished out the little spot we had found.

I think Len and Jeanne pretty much nailed it a few posts previously. Everything we learned was from this forum or off YouTube. There is nothing like opening the trailer door to find an unobstructed view of the outdoors, stepping out and not hearing or seeing anyone except for nature's call. You can start small and go a couple nights with just a solar lamp and a good book, and then push your comfort zone a bit each next time. Adventure isn't necessarily "going big". It's just crossing the line in the sand you marked for yourself.

[TouringDan]

RICE COOKER FOR BOONDOCKING

I was in Walmart a while back and a rice cooker caught my eye. It took a while but I finally found out that it only needed 350 watts of electricity and was sufficiently small and light weight for the Airstream. Our inverter is 1000 watts so the power is covered. I didn’t buy the one in Walmart because it didn’t have the steamer but went on Amazon where the selection is huge and ordered one for $19.

I generally don’t want to heat anything with electricity while boondocking, but we have 200 watts of solar and so we are just using the sun to cook with. Now I haven’t made any rice yet, but have found that the rice cooker works great for heating up just about anything. I generally just power it on the 5-10 minutes and then just leave it covered heating the contents for a few more minutes. Another advantage is that we can use it on the picnic table and not add any heat to the interior of the Airstream.

Dan

[Ray Eklund]

Touring Dan... what time did you say for all of us to arrive?

[AldeanFan]

Every Airstream owner should have at least a basic understanding of how to survive in a trailer without full hookups.

I’ve camped almost every way you can. When I was 14 and completing my Queen’s Venturer Award, my dad dropped me and two friends off in front of a public forest and picked us up two days later. We thought we were spoiled because we had sleeping bags, matches and a can of beans each.
I’ve also stayed in luxury RV parks where they’ll deliver groceries to your site with a golf cart.

On the Canada day weekend we booked a site at a “camping resort” near African Lion Safari Amusement Park. Highly recommend African Lion Safari, we all loved it.
The site had full hookups but Saturday afternoon the power went out to the whole park. The park was on a well so no running water and they closed the pool too.
It was a sweltering 35c in the shade and extremely humid. Us Canadians can’t handle that weather.

The RVr’s across the road announced an ultimatum to all campers and park staff that if power was not back on within the hour they would be leaving, which they did.

I calmly unplugged my shore power, switched the fridge and water heater to propane, turned on the water pump and connected my small solar panel.
I also issued each of the kids a squirt bottle and filled some buckets with water. I spent the afternoon sitting in the shade with a cool beverage watching the kids squirt each other and dunk their heads in the water buckets to cool off.
We cooked over the open fire and read fairytales by solar lantern light, then had warm showers and drifted off to sleep to the sound of the crickets outside our many open windows.
In the morning the power was back on but we didn’t need it. Bacon and eggs tasted great on the propane stove and the kids picked up the squirt bottles and resumed their water war from the previous day.

I feel bad that I didn’t try to stop the campers who packed up when the power went out, they have no idea the fun they missed out on.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Every Airstream owner should have at least a basic understanding of how to survive in a trailer without full hookups.

I’ve camped almost every way you can. When I was 14 and completing my Queen’s Venturer Award, my dad dropped me and two friends off in front of a public forest and picked us up two days later. We thought we were spoiled because we had sleeping bags, matches and a can of beans each.
I’ve also stayed in luxury RV parks where they’ll deliver groceries to your site with a golf cart.

On the Canada day weekend we booked a site at a “camping resort” near African Lion Safari Amusement Park. Highly recommend African Lion Safari, we all loved it.
The site had full hookups but Saturday afternoon the power went out to the whole park. The park was on a well so no running water and they closed the pool too.
It was a sweltering 35c in the shade and extremely humid. Us Canadians can’t handle that weather.

The RVr’s across the road announced an ultimatum to all campers and park staff that if power was not back on within the hour they would be leaving, which they did.

I calmly unplugged my shore power, switched the fridge and water heater to propane, turned on the water pump and connected my small solar panel.
I also issued each of the kids a squirt bottle and filled some buckets with water. I spent the afternoon sitting in the shade with a cool beverage watching the kids squirt each other and dunk their heads in the water buckets to cool off.
We cooked over the open fire and read fairytales by solar lantern light, then had warm showers and drifted off to sleep to the sound of the crickets outside our many open windows.
In the morning the power was back on but we didn’t need it. Bacon and eggs tasted great on the propane stove and the kids picked up the squirt bottles and resumed their water war from the previous day.

I feel bad that I didn’t try to stop the campers who packed up when the power went out, they have no idea the fun they missed out on.

Thanks AldeanFan

Now that is a great story! And I completely agree with you that every Airstream (and RV owner) should be able to camp without full hookups.

Dan

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Touring Dan... what time did you say for all of us to arrive?

Well if it is just two, come any time Ray. We got this thinking it would be fine for just two, but I believe it is actually large enough to feed four.

Dan

[Len n Jeanne]

Thanks Westcoastas! Where were you camping? Southern Utah?

A great story, Aldean fan.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by TouringDan

Well if it is just two, come any time Ray. We got this thinking it would be fine for just two, but I believe it is actually large enough to feed four.

Dan

*******
We will have to get a Monsoon Rain Check on the offer.

We are leaving for the High Country for cooler nights and warm days. I will be purging the fresh water lines, filling the fresh water tank, checking tire air pressures and down the list, shortly.

Nancy is cooling down the Dometic Refrigerator on house power and tomorrow stock it for the expected amount of time on the road... and then again, the 'unexpected' amount of time on the road. No plans, just some compass directions.

By Thursday the Dometic will be on trailer propane, the trailer on 12 volt battery and our Pauper Solar Panel will be put to the test, a second time.

Each time we stow cargo off the check lists and leave home... the Primer- First Time Boondocking mentality goes into high gear.

Cannot forget the 'kitchen sink' as it is already fixed in the trailer.

[truemedia]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

Dawn, great first post. Keep us informed if you get another AS.

Looks like you joined in '2009? Don't wait so long for your next post.

Thought I'd give a quick update... got my rig! Recently bought a 2008 23' Int'l Ocean Breeze and a Silverado 1500 LT 5.3L for my tow vehicle. Just getting her all checked out and getting the WDH dialed in for my TV. Booked a little camp ground on a local lake 12 miles from my house for a test run in two weeks. So happy!!

[Ray Eklund]

Montana has odd signs.

Is it exactly 20 feet? ...or how about 25 feet? Does that include a short tow truck or a long bed, crew max, rivet popping F350?

Do you believe it or not?

We did it with a 23 foot. All to ourselves, the water was clear, cool and found a brand new can of Bear Spray that was left by a previous tent camper.

Come on... live on the edge. The Earth appears flat and at the worst... you can turn around and have a wonderful time anyways.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

Montana has odd signs.

Is it exactly 20 feet? ...or how about 25 feet? Does that include a short tow truck or a long bed, crew max, rivet popping F350?

Do you believe it or not?

We did it with a 23 foot. All to ourselves, the water was clear, cool and found a brand new can of Bear Spray that was left by a previous tent camper.

Come on... live on the edge. The Earth appears flat and at the worst... you can turn around and have a wonderful time anyways.

I suspect that Ray keeps a supply of these odd signs and puts them up in the area he wants to camp; just to scare the riff-raff off.

[Ray Eklund]

I reread this entire Thread after returning from a Paddlewheel Evening Cruise and Dinner on Lake Mead, Nevada and dined in sight of Hoover Dam, lit up after sunset and a full moon. What was amazing to us, as it took less than ten minutes to get there from our home in Boulder City. Much like Boondocking... but on a paddlewheel boat. An unplanned experience that went perfectly.

Previous posts are encouraging. Enjoying the 'real' outdoors in the privacy of your tent or trailer can provide memories and new perspectives for your entire life.

The previous stories are remarkable examples of trial and error. There is no right or wrong. You are getting your education.

I can sense some members are either too bashful to post, or a bit uncomfortable telling their story. These personal experiences may help others understand that the process is not as difficult as one may be led to believe. True Boondocking is a learned behavior by doing. You, as a person will change mentally and physically. Your attitude changes. Your wanting to repeat this experience develops after successful planned excursions, then to unplanned excursions. Then to places you have NEVER been to in your life, not planned in advance and not concerned about the unkown.

You just... go. Be flexible. Camped at the edge of a WalMart parking lot, or a truck stop is a positive experience. Know it well ourselves. You get some rest and a fresh day to begin the next morning. Step out, take a deep breath and ....aaaaaaaah.

Trial and Error, at best. Tent camping is the foundation for most Boondockers. Our term is Off the Grid Boondocking, as you are literally... on your own.

Thalweg understands that pushing your experiences, beyond expectations, to become independent of all outside sources of support. You are now on your own. Boondocking can be stressful for the first time or attempted first time. Confidence builds quickly and there comes a turning point where the learning curve ends and experience takes over.

When your comfort zone is increased from experience, the more you will push further into unknown areas... there is more satisfaction.

Please take time to write your story. Every region is different in its own way. We are comfortable in the Rocky Mountain Region. In the Appalachians or TEXAS... we are back to the learning curve. It is all relative.

Thank you for participating. You are among friends.

That area with the sign... it was in the Wise and Wisdom, Montana area. Wide open and these small campsites pop up when you least expect to find one.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by Thalweg

I suspect that Ray keeps a supply of these odd signs and puts them up in the area he wants to camp; just to scare the riff-raff off.

******
We use to put out a Pink Flamingo to mark our road to the campsite for friends coming later.

People would drive by, see the Flamingo and take it.

We then put our name on another with a note explaining why the Flamingo was off the road about 50 feet.

Someone took that one too.

Our friends did find us, but were several hours late. I cannot find Pink Flamingoes with the wire legs...so just give a GPS location now.

I enjoy finding these signs. Have other photos, when I can find them.

[Thalweg]

I have been out boondocking a couple of times with Ray and Nancy. They are a ton of fun to camp with. Ray is quite a character, and Nancy is one of the sweetest and smartest people any of us could be privileged enough to know.

I have a little different approach to boondocking than Ray and Nancy do. They seem to prefer wide open, and possibly arid environments (Oregon Buttes, WY). I like alpine areas with lots of trees. Ray relies on many years of experience and exploring to find boondock sites. He has all these sites marked in an old Gazetteer atlas; someday I hope he auctions off that atlas. It will be worth a lot. I tend to explore an area that I want to go to with aerial photography weeks, months, years before we even load up the camper. I've usually got a pretty good idea of where I'll find good camp sites long before I get there, and I put them on my Avenza GPS with paper backups. I always look for multiple options, because you can't tell everything you need to know from an aerial photograph. I am also always aware of the proximity of Forest Service campgrounds to use as a last resort. Once we are at camp, Ray, Nancy, Connie (my wife), and I all function about the same. We hang out, explore, chase rocks, and enjoy the solitude.

I avoid national parks almost entirely. They are just too crowded for me (and they don't like dogs). I know that the crowds don't bother many people here, but I suspect that most of those folks are from more urban environments, so they don't seem so crowded to them. I live in a town of about 3800 people. If we have to sit through more than one cycle of one of our three traffic lights, we'll complain for a week about how crazy the traffic is getting. When camping, I want to get away from all that hussel and bussel.

Ray has a great boondocking partner in Nancy. She is an awesome navigator and campsite picker. Connie however,.... well, she primarily just tells me to let her know when we get to our destination, although she does provide plenty of counseling on many of the choices I've made.

Our Airstream is an old 1962 Tradewind (Ray calls it an airplane camper). I've fully restored it, but I know that every time I go out, something is going to break. The back roads we travel are hard on trailers. So I'm always prepared to fix most anything.

We've had difficulties and challenges while boondocking. We chalk them up as experience and learn not to do that again. However, years later, these experiences always end up being what we consider the good times. These are the stories that we will be telling (exaggerating) for years to come.

[Ray Eklund]

To be continued... Post #40.

[Ray Eklund]

Oh... by the way, everything Thalweg says about Nancy and I are true.

Thalweg never posts anything more than two sentences on a Public Forum. I like to compare his short comments as... trying to squeeze that last bit of toothpaste out of a tube.

I know he is still bothered that I FOUND THE DEER ANTLER on the 2016 Wyoming Adventure and north of DuBois. He has not figured out that I may be... older, I cheat and divert the competition before I strike. Like an 'injured rattlesnake'.