Reality Check

[Popcycle]

We love the idea of independent travel. 60 countries between the two of us. A 25 FB serenity calls to us, Big time. Crowded RV parks, not so much. Not to degrade anyone's experiences or preferences, but is it possible to have a camping experience without being a sardine in a can? Almost every RV Park photo gallery shows wall to wall trailers. The contested nature of it all. Totally not for us. So boondocking seems like the answer. Is there a source for these sites, nationally? Canada too?
What us the best way to rig a 25' for extended periods without a dump station? We don't want resorts. We want to camp. All over the continent.
How do like minded folks do it?

[mimiandrews]

State parks usually offer much more ample campsites than commercial RV parks, and they do it with lower prices. Down side of that is that you often have to make reservations months in advance (for weekends, anyway).

This was our most recent campsite at one of our Texas state parks. The kids and their families had the tents, and we brought the Airstream. We shared two adjacent campsites.

We haven't tried Corps of Engineers campgrounds or Forest Service campsites, but those are other options for avoiding the sardine feeling.

[NWRVR]

Oregon State parks have large wooded sites, but as previously stated, you must reserve early if camping during the summer. Download the USFS and BLM Campgrounds App for primitive sites that are generally first come basis.

[mayco]

Camp sunday night through friday afternoon. Then travel on the weekends to your next destination. They empty out on Sunday and fill up on Friday night. Of course this only works if you dont have work obligations during the week..............and you wont need reservations

[AnnArborBob]

Use Allstays (phone app or web) and look for any non-private campground (i.e., State, Provincial, County, City, Federal and the like) that's where the real camping takes place. We rarely stay in private campgrounds or "resorts" and have had our best experiences outside the private CG's. Since full hookups are not usually available at these types of CG's you will need to hone your camping skills (i.e., water, sewer and electrical management.) Well worth the effort.

[Silverbee]

Last fall while out in Tennessee for a wedding we stayed at a TVA campground named Barton Springs on Lake Normandy in Normandy TN. This campground had the most spacious sites we had ever encountered. They were huge and very reasonable. They also honor the "Senior Pass"
Here a couple of pics to show the spaciousness of the sites.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by Popcycle

We love the idea of independent travel. We don't want resorts. We want to camp. All over the continent.
How do like minded folks do it?

You hook up the trailer and go and find what you like. The more you do it, the more you learn about how to find those great spots. Eventually you will find the places where you are the only one in the campground.

[Dexterpix]

National Forest offer some excellent camping experiances and are resonably priced. Most do not have hook ups and that helps keep the use low. Checkout forestcamping.com for info and locations.
The biggest issue is, the more open land you can find, the better the chances of less people in the area. Not always possible in the East. Mid-West and West have lots of land and lots of opertunities to get away from it all.

MOJO said it best "hook up the trailer and go and find what you like".

Joe D

[xrvr]

Originally Posted by mojo

You hook up the trailer and go and find what you like. The more you do it, the more you learn about how to find those great spots. Eventually you will find the places where you are the only one in the campground.

Great info. Just go out and you will soon learn what's best for you. Some of the camping apps help, but experience is the best teacher here. Talking to other campers can also give you a wealth of info, pluses and minuses.

[Doc Foster]

There are many campgrounds with large private or somewhat private sites, mostly look for campgrounds in state parks, state forests, national forests, etc. Some even have full or partial hookups. It just takes some research to find these types of sites with hookups. It also takes some research to find suitable boondocking sties as well, unless you want to be truly adventurous and just go look for one. Always stop in the local BLM, or national or state forest office/headquarters for a map and suggestions. Much easier to do in the West, but the further East you get the less boondocking sites that can be had.

[BoldAdventure]

All we do is boondock about 80% of the time. It just takes some experimenting. Most Airstreams have a standard limit based on how you consume your resources. You can then improve on those limits.

I have 405 watts of solar, carry a generator incase with two NATO 5 gallon gas cans.

I have 4 - 5.5 gallon Water jugs for extra water. Since our tank is 39 gallons, that's about 22 gallons extra water. We dump our gray water when boondocking, so it's just black tank, that lasts usually about 18 days for us. Maybe a lil longer if I go in the bushes.

[KJRitchie]

Got a photo of what your truck bed looks like loaded for travel?

Kelvin

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Got a photo of what your truck bed looks like loaded for travel?

Kelvin

Me? Yes I do. Truck is dirty, but here ya go:



As you can see, I store the gas and water upfront, along with my Honda generator. The gas & water isn't always filled, just depends when I expect I'll need extra water and fuel based on we're we'll be boondocking. This week we are at a spot where water is up the road, so they're empty until I need to go fill up.

[Popcycle]

Thanks so much for all the great advice. Research seems to be the key although it does cut down on the spontaneity a bit. We just can't imagine anything worse than having to park in a Walmart lot. We want to Airstream for camping. Not as a motel room on wheels. Does that make sense?

[Len n Jeanne]

Absolutely. I can't speak for North Carolina, unfortunately. In the western states, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands are a great source of small "primitive" desert campgrounds plus pretty much unlimited boondocking anywhere you care to camp, except where otherwise posted. (Watch out for cow pies, though-- most of these lands are grazed.) Once you identify your region, the BLM website should direct you to the website of the nearest district office. It should list camping opportunities. For further info just phone or email them and ask to speak to their recreation specialist.

National Park campgrounds generally have some vegetation screening between sites, unless it's real desert country. The popular parks can get crowded during high season, though. Ditto for what Dexterpix said about US Forest Service campgrounds.

State and Canadian provincial parks are a real mixture, from more developed to decently wild. It may take some research to learn which is which.

Once you've got your general destination area figured out, you can ask around, including on this site, about less developed places to camp.

In terms of lengthy boondocking, we travel with a generator, full water tank, gas and water jerry cans, and we try to get water and battery conservation down to a science. Where available, we'd use the campground restroom/pit toilet facilities during the day to save water.

We've been 'streaming with some frequency now for 9 years, including several trips of 6 weeks out, and have never stayed in a Walmart parking lot.

[BoldAdventure]

I wouldn't discount the Walmart parking lot, it's a valuable resource if you need a spot to stay between destinations with nothing worth paying for. Not to mention, it can be convenient to stop in, load up and head out the next morning.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Popcycle

What us the best way to rig a 25' for extended periods without a dump station? We don't want resorts. We want to camp. All over the continent.
How do like minded folks do it?

With our 25' -
We use one 2000w generator, for charging, microwave, and DW's hair dryer, that uses about one quart of fuel per day for about 2 hours of use. (no AC since we try to go where it is near an average of 70 degrees summer or winter)
We use portable water containers for extra water capacity.
We added a 12 volt television (a must for DW)
When we can, gray water gets dumped on the ground. For those times it can't, we carry 2 blue boy tanks. We generate 9-10 gallons of gray per day with 2 showers, cooking, washing dishes, etc.
With just two of us, we can go 3 weeks plus without dumping the black tank. Though, I usually dump every 4-5 days since we move more often than stay.

My favorite publicly used camping spots are state/national parks, state/national forests, and Corp of Engineers campgrounds. Private land is great, but only if the owner gives permission.

add edit:
The more we travel, the more friends we make at locations away from home. Those friends know places where they live, and share. We keep learning every time we travel.