Boondocking: Not for Everyone, pets included

[The Ice Man]

Originally Posted by Thalweg

A few years ago we were pondering just that thing, and a guy pulls up in an old beater pickup holding a 30-06, and asks "whacha doin?". We answer "just thinking about turning around"..

In the West it's important to know the state and locals laws and the proclivity of the locals to stretch them to their limits. For instance, in Montana, the public owns the rivers and the banks up to 10 feet of the high water level. In Wyoming, in contrast, the Rancher/landowner owns to the center of the river bottom - literally. Wade or hike downstream from a public crossing and you're instantaneously trespassing. In Wyoming you stick to NF/BLM/other public lands.

I also suspect that the ranch hands get a real kick out their 30-06s, or even ancient 30-30s and the wide eyed responses they get from flatlanders.

Puts a smile on my face thinking about some of my earlier experiences that weren't so funny at the time...

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by dcasr

_______________
Used to roam BLM and USFS land in the day when I was young, especially in the Big Horn Mts. and western slope of the same down into the Big Horn Basin. Always looked at my maps and the stamp on the lock before I messed with it.
Always open carried. One sheepherder rode into my camp and announced he was going to shoot my dog. We had a conversation, and he could see that I was as serious as he was.

Carried two spares from truck and trailer. Handiman jack, 70' of aircraft cable, chains, tow ropes, 2 ton come-a-long, 8 lb sledge hammer, two steel fence posts, shovel, bucket (used to be required), axe, saw, tarp for climbing under the rig, and then the first aid stuff, water, and a sleeping bag. Was in the South Big Horn County Search and Rescue and didn't want to be the one they had to come for. Over the years I needed most all of it, but never all at one time, I just never knew what or when. Home had a CB base station and I had one in the truck. Pulled the trailer up on top and 100 yds. off the gravel road and boondocked for two weeks at at time. Less adventurous now, and won't take the 29' AS where I took the 22' Prowler, but enjoyment really starts when the next camper is more than 100' away.

I'm with your there. Sounds like you and I are much alike. If I can see another camper from my boondocking site, it's too crowded.

I actually work for the BLM. Unfortunately our locks are no longer marked, at least those out of the Buffalo Field Office. So the general public can't tell the difference. I can only tell by if a certain series of combinations, or a certain key open it. If they don't, it's not a BLM lock.

[Thalweg]

Originally Posted by The Ice Man

In the West it's important to know the state and locals laws and the proclivity of the locals to stretch them to their limits. For instance, in Montana, the public owns the rivers and the banks up to 10 feet of the high water level. In Wyoming, in contrast, the Rancher/landowner owns to the center of the river bottom - literally. Wade or hike downstream from a public crossing and you're instantaneously trespassing. In Wyoming you stick to NF/BLM/other public lands.

I also suspect that the ranch hands get a real kick out their 30-06s, or even ancient 30-30s and the wide eyed responses they get from flatlanders.

Puts a smile on my face thinking about some of my earlier experiences that weren't so funny at the time...

You're absolutely right that one needs to know the laws and regulations. In recent years however, things have become increasingly hostile, especially to those of us who drive vehicles with government plates. Se we tend to error on the side of caution. It's best just to back out of the situation and let law enforcement handle it. Regardless of who's right, sometimes it's best just to avoid the confrontation.

[garry]

There is boondocking (camping site without hookups) then there's boondocking going off the grid.

Back in the old days we didn't have GPS or cell phones and the standard campground hook up was water with a sign not to wash dishes at the campsite.

Boondocking was using old logging trails. Started out tent camping and worked my way up to a pickup with a slide in camper, no power steering or power brakes we always managed to get back but sometimes in limp mode.
Today's campers are just to heavy and expensive and I'm to old to enjoy going back to the old day's.

One tool I would never go without was a hi lift jack that could be used as a winch the other was a serious first aid kit.

I agree with Ray you best know what to take, how to use your tools and proper planning for serious boondocking.

[Ray Eklund]

I guess a Hi-Lift jack is also my Bumper Jack. Best heavy piece of equipment I have owned. Very flexible in its 'other uses'.

- When bumpers had more iron and not plastic... it was a quick way to remove a flat tire... unless you did not pile enough rock to keep it from rolling off. Having a block of lumber to set the base was also a mark of an experienced 'rubber baby bumper jacker', of sorts.

- You could help a neighbor level his deck. Add a cheater pipe and you could probably move a house.

- I pulled fence poles easily out of the ground using a rope and the 'jack'.

- I pulled small stumps out, with the help of an axe to trim some large roots.

- You can put it at an angle an tighten a barb wired fence.

- You can jack up an end of a concrete slab for leveling.

- If it was not ratcheting well, throw water on the mechanism. Oil attracts dust.

I even used it to pull my brother's front tooth... naw, just kidding.

I had to move my 'bumper jack' today, getting ready to pull the trailer out in the morning. Just cannot let it go. Forgot that is one heavy dust collector.

[kendrick.l.j]

You guys are awesome and inspirational but Me and my little dog are going to be very happy staying on the porch. We know we can't run with the big dogs but love hearing the stories. Thank you for sharing your experience with those of us that will never get there.

[Ray Eklund]

Lauri... do not give up hope. The Forum is for everyone who want to meet others with similar or unfamiliar Airstream uses, have or may have had a sense of humor and just, well... ignore the news on television and in print.

Like Dorothy and Toto... just 'click your heels with your ruby red slippers' or... 'click onto the Forum' and your fellow members will take you behind the curtain and meet the Wizard of Airstream in the Land of OZ.

[amaier7771]

Ray,

Thanks for starting this thread. We do a bit of OTG Boondocking, and we try to think of every type of situation, and prepare for it. However, we are not so confident to think that situations may occur for which we are cannot be prepared.

A few years ago, we were planing on boondocking in southern Utah for the purpose of hiking some remote slot canyons. Thinking this through, 30 miles over rough terrain to the nearest "help"! What would be do if one of us had a medical emergency??? While expensive, I purchased a NOAA 406 MHz Emergency Beacon. When all else fails, activating this beacon anyplace worldwide will dispatch Search and Rescue.

The beacon is registered on the NOAA web site along with your information such as type vehicle, etc.

https://beaconregistration.noaa.gov/RGDB/index

It's a "when all else fails" alternative. As my 94 year old father told me at the time, not spending a few hundred dollars for this emergency device will seem very stupid when that unexpected situation occurs!!!

[westcoastas]

We have been boondocking on and off for just short of three years now and I just want to say there are degrees of boondocking. Some of the folks here have found boondocking spots off the grid which sound like they are very far off the beaten path. However, we have chosen boondocking spots that are only as far off the main roads as we can hike out if our truck failed to get us out, with one exception being about 25 miles into the Sawtooths. If one's desire is to boondock out of sight of other campers, there are plenty of spots in the West's public lands that do not require towing too many miles off the highways. We have found sites where we don't see anyone the whole day but the majority of the time we do see a vehicle or two, usually a cowpuncher looking for his cows, and that is a good comfort zone - all the peace and quiet one can desire but also a driver or two one could flag down in an extreme emergency.

I, too, can appreciate the mechanical advantages of a Hi-Lift jack but I also know I don't have a lot of experience using one and I haven't winched a vehicle out of trouble. I understand nature can make things difficult at times but when one is full-timing, keeping a schedule is not of the utmost concern so getting delayed due to mud is not a big deal for us - we have our home with us. Tools for every situation are nice but we find scouting out sites prior to towing one's trailer is the best advice for not getting into trouble. We have 4WD but my wife's good sense and her ability to say "No" (and my ability to listen) are probably our best "tools" to keep us from getting stuck. Scouting with our truck enables us to observe the dirt road for grades, soil texture, adjacent trees, and turn-arounds. We have come across some stretches where we observe our truck could get stuck but I feel a good shovel and some traction mats would do the trick nicely and safely.

I have found that most boondocking sites are actually preferable to a lot of RV campgrounds or even park campgrounds because one usually has a lot more space to maneuver his or her trailer...and ZERO curious, gawking bystanders. Do you need 15 tries to back in your trailer into your boondocking spot? Who cares...because there is no audience. There are no picnic table awnings and hookup stands to back into, no other vehicles to squeeze next to, and nobody to bother while you curse or laugh at your own ineptitude - it's quite liberating.

There are folks who like to camp next to others and I get that - camaraderie is one of the treasures of life on the road. But if one wants to venture out to a place of solitude, I think good scouting, a good shovel, traction mats, a tire patch kit, a portable air compressor, fuel and water and food in your truck bed, along with a good understanding of your truck's towing capability and your trailer's ground clearance will do for most boondocking ventures. Use baby steps and take that step across the line in the sand. Solitude is a wonderful experience in this already too impacted modern life.

[ALANSD]

since beginning the AIrstream lifestyle 18 years ago, we have found though we enjoy short stays in wooded campsites with burbling streams nearby, our favorite thing is to camp near a great town and head off to breweries, antique marts, auctions, old churches, and other sites.
We visit many of the great towns and cities and stay in some friendly campground nearby.
For example a recent trip to Macon, GA which we have passed on the highway literally hundreds of times, led us to the Allman Brothers museum, an amazing old church, Rose Hill cemetery, and a huge antique mall housed on an old mill. ALso discovered
a fantastic brewery and a nearby cajun seafood restaurant that we have since been back to.
Airstream "motel" is my favorite place to stay other than my home.

[InterBlog]

Some of the questions raised in this thread can be answered quickly by looking at the would-be boondocker's background, of course. If they were raised in the woods as a child, they'll do fine in the woods regardless of conditions. If they were raised in the big city, then it gets iffy.

Sometimes people ask me, indirectly or directly, why I'm so obsessed with boondocking. The answer is that I live in an area that has almost seven million people and I like to take a break from it. Plus, I was raised in the woods. A campground or a park is not a destination to me - it's just another city, of sorts. A smaller one, but a city nevertheless. Why on earth would I want to go from a city to a city? That makes no sense to a woods person.

[ALANSD]

I think cities or towns new to us offer interesting things to see and do. I love the woods but only need a small dose to satisfy my craving.
The best thing for us is a quiet wooded campground, near a cool town.. like ASHEVILLE..

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I would suggest that east / west of the Mississippi makes a difference in your view of "how far out" you go. It's tough to find a point in the eastern US that's 60 (air) miles from "everything". There are a few, but not a lot. Ten or twenty miles off the beaten path is doing pretty well in a lot of eastern states. I can get in plenty of trouble ... errr ... have lots of fun ... five or ten miles down this or that "road". I may not be able to *see* more than a few hundred feet at any point as I do it.

The "I can see to the horizon in every direction" stuff isn't as common in the east unless you are looking over water or on a mountain peak. You don't have to be as far to be "out of sight". It's mighty common in the plains. (yes, I miss those views ....).

Bob

[The Ice Man]

Uncle Bob is right. My daughter, for years, drove 70+ miles to the nearest super market. In the east, that likely would put you in a different state!

We have our burdens west of the Mississippi as well - Denver, Salt Lake, Phoenix and the whole coast of California, among others - but by-in-large the west is a great place to be with near boundless opportunities to enjoy our great nation. It's great that people are innovative enough to make do with the hand they're dealt.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by The Ice Man

Uncle Bob is right. My daughter, for years, drove 70+ miles to the nearest super market. In the east, that likely would put you in a different state!

We have our burdens west of the Mississippi as well - Denver, Salt Lake, Phoenix and the whole coast of California, among others - but by-in-large the west is a great place to be with near boundless opportunities to enjoy our great nation. It's great that people are innovative enough to make do with the hand they're dealt.

Hi

When we lived in Kansas a "long drive" was an entirely different thing ( ... let's go to Aspen ...) than in Connecticut (... let's go to the next town over ...).

Bob

[3wd67rg]

Thank you Ray! I stopped being kind about people's inadequacies regarding backpacking years ago. Anyone asking me to go had to do weekly six mile hikes that included a steep climb carrying a backpack loaded with at least 25lbs. No one ever asked me again.

Nothing is worse than inexperienced people doing the outdoors so poorly that they must be rescued.

In San Diego we have a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole closed down because of idiots who should not be hiking, dozens of helicopter rescues are still done everyday.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by PammieSue

....Anyone asking me to go had to do weekly six mile hikes that included a steep climb carrying a backpack loaded with at least 25lbs. ....

How about doing the same 6+ mile hike with 25 pounds on a steep grade in 95 degree heat?



There's one (actually many) of those in West Texas, in Guadalupe Mountains NP. It's called the Permian Reef Trail and my husband and I weren't informed until after our hike that its nickname among geologists is the Permian Death March.

[westcoastas]

This thread is veering off a bit but I think it still applies when it comes to knowing one's limitations. I'm one of those backpacking noobs trying to push my limits but like fulltiming, it's good to surround yourself with knowledge and sometimes those who possess real-world experience.

The Grand Staircase National Monument and Fifty-Mile Mountain:

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by westcoastas

This thread is veering off a bit but I think it still applies when it comes to knowing one's limitations. I'm one of those backpacking noobs trying to push my limits but like fulltiming, it's good to surround yourself with knowledge and sometimes those who possess real-world experience.

The Grand Staircase National Monument and Fifty-Mile Mountain:

And Westcoastas that's why YOU will do just fine. We all began as noobs, but we surrounded ourselves with knowledgeable people, we willingly wore our noob status, accepted the teasing that went with it, and never stopped asking questions, or trying new stuff. Some of us were gear hogs, and some of us shopped thrift stores. We were careful to at least try not to bite off more than we could chew. And some of us just thank the Gods that we lived through whatever experiences we had. Most of us began as hikers and campers before we moved to backpackers and eventually Airstream or RV people. We are all here for fun, and a little learning on the side.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by PammieSue

Thank you Ray! I stopped being kind about people's inadequacies regarding backpacking years ago. Anyone asking me to go had to do weekly six mile hikes that included a steep climb carrying a backpack loaded with at least 25lbs. No one ever asked me again.

Nothing is worse than inexperienced people doing the outdoors so poorly that they must be rescued.

In San Diego we have a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole closed down because of idiots who should not be hiking, dozens of helicopter rescues are still done everyday.

Yeah, I know exactly what you are talking about. Was a Boy Scout leader for years--made darn sure all of the ones I led got survival training (Hug-A-Tree) before we went out. It was sure fun while it lasted. Still have all the gear, used to be young and crazy, wife and I raised three Eagle Scouts--now I'm no longer young. The good news is the boys are raising their kids the same way--comfortable and competent in the boondocks. They have been some incredible places and never needed a rescue...

Dittos on the dysfunctional veteran part--I have a really bad allergy to 'stupid' left over from a stint in the Navy, 67-76...

Beware of old guys with an attitude, a weird sense of humor, a lot of sea stories, and a DD-214.