Why do people want to Boondock?

[mandolindave]

Understand that I have been alone lately.
I have a place in suburbia. ( people pretty much keep to themselves )
I have a place in the country ( no people, no night life ). I love both places. At my country place, I can build a campfire and sing as loud as I want, let the dogs run wild, sleep as long as I can, and do whatever I want whenever I want.
I avoid campgrounds ( too many rowdies, too many rules, too much money )
But I like to be with and meet people. Music festivals are my choice.

So.....Why do you like to Boondock???

#1 To get away from people ?
#2 To be outdoors ?
#3 To get out of the city?
#4 To spend quality time with your camper?
#5 To spend quality time with your loved ones?
#6 To sight see?

I did't want to make a poll with click on replies.

[wheel interested]

To be where other people are not... The path least traveled seems to have better views and more wildlife encounters. The best camping sites are rustic and undisturbed. When it is so quiet you can hear a bubble break on the water's surface or watch an otter swim down the river, that is an outstanding experience! Remote areas where you can hear tearing grass from the ground in unison by the buffalo or a herd of elk pounding the ground running as they move past are extraordinary to witness. Elk bugling or coyotes howling in the dark sitting by a campfire are much preferred to marshmallows, potlucks and happy hours. We love the solitude if we can find it.

[ROBERT CROSS]

No boundaries.


Bob

[Globie64]

I'd love to be able to boondock in the older sense, to be traveling and just find a place to pull over, some small town in the middle of no-where, boondock and then have breakfast at a local cafe, for color more than food. Boondocking seems to be the ultimate expression of Airstreaming or caravanning or whatever you want to call it, camping wherever you find yourself and seeing what you can see.

[wahoonc]

Stop when and where I want.

Aaron

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I think a better question is why would you not want to? In all honesty, most campgrounds are glorified parking lots. To be able to camp where ever you want when ever you want is liberating. To be able to fix a hot meal, take a shower, and have a cold beer while camping where ever you want is simply civilized.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Frank,

What are you saying...

How could not love this?


Bob

[AirsDream]

is how Carol says it.

I too do several music festivals every year; at these festivals, one "boondocks" in the sense of having no hookups, but the Airstream is the only haven from the throngs and noise. I go there FOR the sounds.

In the truer sense of boondocking - to get away from folks and back to nature - that is what camping has always been about ... to find the soul of the planet and to listen to her heartbeat. To do that, ya' just need to have enough quiet to be able to contemplate and listen for that pulse. And the Airstream makes doing that so very comfortable!

Ryanh

[Kosm1o]

Boondocking saves money too. When you add the cost of fuel to the cost of campgrounds, it is probably cheaper just to stay in a motel. So any opportunity to get a free night is welcome on the budget. When we camp in the U.P., we rairly pay for a campground anymore.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by mandolindave

Understand that I have been alone lately.
I have a place in suburbia. ( people pretty much keep to themselves )
I have a place in the country ( no people, no night life ). I love both places. At my country place, I can build a campfire and sing as loud as I want, let the dogs run wild, sleep as long as I can, and do whatever I want whenever I want.
I avoid campgrounds ( too many rowdies, too many rules, too much money )
But I like to be with and meet people. Music festivals are my choice.

So.....Why do you like to Boondock???

#1 To get away from people ?
#2 To be outdoors ?
#3 To get out of the city?
#4 To spend quality time with your camper?
#5 To spend quality time with your loved ones?
#6 To sight see?

I did't want to make a poll with click on replies.

#7 To see how many days you can survive alone? A type of challenge.

[RickDavis]

Pretty much all the reasons in other posts except for getting out of the city, since we don't live in or near one

[Lily&Me]

It's. the quiet, the joy of being able to meet your own needs in comfort, the freedom, the communing a bit with nature.

Doug especially likes to haul out the stove top percolator.


Maggie

[utee94]

Because there aren't any painted lines or hookups here:

[Lily&Me]

Ooooo, looks like Padre Island NS!


Maggie

[perryg114]

I would say to get away from people and experience nature. Maybe one day I can afford to have my own private camping retreat. The only thing I miss about having a slide in camper is that I could go just about anywhere. I don't think I will do much real boon docking in my 31ft Airstream. We don't camp in private RV parks because many of them are just glorified parking lots. The state parks seem to have a nice balance between the parking lot and boon docking. I use to backpack a lot in my younger days and you can get away from civilization that way. I usually camp to be close to areas I can hike and get away and see nature. I usually don't camp just for the sake of camping. Setting up the satellite dish and watching TV is not my idea of camping.

Perry

[utee94]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Ooooo, looks like Padre Island NS!


Maggie

Yes indeed!

[aireseneca]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

No boundaries.


Bob

Hey--where did you find that great rug?

[mstephens]

But where?

We have done no boondocking, because I don't see any boondocks. In California, it SEEMS like every square inch of land is private and fenced. I know of no place where you could park an Airstream on the beach, for example (well, and ever hope to get it back on the road!) I know of no place where you could roll your trailer off the road into the mountain meadows. Yes, you can back back into such areas - no problem. But I have never seen an area you could roll a trailer into! I must be missing something. Probably some of the desert areas might be open?

I'd love to know of some places to try it!

[robert claus]

Being ready to boondock means that you can camp without any hookups. Many state and county parks don't offer utilities, but they are great places to stay if prepared. There are few places you can just pull off the road and park for the night, without getting a knock on the door, at least in the midwest.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by mstephens

But where?

We have done no boondocking, because I don't see any boondocks. In California, it SEEMS like every square inch of land is private and fenced. I know of no place where you could park an Airstream on the beach, for example (well, and ever hope to get it back on the road!) I know of no place where you could roll your trailer off the road into the mountain meadows. Yes, you can back back into such areas - no problem. But I have never seen an area you could roll a trailer into! I must be missing something. Probably some of the desert areas might be open?

I'd love to know of some places to try it!

We found this place by chance, part of Los Padres National Forest in California. Couldn't tell you exactly where it is, , but I'm sure you could find it.

Huge, open area, under equally huge trees, nothing there but a couple of pit toilets. Obviously well-used, neat and clean, and free as I recall.

We spent a night there. Loved it and would go back.

We love the CampWhere app, which lists all public campgrounds and will give you specifics of each for just a click on the icon.

Maggie