boondocking

[ShirleyA]

I have a Casita 13' without the shower and potty. I do have a porta potty and will make a "shower room" for outside, but I'm really interested to hear any stories (good or bad)/recommendations/experiences from any of you who have boondocked without these luxuries.

[Francesca Knowles]

That's me all over. Whaddaya wanna know?

[Seth and Desiree]

I wanna know everything!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by ShirleyA

I have a Casita 13' without the shower and potty. I do have a porta potty and will make a "shower room" for outside, but I'm really interested to hear any stories (good or bad)/recommendations/experiences from any of you who have boondocked without these luxuries.

A lot depends on when and where. I don't have a toilet in 13' Scamp and don't carry a portapoti. Before the trailer we tent camped a lot and much of that was backpacking. Not practical to carry a portapoti.
Follow the rules for the area you'll be in. If it's forest service land or BLM land there's rules published on their web pages. Probably under dispersed camping.
You mean boodocking as in no hookups but in a campground, there almost always a toilet close by.

We travel 3 to 4 months at a time, much of time we stay in National Parks. Simple over nights are in rest areas, Wal-Mart parking lots, truck stops for about 5 to 6 hours, just enough time to get some sleep. Sometimes we've stayed at casinos.

Almost all public lands have published methods of disposing of human waste when on the public lands. Most about the same. The trouble with a portapoti is you have to empty it. I don't know how long it's good for or how long you plan on camping but could be a problem for you. Again that's another reason to examine the rules in your area or the area you'll be camping in.

Other idea on "boondocking" can be found by reading some of the backpacking books.

[ShirleyA]

What are the best resources for finding boondock spots to camp?

[Steve L.]

For boondocking sites, a search for “rustic” campsites will often provide sites in an organized campground setting. The caution here is to check that they‘re trailer accessible since some sites are hike-in, paddle-in, ATV-in or horseback-in. If you’re looking for sites that are totally unorganized, i.e. free, then I personally don’t know of any resources although I expect they’re out there. There are always people looking to freeload off the system and I don’t doubt there are resources out there to support that. I’m prepared to support “buying” only what you need in a site but my personal approach is more towards paying something to support state or national parks which always seem to getting the short end of the budget stick.

In extreme boondocking camping in unstructured campgrounds without amenities (i.e. without vault toilets and a shower) often gets down to how tolerant your camping buddies are to personal hygene. And pooping over a hole while backpacking eventually lost it’s charm for me. I joke that until the skunks turn away I'm good. But I travel solo. Probably no surprise there.

[ShirleyA]

Francesca, do you have a solar set up to keep your battery topped off?
I have converted all my inside lights to LED and I don't anticipate a lot of battery drain although I might want to feel comfortable running the fan a bit, but I'm thinking about a portable solar set up from Solar Blvd.

Steve L....it is just me and the dogs....so when the dogs won't sleep with me any more then I guess I'll have to heat some water on the stove and dive in. Actually, I think I've come up with an outside shower that will be quite discrete and comfortable. It may go through a couple of design iterations but I think it will work. Trials underway.

[David Tilston]

In Canada anyway, the forestry service provides camping spots that are cheep to free. They usually have a pit toilet and that is it. Bring your own, everything else.
Southern Interior Forest Region - Public Access - Camping

[stevebaz]

Boon-dock camping is all about conserving. Me and the Mrs. use a porta-potty in our 13 foot Scamp. we also use disposable wipes for daily fresh-ups. for showering when out in the elements we use a bag type solar shower. fill the bag with water and leave it in the sun. We can use the small porta potty for about 3 days then you really want to empty it. When we travel by day leaving the camp site by car we take it with us to use a legal place to dump as we come across one. For food The fridge is passable and a large ice chest is a necessity for us. nothing goes into the fridge that isn't already cold. we try to get in it only once a day. the ice chest is our go to for cold stuff. drinks go into the ice chest along with fast consumables like lunch and snacks. when we plan a boon dock trip we portion our meals and freeze them. as much as we can. we plan reheats so it means getting a bag letting it thaw and boiling the bag to reheat. we can reuse the water for other things. other stuff is outside cooking BBQ and dishes are all paper so no clean ups. Just think getting back to basics and making it as easy as possible and you will do fine. Having a solar system on your trailer is a blessing. I have mine set-up with solar so I have no battery issues. I have 2 propane tanks so I have no issues there. Biggest issues is Ice supply becomes an issue every 3 days or so. So a trip to get ice, dump the porta potty and maybe an ice cream treat is very welcome by that time.

[D Davis]

Shirley, just go camping and you will find out how you might want to make things better for yourselves. Experience is invaluable. We all are a little different in what our needs are. I have the same set up as you and Boonedock. I only bring the outside shower when staying longer than a weekend. Porta pottie is only used at night for those times and conveniences. Most all primitive camping areas have vault toilets.
I will tell a story of the bag shower and flip flops...I strung up a tarp between three trees to have a shower room and hung the solar bag full. Soaped up and thought "This is Great"...went to rinse and Flip Flops get * Warning* "Slippery When Wet" and fell out into the open, in "All my Glory" with other campers watching! Whoa!!!
Need I say more.

[CO Dude]

I've done some scouting for free campsites in Pike National Forest, north of Deckers. There are roads here and there that have sites, and NF Road 550 has a pretty good amount. They are all clearly marked. No amenities of any sort. Just a fire pit. Some are larger and made for bigger groups and some are perfect for a small trailer/truck and not much else. Haven't used them yet but we did camp at Kelsey Campground just south of there and there were plenty of spots open during the week. I'm guessing they get more filled up on the weekends.

[Badger]

Originally Posted by ShirleyA

What are the best resources for finding boondock spots to camp?

For western states (I see you are from CO) Many people recommend the Benchmark Atlas series.

Amazon.com: Benchmark Maps (Firm): Books

I have learned NOT to rely upon NFS maps without first consulting with a ranger for the area you are considering. Rules change way faster than maps.

[RogerDat]

National Forest access roads if not too rough can lead to some wonderful camping locations. Google maps satellite view of NF land can be useful way to find roads that lead to remote locations, and the location of places to turn around.

There are fire, waste, and trash disposal rules for NF lands but no amenities. And generally not much in the way of humans either.

You can dump a porta pottie at a vault toilet, flush toilet, or campground dump station. Just be sure you are responsible for your mess. Best not to make one if you get my drift.

Some of those little changing tents come with mesh or detachable floors for use as a shower but many are not able to handle the weight of a solar shower bag being hung from them. Me I just heat a coffee pot of hot water, have canteen or two of cold water, mix in small dish pan and dump on self with a plastic mug. All items that I take with me when camping anyway.

Some people consider all camping without hook-ups to be boon dock camping, others sort of differentiate between rustic campgrounds (vault toilet, water, fire ring) and camping in dispersed locations in the woods or desert.

Rustic might offer an easier place to get started. Let you do as Diane suggests, try it and find what works for you while still having some facilities available.

I would also suggest giving some thought to first aid if your going to head out to camp in the middle of the national forest lands. Not a big fan of the off the shelf first aid kits, suggest getting a book on back country first aid, reading it, then accumulate the items it suggests. By purchasing and putting your kit together based on first aid need each item addresses you will be mentally prepared to use the kit. Blood spurting from a severed vein or artery from a slip with an axe is not a good time to flip open the store bought kit and instructions to figure out what to do.

When your 10 miles from a paved road in the wilderness the solitude and experience can be wonderful, the 911 response time once you get to cell coverage not so wonderful.

[ShirleyA]

Good stories and suggestions all....keep 'em coming....I suspect I'm not the only one benefiting from your wisdom.
I especially like the comments about first aid. So very important. I hope everyone listening has taken a first aid class and has your kit along when camping. If not....think about it....good stuff to know.