Boondocking tips
We do over 2/3 of our camping at a federal CG w/o hookups. They have a dump station and you can fill your freshwater tank when you pull in. Each loop has several water taps.
Now we all bought our trailers to keep us comfortable when we camp, and to make setup and chores easier. When you have no hookups, you have to learn to make your limited resources last longer - else you may find a cold morning when you have no heat, you have to dump early, etc.
First and foremost, you do not want to run out of battery juice. If your camper is like mine, everything besides the A/C and microwave run off of 12 volts. What you have to be aware of is what is going to use the most. The answer is anything with a motor in it. You can pretty much run your lights, charge your cell phone, watch TV as much as you want. Once you start using VCR's or DVD's, fans (including the one over your stove or in a skylight), and even your water pump, your battery is going to fade quickly. Use these items sparingly (or not at all). Bundle up on cold nights to avoid having the heater run too much (will also save your propane). Cook outdoors as much as possible. Adjust your water pump so it doesn't try to pressurize too high - each extra PSI it has to pump makes it works harder. Limit your water use from the freshwater tank - this will cause the pump to run less.
While on the subject of water, you want to try to make that freshwater tank last as long as possible, and to not fill up your gray tank. I have never filled up a black water tank, so I don't concern myself with it - except that every flush will take water from the fresh water tank and cause the pump to run. Use the CG's facilities as much as possible. You can't avoid not using water in your trailer - if your trip will last more than 4 nights, you should consider investing in a portable dump tank. These will hold about 25 gallons, have two wheels and a handle, and you can get an attachment to hook them to your hitch to drive them to the dump station. Believe me, this is much preferable than hauling your trailer to the dump site early (I had to do that on our first trip at a busy state beach CG - fold in the beds, pick up the leveling jacks, hitch up the camper, drive to the dump - where the rangers came up and asked me for my site number so they could give it away
- dump, go back to site and hook everything back up). You also will want enough hose to refill your fresh tank if needed (I carry about 150 feet total). To do this, you may need to get an adapter, as not all spigots are threaded.
Several options to extend your electricity - get a second battery or a generator. Unless you are going to really invest some bucks into solar, the little trickle chargers aren't going to help you much (however, once you get home, charge your battery to full, the trickle charger will keep it ready for your next trip). Honda and Yamaha make some very quiet and light weight gens now. We got the Honda 2000, and run it for about 2 hours every day. Our battery stays charged enough for our whole trip.
Happy camping
Now we all bought our trailers to keep us comfortable when we camp, and to make setup and chores easier. When you have no hookups, you have to learn to make your limited resources last longer - else you may find a cold morning when you have no heat, you have to dump early, etc.
First and foremost, you do not want to run out of battery juice. If your camper is like mine, everything besides the A/C and microwave run off of 12 volts. What you have to be aware of is what is going to use the most. The answer is anything with a motor in it. You can pretty much run your lights, charge your cell phone, watch TV as much as you want. Once you start using VCR's or DVD's, fans (including the one over your stove or in a skylight), and even your water pump, your battery is going to fade quickly. Use these items sparingly (or not at all). Bundle up on cold nights to avoid having the heater run too much (will also save your propane). Cook outdoors as much as possible. Adjust your water pump so it doesn't try to pressurize too high - each extra PSI it has to pump makes it works harder. Limit your water use from the freshwater tank - this will cause the pump to run less.
While on the subject of water, you want to try to make that freshwater tank last as long as possible, and to not fill up your gray tank. I have never filled up a black water tank, so I don't concern myself with it - except that every flush will take water from the fresh water tank and cause the pump to run. Use the CG's facilities as much as possible. You can't avoid not using water in your trailer - if your trip will last more than 4 nights, you should consider investing in a portable dump tank. These will hold about 25 gallons, have two wheels and a handle, and you can get an attachment to hook them to your hitch to drive them to the dump station. Believe me, this is much preferable than hauling your trailer to the dump site early (I had to do that on our first trip at a busy state beach CG - fold in the beds, pick up the leveling jacks, hitch up the camper, drive to the dump - where the rangers came up and asked me for my site number so they could give it away
- dump, go back to site and hook everything back up). You also will want enough hose to refill your fresh tank if needed (I carry about 150 feet total). To do this, you may need to get an adapter, as not all spigots are threaded.Several options to extend your electricity - get a second battery or a generator. Unless you are going to really invest some bucks into solar, the little trickle chargers aren't going to help you much (however, once you get home, charge your battery to full, the trickle charger will keep it ready for your next trip). Honda and Yamaha make some very quiet and light weight gens now. We got the Honda 2000, and run it for about 2 hours every day. Our battery stays charged enough for our whole trip.
Happy camping
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