Anyone else enjoy boondock camping?

[audreyh1]

Oops I forgot about another little piece of that tent camping adventure - after having to abandon our afternoon kayaking because a north wind started blowing so hard that we knew we could never make it back across the bay, we had to break camp early because a massive thunderstorm was bearing down behind it, and no way our tent would ever survive that. Fortunately the state park refunded our 2nd night fees. It was a relief to stay in a motel that night!

That was my 40th birthday weekend, I had retired just 2 months earlier. Tent camping was thus crossed off my "things I really want to do when I'm retired" list.

But that very difficult tent-camping weekend was not the end of our camping adventure. We eventually "upgraded" to equipment that could easily handle some of the challenges and complications of camping. OK - we are not boondocking here, as we are plugged in to water and electric, but this photo happens to be taken at the same park where we had to leave early due to weather issues.

And this setup easily handled high winds and heavy thunderstorms and even featured very fast indoor food prep and a stocked fridge, as well as a much more comfortable bed. And a private bathroom and even air conditioning or heat when needed.

And we did boondock with it as well. It could fit in a lot of places!

[audreyh1]

We so much enjoyed traveling around and camping in our little Casita - even though it was just a bit short for my 6'4" DH - that after a couple of years we were inspired to completely abandon a fixed homestead, and become full-time camping travelers. But this time we decided to buy a castle with all the modern conveniences of RV living. This became our only home for over five years and 50,000 miles.

And we did boondock occasionally in this rig. It was well set up for camping with no hookups. We even boondocked in the occasional Walmart parking lot if absolutely necessary! - an appreciated option if there was no other reasonable place to stop for the night.

[Mango1956]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman Sounds as if you'd be a candidate for a pop up camper. They're universally available used and you can buy one and sell it later for what you paid for it. Many of the RV'ers in our campground have pop up's to travel long distances. Many have a/c units installed on the tops for comfort. And you can place them anywhere. The rear bumper also holds bicycle racks, and you can really stor a bunch of camping gear inside--leaving the inside of the vehicle nice and tidy.

There is a blog called Our Four Wheel Camper that inspired us to boondock camp. Just seeing their camps and the views, solitude, etc made me want to try it. We may graduate to a pop up camper at some point. It looks like a great way to go. Friends have an Alaskan, which is the Cadillac of pop ups. They love it. Pricey! Starts at 27k.

[Helen]

I prefer backpacking to boondocking. I don't feel safe being close to a road. Once I get 3 or more miles from a trailhead I feel I am safe. I used to backpack alone, but now I go with people from a meetup group. We go to some spectacular places in the PNW. I have 8 backpacking trips planned for this summer, including one to the Northern Cascades which we scored a permit for in a lottery.


I will be 60 next month and backpacking keeps me motivated to keep my weight down and to stay fit. I don't know how much longer I can do this, but I am going to enjoy it for as long as I can.

[Fedup]

My husband and I did a lot of camping presides and after kids, until about 15 or 16 years ago on 4th of July, we were in Yosemite, celebrated with a nice big watermelon. Needless to say, going to the restroom was a scary experience for me and my youngest daughter. We were too scare of bears. Never again. No more camping after that.