Anyone else enjoy boondock camping?

[Teacher Terry]

I too enjoyed the story and for a second when you said you left the kids I gasped and then laughed out loud about your wife's reaction. I love the area you mentioned and have been there many times. RV is the only way to go for me. I tent camped once in the past 5 years and said never again. My back was killing me and like someone else mentioned everything took way too long to accomplish.

 

[NW-Bound]

LOL - my idea of boondocking is staying somewhere with the RV unplugged! Very comfortable!

+1

I do not have to tent camp to know it's not for me. Perhaps 40 years ago, but not now. I missed that chance when I was younger, but it's OK.

 

[dvalley]

It's the only type of camping/outdoor activity we do. We have a fairly heavily modified 4wd truck to take us pretty far away from where the riff-raf hangs out. It's fantastic, of course, you avoid the riff-raf but can run into weirdos of the two-legged variety, or break down without cell signal etc. So as they say, go-prepared and travel with another vehicle whenever possible.

 

[youbet]

Back in the day, DW and I canoe-camped extensively in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota and in Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. Often, both areas on the same trip, crossing the border via a water route. Looking back, since we went alone, that was some serious exploring for a couple of urbanites!

These days we no longer enjoy sleeping on the ground or trust our geezer bodies to handle strenuous going and now have a small hard-sided pop-up pulled by our faithful 17 year old F-150. But we still prefer dry camping in remote areas. Favorite spots include National Forest Service campgrounds in the Big Horn Mountains (Wyoming) in the autumn after they've closed for the season and Army Corps parks that don't offer electricity along the Mississippi River in the off season when we're often the only people there.

Our biggest dislikes? Folks who bring generators to otherwise perfectly quiet areas and run them for hours. Or folks with AWD vehicles who just have to prove they can get "off the road" and tear up vegetation, make ruts and create a general mess in the process.

 

[Dash man]

Survival and evasion training back in my Air Force days was enough camping for me. If we can't afford a hotel or have family or friends to stay with, we don't go.

 

[littleb]

Back in the day, DW and I canoe-camped extensively in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota and in Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. Often, both areas on the same trip, crossing the border via a water route. Looking back, since we went alone, that was some serious exploring for a couple of urbanites!

These days we no longer enjoy sleeping on the ground and have a small hard-sided pop-up pulled by our faithful 17 year old F-150. But we still prefer dry camping in remote areas. Favorite spots include National Forest Service campgrounds in the Big Horn Mountains (Wyoming) in the autumn after they've closed for the season and Army Corps parks that don't offer electricity along the Mississippi River in the off season when we're often the only people there.

Our biggest dislikes? Folks who bring generators to otherwise perfectly quiet areas and run them for hours. Or folks with AWD vehicles who just have to prove they can get "off the road" and tear up vegetation, make ruts and create a general mess in the process.

Do you have an Aliner?

 

[shortstop14]

Just got back from three weeks camping around Phoenix, Tucson and down on the Mexican border. We tent camp, but the tent is tall enough to stand up in and with an air mattress and sleeping bags it's comfortable enough. We tend to mostly eat out of the cooler, just using a small isopropane stove for coffee in the morning.

Kind of a mix of established campsites and dispersed camping on BLM or national forest land, just depends on what is available. RV campgrounds tend to be noisier and busier than I prefer. Occasionally a shower is nice. We're usually there to hike and mountain bike, so we do work up a sweat.

But it is a hassle when you're moving longer distances and just doing overnight stays - set up in the evening, tear down in the morning. And scrambling to find a site in the evening before it gets dark that isn't too much of a detour from the driving route can be annoying.

 

[Christine]

It's my favourite kind - if doing it with a motorhome still counts. I've enjoyed it in Norway, Sweden, Italy and Spain so far. And plan to do much more this summer.

 

[youbet]

Do you have an Aliner?

Yes, for the past 8 years.

 

[littleb]

Yes, for the past 7 years.

We were thinking about getting an Aliner at one time. Seems to be a better option when camping in areas where there are bears.

Do you like it?

 

[Walt34]

I did some camping 40+ years ago and didn't much care for it. DW has never been camping.

Now, "boondocking" means the hotel doesn't have a restaurant in the same building. 20+ years ago we went to Deep Creek Lake in MD and had to walk two or three blocks to a restaurant. It was brutal.

 

[youbet]

We were thinking about getting an Aliner at one time. Seems to be a better option when camping in areas where there are bears.

Do you like it?

Love it! It's small, simple and very reliable (so far), yet we have the basics to keep geezers comfy. It dry camps well right out of the factory. And, yes, it's more bear proof than a canvas pop-up but if a bear really wanted in, they'd get in! We were allowed to camp in a "no canvas" campground in Yellowstone that denied access to canvas pop-ups due to the high population of bears in the area.

All RV's have their pros and cons. There is a Yahoo discussion group moderated by the Aliner Owners Club you can join and read lots of chatter about Aliners. Just go to the Yahoo site and do a search for "Aliner."

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Yes, two modes -

1) Long-bed pickup truck equipped with a camper shell, pulling a small custom built utility trailer that pops open (hatch lifts up) to the front and doors that swing open in the back. The camping gear, including mountain bikes are stored in the trailer, we sleep under the canopy. A pop-up shade structure goes between the two vehicles for all weather camping. Hot meals, cold beer, and warm showers everyday.

2) Pull a small 16‘ conventional construction travel trailer with the same truck. More comfort, less mobility so - boondock, plus some select campgrounds. Hot meals, cold beer, and warm showers everyday.

When the truck finally wears out (1988 F-150, ~ 150k miles), we plan to upgrade to 4WD. Even so, I have heard this comment more than once -“ I never thought anyone could get a trailer in there”. (usually DW )

 

[Teacher Terry]

The tiny one reminds me of a teardrop. We got in one and laid down and it was like being in a coffin)

 

[euro]

We recently got back from 8 days travel in central and south eastern California (desert) We decided to try camping again, but dislike the noise and visual clutter of campgrounds. So we dry camped (tent camping) on lightly travelled dirt roads. It was an amazing experience! First night we pulled off on a dirt track in the Carrizo Plain National monument where the super bloom was happening. Sunset and sunrise were both incredible, and the next morning we met a couple doing the same, and had a great chat-ended up exchanging email addresses and invitations to visit, etc. Next two nights were spent in the Mojave National Preserve. Same dirt track leading to another amazing campsite. Solitude, quiet, and hiking around. Then we hit Death Valley, and camped 2 miles up Hole in the Wall road where we landed yet another great campsite, spent three nights, watched the full moon rise over the ridge up canyon, and had an amazing sunrise the next morning. We had two breaks during the 8 days to shower and resupply, which worked well. Now we have decided to buy a higher clearance 4wd vehicle to be able to really get out in the boonies where we can't now. We have found a new passion for boondocking, love how cheap it is, how you can go at a moment's notice (no booking Airbnb ahead of time) and we are ready to "wander the west". Curious if anyone else enjoys this lifestyle, and if so, what places in the west (or east) you have enjoyed visiting.

I do like it, but DW has placed a permanent veto on any such adventures ("no bathroom, no go, no way, no how")

 

[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]

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.