Preparing for a Boondocking Adventure
We are in the midst of preparing for our 8-week trip west and decided to enjoy Harvest Hosts campsites whenever we can. (Harvest Host is a group of farms, vineyards, and breweries who offer a free overnight campsite to members of their organization). We joined last year and thought it would be fun to try something other than typical campgrounds.
The western U.S. is also home to a number of Bureau of Land Management properties that welcome campers at little to no cost. These lands are a natural escape from organized RV resorts and campgrounds. What this means for our preparation is pulling together our best ideas for comfortable boondocking.
I say "comfortable" because our only boondocking experiences were in parking lots or driveways. And, though we were grateful for the accommodation, we were woefully unprepared for going without electricity or water hookups. On this trip, we are preparing to boondock as a part of our regular camping accommodations.
So, where does our planning begin? With adjustments to our electricity and water usage, heating and cooling, food prep, and showers - all the things we take for granted in a regular campground. Without hookups, we need to figure out what will work for the resources we have on hand. Viewed that way, it sounds environmentally responsible rather than roughing it!
Water Usage
We have always brought along bottled water for drinking and cooking but we moved from individual bottles to 2-gallon jugs and store them during transit in the shower. Of course, we will fill the fresh water tank to capacity at each stop to make sure we have enough water on hand for washing up the dishes and showers.
To conserve water use and keep the gray tank level manageable, showers are short (or we use campground showers where available). For dishes, we keep a pot of soapy water in the sink to wash up small items throughout the day. We also resort to disposable plastic ware when the gray tank level threatens (since we don't plan on boondocking more than a day or two at a time, we should be fine with our tank levels).
Keeping Cool
The time of this trip will be late summer so cooling down the RV at night is a concern. The generator can do the lion's share of the cool down, but we can't run it all night. Instead, we found a couple of battery-operated fans that clip to the bookshelves over our bed. They run for 6 hours on a full charge (rechargeable batteries!) and oscillate to keep the air moving. We tested them last weekend and it seemed to work just fine. Of course, it is only June, so the temps are a lot milder than in August. I suppose we could always go "old school", setting up a fan to run over an ice bucket!
Front window coverings are important for limiting the transfer of heat into the cab (and into the coach), so we'll employ foil-lined insulated window shades and an exterior window covering. We've also installed a thermal drape between the cab and the coach to limit heat transfer. Ventilation fans on a thermostat will also help with cooling down the unit when we are parked for the day.
Cooking
We are accustomed to using the microwave oven, an induction burner, and a tabletop oven so not having electricity will mean a big adjustment in the way we prepare food. Other than eating more sandwiches and salads, we are choosing to shift our cooking to the propane stove and using a portable barbecue grill. A dutch oven can take the place of a slow cooker on a campfire or grill, but also works just fine on the propane cooktop since it holds the heat so well. Bringing along partially-cooked, frozen meats or casseroles works well to shorten cooking time.
On our last trip, I followed television chef Ree Drummond's method and prepared sauces, meats, and casseroles then froze them flat in zip-lock freezer bags. This allowed me to stack the frozen bags like pages in a book. It saves freezer space and shortens cooking time. We'll take along Jim's spaghetti sauce, cooked and shredded chicken, taco seasoned beef, and even chicken casserole. Drop them in a pot of boiling water and a meal is ready in no time.
I know I can't take very much in the tiny RV freezer, but I can replenish that supply by cooking ahead when we have a few days at a campground with full hookups. And by visiting local farmer's markets and fish markets I can supplement our frozen items.
To lessen the load on the fridge, we use an ice-filled cooler for drinks and frequently used cold items (add dry ice to the cooler for longer stays). Use frozen ice bricks in the fridge to reduce the cooling load on the fridge. Similarly, use frozen food blocks in the freezer to keep it cold (those prepared frozen baggies!).
Lighting and Entertainment
The LED lights in our coach don't take much electricity to run but it seems prudent to take along a battery lantern and maybe a few battery-operated candles just for fun. The LED reading lights will draw just a little electricity but using a Kindle reader can make even that little draw unnecessary.
For movies and music, we always take along quite a few DVDs for the TV but with no electricity hookup, we will probably use our laptops to view movies. And for music, we've packed rechargeable blue-tooth speakers to listen to music from the iPod or phone. Better yet, we'll be in places where the night sky is the real entertainment - stargazing without light pollution!
Here’s a checklist to help prepare for a boondocking trip:
fully charge the ‘house’ batteries
fully charge all appliance batteries (laptops, fans, lights, etc.) and have extra batteries on hand
fill LP tank (generator/cooling, cooking, refrigerator)
fill the freshwater tank and dump gray/black water tanks
stock up on bottled water (2-gallon containers)
take along some paper plates, cups, and disposable flatware
prep and freeze meal ingredients like meats and sauces
pack a supply of charcoal for the grill
stock ice chest with fresh ice and put dry ice layer on the bottom
