Ready For A Change?

[Dahlia47]

So hubby and I have been ready for a change. We are almost done paying off a couple of bills. Both the kids have graduated. (YES!!!) Our youngest just graduated, but she's not 18 just yet. So we have time to plan and ponder. Question...
Would you take your travel trailer and stay at a place to boondock without any electric, with rainwater collection, a small bar, small general store type of place with no connections or amenities?
I realize many people have their own setup. Such as solar, generators, composting toilets, and more in their trailers. They have become pretty self-sufficient and more planet aware. And quite frankly, I would really prefer to live without the amenities anyway.
What's your take?

[tony.latham]

Would you take your travel trailer and stay at a place to boondock without...

That's all we do.



My question back at you is why would you want to camp with other folks that you don't know?



Tony

[Dahlia47]

It would be like a little RV park

[Pmullen503]

My question back at you is why would you want to camp with other folks that you don't know?



Tony

+1

I don't understand people that like to "camp" in RV parks.

[Tom&Shelly]

My question back at you is why would you want to camp with other folks that you don't know?



Tony

+1

I don't understand people that like to "camp" in RV parks.

Depends what you're going for. Shelly and I loved to tent camp in undeveloped areas. But we also tent camped in developed camp grounds when we wanted to visit an area for a few days to see the tourist attractions. Reserving a site was less hassle than trying to find convenient dispersed camping in areas we were relatively unfamiliar with.

So we camped, for example, at Yellowstone (the usual tourist sites), at a National Forest site in Northeast Utah (Dinosaur National Park, Flaming Gorge Dam, rafted on the Green River), Southwest Colorado (Mesa Verde National Park, the railroad museum in Doloras, lots of 4wd roads), a commercial site near Silverton (Durango & Silverton railroad, a couple of small museums, more 4wd roads),and even a few KOA's (yuck!). On those trips, from the time the breakfast dishes were cleaned and put away until a late dinner we were either hiking or driving, and hardly saw the campsite.

These days Shelly wants more than a tent, and neither of us would camp at a developed site during the pandemic (and anyway, the tourist sites are all closed this year). We're building our teardrop--for the days when there is a vaccine--to take advantage of shore power (for air conditioning) when available, and we'll tolerate camping near people we don't know. But we'll also take it to undeveloped dispersed sites (especially if the vaccine isn't available by next year).

Dahlia, don't know exactly how long we would boondock in our teardrop, but as long as we're high enough in the mountains (or in latitude) to not need AC, we could certainly go a few weeks at a time and enjoy it. As always, the limits would be set by availability of water.

During the pandemic, we experimented with powdered eggs, and some other efficient camp food, and could easily pack for a long duration outing. I have a list of long drives to the middle of nowhere that I want to talk Shelly into some day.

Tom

[tony.latham]

But we also tent camped in developed camp grounds when we wanted to visit an area ...

My point is just that. You probably would have boondocked given the choice. Sometimes you have to camp in a developed campground since there isn't much of a choice. That's when we do it.





Tony

[swoody126]

spent many times/weeks at a time out where the only amenities within sight were trees for the Mother in law to go behind

the quiet and absolute lack of light polution were wonderful

we could sit out in the evenings and star gaze to our heart's content

no neighbors to be concerned with

we did have regular native visitors ... monksters and antlered/hoofed quadrupeds were in abundance

yes we had to haul water n gather firewood(legal at the time)

groceries were only a short trip to a general store for quick needs and a real grocery store was only about a 45 minutes to 1 hour's drive on a beautifully scenic road

kero n candle lanterns were our common light sources

a 2 burner propane stove mounted on the outside of the trailer was used for coffee pots n skillets...

much of our cooking/eating/foods involved items not requiring refrigeration/ice a/o were fresh at the moment

sounds like a GREAT QUEST to me

sw

[booyah]

So we will often use organized campgrounds just so we know we have a place when we are traveling, but we use our TD for "hoteling" a lot. IE bring along our own hotel room, use whatever facilities are available for our needs (IE bathrooms, power, water, and showers).
Then we often do primitive camp grounds to get out a bit more, or dispersed camping when we have the option.

All depends on the goal of the trip though

[Tom&Shelly]

But we also tent camped in developed camp grounds when we wanted to visit an area ...

My point is just that. You probably would have boondocked given the choice. Sometimes you have to camp in a developed campground since there isn't much of a choice. That's when we do it.





Tony

Least the camp host looks friendly.

Tom

[RJ Howell]

For us we found the less we paid, the better the place was! We love boondocking. Camping right in the midst of all the glory! Just doesn't get much better, at least for us.

[Dahlia47]

It is something we have pondered for a while. Talked about a lot more lately. Maybe an early retirement or slower pace of work.
Here's the thing lol...

Hubby wants ALL the amenities to be available.

I don't!

LOL

As stated in the first post, people are pretty self-sufficient when they camp. Why pay the money to have them installed when they most likely won't be used? It will booger up the beautiful scenery. And I don't like camping places that have spots picked out for me. Why not let people pick where they want to set up camp? I don't want the light or noise pollution either.

working on details and dreams

My husband and I are total opposites! LOL

[tony.latham]

Hubby wants ALL the amenities to be available.

It was a warm summer day. The sky was as blue as a gem. Dahlia studied her husband for what seemed like a day. Finally, her head tilted and she said, "you need to cowboy up."



Tony

[Dahlia47]

I have THE most wonderful hubby!!

He brags about his luxurious sheets and pillow top mattress.

I brag about my sleeping bag in the dirt!

[tony.latham]

I brag about my sleeping bag in the dirt!

I do enjoy writing dialogue from time to time. Glad you enjoyed that.

Tony

[noseoil]

As long as he's willing to do the work to have what he wants, I say just build one & see how it goes. There's a lot of satisfaction from having something you want, figuring out how to do it, then making it happen. Not necessarily an easy path, but it's a good one. It's the journey that's fun, the destination is great, but the striving & trying make it more sweet when you get there.

My idea of comfort is a warm bed when it's raining & cold, or a cool one when it's 100 degrees outside...