BUSTING 10 RV Boondocking Myths // Why Camp Without Hookups? 

We spent 20 years tent camping. The next 20 years Boondocking in a trailer. Now we're Overland in a 4x4 and back in a tent as we approach our 60s. Never been into RV parks and full hookups. Nice to see you're figuring it out!

I used to boondock without any solar. I chose to use my generator occasionally to use the microwave, make coffee or charge a laptop, but kept it to a minimum and within reasonable hours so as not to disturb others as much as possible. Solar is far better, but you can make it work without it. I’d watch movies on my laptop, tablet or phone if my laptop battery was dead at night, and the lights were dc so they worked off the coach batteries. I’d heat water for my shower and cook with propane. The fridge also ran on propane and music was provided by a batter operated boombox. You’re only limited by your water, grey and black tanks, but if you have a compost toilet or similar, and take along extra water, you’re golden, especially if you’re in an area where you can legally dump your grey tank on the ground, or in a hole and fill it.

As an introvert I am a huge fan of boondocking! We get far enough away from the touristy areas but still close enough to see some amazing sights!

I have never paid for a camping site. I love making breakfast outside during sunrise. Coffee, bacon, eggs, hash browns.

Our very first night in a (rented) RV was spent doing some unplanned boondocking. We drove out of Las Vegas and darkness was nearing as we reached Valley of Fire--full. Calling ahead to other campgrounds--full. We drove out the back of Valley of Fire and turned North with a fuzzy memory that there were campgrounds along Lake Mead--wrong. As darkness neared, we topped a hill and saw RVs of all sizes scattered around, so we pulled off. Looking around we saw no signs, no guard shack, no nothing, so we chose a nice spot not too close to everyone else and settled in for a great first night, fully expecting that someone might come and tell us to pay or go away, but it never happened. After we got home, we discovered it is called Poverty Flats. 100% would stay there again, and 100% would boondock again.

Boondocking...You mean how this country was made. Chuckles. What we think of as sacrificing is how our ancestors lived for generations. Perspective...

My husband and I tent camped for 30 years in the Sierras, I guess we were boondocking before boondocking was a thing, lol

Most wild life is more scared of you than you are of it. Just don't corner wildlife or get between them and their babies. I've camped for most of my life with no electricity , pit toilets and a pitcher pump for water. RV 'resorts" really aren't my cup of tea anyway so I'll never miss them. Keep the good stuff guys and give the kids a hug for me.

Y’all sure make RVing look so much fun !! Great memories that will last a lifetime !! 😀😀😀😀

We only boondocked all of our lives until we bought our Grand Design Imagine. We weren't sure we could do RV parks, but we love both equally. Now we glamp😅. Happy trails!

"Mr. Nathan, sheez gunna eat yer camera!!" 😂😂😂 Boondocking is bomb-diddly good & if you don't you miss out on at least half the potential fun of RVing

Boondocking is AWESOME. There aren't many spots around our place to go, but we park at family or friends places for the weekend. totally love it.

So jealous! Baja is such a fun beautiful time with friends & family! (Minus the mishaps, & sand fleas!) 💦😎❤

Very well covered & explained.... We've boondocked for ~45+ years. I am amazed how fearful some couples we've camped with were prior to going with us. You really did hit most if not all the myths. We have friends we camp with that went the $10k + route on their solar / power systems. We are in ~$1k with solar, generator & inverter. The only really nerve racking thing for me is going down a one lane dirt or rocky road and wondering if I'll not find a place to turnaround if needed.

You guys have my admiration, living the full lifestyle with kids. My husband and I adopted 2 special needs grandchildren 14 years ago, but now that they are grown, want to do a little camping just for ourselves, including boondocking. Trying to learn what I can with these videos. Kudos to your site this video, it's awesome.

So fun to watch and get the INSIDE LOOK INTO BOONDOCKING. The whales were very cool to share with us all...stay safe on this wonderful family journey. OBTW.... THREE things...ONE, seeing your son dress himself was SO COOL IN HIS GROWTH . Two, the creativity in Hensley's world with her name in Pretzels...SO COOL. THREE ... I dig your choices in music.

We boon-docked in Yosemite it was amazing! We just have regular batteries and a generator (just used during generator hours) we stayed for 5 days.

Thank you for the tips on boon docking! Glad you found a nice spot to be at which is by the beach. Glad that you have had no issues with the internet in Baja! That’s a plus there! The beach looks gorgeous! The fish tacos smelled and looked good! Hope you have a great day and see you all soon!

Loved this! God bless your journey❤

The biggest "tip" I got from this vid (which is great and has good info) is using a properly sized pole to keep a storage door open to make a table. I've had 5th-wheels forever and I don't know how I never saw that before!

Hi guys. I have to confess something…we have learn so much from your experience as boondockers…that we decided to jump in! We got the rig, the lithium stuff and the truck! We are all set….for Alaska this summer! Thank you for your ongoing great videos! Great job!

It was refreshing to see family outside and injoy

Great video. Thank you. Blessings

I was just out boondocking near Valley of Fire State Parking in Nevada in my 27 foot RV. You can also boondock without having to go out into absurdly crazy places and still see amazing things..

Love boondocking with our 40' DP tag. We always say a boondocking night puts $50 in the tank. BTW, Stewart should be coming off the hwy at a shallow angle, not steep like he did, that'll make the transition easier and prevent dragging.

Love the idea of boondocking!! Thanks for the quality content and encouragement!! Happy travels to you both!!😍😍😍😍

I'm really glad you explained about using a solar generator to power your rig up. Actually, that's a super smart idea. I will try it on my next boondocking adventure with my big old Bluetti....or a Walmart stopover. Great video. Extremely helpful.

Love this video! Boondocking with friends create the best memories!

It's all about adjusting your expectations! Love it!

Great video!! Very encouraging. Nice to see so many others doing it.

Great video; thanks! Our original plan included boondocking, but so far, we've barely scratched the surface in two years. We thought we'd spend one to two weeks at something like BLM land, then a couple nights at an RV park to dump & fill, do laundry, etc. Instead, we've had one boondocking night at a rest stop, when a one-month reservation turned out to be for a site we couldn't fit, and nobody else in the area had a spot. We also did two separate Harvest Host boondocking nights. That's it. We're a little concerned about boondocking sites not being accessible for our 45' long fifth wheel (you may remember us as neighbors at the Lippert Getaway at Pine Mountain...Riverstone front kitchen toy hauler, Nathan got a tour), but that same issue comes up a *lot* with campgrounds too. We still hope to at least try out that 14-on-2-off idea, see how that works for us. We'd have zero shame about the hooked-up nights though. Damaging the rig...at one campground, we followed the guide to the site, got a pretty good look from inside the truck, and pulled into the (pull-through) site. If I'd gone a foot farther before making my turn, it would have been fine. If I'd started the turn a foot earlier, it would have been bad. As it was, the tailswing caused me to clip a utility pole with the cover over an awning mechanism, snapping it right off. Some neighbors came to commiserate, and the guide said something about how the pole shouldn't be right there, but I was driving. I knew better. We usually will do a bunch of get-out-and-look steps in any sort of tight space, and my wife will be outside with a walkie-talkie, talking me through potential problems. We should have done that, but didn't. We could blame the fact that we'd been at our previous place for too long, forgot to take the time, but that's a thin excuse. Seeing the extent of the damage, I just laughed it off, took it as a lesson for the future. "Without amenities"...one of our favorite campgrounds bills itself as a "retreat", and has no restrooms, showers, laundry, pool, etc. We're self contained, and the benefits of that campground far more than make up for the lack of even basic amenities for us. That part of boondocking doesn't worry us at all. We've also stayed at "resorts" (does that term have *any* meaning?), and found that we generally don't make much use of the amenities. For some, a true resort is a wonderful thing. I strongly recommend Talona Ridge RV Resort in north Georgia to anyone like that. For us, that's worthwhile as an occasional luxury, but mostly wasted on us. As for "trunk fish", we'd be all over that. Once again, it's all about compromises, as is most of RVing, and life in general. You trade off some things to get others, and have to take into account which things are most important to you, at that time. For someone else, or another time, the priorities may be quite different.

Such a good video. Thanks for putting it all together and in a fun way.

Love boondocking!! Helps us to focus on the most important things in life-simple pleasures with huge rewards! You captured our thoughts and experiences on this topic perfectly!

JJ’s little “fit” dance was adorable. 😂❤

Myth #11, you can boondock anywhere you can park your rig or pitch a tent. NOT! Camping outside of a campground within the boundaries of National Parks, heavily used areas of National Forests and some BLM recreation areas is NOT LEGAL. It is best to check at National Park entrance stations and ranger stations, which will have brochures with maps showing where camping and/or building a fire (even for day use) is not legal and where it is legal. In addition there will be signs posted at the boundaries of such areas on National Forest and BLM areas. In the heavily used areas of California it is not legal to camp at trailheads. Don't expect signs stating such at National Parks, however. The restrictions on boondocking is normally listed in the park's newsletter. Many National Forests now have similar newsletters available at ranger stations. When "boondocking" on foot remember to check to see if you need a wilderness or hiking permit. Some locations in wilderness areas may also be closed to camping and/or campfires. This is especially true of lakes, creeks and waterfall areas close to the trailhead that receive a lot of day use. Signed, U.S. Forest Service Retiree

I love Boondocking. We started Boondocking when it was just called camping. Great way to experience new adventures.

Good informational video. We camp, not RV. So, boondocking in our little square drop isn’t really much different than in a campground somewhere. Love the RV movie clips. That movie is hilarious.

Add solar, have propane & water - boondocking is enjoyable. I am looking at quality off road & off grid travel trailers for camping/boondocking across the country.

Thank you for sharing and your advice. Love your Channel. 📺😄

I like to Boondock but I enjoy being plugged in too! ❤ Great video.

Super vlog love the sound of the ocean on a pebbled beach and of course coffee, sunrise and the whales jumping out of the water brilliant. ❤️🤗🇬🇧

OMG never been on a rock beach that sound of the rocks was magical.

Love it thx!

Lots of valuable information in this video!

There is something very special about boondocking. Sense of freedom? Great video!

Always ❤ your videos

Enjoyed your video, thanks

Great Advice as always

Excellent presentation !!!! Thanks.

Big fan great videos!

99% of my rving is boondocking. Yes I'm cheap, but sunrise- sunset 1000starburts on new-fallen snow and so much more! There's challenges, shure: but it's worth it

Showers? Day pass at a YMCA or an aquatic center(community pool). And there is the standby bowl and a wet hand towel.

You kids are adorable. What wonderful memories you are giving them!

We live in CO and went from tent to small teardrop with off-road capability. Best way ever! Although I have to say giant RV’s seem like not spending much time outside😂 when I see those folks that pull up and sit inside watching their satellite tv. I totally get having a large one if it is your home but otherwise it’s way to much junk and no journey to me. Great content!

Boondocking sounded amazing when I first heard about it!

Boondocking has been my favorite

If you guys love Boondocking then you really have to try it in New Zealand because it has the most amazing places to boondock, lakes, mountains and beaches to die for.

Very cool to see someone boondocking Mexico! I would really like to learn more! Safe travels!

So true that boondocking is the grab bag for RVers 😂. Great video guys!

Great video. I've been RV'ing fulltime since June of 2016 and spending significant time off-grid is my biggest hurdle. I don't deal with discomfort well. But now I bought a 2000 Winnebago and it's the first rig I've had with an onboard generator and a slideout, so boondocking is definitely in my future. (Once I get said generator to be reliable). I need to add solar panels. UGH. So much to do and to learn and I'm no spring chicken. Did I mention I'm a 60 year old single/windowed woman? Yeah, so that doesn't help.

Great video.

Boonddocking is gold.

You really need to watch out for those breaching whales. Hazard #1 while boondocking. Ha ha! We boondock a lot in the West, but in the South, not so much. I always feel like a failure when I tell my brother we are at water & power sites - but oh are we enjoying the a/c in this 90 degrees in Florida!

I really enjoy channel with the now smaller RV and how you manage it

Some of our favorite campsites were boondocks!

So we pretty much half or quarter boondock all the time. Meaning we have power/water but no sewer. So in that case my wife has full access to the bath, I go to the bathhouse to do all my business.(Toilet/Shower) We camp a good bit in Corp of Engineer CG and they don't have sewer. Also wash all the dishes outside and dump as much sink water outside as possible. So if we camp for more that 3 nights I take my "blue boy" in case the gray tank fills up. Some state parks in our state have Gray Water dump pits, which are for your dish water or even dumping the "blue boy" into. I have walked several gallons of gray water to the bath house before but that was early on and we were not experienced and didn't own a "blue boy".

Boondocking: camping(?) in an area where there are no hookups. Some boondocking like the BLM LTVA's, require a very small fee. Walley-docking: Spending a night in a WalMart or Sam's Club parking lot. Cracker-Docking: Parking overnight in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. Moochie-docking: parking in a friend's or relative's driveway. (Here, you may be allowed to gab some power.) The list goes on.

This video was so awesome. I love the part when you were watching the whales in the water. That would be my cup of tea. I am so proud of JJ and Hensley. Especially Hensley when she helped JJ get dressed. I so enjoyed this video. Sending many prayers and love for your family. Be safe❤❤❤

cherish the moments!

I just. Ought my first motorhome and am picking it up this saturdsy.. I can NOT wait to do this! This is my dream come true and an opportunity to give my son once in a life time memories.

Great advice, get a couple decent batteries, and a generator and you’re good to go!

As a 50+ year tent camper. Living in a RV Boondocking is easy peasy. 5 + years full time.

Hoped you help steward fix his rig cause your good at that 😂 just thinking lol

We had to laugh when you said you don’t need four wheel drive after you just got stuck in last week’s video. LOL! Anyway, just pulling your leg. Really got a kick out of the Robin Williams outakes. This was an excellent video and we hope Stuart’s rig wasn’t too damaged.

Excellent well balanced, informative, and entertaining video. I cannot afford the most recent prices for most RV parks, nor do I want to be in that space all the time. I will be going full time soon, and boondocking will be a hugr part of making it possible. Thanks!

There’s soooo much to uanpackage here! As someone who’s watched for years and not commented. This is a great …….

My first expériences with camping there was no such thing as hookups Coleman white gas stove and lantern, ice and cooler. There were bathrooms and a little camp store. So not much different than boondocking. In comparison, with solar, 4000 watt generator (rarely used), gray and black tanks, fresh water storage, propane stove& fridge I am living in luxery. 5 to 6 months of boondocking for the winter in Quartzsite AZ.

I haven’t seen this channel in awhile. Man JJ is almost full size!

Boondocking only way togo. I remember your trip boondocking at the Badlands. That's my trip thus summer. I just gave a minivan I sleep and cook in.

Beautiful places. Kids are happy. What more could you want

Love boondocking as long as the water tanks are full and the toilets are empty, plenty of food, we have 170W ?? solar panel an Agm battery we can stay for days we can watch the tv listen to the radio we can have dingos, snakes, kangaroos, emus huge monitor lizards going thru our campsite we 😢stayed for days watching a massive croc and his girlfriends just swimming up and down the river and whales also going up and down the Indian Ocean wouldn’t change a thing personal hygiene a ice cream bucket and a quick hose off no worries.

I have boondocked, camped at truck stops, and truck stop showers. ❤

I liked boondocking for short amounts of time. It was nice to challenge ourselves knowing we had x amount of water, supplies etc for the amount of time we had planned for. And it makes you appreciate the hook ups in RV parks SOOOOO much!!! lol

We love your precious family and have watched from the very beginning in awe of how awesome it is. Could you live this lifestyle without patrons?❤

Love this video Love the girls scout shower 😂❤

I am the exact opposite, why would anyone camp in a loud and crowded campground with no space. lol I have only boondocked and hate the thought campgrounds... I'm sure it will happen at some point :)

Movie Night the kid's were loving it😅

Taught my husband about military showers.

We converted an SUV to a camper so we could travel a few days at a time. We don't do it for the camping, but for going places, but we still seek out the free or $10/night dispersed camping in State forests. No amenities and finding them can be a challenge. It's all part of the adventure.

I feel like there's no better demonstration of the differences between Nathan and Marisa's personalities. She loves the grab bag and his reply, I like to know what I'm getting. Also the look on his face.😂 It's called balance and what can make for great marriages. Love your videos❤

Hensley you're so adorable with your pretzel name!! I LOVE it.

Boon dockking for me is the way to go. We only camp in rV resorts or campgrounds when NO OTHER option is available. More fun to "camp" where others are not.

Boondocking does have its place and there are a few spots that I frequent during the year and I can be self contained for several days with very little investment in gear . That being said there are times when it it is nice to have hookups, like when its 100 degrees outside or below 40 at night.

So cute to have her dress JJ!

7 months in Quartzsite $170 reason enough for me!

Thanks for this video. We recently bought an RV, and I love the idea of Boondocking, but my wife is very skeptical. This video should help me win her over.

We've been on the road for 5 months now. We stayed a total of 2 nights at an RV Park and 3 nights at a Loves RV site. Other than that, we boondock or stay at state parks on yearly passes. For example, in New Mexico the yearly pass is around $240. We then pay about $4-5 a night for electric/water sites and it's free for the dry camping sites. We boondock between state parks for 3-4 nights. My family uses way too much water, so we can't quite get a week long stay.

What movie clips were you showing in your video? Looks like a movie I'd love to see, lol ! I look forward to your videos every week, I have been watching since before JJ was born!

Nice video have you ever felt unsafe? It’s not like you can up and take off quickly! However it seems you boondock with friends so I’m sure that helps!

We go full-time in 1 week making our way from Phoenix to Yellowstone areas. I installed 800W of solar, 600AH of batteries and 2200W inverter to get into boondocking. The general plan is to boondock 5 days and full hookup 2 days to flush tanks and recharge ourselves. I hope we can find empty sites! Thanks, have fun and be safe!