Camping & Road Trip Tips Archives

Road Trip Tips: Boondocking and Dry Camping

Post author:Danielle Taylor
Post published:July 9, 2020
Post category:Camping & Road Trip Tips

It’s a lot of fun to take an RV to a campground, get hooked up and enjoy all the comforts of home in a new environment, but it’s also pretty exciting to head out on a road trip and start each day somewhere new. To pack in as much as you can during the day and keep costs down, you might decide to boondock or dry camp in your RV from time to time. With proper planning, these adventures can provide some of the most memorable experiences of your trip.

While similar, boondocking and dry camping aren’t exactly the same thing. Dry camping simply means RVing without connecting to electric, water and/or sewer hookups. On a road trip, this might mean pulling over for the night in an open parking lot or staying at a more primitive campground. Boondocking, or dispersed camping, takes dry camping a step further and involves camping in your RV for free on public lands. Fortunately, the United States boasts more than 640 million acres of parks and public lands collectively owned by its citizens, and many of them are freely open for your exploration.

The upside of RVing like this is the freedom you get from not restricting yourself to developed campgrounds. Additionally, it’s a great way to save on campground or hotel fees you might otherwise incur. However, camping off the grid requires a bit of preparation.

If you plan to use any electricity for extending your slideouts or operating lights, charge your RV’s batteries to full capacity in advance. Also, fill your freshwater tanks and empty your wastewater tanks before you head out. With all of these amenities, be mindful of your use and conserve as much as possible until you get a chance to replenish your water supply, pump your tanks and recharge your batteries. You can often find dump stations made for this purpose at gas stations, RV dealerships and wastewater treatment centers, and many RV campgrounds will allow you to refresh your vehicle for a fee even if you’re not staying the night.

If you need a shower between dry camping nights, there are a number of places where you can find these on the road. Truck stops often have showers available for a fee along with coin laundromats. If you’re a member of a gym with multiple locations, like Planet Fitness or the YMCA, you can usually use their showers even if it’s not your normal workout location. Campgrounds sometimes allow non-guests to use their showers and laundry facilities for a fee, and beach showers can work in a pinch if you just need a quick rinse.

Now that you know how to do it, where should you stay? If you just need a place to park and get a few hours of sleep, try rest areas, truck stops, Cracker Barrels, Walmarts and Cabela’s stores. All of these generally permit overnight parkers as long as you keep your RV contained and don’t pull out the awning or set up lawn chairs and a campfire. Some locations have restrictions, however, so it’s advisable to call ahead of time and verify the store’s policy or at least check for signage in the parking lot granting permission.

If you’d rather find a more natural habitat or a real destination for your trip, look up public lands along your route. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands in particular often allow dispersed camping, and websites like FreeCampsites.net and Campendium.com/free-camping highlight places where you can stay for free. GoRVing.com, the main Campendium.com site and other resources like Hipcamp.com showcase a variety of public and private sites where you can rest your head.

To start planning your road trip, get in touch with us at Williamson RV Rental LLC, to find the right RV for your adventure, and let us know your plans so we can prepare your unit accordingly. We’ll be happy to share our camping and RV experience with you to help ensure your road trip goes smoothly and creates memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

How To: Pick the Perfect Camp Site

Post author:Danielle Taylor
Post published:April 24, 2020
Post category:Camping & Road Trip Tips

Looking ahead to your next vacation? It’s never too early to start making plans, even if they need to be a bit flexible for the time being. If you’re thinking of an RV getaway and want to stay at a campground, it’s worth doing a bit of research beforehand to make sure you pick the perfect camp site and get the ideal spot.

Choose Your Campground

Campgrounds run the gamut, from backcountry locations with only primitive, walk-in tent sites to fully connected RV sites offering cable hookups, so you’ll want to make sure you choose with your camping intentions in mind. Some campgrounds are secondary to the destination while others are a real destination unto themselves. Think about whether you want to stay at the campground throughout your vacation or just use it as a place to rest your head after a day’s adventures out and about.

A campground with more amenities and attractions on site may be more appealing for those looking to stay in place. Some campgrounds feature playgrounds, swimming beaches, arcades, snack bars, dog parks and more, while others offer more basic accommodations and leave the focus on the surrounding nature. Theme parks and other major attractions often have onsite campgrounds as well, so you’ll really find a wide range of possibilities.

You may also want to check on details like wifi availability, enforced quiet hours, fireworks policies, pet friendliness and other things that may make or break your camping experience. Online resources like Recreation.gov for federal public lands, state park websites for state-owned campgrounds, and KOA.com and the like for private campground networks allow you to search by location and amenities so you can find the best place for your group. State and local tourism websites also provide great information to help you narrow down your options and plan your trip.

Size It Right

Camp sites are not all created equal, and since campers and RVs aren’t either, you’ll need to pick a site that can accommodate your vehicle(s). A teardrop trailer or popup camper requires significantly less space than a grand Class A RV. Most campground websites include information on what lengths of vehicles each site can fit, but you may need to call the campground host to ensure you choose correctly. Slideouts might also be a factor. Depending on the size of your group and how much time you expect to spend outside your camper, you may also want to pick a site with plenty of picnic tables and room to stretch out. Satellite View on Google Maps can help with this.

Hookups Available

Often, you don’t need to connect to utilities, especially if you’re just pulling over for the night mid road trip or boondocking at an off-the-grid location. Your battery can handle a few lights for a night, and you can go for a bit without emptying your waste tank. But if you’re staying for a few days at a campground, you may want the creature comforts available in your RV.

RVs usually run on 30- or 50-amp systems, and you’ll need to know which your RV requires to choose a site that can accommodate it. Water connections are more straightforward, but you’ll want to figure out in advance how you’ll be able to evacuate water and waste. A “full hookup” means the site offers electric, water and sewer connections, whereas a “partial hookup” indicates electric and water connections only. In that case, you’ll need to discharge your wastewater at the campground’s communal dump station at the end of your stay.

Proximity and Accessibility

Do you want a central spot close to your campground’s shared facilities or would you rather be tucked away in a quieter back corner? Older campers, families with young kids, and campers with limited mobility who will be using the campground’s bath house may want a spot nearby to shorten the walk, but that does mean you’ll have others frequently walking past. Groups with kids may want to consider a spot near the playground.

Another factor to consider is the surface and levelness of your camp site. Paved sites are usually pretty level, and they accommodate wheelchairs and strollers well. Other sites have gravel or grass surfaces, and you may need to level your camper before you get too comfortable. All Williamson RV Rentals LLC, rental units come with leveling blocks, and some of our drivable RVs feature automatic leveling systems.

Finally, take a look at your campground’s map or Satellite View on Google Maps to see whether you’re looking at a pull-through or back-in site. Back-in sites, especially those on the edges of a campground, often feature more privacy from other sites. On the other hand, pull-through sites are a lot easier to manage for drivers unused to backing up a trailer or a large RV.

In a nutshell, think ahead about how you envision your camping experience, and learn as much as you can about the campground you’re considering and the differences in the sites available there to make sure you know what to expect. Enjoy your trip!