The Zen of Boondocking – Part I

Bob Difley

When the first self-contained RVs appeared on American highways, the concept of a full service RV resort had not even become the germ of an idea. The idea behind the RVs was to become independent of electrical, water, and sewage systems–to be self sustainable while seeing the wondrous scenic landscapes of this great and diverse country. The independence was the beauty of RV camping.

Then campgrounds and hook-ups came along and the RVer evolved from wanting to be free of tethers to the RVer demanding campgrounds with hook-ups wherever he wanted to camp. Campgrounds turned into resorts with amenities to match the luxurious vacation hotels and spas–with price tags to match. And many RVers lost their ability to camp without life-supporting appendages, just like early humanoids lost their tails when they stopped swinging from trees.

But unlike the humanoids that lost their tails, RVs did not lose their ability to camp without the life-supporting tethers. In fact, they became even more adaptable, efficient, and practical for camping independent of support systems well beyond the dreams of the early adapters.

Giant water supply tanks and waste tanks, generators, solar panels, high efficiency electricity-storing batteries, full size refrigerators, massive amounts of storage and pantries, efficient heating and cooling systems–and many other improvements–now make camping without hook-ups–boondocking–almost as easy as staying in a full hook-up campground.

But many owners, though they know that their rig has these systems built in, stay wary of camping away from the grid. Like the mishaps of Robin Williams in the movie RV are typical of what will happen to them if they become  too adventurous. The truth is, if you don’t venture out away from established overnight (I won’t call them camping) options, you are missing out on the most important feature of the RV lifestyle–the option to camp just about anywhere you can get to on America’s public lands–in its forests and deserts, by streams, rivers, lakes, on Indian Reservations and Fish and Wildlife properties,  on state wildlife and forest preserves and water properties managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.

In this series–The Zen of  Boondocking–I will take you on a virtual tour that answers the basic question of why so many experienced RVers boondock: why we do it, how we do it, how we do it comfortably, how to improve your skills, how to make the most of your rigs systems, how to find those splendiferous boondocking sites that leave you speechless when you’re all alone on an expansive desert plateau as the sun settles slowly over the distant rocky ridge in a blaze of impossibly vivid  colors of a desert sunset.

Check out my website for more RVing and boondocking tips and destinations and for my ebooks, BOONDOCKING: Finding the Perfect Campsite on America’s Public Lands, Snowbird Guide to Boondocking in the Southwestern Deserts, and 111 Ways to Get the Biggest Bang out of your RV Lifestyle Dollar.