Camping can be generally broken down into two types of campers, off-grid, and grid-tied. One can function independently anywhere for a short periods, the other requires the use of campgrounds for electric, water and sewer services.
Before talking about Off Grid campers, let me talk about the opposite-- Grid-Tied Campers.
Grid-Tied Campers: These are campers that are designed to function only at campgrounds with services such as electricity, water and sewer hookups. Such campers will have electric heat only, electric refrigeration, no holding tanks, and require direct water and sewer hookups. Those campers could not function in boondock situations--they would have no heat, water or toilet capability, and limited electric capabilities.
These campers do not work well when away from facilities that provide hook ups. So what do we want for those situations?
Off Grid Campers: Boondocking is a term for off-grid camping without any support facilities like water, electric, or sewer hook ups. It typically means camping far away from the typical campgrounds, perhaps deep in a national Forest, on the shore of an ocean, deep in the desert or high in the mountains. These are places with great natural beauty away from noise, pollution and in harmony with nature.
Self Contained Campers: The concept of being self contained, means you bring everything with you. Boondocking requires more equipment and preparations. Key concerns are 1) electricity for lighting and appliances, 2) heat, 3) water, 4) refrigeration, and 5) holding tanks for water, gray water from sink and shower drains, and black water tanks for toilet drains. I'll discuss these in this order. Skip ahead to any topic that interests you.
ELECTRICITY:
Electric power must be stored or generated in your rig. Options include generators, either propane, gasoline, or diesel powered; solar panels, or wind generators; or batteries and battery chargers, or some combination of these. Boaters that cruise on the oceans know that it is best to have 2 or 3 options for charging your batteries. Camping does not require such robust capabilities, but many boon-dockers follow that rule.
Managing and minimizing energy use is important for boondocking. A common mod is to install LED lighting. LED lights use about 1/10 the power of incandescent lights. I switched all the lights inside my camper to LEDs. I could turn on every light and use the same amount of power as one of the old bulbs. I like light. If you do too, then this is a must have change for people who want to boondock.
Battery Monitors: A battery monitor measures the amount of electricity going into and coming out of a battery. It keeps track of how much power you have and how long it will last. You must put in what you take out, to keep a battery fully charged. I use a LinkPro battery monitor, and I also have a solar panel monitor, which keeps track of the power produced by my solar panels. The difference between the two is power being used at that moment. More on solar panels later.
HEAT:
Propane: Typically off grid campers will be heated with propane. These can be catalytic heaters which require no electricity, or propane furnaces which do require electricity but are ducted, with thermostats, and provide controlled heat for enclosed spaces to prevent holding tanks from freezing. Many people will choose to use both.
Catalytic Heaters: These propane heaters efficiently provide heat and they do not require electricity to operate. The exhaust is not vented. Whoa your horses! Not vented? Sounds scary. Well, it is cause for concern. While propane gives off water vapor when burned, and this can lead to condensation in very cold conditions; more importantly, it can use up the oxygen in an enclosed campers. It is mandatory that two vents be opened to allow oxygen to enter the camper--if you want to wake up the next day. Many people do not used catalytic heaters at night, but they are quite safe if a few windows are cracked. They use a catalyst to burn without an open flame. These can be ruined by dust and can give off Carbon Monoxide. If you have one cover it to protect it from dust when not in use, and replace it if it no longer provided sufficient heat. Catalytic heaters work well in places that don't go below freezing but get cold at night. The lower propane usage is important to many boondockers, as only a limited amount of propane is carried by a camper. Fans can be used to circulate heat where you need it, including to holding tanks. They are radiant type heaters are work better when facing you, and they take a while to heat up a camper. Some people use several to heat a larger camper.
Furnaces: Furnaces work better for extremely cold weather--they provide more comfort at a cost of higher propane consumption. They also require lots of electricity, so you must have a strong battery bank and a good means of recharging it every day. The big advantage to furnaces is the are thermostatically controlled. Want your pets to be comfortable while you are gone? You want a furnace. The the temperature to 68 deg F and forget about it. They are vented so there are no issues with oxygen depletion. You should have a smoke alarm, propane detector, and a Carbon Monoxide detector for safety purposes.
Wood Heat: Another option for heat is a wood stove. Most people would scream these are unsafe, while those who have heated with wood for many years would say the opposite. I would not recommend these for people who have never heated with a home wood stove. They do require more frequent tending as the fires are small in a camper. The big advantage to a wood stove is the fuel is plentiful. Campers are smaller and don't need as much to heat as a home, so a supply or twigs and small branches can be quickly broken up to provide heat. The combination of solar or wind power for electricity, water treatment filters, and wood heat provides for the ultimate in long term boondocking capability.
Fans: Fans a often used to distribute heat. Every camper will have cold spots. Use fans to move the heat where you want it.
Generators: Generators provide a means to charge batteries, run air conditioning, or large appliances. They are noisy, obnoxious and frequently campgrounds will limit their use to day time only. If you are boondocking, this is not an issue unless you are someplace where people will complain.
Propane generators were commonly used in the past. They go though propane quickly so that means you are constantly changing propane bottles and this gets old fast.
Gasoline: The Honda 2000E generator is very popular now. It will run a small air conditioner, and it is fuel efficient running 4.5 to 9 hours on a gallon of fuel. They are not big enough to larger air conditioners.
Diesel generators are louder, provide the more power, and burn less fuel than the other. They are a good option if your tow vehicle is diesel powered. The fuel is safer to store in large quantities.
Solar Panels: Solar power electricity is wonderful. It is getting something for nothing. After the initial cost of the panel, wire and charge controller, these panels will provide free power every day. It is intoxicating. I'll be providing details on my solar power system in a future blog post. Generally, you can count on about 4-5 hours of energy production at the rated power of the panels if the panels are mounted in a fixed horizontal position. You can make more power if you tilt them towards the sun, and still more power if you track them towards the sun as it moves across the sky. Typically, camper want a set and forget system so horizontal fix mounting works best. That also provides shade for the camper. Some people prefer to park in the shade and set their panels up a distance away to capture the maximum amount of sun. Power it transferred to the batteries through a charge controller. This prevents over charging of the batteries. A more advanced charger is an MPPT controller which converts the solar panel voltage to a voltage the battery likes best, depending on it's state of charge. For frequent cycling of power, an MPPT is the best choice. For simply keeping a battery that is not used much topped off a basic charge controller works fine.
Wind Power: Not many people run wind power on campers. It is a good option for boon dockers for one reason. A typical 6 cubic foot refrigerator draws 336 watts of power at through 1000 watt inverter. A wind generator, can produce 350-500 watts depending on the model and this is enough to keep your beer cold forever if you are parked in an area with steady winds. This could save a lot of propane in the long term.
Batteries: You don't need any charging source while boon docking if your battery bank is large enough. A large battery coupled with a good, fast three stage charger might be all you need. If you require 60 amp hours a day, you would need a rather large
REFRIGERATION:
Most campers use absorption type refrigeration. The advantage to this is the cooling can be done with AC or DC electricity, or by propane. The process uses a heater as part of a heat exchanger to cool the refrigerator/freezer. AC works great but requires lots of power. A six cubic foot refrigerator might draw 28 amps at 110 volts. If you trying running it off a battery, you will drain your battery dead in a short period of time. The DC heating elements are typically 1/2 the wattage of an AC element, and will still draw 10 amps of power--draining your battery quickly but not quite as fast as AC. DC is intended to keep an already cold refrigerator cold while traveling. Many RV refrigerators have dropped this option as propane can be used while traveling as long as you don't stop for too long on a sloped surface. Propane is a great source of energy to operate a refrigerator as it does not require much electricity to operate the control electronics of the refrigerator. Off-grid and propane refrigerators go together hand in hand.
All Electric Refrigeration: You can keep your food frozen or cold with electricity only. To reduce energy use, these are typically over insulated and these use compressors to provide cooling. One manufacturer, Engel, makes DC powered refrigerator/freezers. These use between 3 and 7 amps of power depending on the size. For those with a good charging source, this is a good option to consider.
Propane generators were commonly used in the past. They go though propane quickly so that means you are constantly changing propane bottles and this gets old fast.
Gasoline: The Honda 2000E generator is very popular now. It will run a small air conditioner, and it is fuel efficient running 4.5 to 9 hours on a gallon of fuel. They are not big enough to larger air conditioners.
Diesel generators are louder, provide the more power, and burn less fuel than the other. They are a good option if your tow vehicle is diesel powered. The fuel is safer to store in large quantities.
Solar Panels: Solar power electricity is wonderful. It is getting something for nothing. After the initial cost of the panel, wire and charge controller, these panels will provide free power every day. It is intoxicating. I'll be providing details on my solar power system in a future blog post. Generally, you can count on about 4-5 hours of energy production at the rated power of the panels if the panels are mounted in a fixed horizontal position. You can make more power if you tilt them towards the sun, and still more power if you track them towards the sun as it moves across the sky. Typically, camper want a set and forget system so horizontal fix mounting works best. That also provides shade for the camper. Some people prefer to park in the shade and set their panels up a distance away to capture the maximum amount of sun. Power it transferred to the batteries through a charge controller. This prevents over charging of the batteries. A more advanced charger is an MPPT controller which converts the solar panel voltage to a voltage the battery likes best, depending on it's state of charge. For frequent cycling of power, an MPPT is the best choice. For simply keeping a battery that is not used much topped off a basic charge controller works fine.
Wind Power: Not many people run wind power on campers. It is a good option for boon dockers for one reason. A typical 6 cubic foot refrigerator draws 336 watts of power at through 1000 watt inverter. A wind generator, can produce 350-500 watts depending on the model and this is enough to keep your beer cold forever if you are parked in an area with steady winds. This could save a lot of propane in the long term.
Batteries: You don't need any charging source while boon docking if your battery bank is large enough. A large battery coupled with a good, fast three stage charger might be all you need. If you require 60 amp hours a day, you would need a rather large
REFRIGERATION:
Most campers use absorption type refrigeration. The advantage to this is the cooling can be done with AC or DC electricity, or by propane. The process uses a heater as part of a heat exchanger to cool the refrigerator/freezer. AC works great but requires lots of power. A six cubic foot refrigerator might draw 28 amps at 110 volts. If you trying running it off a battery, you will drain your battery dead in a short period of time. The DC heating elements are typically 1/2 the wattage of an AC element, and will still draw 10 amps of power--draining your battery quickly but not quite as fast as AC. DC is intended to keep an already cold refrigerator cold while traveling. Many RV refrigerators have dropped this option as propane can be used while traveling as long as you don't stop for too long on a sloped surface. Propane is a great source of energy to operate a refrigerator as it does not require much electricity to operate the control electronics of the refrigerator. Off-grid and propane refrigerators go together hand in hand.
All Electric Refrigeration: You can keep your food frozen or cold with electricity only. To reduce energy use, these are typically over insulated and these use compressors to provide cooling. One manufacturer, Engel, makes DC powered refrigerator/freezers. These use between 3 and 7 amps of power depending on the size. For those with a good charging source, this is a good option to consider.
HOLDING TANKS:
Water: A good size holding tank for water is 60 gallons or more. Water weights about 7.5 lbs per gallon so this represents 450 lbs of weight. That is a lot. Many people travel with empty tanks, or tanks filled 1/3 or 1/2 and fill up when they get to their destination. It makes sense when traveling a long distance or when weight is an issue. Your camper may carry less. When boon docking you may want to figure out how to carry more.
Water Filters: There are three types of water filters. Filters taht filter water as it comes into your camper. Filters that are used to improve the taste of your water at the tap, and filters which are used to purify water found in rivers and lakes. All filters need to be changed frequently to work. Dirty filter promote bacteria and other growth--that is the opposite of what you want.
Point of Entry Filters: Water added to your tank should always be filtered. Water hooked up by hose to your camper, should always be filtered. Sand and sediment is found in tap water. Don't let it into your tanks or hoses! Camco makes a good filter that attaches to the end of a hose and includes a short hose to attach to your city water inlet. It can also be used to filter water entering your tanks. If you use city water at a campground, it is still better to use your tank water and refill it, instead of pressure water from the campground. That way your tank water is turned over and it won't get stale.
Internal Filters: Internal filters can be charcoal based--be sure rinse these before placing into service as they will put charcoal dust into your water until they are washed. Other filter types specialize include Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Sediment, and Ultra Violet (UV) Sterilizers. I won't go into detail on this, as I am not an expert, however, a three stage filter system with each stage focused on one aspect of water filtration will work best. It is important that these filters be changed frequently because dirty filters make things worse than no filter at all. UV filters require power so be aware that those types of filters require more work to set up and configure. In any case you want high flow filters for this application as they must not restrict pump pressure.
Water Treatment Filters: These filters will treat water from lakes and streams, and even clean ocean water to make it safe to drink. Reverse Osmosis filters are commonly used for this application. These filters can convert salt water to fresh and are commonly found on yachts. Yachties will tell you that drinking their own water never makes them sick, and water in foreign countries will, so consider that for a moment. These sort of filters should filter the water before it goes into your tanks. So you would need some planning to implement this. It will allow you to live off the land for a longer period and allow a measure of freedom while boon docking that you won't find otherwise.
Gray Water Tanks: These are generally smaller than your primary water tank and is collect from the drains of your sink and shower. While you are not suppose to dump these tanks except in designated dump station when you are out and about camping this sort of effluent is not particularly noxious or harmful. It includes water, soap, and perhaps some grease from cookware, and food particles. If you were taking an outdoor shower, that would be acceptable to dump onto the ground, but it is not acceptable if dumped from a tank. Older campers would freely dump this mostly water mixture on the ground. So in a pinch if your tanks are full, you could dump it on the ground, but you might want to pick and choose where. A desert for example, where you dug a hole might be acceptable, while a watershed area definitely would not.
Black Water Tanks: This is human waste collected from your toilet--urine and feces. This is not to be dumped just anywhere. It must go to a dump station. However, it is acceptable for hikers, backpackers, and tent campers to urinate in the wood, and dig cat holes to poop in. It is a matter of degree. A latrine is typically dug for larger parties of people, and filled in when they leave. If you wish to boon dock, bring a shovel and be prepared to dig a latrine for your own use. Burying it will reduce odor and not attract or disturb animals.
Grid-Tied Campers: These are campers that are designed to function only at campgrounds with services such as electricity, water and sewer hookups. Such campers will have electric heat only, electric refrigeration, no holding tanks, and require direct water and sewer hookups. Those campers could not function in boondock situations--they would have no heat, water or toilet capability, and limited electric capabilities.
SUMMARY:
Boondocking is off grid camping. It can be in the wilderness or right next to your home in emergency situations. If you lost power for a number of days during hurricane, you could move into your camper, use a solar charged battery banks to provide you with light and power, use your propane powered refrigerator and stove to store and prepare food, just as you would in a wilderness environment.
Boondocking is off grid camping. It can be in the wilderness or right next to your home in emergency situations. If you lost power for a number of days during hurricane, you could move into your camper, use a solar charged battery banks to provide you with light and power, use your propane powered refrigerator and stove to store and prepare food, just as you would in a wilderness environment.
An off grid camper is a mobile home, an emergency shelter, the guesthouse, and a vacation home, all in one. As an offshore sailor I enjoy being able to travel on land as freely as I do at sea. My
truck camper has all the features that my boat has.
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