I remember watching a senate hearing some time ago where the Postmaster General was being questioned by congress about the decline in first and fourth class mail at the Post Office. The Postmaster responded by telling the panel about the decline in mail volumes was due to the increase in the use of the internet to deliver personal messages as well as email advertising. He said that it was free and “you can’t beat free!”
While internet advertising isn’t actually free, what is true is that most people like to save money. And it’s no different for those of us in the RV Lifestyle. Whether you have a half million dollar land yacht, or a tiny tear drop trailer, who is going to pass up a chance to save money?
Next to fuel, campground fees are one of the biggest expenses in this lifestyle. From under $20 to over $200, there are lots of ways to go camping. And yes, I know that there is a whole argument about if you are ‘camping’ if you’re in an RV with all the conveniences of home. Especially if you’re at a park with full hook ups. But that is the subject for a different article.
One of the ways to save money on campground fees is to not stay at a ‘campground.’ Boondocking, sometimes referred to as disbursed camping or dry camping, is the practice of camping outside of an actual campground. And there are lots of places to camp free. We’ve found free camping in numerous places such as city and county parks, state trust lands, and of course the BLM.
There was a time when only the heartiest traveler would attempt this. Especially since it meant no conveniences such as restrooms, showers, and in this modern age, no electricity or internet. But RV technology has come a long way since we bought our first trailer in 2002.
Technology has changed the RV Lifestyle
The biggest game changer is solar. I’ve upgraded my trailer with enough solar and battery that if I’ve got good sun, I will literally never run out of electricity. We can use the microwave, the ice maker, charge our devices, watch tv, and my wife can use her hair iron. Even if it’s a little cloudy or there are a few trees, we have gone several days to a week without concern.
The second greatest innovation to the RV community is satellite internet. With our Starlink service, we can set up camp just about anywhere. And so long as we’ve got a clear view of the sky we can get broadband speed internet service. That means surfing the internet, streaming movies, and having video calls with our granddaughter anywhere we stay.
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should
Not being dependent on having hookups means that we can camp virtually anywhere. But just because we can doesn’t mean we should. There are real concerns that come with boondocking. For me, there are two big reasons why more often than not we choose not to boondock.
How we save money without Boondocking
In our last four months on the road we averaged $33.87 per night in campground fees. During that time we were traveling the Southwest including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. Then up to Oregon on our way home to Washington state. During that trip we had just three nights of free boondocking, in semi-improved BLM campgrounds. We tend to stay mostly in state parks and USFS campgrounds. Then about every two weeks we stop into a KOA so we can do laundry and fill up on propane.
Last week we were camping at Red Rock Canyon state park in California. At $25 it’s not the cheapest dry camping we’ve had but it was pretty low. The couple in the site next to us were from Oregon so we stopped to chat. They said that this was the first camp site they had paid for in over three weeks. Of course they were part-timers with a small teardrop trailer. There are a lot of places you can park something that small.
I was jealous of how much they were saving. They were jealous that we had a microwave and didn’t have to use the open-sky pit toilets!
Spending $1,030 per month in campground fees might seem like a lot to many people. But I see it as investment. It saves me money on insurance, repairs, wear and tear, and fuel.