Last week we looked at what boondocking is, this week we will look at why RVers choose to boondock.
Necessity
– Cost
* Some full timers or snowbirds can’t afford to pay for a monthly RV space.
* For families RVing on a budget, they can spend more nights in their RV when the campsites are free and travel farther using the campground savings on fuel.
– Location * Many times, for adventurous RVers that like to explore forgotten places, there are no campgrounds located close to where they want to stay for the night. In cases like these, boondocking is the only choice.
Choice
– Quiet
* Many RVers enjoy the ample space and the quiet surroundings boondocking provides.
In crowded campgrounds you hear your neighbors activities and they hear yours.
Loud TVs, radios, children, barking dogs, generators, conversations, arguments, etc. are rarely a problem when boondocking. The only sound you will hear when boondocking is the sound of nature. It may be in the form of a babbling brook, a soft breeze rustling the leaves on a tree or the hoot of an owl.
– View! * You can look out the windows of your RV and see the landscape, sky and animals, not other RVs, city lights or traffic.
– Solitude * As we learned by definition in the first installment of this series, boondocking is camping off the beaten path, on a high desert plateau or on the banks of a rushing stream with no amenities other than the landscape and critters God created.
– Stargazing * There is no better way to look in awe at the heavens than parked away from the city lights and the lights of fellow RVers.
– Privacy * No need to close your blinds for privacy from your RV neighbors like in a campground.
Convenience
* When boondocking there is no need to make reservations, worry about check in times and no rushing around to break camp before the posted check out time.
* You don’t need to leash your pet or worry about them wandering into traffic.
* When you just need to pull off the road for the night and don’t need or have the opportunity to use the amenities of a full service campground, boondocking is a quick and inexpensive alternative.
Now that you know why others boondock, get out there and give it a try. After all, you bought a fully self contained RV, why not use it as one?
Enjoy your boondocking adventure.
Solitude, a priceless view all for free!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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