BLM LTVA areas

[tx2sturgis]

We had no issues with the rangers at La Posa South...we had a couple of shower tents, one of them was a large shower tent framed with 2x4s...it worked great and no one said a word about either of them when I was there. Ours was situated on a slope so the shower water ran into the wash and soaked in. 

A small privy tent for personal use is unlikely to get a second glance.

 

[Qxxx]

It should be noted that, somehow, YARC camp seemed to have special dispensations from the La Posa South controllers. Possibly because they were so far back from the entrance, 2 1/2 miles I think, past where 99% of the people camped, and after the road really turned crappy. YARC camp was a 1 mile and more past the last toilet. There were several van people there when I visited in january, and they were allowed to use porta-pottis. But I believe that was not the normal allowance. So?

 

[highdesertranger]

LOL, no one bothered them cause they ain't right. highdesertranger

 

[MotorVation]

I have a hot water heater and a 36"x24" freestanding tub but my van has a low top and I'm pretty sure it's gonna suck trying to shower inside.

Thanks

 

[B and C]

Find a little plastic folding stool to sit on in the tub while you shower. Shouldn't be too bad that way.

 

[Qxxx]

You're halfway there. Then take the tub of grey water and throw it under your neighbors RV.  :angel: It's got to go somewhere.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Or use that bath water to wash dishes.

:dodgy:

 

[Cammalu]

We police ourselves very well in YARC Camp. No trash or dog poop laying around and an organized trash run is done every day by the designated trash collector (me). Our area looks nice with a central campfire and a rock garden with a gnome and flag pole.

Everything is fairly tidy and that is probably getting us the pass.

We have a few rock collectors and cairn builders. Our whole driveway is lined with rocks so Camp is sorta landscaped.

Our gnome sits on a giant piece of quartz collected.

Obligatory flamingos

 

[Cammalu]

Collecting that big piece of quartz

 

[Qxxx]

I surmise that the reason YARC Camp is able to get special dispensations from the LTVA people, outside the written guidelines and regulations, is because Cammalu is such a sweetie-pooh that no one wants to say no to her.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yeah that and slipping a C-note to the rangers.

:angel:

 

[Cammalu]

Must have been your C note TX as you were the one that intervened when problems arose and got them off our back. How much did you slip them or was it that woman ranger that you worked out a special deal with???? [emoji12]

I’m not judging or anything but you did look a little worn out when you came back from visiting those women at the gate....

 

[tx2sturgis]

The worn out look comes from pedaling an e-bike with a dog trailer all over LTVA/YARC.

I'm too old for that s**t but my pooch loves it....

 

[Qxxx]

"I'm wondering if it's ok to set up a shower tent in a LTVA? How about on "regular" BLM land with 14 day camping?"

I decided to look into this some more, and as usual the answers are somewhat equivocal. I guess there is:  what is allowable, what you can get away with, and what you feel good (or bad) about. Van campers are obviously just tossing their grey water outside, but it's probably not a lot of water in one place either, unless you shower.

At Burning Man they disallow grey water dumping, as they should, given 60-70,000 people all jammed together. However, the video in this post has some interesting solutions. I like the one about putting a large towel in the bottom of your shower pan, and then letting it dry in the sun.

https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/eliminating-graywater-burning-man

In the LTVAs, most RVs are mobbed together, and I for one would hate to see everyone dumping gallons of grey water on the ground under every RV. What a mess. OTOH, YARC Camp is way out away from everyone else, and likewise single individuals may get away with things when camped away from the mobs.

Here is some info from online. Try and figure it out.

http://blog.goodsam.com/25620/

http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/boondocking-and-gray-water-disposa/

https://www.google.com/search?q=dumping+grey+water+on+blm+land

I for one produce very little grey water when camping. I don't wash dishes like most people do, because of the particular way I cook, and I use a doggie dish for personal washing, so about 1/2 a doggie dish of grey water is about all total that I toss out each day. I shower in towns.

 

[maki2]

Do you know if they consider porta potties to be self contained enough? That's what I have in my cargo trailer, along with a 5 gallon grey water container. I can dump them in the rv dump the same as someone draining their tanks, but that may not make sense to a government agency. I don't know that I'll ever have a need to stay at an LTVA, as I usually boondock and don't like to stay parked for more than a couple weeks anyhow. Just curious in case the need/desire arises.

The posted rules from BLM  specifically state that portable toilets do not qualify as self contained. That you need to have a minimum of 10 gallons of waste holding capacity.

What I have done for my build is put in a 5 gallon RV type waste tank under the sink. It is connected with a shut off valve to a thru the wall drain port onto which a garden style hose can be screwed. I got the tank from Amazon, it is sold for creating food trucks.

I purchased a portable toilet from a marine source that has an optional dip tube into the tank for using a macerator pump. That allows the waste to be pumped out through its own thru the wall fitting that also works with a garden style hose for emptying. That toilet has a 5 gallon internal tank.

So between those two tanks I do have a total of 10 gallons of self contained waste capacity. I had to go this route because my vintage travel trailer never had any waste tanks and it is too low to the ground to install tanks underneath. Where there is a will there is a way! But you do have to spend some money on a toilet capable of being emptied with a pump and some "official" looking waste tanks for the sink. Then you will pass inspection without a hitch. For me the real payback in doing this is not just about LTVA it  also works because I have lifting restrictions due to a bad back. But I do use the toilet with a bag for when I want to have a pseudo composting toilet method. I like versatility in my build so that I can adapt to different situations.