Driveway Camping

[A Savage Adventure]

Some time ago when I was first watching videos to learn about boondocking I saw one from this guy who was describing his situation. I can't remember (nor can I find he video now) if h was in a van or a Class C motorhome, but he was saying how he had an arrangement with someone who had extra space in their driveway and h basically paid the electric bill, since he was sharing electric. 

I think the focus of his video was about how he handled emptying his tanks since he was only connected to the homeowners electric. He explained that he used a transfer tank on wheels (there are many out there) to empty his tanks into and then he rolled it over to the sewer access on the homeowners property. 

This got me thinking about whether or not there is a resource for people who do allow boondockers to camp on their property and share some expenses. Sadly, now when I look it up, all I can find are videos about, "Mooch-docking", which seems counter-intuitive since mooching is usually getting something for free.

Anyway, have any of you ever camped this way? How was your experience?

 

[AMGS3]

Hi Chris,

I think I know the video you were talking about. And he was talking about "couch surfing" and the newer "driveway surfing." His name is Timber Hawkeye. Here's the video link.

(Video description- 18 min YouTube video with RV tour, explanation of portable washing machine, dumping greywater tank, with a little philosophy thrown in, too)

And in the description of that video, he shares this link for more information on Driveway Surfing/RVHosting -
https://www.boondockerswelcome.com

Apparently in New Zealand there's a driveway surfing app. However there's a ton of articles that come up if you Google the term.

Hope this helps.

~Angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[A Savage Adventure]

OMG! You're right! That's the video! I was about to reply and say, "no, I've seen that one", which I have...but it's at 10 minutes into the video where he talks about staying in the driveway and previously someone else's and yes, mentions paying the electric.

He calls it, "Driveway Surfing" in reference to the couch surfing thing.

Even more embarrassing is that I had that link bookmarked, but never went to it since I added it. Forgot about it.

Thanks, Angie!

P.S. - It was driving me nuts trying to find that video...I didn't think that was the one. Huh...lol

 

[AMGS3]

It was your description of the process of dumping the rv tank with a transfer tank into the homeowners sewer pipe that jogged my memory!

I was just looking over the Boondockers Welcome website and that is really a cool idea. If the reviews are any indication, most of the site hosts do offer electric hookups. I'm going to have to spend a few hours exploring that site one day soon here. Looks like they have listings for Canada, too.

~Angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[A Savage Adventure]

Yeah, it is definitely something I am considering being that some places don't have BLM land or other free camping available,or at least nothing listed. Anyway, cool! More to look into.

 

[John61CT]

Most jurisdictions forbid this.

If a rare short term "friend visiting", likely get away with it most places.

Lots depends on the neighbors.

 

[DLTooley]

Boondockers Welcome is for a night or two. It could work sometimes, but more often ^^.

 

[RVTravel]

Most juridictions mandate speed limits but most don't follow them..lol

 

[John61CT]

It's only the home owner needs to worry anyway, nice thing about mobility is any hassle we can move on.

Just wanted people to be aware of the issue, and realize it's not a foolproof strategy in many locations, especially wealthier neighborhoods.

Many places you're not allowed to even park your own RV in your driveway in sight of the road.

 

[Deb_A]

In most places in FL, it's illegal to sleep in your RV, even parked in someone's yard. Some cities are very, very strict about it. The cops in the city I used to live in would ride around town during season looking for RVs parked in people's driveways or back yards and knock on the door to see if anyone was sleeping in it. Neighbors were bad snitches too.

 

[DannyB1954]

I have hosted for both Couchsurfers and BoondockersWelcome so perhaps I can share a bit on both. They are both intended for brief periods of stay, but everything is negotiable between guest and host. With couch surfers they usually stay in the house as they are not in a camper. With Bondockerswelcome they arrive in their own RV so they usually do not have house privileges.

I have had good and bad experiences with both. There is no requirement for payment for either group to stay so there are those that will use and abuse you. I had a couple from Boondockerswelcome show up in a rig I could never afford. They hooked up to my 50 amp electrical connection and ran their heat pump day and night. After a few days they drove off with a thanks a lot. I took another look at their profile and they travel full time and don't return the favor of hosting others. They are in the deal to only take. I am supposed to be happy to pay the electric bill for people driving around in 40' coaches costing hundreds of thousands. With couch surfers a lady showed up and I showed her where my food was and said if you are hungry help yourself. When she left so did a lot of my food, (trail mix bars, canned food etc.). It became pretty clear she lived in her car and just took advantage of others when possible. She left a day or two before she was scheduled so I was not offered to leave feedback on her as her stay was listed as she had cancelled her stay.

The organizations make money from the yearly dues, but the hosts foot all the bill and the only compensation that they get their own subscription extended. So whoopee! I save $20 a year while others rip me off. The more I know about human nature, the more I like my dog.

 

[John61CT]

So now you know how BLM feels

 

[A Savage Adventure]

The more I know about human nature, the more I like my dog.

That is truly sad, but then part of what led me to this point was my loss of faith in humanity. Not very many "good" people any more and some who are, are hesitant to help others because they've been burned so much by the bad people. 

 

[crofter]

Some towns have ordinances permitting this, called ADU's. In Oregon, driveways are full of RV's for this reason, allows the towns to increase population without doing anything like building houses or roads, etc. Another benefit is lengthy traffic jams, but the ADU law overall is a good thing. Some would disagree. If you want this in your area, check out the new laws and ask your town to adopt it.

http://www.rhinocubed.com/accessory-dwelling-unit-adu/

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[RVTravel]

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