Hello all

[thursday]

Hi all,
I'm a former full time van dweller ('98-'04) now just road tripping and traveling part time. I converted my little Ford Transit Connect and am pretty happy with it, but I'm still working to improve things and appreciate all the information and support being offered here!

I'm interested in good boondocking locations/tips, swimming holes, artesian springs, heating strategies, and meetups.

BTW, if anyone finds themselves going through Olympia, WA, I highly recommend filling water (or even washing hair!) at the gorgeous artesian spring at 415 4th Avenue E.

 

[bullfrog !]

Welcome! There are lots of resources here. So many it helps if you give us an idea of locations you might need information on.

 

[VanFan]

Greetings!

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the Van & RV forum thrusday. Plenty of information here.

 

[Tony's Dream]

Welcome. I too am a traveler and have been doing so for 2 years now. I use apps to find my places to stay and never really plan where I will be on a given day. I plan my trips around the weather, but there are times when I need heat at night. When I do, I can usually find an RV/campsite that has hook ups for my heater. When I can't find a spot I use a colman propane heater. I have never been on a meetup because I felt they might restrict my travel plans, though the idea does sound appealing....especially going to a ladies meet up.

 

[thursday]

Welcome! There are lots of resources here. So many it helps if you give us an idea of locations you might need information on.

Thank you for the welcome! I'm based in Seattle, so really anywhere west of Texas depending on the time of year might be on the schedule. I went to Quartzsite for the Rock and Gem show in my van many years ago and definitely planning to do that again come January. I just got back to Seattle from Oatman, AZ. Seattle to So. Cal. and back via 101 is probably going to be a pretty frequent trip. Looking for short term free boondocking more than seasonal long-term. I joined Boondockers Welcome, but I found only a couple of options that worked out and an equal number of hosts who never got back to me... I'm going out to Montana, just west of the Rockies, in June. Any suggestions for finding threads about where to stop/what to see in specific locations welcome. Other than Quartzsite, I'm not sure what towns or locations to search for.

 

[thursday]

Welcome. I too am a traveler and have been doing so for 2 years now. I use apps to find my places to stay and never really plan where I will be on a given day. I plan my trips around the weather, but there are times when I need heat at night. When I do, I can usually find an RV/campsite that has hook ups for my heater. When I can't find a spot I use a colman propane heater. I have never been on a meetup because I felt they might restrict my travel plans, though the idea does sound appealing....especially going to a ladies meet up.

Thanks for the welcome! I've got the free version of Dyrt and the Boondockers Welcome app, but I should probably load up on some other apps, too, as it was tricky finding spots reasonably close to the interstate when I was just passing through. Yeah, weather and heating are tricky issues without shore power. I have a Wave 3, but the lack of thermostat is driving me nuts - even the low setting is very overpowered for my little ~30sq.ft. space.

 

[maki2]

You might also want to join another forum for finding natural springs to camp near. There is one called “soakersforum”. Just add a dot com after that name.

 

[ChileVan]

Hi thursday, and thanks for the tip on the water!

 

[Tony's Dream]

Thanks for the welcome! I've got the free version of Dyrt and the Boondockers Welcome app, but I should probably load up on some other apps, too, as it was tricky finding spots reasonably close to the interstate when I was just passing through. Yeah, weather and heating are tricky issues without shore power. I have a Wave 3, but the lack of thermostat is driving me nuts - even the low setting is very overpowered for my little ~30sq.ft. space.

There are some helpful apps out there. I rarely have issues finding places to stay when I travel. Sometimes that might be Walmart or a hotel parking lot, but I can always find places.

 

[LargeMarge]

...I just got back to Seattle from Oatman, AZ. Seattle to So. Cal. and back via 101... I'm not sure what towns or locations to search for.

.
2003, we built our ExpeditionVehicle to boondock exclusively.
.
For boondock locations, we visit the local cellular-telephone store.
They usually have a map of their 'coverage'.
We look for those places with zero 'coverage'.
.
Towns, not so much.

 

[LargeMarge]

...I have a Wave 3, but the lack of thermostat is driving me nuts - even the low setting is very overpowered for my little ~30sq.ft. space.

.
Our ExpeditionVehicle interior is three paces across by seven paces long, about 600cf/17cubic meters/metres.
.
We always have open windows.
We regulate our Wave 3 catalytic heater output by opening windows further.
Escaping warm air carries humidity and odors.

 

[LargeMarge]

The problem I see with applications?
Everybody has access.
A popular application is 'Eye-Overlander' (sp?), but nobody I know uses it because spots can be crowded... overlanders using it to get away from crowds.

 

[maki2]

There are also a lot of natural springs in Texas in the hill country. They come from the Edward’s Aquifer. Very good water in that region. They are often found along the edges of the creeks and rivers that they feed.

Of course when you see a town with the word spring in the title that is a major clue that the town was likely founded right next to a spring or springs.

 

[vanbrat]

I am also a road tripper and plan to go through Olympia on a soon to do trip to Ocean Shores. We are going to spend 16 hours doing nothing but sit on the beach and build a few sandcastles and beach art and drink wine and and and ...The water is something we have not heard of yet so maybe we will stop and get a jug or two... I travel for food sometimes so now I can add water to my list of why to road trip.. Thank you for the info.

 

[thursday]

.
Our ExpeditionVehicle interior is three paces across by seven paces long, about 600cf/17cubic meters/metres.
.
We always have open windows.
We regulate our Wave 3 catalytic heater output by opening windows further.
Escaping warm air carries humidity and odors.

I definitely have cracked windows and roof vent, but I don't love the variability of the heat throughout the night, having to adjust the vent as I get too hot/cold, and wasting propane by heating the outside. I'm trying a new ridiculous thing now - initial heat with the Wave 3 to get toasty, Wave off when I go to bed, then switch to: a 500W inverter to 110v thermostatically controlled outlet to 200W electric space heater. I've got the thermostat set so it goes on at 64 and off at 71. Now the trick will be to see if it goes on infrequently enough to not be a problem for my measly 88Ah back battery. I'm assuming I don't really have a full 1056 Wh (5+ hrs of run time), but I'm hoping it won't need that much time with such a wide heat range. Heading to Montana in a week - wish me luck!

 

[maki2]

Wishing you luck but remember a pile of blankets works pretty good and requires only your body heat production. The trick at this time of year is to have multiple blankets so you can quickly push sideways off of you or pull over onto you an extra layer.

 

[WanderingRose]

I love an all season down comforter, with a washable cover, which works well except when it is really cold, then I add a fleece blanket between me and the comforter.