Is there something like Airbnb for camping?

[reppans]

Hello again I am answering my own question about boondockerswelcome.com and are vans welcome there. From their sign up page - 

{snip}

Has anyone had success with this using the DIY van conversion and bucket method of being self contained? 

I did see some host sites in my area that I would like to stay at, and the hosts received many good reviews. Not sure it would be worth giving up space to a 15 GAL black tank that I will never use.  ~crofter

Nice find crofter - I couldn't find their definition when I briefly looked.  Guess there's no way they'll approve me in a minivan then :dodgy:.  Funny thing is that I just traded down from a Class B RV and I've camped in it plenty while it's been winterized.  I'd camp the same way out of the minivan - still fully self-contained within the vehicle incl. kitchen/toilet/shower.  

[font='Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][size=medium][font='Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Guests must be traveling in a self-contained RV to use our site. If you plan on tent-camping or sleeping in a passenger vehicle - car, SUV, or van - this club is not for you. Travelers need to be able to function entirely inside the RV, and not need to set up sleeping, cooking, sanitation, or toilet stations outside.[/font][/font][/size]

[font='Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I can meet all the requirements of the last sentence without stepping outside my vehicle, as I suspect most of us can too... but I guess they need to draw the somewhere.  [/font]

[font='Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Oh well.[/font]

 

[crofter]

I also ran across this site freecampsites.net which might be promising.   ~ crofter

 

[crofter]

So here is the response from boondockerswelcome = 

Hi crofter,
 
Most hosts welcome a van as long as it has is also an RV. A custom-built RV is fine but it does need to be self -contained to qualify for guest privileges. You may be able to qualify by carrying a portable marine-style toilet. If you would consider that, please read our Membership FAQs where we address this. 

Marianne
Co-Founder & Chief Boondocker
Boondockers Welcome
www.boondockerswelcome.com


My bucket is fitting in less space than this, and still only 9 gallons so not big enough for an LTVA site     ~crofter

SEALAND


711-M28 Marine Sanitation System

• Dimensions: 20"H x 18-7/8"W x 18-3/4"D
  
  https://www.westmarine.com/buy/seal...kXEf6XNubpKCqSZoD_nNIzGyp7EBdVsEaAg-wEALw_wcB

 

[crofter]

I also ran across this site freecampsites.net which might be promising.   ~ crofter

And fixing my links

https://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com

https://freecampsites.net/           ~crofter

 

[crofter]

minivan - still fully self-contained within the vehicle incl. kitchen/toilet/shower.  
[font='Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I can meet all the requirements of the last sentence without stepping outside my vehicle[/font]

Their response is to require use of a marine toilet in your van, so I looked up a couple and found a smaller cassette type which does not take up much more space than the bucket, for $99.  Interestingly, the marine store also was selling the bucket system as marine toilets. 

Not sure if this group will work for me, if there are other rules that a minimalist would dislike also.     ~crofter

 

[travelaround]

I think the intent is that you will have a kitchen, bathroom and shower setup inside the van and not rely on a tent outside. I doubt they'll inspect your van to see what brand toilet you bought.

 

[crofter]

I think the intent is that you will have a kitchen, bathroom and shower setup inside the van and not rely on a tent outside. I doubt they'll inspect your van to see what brand toilet you bought.

Actually, for conversion vans they want photos of interior and exterior of the rig, and then they approve of your rig (or don't). Their rules specify self contained, and the marine toilet was recommended if I wanted to get approved.    ~crofter

 

[DannyB1954]

I was a host for BoondockersWelcome and still host for Couchsurfers, ( I have a guest from England as I speak). How both groups work is you look for a lists of hosts at a location that you will be. Both services just act as E-mail forwarders at that point. You contact a host tell them you need and it is up to the host to say yea or nay. Some hosts will allow tents, car camping, minivans, all the way up to monster Class A's and fifth wheels. The deal is strictly between you and a host. They may offer showers, electricity, water WiFi and breakfast in bed. The only thing a host has to guarantee if they accept you is the parking space itself.
Couchsurfers does not expect you to have a place of your own to sleep, so they offer the facilities of their home to you, Bed, Kitchen, Bath, etc. My guests from there stay in a Class A RV next to the house but the house door is open for them to use the facilities in the house. This group may be more receptive to car dwellers as you could use the house facilities and just tell the host you want to sleep in your vehicle.
To summarize, it is all about what you and the host agree to. One of my guests has stayed with me 3 times. The last time for nearly a month, (she was taking classes at a fire arms training facility here).