Supply's, Water, pay,camp,hmmmm

[missnout]

Wasn't sure where to post this as it refers to pattern/cost.
If leaving a dry camp area, before entering a new spot, you have to dump and get water. So do most try to get water at a gas station? drive out of the way for a sany dump? pay at an rv? If you do that you might as well stay a night.(cant afford it). If you stay a week at a state park and pay an entrance fee, does that give you the hook ups for 14 days?
Fill my ears guy's. :s Remember im in a ford with bad turning radius and a 26' trailer.

 

[rvpopeye]

Whatever you do.....DON'T get drinking water from a spigot next to a dump station ! And sanitize any one you do use with some bleach or peroxide in a spray bottle.
I've seen people use campsite water to rinse their dump hose,,,nice !

Some places you camp might not have a dump station....it happens.

There is a book listing dump stations and I think there is an app too if you have a smart phone.

Lots of interstate highway rest areas in the south have a free dump too !

Almost every town/city septic treatment plant will let you dump.

Some gas stations have dumps , including Flying J but usually not free.

Try to get your tank at least 3/4 full before you dump ,you can just add water if it's not (it helps with having a good dump Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh kuh)

 

[rvwandering]

You probably have this link - http://www.sanidumps.com/sanidumps_usamerica.php
 but for everyone that may not I'll post it anyway. We use it almost exclusively and plan our travels so that we'll pass close to a dump station when we need one.

 If you just need water and not a dump station you can fill your water at the truck pumps at most truck stops. You can also fill it for free at most dump stations like Flying J that charge to dump.

 Some state parks that have a day visit fee will allow you to use the dump station and water fill if you pay the day fee which is usually small.

 State parks vary a lot so you may not have hookups if you decide to stay for a night but there's usually a dump station and water fill.

 Where are you traveling? I may be able to give you some hints for places to go that are free or cheap.

 Also how large are your water tanks - fresh, gray and black? How often do you need to fill and dump?

 

[SoulRaven]

It's only a matter of time that you will find that 3-ton+ travel trailer and the holding tanks etc. to cumbersome.

A converted 6'x12' single axle cargo trailer with an RV type side door that weights fully loaded about a ton is going to go to much more campsites especially it's pulled by a 4x4 pickup.

For instance, where you are camped at now if you had a 2-5 gallon porta potty you could just dump it down the nasty vault.

I personally carry a six-gallon water jug, a 3 gallon Igloo industrial drinking water cooler, and a 2-gallon pump up plastic sprayer for a total of 11 gallons (about one weeks usage) which weight about 100 pounds when you take into consideration the weight of those containers.

 

[blars]

Dump stations vary from free to as much as a night in an RV park. Ask for the RV card a flying J/pilot, it gets you a couple of cents off gas and $5 dumps. Water is frequently free, but not in Quartzsite and many other Desert areas. https://rvdumpsites.net/ is another web site to find places to dump.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

In our class A, we could go about 2 weeks beteen dumps...as long as we were careful (such as peeing outside when possible and grey use).
Don't know size of your tanks, but you should be able to do about the same...just guessing.

There are ways to cut a few corners that some of the experienced can share once you hook up with our group.
When you get your Pilot/FJ RV card, also grab their booklet showing services at their locations nationwide.

Done properly, a dump needs not be a nasty situation.

 

[Damian Rolling]

I look for state or county parks. The fee just to dump tanks and get potable water is around $10. Some parks only allow registered campers to use the dump station.

The lowest fee I have seen just to use the dump station and get water was $5 at a Kentucky State Park. The highest was $28 at a county park in Virginia (but at two nearby parks it was only $11).

A private park will be $10-$20, but some will also restrict access to registered campers. I saw a Love’s Truck Stop that charged $5 to dump, but they did not provide water. I have seen free dump stations at rest areas, but some did not have water.

If you pay to camp at a state park you will not have to pay to use the dump station. The nightly fee for a campsite varies both between and within states. The cost difference between a site with hookups and one without is about $5.

Damian

 

[buckwilk]

Wasn't sure where to post this as it refers to pattern/cost.
If leaving a dry camp area, before entering a new spot, you have to dump and get water. So do most try to get water at a gas station? drive out of the way for a sany dump? pay at an rv? If you do that you might as well stay a night.(cant afford it). If you stay a week at a state park and pay an entrance fee, does that give you the hook ups for 14 days?
Fill my ears guy's. :s Remember im in a ford with bad turning radius and a 26' trailer.

I think someone has told you not to travel with your tanks full. That is advice given often because the theory is you get worse gas mileage. You have enough to worry about being new to this, don't worry about traveling with your tanks full or partly full. Fill your fresh water whenever you get the chance, use wisely and it will last. Your black water tank will probably go 10 to 14 days before you need to dump. Dump when you have the opportunity, not every time you move. If you camp anywhere that you have water and dump available, then by all means dump and fill before moving on. I have found, here in the west, state parks and national parks are expensive. RV parks, state parks and national parks charge for every day you are in a campground. The 14 day rule is for BLM and national forest dispersed camping. Watch for rv service and repair places on the road, ask them for info on where to camp, dump and fill water, not just in that town, but the ones down the road. Most of them will give you free water and charge a small fee to dump if they have a dump station. Sporting goods stores are a wealth of info about where to camp in their areas. Talk to the hosts, rangers, etc. anywhere you're camped about the road ahead. They talk to campers coming from every direction and can be a fountain of knowledge. You have your rig and you have jumped on the road the rest will come with time. Pay no attention to people who tell you to get a different rig, get comfortable with what you have. When you are camped, walk around the campground and talk to the other campers. Ask questions about where they've come from, do they have any advice about camping, water, dump stations in the direction your going. One thing you will find, people on the road are the nicest, most helpful, kindest folks you will meet. Take care and be safe.

 

[Canine]

Good advice,Buck.

 

[SoulRaven]

I have found only one blog on the internet where someone make a large tow behind work in a boondock setting.

They bought into the six-month $180 LTVA south of the big Q and did not move the trailer the entire time, they bought a 12 volt pump/macerator that hooked to the outlet of the holding tanks and had two 55 gallon plastic drums (one for waste and one for fresh water) mounted in the pack of their pickup truck.

 

[missnout]

Thanks for the advice yes I have looked at sani dumps web, but you must have a zip code so then im all over the place. My next stop is phoenix. The one nighters were me out. But I would like my son to see a casino so I know we are going to stay at one.
So the plan get to Phoenix find dump and water get to Walmart, then find a casino. Might try 2 nights there, then another dump head to RTR, find water store and go park it.

 

[Almost There]

Thanks for the advice yes I have looked at sani dumps web, but you must have a zip code so then im all over the place. My next stop is phoenix. The one nighters were me out. But I would like my son to see a casino so I know we are going to stay at one.
So the plan get to Phoenix find dump and water get to Walmart, then find a casino. Might try 2 nights there, then another dump head to RTR, find water store and go park it.

That's easily solved. A Rand McNally mapbook from WallMart has all the stores in the nation listed in the back complete with zip codes.

Look up your closest W/M, get the zip code, punch it in to the sani dumps web site and you're good to go...haha!!

I used to use the listing back before internet so I could find UPS locations for having stock materials shipped to. Worked for that too!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

You really should not have to dump at each stop. I would check tanks and probably wait to dump at Q.
Depends how crazy you've been going on water/toilet use over the last few days. Full showers for 2 each day can fill a grey tank fast.

 

[B and C]

Do not dump the black tank until it is at least 3/4 full followed by dumping the grey tank to flush the hose.  Put at least a gallon of fresh water in the black tank.  You do not ever want to leave the black tank dry.

 

[buckwilk]

I have found only one blog on the internet where someone make a large tow behind work in a boondock setting.

They bought into the six-month $180 LTVA south of the big Q and did not move the trailer the entire time, they bought a 12 volt pump/macerator that hooked to the outlet of the holding tanks and had two 55 gallon plastic drums (one for waste and one for fresh water) mounted in the pack of their pickup truck.

Are you a boondocker? There are hundreds if not thousands of folks in what you call "tow behinds" who boondock 12 months out of every year. Some on this forum. Regardless of what you dwell in, boondocking is attainable. The OP isn't asking for advice on what to hit the road with, she has that. She asks for advice on camping, dumping, water, the things we all struggled with at first. Life isn't lived on the internet, not everyone has, or wants, a blog. There is no one type of person out here, just as there is no perfect vehicle for all of them. This forum is comfortable for lots of us because no judgements are made about what you drive and/or live in. One of the things most enjoyable about Bobs blog, for me, is his series on all the different type rigs he comes across while boondocking.

 

[highdesertranger]

I also know several people who full time and boondock with a trailer. just because they don't blog means nothing imho. highdesertranger

 

[missnout]

As of this past Monday I am a full timer boon-docker. lol I like that. The struggle has been my eyes were set on the rtr. not allowing a little r&r on the way. I have began to realize their is somewhat of a pattern to this. When at a place you plan on the next stop for your dump and fill and groceries and then the next place to camp for a week or so. the thing is getting them all fairly close together as not to back track 20+ miles. Also if lpg is needed that to has to be taken into consideration. Al tho I have found out some of your larger U haul places sell lpg fuel. This last trip I googled all the stops needed tried to get them in a order and wrote down all their addresses. This way after each stop I just plugged in the next stop. Is this about what others do?

 

[rvwandering]

Thanks for the advice yes I have looked at sani dumps web, but you must have a zip code so then im all over the place. My next stop is phoenix. The one nighters were me out. But I would like my son to see a casino so I know we are going to stay at one.

  The zip code thing is hard for me too. I also don't like the city search. I find it easiest to use the map. Scroll down to the "full region" listing on the sani dump site and pick a state and click. On the next page find the "Map View" and click on the Google icon. The map is so nice because you can plan a route and stop on the way. Here's Arizona - http://www.sanidumps.com/maps/index.php?id=16

 We've stayed at Casino Arizona in Phoenix. It's a good spot. Park in the northern most lot on 92nd St.

 We also stayed at Talking Stick which I don't recommend. They have six long parking spaces. When they're filled no other RVs can stay.
  
 Take a long rest. It sounds like this trip has been stressful. You're almost to Quartzsite. You'll have plenty of time to get there.

 

[highdesertranger]

hang in there missnout, it may take a little while but you'll get it down. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

Most of us are in Ehrenberg which is 20 miles west of Quartzsite, if you're looking to be with a large group you may want to come here. Several boondockers in RVs for you to learn from, some with bigger trailers than yours. 

Here is my phone number in case you need help: 828
then 318
finally 4938

Bob

Here's a map to camp, your trailer can make it in no problem at all.