Survey of camping habits: where do you camp?

[jimindenver]

I carry 60 gallons of fresh water in a 25 gallon tank and 7 5 gallon jugs. I have two 27 gallon waste tanks that I use for grey water. ( I bag the toilet) I have two 20 pound and 2 30 pound propane tanks but also use my solar and solar ovens as much as possible to reduce propane use.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have 30 gallons of water and two 5 gallon propane tanks. this is fine for 2 weeks if I go easy on the water. or if I am close to a water source it's no problem to stretch it. I am mostly in the high desert, go figure. highdesertranger

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

(this is in a Class C RV. Most places won't give you a monthly rate if you're tent camping. Many would probably look down on a van as well, unless it was a nice Class B)

Not saying you are wrong, but don't understand why they would not give a Class B campervan a monthly rate. It is pretty much just a small RV.

 

[abnorm]

JiminDenver said ""otherwise I just prefer my solitude deep in a dessert.............""

Is that DEEP in a bowl of ice cream or a strawberry shortcake ????

 

[jimindenver]

You mean I have to choose?

Dammit!

 

[Technomad]

Sounds like about 2 gallons of water and one gallon of propane a day.


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[highdesertranger]

I forgot to mention, I have a dog and must keep him in water too. so a good part of that water is for him, maybe 1/4. highdesertranger

 

[jimindenver]

Yeah that too. I do not know just how much Max drinks but I try to bathe him right before I dump the tanks. It takes more water to bathe him once a month than I use for showering the rest of the time.

 

[Technomad]

There are so many variables to account for, I was just looking for general ranges... helps me evaluate what’s reasonable and know that I likely won’t need 90 gallons of water a week, or whatever. For most things I’m looking at my actual usage these days and going from that, but I can’t use my water or electric bills as guides.


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[Almost There]

Technomad - where one camps and how long one can stay there is as diverse a plan as there are nomads.

I stay for the winter on all free camping that ranges from BLM to Wildlife Refuges (on one now) to NF land.

I don't normally go way, way out back of beyond because I rely on cell service for internet (connecting to here mostly.. ) and for connections to my kids - mostly so they know where I'm at! Also because way out back limits my access to sightseeing - when it takes 45 minutes to reach the main road that adds 1 1/2 hours on to a day of exploring the area...more than I'm willing to spend time wise.

I carry 10 or 11 gallons of water going in which will last me between 7 and 9 days but I rarely stay on site that long. I need to shop for fresh veggies probably about every 5 or 6 days and I like to visit National Monuments and Historical sites.

A 20 lb tank of propane will last me months if I'm not using it every day for all day heating. My house batteries are charged by solar augmented by generator every other day so refiling the gas can is one of those once a week jobs.

As to trying to figure out your usage based on current use in sticks and bricks - that's nigh on to impossible.

Just as an example - when I had an apartment I washed dishes every day in a sinkful of water. Today I wash dishes when the fork container is empty, the sink is overflowing or I run out of plates...   AND I do it in less than 2" of water. My toilet doesn't take several gallons of water to flush, it takes no water - I have a C-Head separating toilet. Showers now take less than 2 gallons of water from my solar shower unless I pay somewhere and stand under the hot water until I don't want to anymore.

When you generate your own electricity instead of paying an electric company to deliver it, you use it way differently. I have 3 lights in my whole house now. Only 1 is on at any one time. Heck reading in bed consists of using the backlighting from my Kindle not a bedside lamp. If I had to pay for my electricity now, the electric company would be bankrupt...

 

[moorejames]

Not saying you are wrong, but don't understand why they would not give a Class B campervan a monthly rate. It is pretty much just a small RV.

I think most private campgrounds would be ok with a factory Class B, I was trying to say I'm not sure they'd be ok with just a van. 

Not saying its right or anything...

 

[moorejames]

For those of you staying 14 days and a month somewhere without hookups, how big are your tanks?  Do you have to watch your propane use?


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Most of national forest and state campgrounds I've stayed at had water and electric on site and a common dump station on the premises. These have mostly been places in the Appalachians though, not out west.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

I bought a trailer in December. I've never had such luxuries in my entire camping/boating life (since the 1960s), so we're living a profligate life for the moment. We're two people, currently on day 18, boondocking on BLM land, since our last tanks dump and water fill up. Last go around was 24 days, though we could have gone longer. Our blackwater tank is our limit. I don't make Hubby pee outside, otherwise we could last longer.

Our tanks are 45/45/45 gallons. We carry drinking water separately. It took us 6+ weeks to use three 20# propane tanks. We've been extremely wasteful-we have a propane powered fridge, hot water heater, have been using the propane stove/oven multiple times daily and have been running the furnace with the thermostat set at 60s-72F. I would be way more sparing with the propane if I wasn't getting it from Costco at less than $11 a fill. I have a lot of solar and battery so I can run the furnace and watch the Olympics hours daily. And we take most showers in town at gyms or at my son's apartment. I dislike Navy showers, especially in the winter. I often go up to 7-9 days for a full shower, otherwise it's a lot of baby wipes and washing my hair in the galley sink (with hot water, of course!).

I figure that when I'm on my own, if I'm somewhat conservative, I should be able to go 2 months on my tanks. As I said above, this trailer thing is new. I'm old and weak. Setting up for towing is very difficult for me, so I'll want to move as little as possible. Hubby is leaving to the East coast in about a month, so I'll be doing everything on my own. I will attempt to park as long as possible, keeping the towing hassle to a minimum.
Ted

 

[Technomad]

I stay for the winter on all free camping that ranges from BLM to Wildlife Refuges (on one now) to NF land.

I don't normally go way, way out back of beyond because I rely on cell service for internet (connecting to here mostly.. ) and for connections to my kids - mostly so they know where I'm at!

Do you have a way to know in advance if your intended camping spot on BLM or wildlife refuge etc has cell service or not? The coverage maps on the cell service websites seem imprecise and inaccurate.



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[Technomad]

Our tanks are 45/45/45 gallons. We carry drinking water separately. It took us 6+ weeks to use three 20# propane tanks. We've been extremely wasteful-we have a propane powered fridge, hot water heater, have been using the propane stove/oven multiple times daily and have been running the furnace with the thermostat set at 60s-72F. I would be way more sparing with the propane if I wasn't getting it from Costco at less than $11 a fill. I have a lot of solar and battery so I can run the furnace and watch the Olympics hours daily.

Thanks for the perspective! I’m projecting into the future given my current trajectory and I think in 10-15 years I’m not going to be use for the hassle of a trailer, so I’m looking at downsizing my ambitions from a custom box truck to a van.

Your experience though you say is wasteful is confirming my perception about the capacities I’ll need.

One area I may be wasteful is power- gotta run the computer and big monitor for work.



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[jimindenver]

Fulfilling a need is never wasteful. An example of wasteful is like me never shutting down the booster and hotspots that suck up as much as 48 Ah a day, leaving the TV on even if I am not watching, leaving the 120 count LED porch light on all night or having a powered vent running even if the furnace is on. I go through the equivalent of the available power in four 6 volts daily and we haven't gotten to the point of needing the A/C yet.

 

[Almost There]

Do you have a way to know in advance if your intended camping spot on BLM or wildlife refuge etc has cell service or not?   The coverage maps on the cell service websites seem imprecise and inaccurate.



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Freecampsites.net has a spot where people who have stayed at a location can input their cell reception. I always read the reviews. And I report my findings when I stay someplace so the next person has the benefit of my input.

I added a WeBoost this year which is helpful in getting better service when the coverage is a little low/slow.

If I end up some place where the cell service is non-existent I either drive out to where I can get service at least every other day or I move on....too many places to be in this world to choose to sit someplace that doesn't suit my needs!

I also sit with the cell phone in view when I'm driving in to a new place...I try not to go past the last 2 bars unless I either can't find a campsite before then or there is some imperative reason why I have to be way out there beyond the last bar!

Plus I have Verizon so I have the best coverage anyways...

 

[DLTooley]

Finding surface water that you wouldn't normally drink isn't so hard. Having a supply of non-drinking water is a good thing - it can also serve as an emergency background. The farther in you are the more you want. I like drinking filtered water whenever available, as water quality can vary considerably, especially in deserts. Most grocery stores now have that available at .25-.40 a gallon.

If you are in the back of the beyond using a shovel for your toilet will greatly reduce your blackwater needs.

 

[Technomad]

Finding surface water that you wouldn't normally drink isn't so hard.  Having a supply of non-drinking water is a good thing - it can also serve as an emergency background.  ....    If you are in the back of the beyond using a shovel for your toilet will greatly reduce your blackwater needs.

One of my first projects is going to be setting up for gravity fill of local water, pumping it, and including decontamination and filtering.  One of the concerns I have is the risk of an engine problem while in a remote location, so I'm probably going to look into getting an Iridium Phone or pager, just for emergency use.

I have seen the refilling-your-water-bottle machines at grocery stores, but they only seemed to support one gallon containers.  I have also seen campers using blue 7 gallon containers and saying they are pretty ideal.  I wonder if you can refill those from the machines... or if I need to have 7 milk jugs to carry back and forth to refill the blue containers.

 

[jimindenver]

I use the 5 gallon drinking water dispenser jugs in the water machines.