Boondocking

Boondocking means camping without shore power, water hookups, or sewer connections, whether that is on public land, in a parking lot for a night, or at a campground with no utilities. Everything the RV needs, electricity, water, and waste capacity, has to come from what is already on board.

Successful boondocking usually depends on three things working together: enough house battery capacity and a way to recharge it, such as solar or a generator, enough freshwater and holding tank capacity for the length of the stay, and disciplined power and water habits since there is no unlimited backup supply.

New boondockers often overestimate battery and tank capacity or underestimate how quickly power gets used by a refrigerator, fans, and device charging combined. Tracking actual usage with a battery monitor on a few boondocking trips is the fastest way to learn your real limits before planning a longer off-grid stay, rather than guessing from a spec sheet or someone else's setup.