Some people call me cheap or frugal. Frugal sounds a little better than cheap but I guess I’ll take either. Every penny you save and every little thing you do to save on trash or energy use really does add up in the long run. Going green when you can means you’ll have more green in your pocket too.

Return maps and handouts in good condition for another use whenever possible. Try to avoid taking them if you don’t need them in the first place. Many times, you can look at them at the counter and then leave them if you don’t need any of the information. Or carry your own notebook to make notes. Instead of wasting a whole calendar, schedule or brochure when you only need to note one particular time or event. If I do take something like this, I put it to use later on to help start a fire.

Take advantage of book exchanges and library give aways. Donate yours and take another. Many libraries have a section in the back where magazines are free. You usually don’t even have to be a member.

Change to rechargeable batteries whenever possible. Buy a solar recharger and charge batteries in the sun on your dashboard as you drive. I have just about eliminated regular batteries now. They cost more upfront but you’ll quickly be ahead as you won’t have to buy those 4-packs, 8-packs or even 32-packs any longer.

Change to LED lighting. There are cheap ones, poor ones and great ones out there now.

Buy your own tote bags or cloth bags and use them while shopping. This reduces the number of plastic bags you consume and trash. I have a set of bags that I’ve now been using for years and will for many more.

Plan your meals with the consideration of re-using cups, plates and reducing the overall amount of cleaning needed. Rinse dishes right away as this uses less water and effort than when the food has dried and hardened. Or use the largest dirty pan or bowl, let water sit in it with all the other dirty dishes and silverware. Most things come clean by themselves sitting in the water so you don’t have to scrape as much or waste running water.

Switch to online banking. You can receive many bills by email and pay online. You save the money for stamps. Your bank should allow this for free. If they charge for it, find a better bank. This reduces the paper you receive and send out as well as the security impact of not having as many bills in your mailbox or waiting for you when you are gone.

Stop buying bottled water. Use refillable water jugs. Get your own water filter and drinking jug. Many bottled water companies just use local tap water and it’s no better than what you can do yourself. It’s a rip off. You can get collapsible ones as well to save space.

Turn off the water heater at night or on days when you don’t need it. In my case, I leave it off all the time except for when I plan on using it. If possible, try to time washing dishes and showering around each other and only turn it on when you need it. Most hot water heaters will heat the smaller RV water tanks in less than a half hour.

Consider where you park. Try shade in warm weather and park in the sun in cold weather to use natural solar gain. Note how your windows are on your RV. Wherever the most glass is, like your front cab, will take in the most heat in the sun. If it is windy, point the most enclosed end of you RV into the wind. This reduces draft and the rocking and  a rolling in the wind. This is a reason why we like to be able to pick our own spots, which many RV parks do not allow you to do. They assign you one without you seeing it. I really don’t like when they do that.

Use your blinds, window covers and buy some reflective insulation material at the big hardware stores and make your own to fit any window that doesn’t have good covers already. Covers are good for both heat and cold and they do make a big difference.

Use another blanket and lower your furnace temperature. Most RVs warm up real quick when the sun comes up. Or maybe you are taking off and driving for the day so you can use the engine heater at that point.

Do you have any more ideas on going green and saving money at the same time?

I love to cook at my campsites but sometimes it’s easier to just eat bars, nuts and other foods that don’t require cooking and cleanup. Some of the issues that also impact my tendencies to cook at a campsite are:

• using too much fuel since you can only carry so much with you. Nobody wants to simmer something for 20 minutes if they don’t have to use that much fuel.
• burning your pots and pans which either ruins them or makes them very difficult to clean, especially with limited water sources.

The solution:

Bring your water to a boil and add your food. Turn down the flame to a medium level and stir until everything is mixed and under the water level.

Shut down the stove, cover the pot and put it on a safe surface.

Cover the pot with a cozy, (described below) clothing or whatever you have. Do NOT use fabrics that melt like nylon or acrylics.

Let the food slow cook in it’s own heat and hot water.

Your pans are easier to clean in the end because they don’t have burnt food on the bottoms.

Make your own

There are may be a couple places that make and sell these a pot cozy but you always have a fit issue for your own pots.

If you do much camping, it’s worthwhile to make a custom cozy for your pots. Ideally, this would be a cozy that wraps the pot except for the top. Then make another cover piece for the lid. Use material that doesn’t melt. Wool works great. Cotton is okay. Materials like those used for ironing boards, hot pads, welding blankets or hot gloves. You could also use reflective insulation that is sold in rolls at most hardware stores.

Remember, although duct tape is great for a million things, it has plastic in it and will melt. Instead of duct tape, use an aluminum tape. This is also easily found at hardware stores.

This is a great technique for pots, skillets, coffee pots, drink mugs, anything you want to keep warm longer and more efficiently.

Have you ever gotten sick from drinking water? Really sick? It’s not nearly as much fun as sitting around a campfire…or a million other things. I’ve been lucky enough to only get mildly ill while out and about but I’m also very cautious. I haven’t been in the situation where I had to choose between dehydration and drinking unknown water but I know it can easily happen, especially in the southwest where I’ve lived for years. Whether you are rving, camping or hiking, you should keep your water levels in mind. Clean water is getting harder to find as an increasing population leaves it’s footprint on every last bit of earth.

Do you have one of those fancy water filter systems you bought at REI or wherever? That is great and it helps out a lot but you still shouldn’t rely on it completely. It may not cover every bug you encounter in the wild. And even if it does, it may not work to one hundred percent effectiveness. So don’t go taking a filter system into nasty green colored, beaver feces filled water and think you’ll be fine.

Here are some tips to at minimize your risk while in the great outdoors, whether you have a filter system or not.

Go upstream

Go to the source of the water if you can. Follow streams upward for better water. Then go up the tributaries that flow into that stream if you can. The closer to the source the better.

Go deep

If you are at a large lake, try to go 200 hundred feet away from the shoreline. The more the better. Weigh your container down and sink it in the lake with a rope. You want more deep water than surface water. Use motion on your rope to try exchanging the water out and get more water from down below.

Note that this is the opposite in small sunlit pools. Then you want the water near the surface in the sunlight. The nasty microbes like to swim below the surface of calm water and out of the sunlight.

Go clear

Clearer is great but it doesn’t always mean the water is fine. Just like you can have tan water and it be perfectly fine. Tan water is better than green. Tan is more natural where as green indicates algae and an increased likelihood of tiny stomach churning organisms.

Go fast

Find fast moving waters if you can. Avoid stagnant waters where things are more likely to breed, as well as defecate.

Go towards clear air

Avoid getting your water near any industrial locations. In more remote areas, this can include paper mills, lumber and mining facilities. They put all kinds of nasty things into the ground and in turn, the water. You don’t want to drink that stuff.

Go away from animal homes

They didn’t invite you to their home but they may still serve you something you don’t want to drink. Look for obvious animal habitats near the water, which are most likely to be beavers. There is going to be more waste in the water around them and in turn you are more likely to be welcoming Giardia into your body. This is a nasty little protozoan that enters the water through feces. This common water bug causes severe discomfort and may stick with you more months or even years. Most people become a carrier rather than a full blown victim. Symptoms include cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. If you get this out in the wild, it makes it hard if not nearly impossible to do the things you need to do to get out of the bad spot you are already in.

Do you have any more water tips I’ve neglected to mention? Have you ever gotten sick out in the wild? Let me know.

Quartzsite, Arizona is a unique place. In the summer, the town is hot and quiet. There are huge empty lots, paved and unpaved that give you a hint that something big once happened here. As you drive through in July, you might think it was going to soon be on the list of Arizona ghost towns. Then you see the I-10 interstate, the fuel stations with a few fast food joints and you realize it’s not quite a ghost town. There are probably still a thousand or more summer residents but they are not outside melting on the pavement for you to see them. It just looks more quiet in the heat of the day.

I-10 runs east-west through town while US 95 runs north-south. The town was founded after a good water supply was found and a stage stop was built. Railroads just about put the town under but then gold and a high concentration of Quartz brought the town back to life with the name Quartzsite. After dying once again, it was brought back to life in the 1960s for a mineral and gem show. The warm weather helped bring people from all over.

World’s Largest Flea Market

So then you come to Quartzsite in January and find quite a different situation. It becomes one of the worlds largest flea markets. The town hosts a million visitors to tent shows featuring RVs, rocks, minerals and gems and more. If you are looking for anything related to your RV or full time lifestyle, this is probably the place to find it at a reasonable price. There is a two week RV show in January so make sure you come then if you are looking for RV related items. You can also find everything else, from tools to crafts for a fraction of the normal store prices.

The people are nice and characters abound. It’s a good place to become a boondocking expert. You can see what and how others do it in the best ways. And probably the worst too but don’t do that stuff.

Where to Stay

You can stay at a RV park around town, if you have reservations, or you can do like most people and stay out on BLM land. You can get a $40 pass for 14 days or $180 for 7 months, either on-site or at the Yuma BLM field office, and pick a piece of dirt.

Our pick is to stay within a few miles of town. You can set up your camp and if you’re carrying one, bike it into town. You can use a toad but the roads and parking situation right in town becomes quite a mess with all the people. Or maybe talk to some neighbors and see if a bunch of people can go to town together to reduce the traffic. There is BLM land called the La Posa Long Term Visitor Area, within walking distance as well but of course it’s busier the closer you get to town. This is not a RV park however, roads are mostly dirt and can be nice or rough depending on where you go. You don’t get any real amenities but you do have 10 handicap accessible vault toilets, dry dump station, dump station with water, water station with a half dozen faucets and trash service.

How long should you plan to stay?

Many people stay a couple weeks, the length of their BLM pass. But many people stay for a month or more. Even the whole winter. The weather is moderate and usually nice in the winter. But don’t fool yourself into a dream. It is common to have some freezing nights and very windy days as cold fronts move on by. That is still warmer than Minnesota but it’s not a beach in Florida either. You can take Highway 95 down to Yuma, which many snowbirds do and go back and forth to Quartzsite.

Everyone should attend the peak weeks for the craziness and fun of it all but also recommend trying a should week before or after the shows. The crowds are smaller and it’s easier to get around but the fun is still there.

Service stations like Camping World and other dealers. You can blend in like you’re waiting for a early morning appointment.

Some gambling casinos. They like customers who spend money. Check to see if you need to join a club or get a pass. Many have real RV sites and campgrounds now and may charge.

When out west, you have lots of road going nowhere. Find a spot but stay out of the way in case a farmer or worker does come by. You also have BLM and other Federal lands all over the place. Keep binoculars and a wildlife or bird book with you so have an nice peaceful excuse.

Blue Highways is a term used for the old roads and highways. There is also a great classic book by the same name that you may want to check out some day. They go through small towns and places that time forgot. More options exist in these places than in cities or near busy interstates.

Talk to locals. They may know of a local park or even offer to have you park out back and watch over the place for the night.

Play in the park. More than once, I have taken a break for a lunch, a nap or a playground stop and found out that you could park overnight there. I’ve even found free town parks with just two or three electric hookups. You’d never know about them without stopping or talking to a local. Some of these towns are one step away from being a ghost town and keeping you there to buy a meal or such makes a difference. If I was a small town, that’s what I would do. Bring in the RV crowd.

Special Events. Watch for fairs, shows, flea markets, festivals and other club gatherings. You may be able to park for free at low cost. Even buying a spot at a flea market and then “deciding not to sell today” may be cheaper than a local campground.

How about you? Do you have any more tips and places you’ve found and would like to share?

Check for ads in newspapers, publications, online groups, etc. Check with real estate agents, security companies, schools, churches, construction sites, repair shops, storage lots, any place that might attract problems if no one was around. Maybe they have a high dollar place that could use someone parked around back looking after it. Perhaps you’ll get paid but keep in mind that just a parking spot is worth something. The best deal is if you can get water and electric. You have it made right there. If I wanted to stay in an area, I may just offer to do it for free to get the private parking place. Even if you paid a dollar or two a day, you are still well ahead of a campground.

In down economic times, and if you can afford it, you could help someone out by either paying them a couple dollars a day for space or by doing a needed chore around the property. This will work best in small towns and farm areas, probably westward from the Midwest. It’s more difficult in urban and densely populated areas like the east coast.

Make friends and help out. You may just meet some really nice people and establish long term relationships by doing this.

Use common sense and keep yourself and your RV clean. No one wants to bring a garbage pile onto their property or have more to clean up after you leave. Keep a clean site. It may lead to more opportunities to return in the future or references with people they know in other cities. It helps to NOT have a barking dog with you. I probably wouldn’t want someone to bring their noise into my neighborhood or on my quiet farm either.

Have you done this and do have any tips you’d like to share with others?

What are all these terms. Boondocking, dry camping and independent parking are pretty much the same thing when you see them bantered around. Dry camping means you obviously have no water or normal amenities. Independent parking means that you are prepared to dry camp or boondock but you’ll use any amenities you’ll find.

The most important thing, which always sparks a heated discussion in all the online forums and boards, is to blend and use common sense. No one should be able to tell you are sleeping or “camping” in your rv where it is parked. No chairs, awnings, grills, jacks or slideouts deployed.

When you are moving fast to a particular destination, it makes sense to use rest areas and parking lots for naps or just sleeping. Many of these areas restrict parking. If you are discreet and don’t look like you are staying long, you probably won’t be bothered. And if you really unsure about if you can park somewhere for a little while, don’t even put up sun shades, antennas or anything that may hint that you didn’t just run in to shop at the Gap or IKEA or wherever. Most officials have better things to do than go poking around a vehicle that looks like it’s just parked. It’s when you look like you are staying for a bit that draws some attention.

If you look like any of the following, be prepared to be approached. Homeless, drug dealer, drug user, prostitute, crook or a person who puts leaflets on car windshields.

The bigger the place and the more crowded it is, the better. This isn’t good if you need silence for your nap, but it helps to blend in. Bigger truck stops, bigger malls, bigger rest areas.

You can use of our guides to find many of the most common places to try parking, from rest areas to Camping Worlds to Wal-mart locations. And if you are creative, you’ll come up with many more possibilities out there.

More tips related to RV travel with guns

Is your RV a vehicle or a residence?
What to know about traffic stops while carrying
Places to avoid in your RV while carrying
Carrying through restricted states in your RV

Here are our individual state breakdowns. Please feel free to discuss and add your experiences. We will update these pages as things change.

Alabama Gun Laws Travel Guide
Alaska Gun Laws Travel Guide
Arizona Gun Laws Travel Guide
Arkansas Gun Laws Travel Guide
California Gun Laws Travel Guide
Colorado Gun Laws Travel Guide
Connecticut Gun Laws Travel Guide
Delaware Gun Laws Travel Guide
Florida Gun Laws Travel Guide
Georgia Gun Laws Travel Guide
Hawaii Gun Laws Travel Guide
Idaho Gun Laws Travel Guide
Illinois Gun Laws Travel Guide
Indiana Gun Laws Travel Guide
Iowa Gun Laws Travel Guide
Kansas Gun Laws Travel Guide
Kentucky Gun Laws Travel Guide
Louisiana Gun Laws Travel Guide
Maine Gun Laws Travel Guide
Maryland Gun Laws Travel Guide
Massachusetts Gun Laws Travel Guide
Michigan Gun Laws Travel Guide
Minnesota Gun Laws Travel Guide
Mississippi Gun Laws Travel Guide
Missouri Gun Laws Travel Guide
Montana Gun Laws Travel Guide
Nebraska Gun Laws Travel Guide
Nevada Gun Laws Travel Guide
New Hampshire Gun Laws Travel Guide
New Jersey Gun Laws Travel Guide
New Mexico Gun Laws Travel Guide
New York Gun Laws Travel Guide
North Carolina Gun Laws Travel Guide
North Dakota Gun Laws Travel Guide
Ohio Gun Laws Travel Guide
Oklahoma Gun Laws Travel Guide
Oregon Gun Laws Travel Guide
Pennsylvania Gun Laws Travel Guide
Rhode Island Gun Laws Travel Guide
South Carolina Gun Laws Travel Guide
South Dakota Gun Laws Travel Guide
Tennessee Gun Laws Travel Guide
Texas Gun Laws Travel Guide
Utah Gun Laws Travel Guide
Vermont Gun Laws Travel Guide
Virginia Gun Laws Travel Guide
Washington Gun Laws Travel Guide
West Virginia Gun Laws Travel Guide
Wisconsin Gun Laws Travel Guide
Wyoming Gun Laws Travel Guide

Do you have any experiences that you care to share with other travelers?