Camping for Free (and Longer): Fresh Water

Boondocking, camping without hookups, requires you to use your RV differently. Rather than simply just plugging in and hooking up, you have to think about your habits and change them to live comfortably for a longer period of time in your self contained RV.

We prefer camping in nice quite places. Just us and nature. Yet we still take showers, run our furnace, connect our laptop to the internet, watch tv, drink hot coffee and ice cold beverages. We have solar panels on the roof of our RV and an expanded bank of AGM batteries so our power feels like it's unlimited. (More on this in other articles.)

The biggest challenge to staying out on your own is water and your grey water tank. Here are some of our latest water tips to help stay out longer.

• Carry extra water jugs. We carry a couple of expandable 5 gallon jugs. You can carry these in storage or in your shower as you drive. We have a filtered water jug that we fill up with this water. We then use that water for coffee, drinking, ice cube trays. We also put a water container with a on/off spout on the edge of the sink for quick rinsing of silverware or cups. This allows us to save the water in the tank for showers. It is easy to fill up the five gallon jugs almost anywhere. And if these are too heavy, use milk jugs or whatever is good for you. Hose hookups are more difficult to find.
• Platyplus Hydration makes the best bottles we've found. We use them every day as refillable water bottles. They collapse and are light weight, perfect for hiking, backpacks or in your RV where space is important. We freeze them at home and on the road and take them out and about. You'll have cold water for hours as they melt. They make them in sizes from a half liter to 6 liters and you can get them at many sporting goods, outdoor type stores and websites. Get your own water filter or pitcher at home, re-use these bottles and save money (and the land-fills) from buying expensive store water. 25% or more of which is just tap water in disguise anyway.
• Waiting for hot water is the biggest waste. Catch this water in your jugs or a pot and use it for other purposes.
• You can purchase mild anti-bacterial wipes to clean things and use less water. Clean with these wipes and then do a real quick rinse. Unless you use all plastic and paper dishes and utensils. (That creates a waste issue of another kind.)
• Note the size of your black and grey water tanks. Grey water tanks usually fill up much faster. Empty larger water containers (pots, dishwater) down the toilet once in a while. You don't need to use the water pump as you flush and you are shifting the balance of your waste.

Using some of these tips will help you stay out longer and save money. We love campgrounds but they are expensive to stay in every single night. Every night you boondock or just park somewhere overnight saves you $20 or more, depending on where you usually hook up.

Defined: What is boondocking? (Free Camping)

RV Parks are expensive if you are out on the road for any extended period of time. And if you are full time? Well, you know how expensive they are. RVers have long looked for free places to park and do so in greater numbers today. They may call it dry camping, Wal-Mart parking (parking in a parking lot overnight) or boondocking. All of these are just camping without hookups. People used to refer to living out in the boondocks, so boondocking came from that. Camping out in the country far away from utilities and crowds. Dry camping, referring to no water/sewer hookups, can be done in many RV parks, state parks, forest parks or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.

A more recent reference to this term is parking in rest areas, casinos, Walmart (and others) store parking lots and truck stops. The noise is getting louder and these are all thrown in together. At AllStays, we have guides for store parking lots, truck stops and then we have campground listings. We don't mix them at this time. We do have more remote and primitive camping listings than anyone else but they are listed together with pay locations. So you have all the options.

We have also found some small towns that allow free overnight parking right in their town parks. These are few and far between but we are working on a guide to find them.

Boondocking now encompasses all of these methods but we prefer to still think of it as being out in the remote wilderness with only the sounds of birds and scurrying animals, not truck engines.

California Campgrounds and RV Park Map

We finished expanding the west. We added a page that shows all of our Campgrounds and RV Parks in California. This is a huge new page using Google Maps and will need some time to load depending on your connection. This is so you can look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as you travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. This new California page is for both those in RVs and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels, even a walk-in spot along a river. This map includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a larger size RV.

This is for general planning and should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on. It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.

Primitive Camping

What is primitive camping? It is where you'll find campsites, usually further out in nature and away from towns, that are not developed. You'll usually have toilets (but not always) and not much else. No hookups, no running water, no showers, no fancy buildings or amenities. The site may be totally free or a minimal charge that you pay on the honor system. It is usually the Forest Service or BLM that controls these lands. The sites will always accommodate tents and maybe small RVs. It is more difficult to go to these kind of places with big RVs. They may be on remote forest roads or on top of mountains. You may even have to hike or boat in to a site.

Primitive camping is common out west where there is more land. Generally, in the eastern half of the United States, you won't find as many primitive options.

We love primitive camping and are expanding our listings to include every place we can find, no matter how small or remote. We added some large map pages that help show all places to camp in a state, including primitive campgrounds. We plan on adding more features related to primitive and tent camping in the near future. We realize not everyone has a big rig or wants to stay in crowded RV parks.

State of Nevada campground example

Wal-mart Managers

This is just a note to clarify something about stores that have "No Parking" signs, as well as those noted as such on our site. If you are at the store or stopping in anyway, go ahead and ask the manager. It may be a local ordinance and they have no choice but to send you away. In many cases, we've heard from travelers where they were welcomed anyway. The signs may be posted as part of a screening process or to discourage trucks and vagrants. Or even to eliminate those who don't bother to ask. They may be happy to have you stay the night if you are a nice respectable RV. Be nice, courteous and brief.

Check our Wal-Mart store guide for help, locations and maps.

Oregon Campgrounds and RV Parks Map

Another state expanded. We added a page that shows all of our Campgrounds and RV Parks in Oregon. This is another large new page using Google Maps and will need some time to load depending on your connection. This is so you can look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as you travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. This new Oregon page is for both those in RVs and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. This map includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a larger size RV.

This is for general planning and should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on. It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.

Next to come: California

Idaho Campgrounds and RV Parks Map

Continuing our expansion, we added a page that shows all of our Campgrounds and RV Parks in Idaho. This is another large new page using Google Maps and may need some time to load. We like to be able to look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as we travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. This new Idaho page is for both RVers and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. This includes private, BLM, Forest Service and State Park campgrounds, many of which you won't be able to access with a large RV.

Please keep in mind that this is for general planning and should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on. It is more about the general vicinity. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.

We have already added these previous large format state pages to most of the western US.

Soon to come: California and Oregon.

Montana Campgrounds RV Park Map

We just added a new large page that shows all of our Campgrounds and RV Parks in Montana. This new page using Google Maps is large and may need some time to load depending on your internet connection. We like to be able to look at a state map and get an idea of where camps are as we travel. This also gives you an idea of where the more remote areas are and where campgrounds are few and far between. You can spend less time scouring your state atlas. (Benchmark Maps is our favorite.) This new Montana page is for both RVers and tent campers as it shows campgrounds down to their most primitive levels. We include private, BLM, Forest Service, State and National Park campgrounds, many of which you most likely won't be able to access with a large RV.

Please keep in mind that this is for general planning and should not be used to find the campgrounds as you drive. These GPS coordinates are just not accurate enough to rely on. It is more about the general vicinity than precise locations for these. Use any directions we have on the site or on the official links to find the campgrounds. Check these links first for updates, closures and more detailed descriptions of features and amenities.

We have already added these previous large format state pages: Arizona Campgrounds by Map, California Campgrounds by Map, Nevada Campgrounds by Map, New Mexico Campgrounds by Map, Utah Campgrounds by Map,
Colorado Campgrounds by Map, Washington Campgrounds by Map, Idaho Campgrounds by Map, Oregon Campgrounds by Map, and Wyoming Campgrounds by Map.

Over time, we will add different icons to distinguish the types of parks on the map. Primitive versus RV sites, etc.

Parking Overnight at Wal-marts Guidelines

If you have never stayed or parked at a Wal-mart overnight, please follow some simple guidelines so we don't lose this courtesy.

Ask permission. Be polite, friendly, maybe even have a cart of merchandise as you ask the manager. You really don't want security or the police to knock on your door telling you to move in the middle of the night.

Don't abuse the privilege by making sure it's just an overnight stop. Leave as early as you can on your trip. You should be gone by 10am or it's becoming a strong case of breaking local vagrancy laws.

Don't set up camp. No awnings, lawn chairs, grills and such. If you want to "camp" go find a campground.

Show some appreciation. If you stay overnight, buy some supplies, your fuel, breakfast or whatever.

Please let us know about your experiences, positive and negative and what Wal-mart location that it happened. Our Wal-mart store guide gets over two thousand visitors a day and this is the place to share your stories.

RV and Truck Stop Guide

Our new guide to truck stops and travel centers is now online. We've taken it to a new level. First, we had individual guides to the brands. We have Flying J Truck Stop Locations, Loves Travel Stop Locations, Petro Truck Stop Locations, Pilot Travel Center Locations, TA Travel Center Locations.

Now we've put all the brands together, with their own icons, on individual state maps. Instead of looking at various websites or guide books under each name, you can now see them altogether. So for example, you can look at the entire state of Arizona and get a layout of where the major stops are.

As you may already know, some are more friendly to RV's than others. Flying J stands out as the most RV friendly with most of their locations having free RV Dump Stations, RV Islands and Propane We highlight which locations do NOT have one of these services. On the other side, Petro is more for truckers but their locations are usually big and have lots of food and services for the road. TA Travel Centers of America has many RV friendly locations but the majority of them are still not set up that way.

Click here for the map version highlighting all the major brands. Want more? Any ideas or suggestions? We build this site for the traveler. Get out there, let us know what you don't like about other travel websites and want you want out of one. Let us know

Sam's Club Store Locations Guide and Directory

Our new Sam's Club store guide is online at http://www.allstays.com/c/sams-club-locations.htm

This guide provides information in a fast and easy text format alphabetically by state or more importantly, by map. You can see all of them on a USA map and zoom in from there to find the Sam's Club locations on your route or trip.

This information is provided as an aide to campers and those in RVs out there who may need to stock up on supplies or visit a favorite store while on the road.

Costco Store Locations

Our new Costoc store guide is online at http://www.allstays.com/c/costco-locations.htm

This guide provides information in a fast and easy text format alphabetically by state or more importantly, by map. You can see all of them on a USA map and zoom in from there to find the Costco locations on your route or trip.

This information is provided as an aide to campers and those in RVs out there who may need to stock up on supplies or visit a favorite store while on the road.

Kmart Stores Location Guide and Directory

Our new Kmart store guide is online at http://www.allstays.com/c/kmart-locations.htm

This guide provides information in a fast and easy text format alphabetically by state or more importantly, by map. You can see all Kmarts on a map and zoom in from there to find the Kmart locations on your route or trip.

This information is provided as an aide to campers and those in RVs out there who may need to stock up on supplies or visit a favorite store while on the road.

Boondocking: Flying Js RV and Truck Stops Locations

Our new Flying Js Travel Plaza guide is online at http://www.allstays.com/c/flyingj-locations.htm

This guide provides information in a fast and easy text format alphabetically by state or more importantly, by map. You can see all of them on a USA map and zoom in from there to find the Flying Js on your route.

This information is provided as an aide to campers and those in RVs out there who may need to stock up on supplies, internet access or just a good break from the road.

City considers law against RV parking at Wal-Marts

Campground owners in Jamestown, North Dakota want the city to pass a law against free overnight camping for rv vehicles at the Wal-Mart parking lot and city parks. The Police Committee voted unanimously for the City Council draft an ordinance to regulate RV parking. Full local story from the Jamestown Sun