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

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.

Free City Campgrounds

We pass by many small towns all over the country. We see them fading away with time. Businesses close, people move away, young people relocate to big cities and the population goes down. The only thing expanding is the cemetery.

We head to RV Parks in and outside of cities. We pass by rest areas on interstates. We head to State Parks in the country. We pass by Wal-marts and other large stores that let you park for free. They want to treat their customers well and get them in the store to spend money.

So why can't small towns do the same?

We recently were driving across North Dakota and found a small town of Towner. No pun intended. There are some open businesses and even more closed businesses. One of the showcases of Towner was the Winger Cheese Factory. They have closed due to a lack of small dairy farmers.

The town had a nice city park with a couple of hookups, a playground and restrooms. They welcomed RVs to stay there for free. We stopped with enthusiasm. We are happy to stop at the gas station, the local market or convenience store, the coffee shop, whatever a town has left to offer. In this case, the Winger Cheese Factory still had a store open a couple days a week. We bought some cheese.

When a town welcomes you to stop and stay, you stop and spend. It is a win for local businesses and the traveler. The loser could be a local campground if there is one. But in most of these towns, there isn't a local campground. These are towns that you bypass on the way to the next spot in Good Sam, Woodalls or whatever guide you are using.

Many of us will drive a little less if we can stay and enjoy your warm small town hospitality. So if you are on a local chamber or board, think about this. Do you have a park? Do you have an old parking lot? An old drive-in? An old motel? Maybe some old land that could be turned into something useful to welcome travelers to stay a bit and spend money in your town?

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.

Spring Camping

Spring is in the air. The snowstorms should be mostly done now and it's time to think about getting out the tents and hiking sticks. Or maybe de-winterize the RV. Depending on where you are in the country or where you want to go, there are plenty of options around. Find a National Park (with camping) near you with our handy National Park map guide.

We are still updating our 2007 rate ranges, updates and closures. Most of the information is still accurate and relevant but always call ahead for current conditions when going into more remote areas of the country.

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

Wi-Fi RV Parks and Campgrounds

We have updated our guide to camping with Wi-Fi Internet access, adding hundreds of places. We also added a map based system for finding all the places in North America where you can use wi-fi. Some places charge for this, others require a membership and still others are completely free. Our feeling is that if you pay good money for a spot, you should get the access included like any other utility. But on the other hand, we can see why no one wants to pay more for something they don't use either. Eventually, it should be just another hookup and not a big deal.

Our Wi-Fi and Internet Camping Guide can be found here:
http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/Internet-campgrounds.htm

National Parks Camping Guide

We have added a new guide to camping in the National Parks. This guide includes only the parks that allow camping and gives a brief description of the facilities. We also provide maps, rates and direct links to reservations and information. The reason for adding this information is due to previous times when the National Park websites are overloaded or even shut down completely due to budget issues. Believe it or not, that has happened in the recent past. And then the info is unavailable to everyone. So this is a fast, text based alternative for that same information.

National Parks Camping Guide http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/national-parks.htm

New Campgrounds and RV Parks Guides

More and more people are out camping and using their RVs. It's less hassle than flying and renting a car. Although gas prices are high (see below for checking gas prices), you can easily camp nearby somewhere in your state. We at AllStays.com are working seven days a week to improve our information. Here are some recent improvements, among others.

We have added Google maps for showing the cities that have campgrounds. Click here for an example of Arizona campgrounds by map.

We added a new State Parks by Map guide that shows any park with camping facilities. We also provide a brief summary of the park, amenities and a direct link to their website. That can be found here http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/state-park-campgrounds.htm

We also added a new National Parks Camping guide that shows any park with camping facilities. We provide the details on the park, amenities and a direct link to their website. Sometimes the government sites are slow or even totally down due to budget issues. You can always view the information online here at AllStays http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/national-parks.htm

KOA Campgrounds Directory and Guide

We at AllStays.com created a special KOA Campgrounds guide to their locations. It's in an easy to use map and text format to show you where they all are. They are mixed in with all the regular campground listings but if you have a discount card or use their internet service, this gives you a fast easy way to find them. We also provide direct links to each of their websites for even more detailed information and reservations.

http://www.allstays.com/c/koa-locations-map.htm

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.