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  1. #1
    Fireside Member
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    Boondocking questions

    I may have missed the forum/thread that deals with virgin boondockers like myself, so my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

    I have some questions that probably have simple "duh" answers that I'm just not seeing, but here goes.

    When boondocking, what do you do about fresh water? I'm assuming you fill up your fresh water tank before entering the camping area, but if you're a good distance from the camping area, that's a whole lot of weight added to the trailer at 8.3lbs per gallon; with possible problems caused by that extra weight, especially if you're already close to your GVWR?

    What do you do with the black and grey tank waste if you're staying a few days or more?

    Do you find having a dual fuel generator is the best way to go, with solar/battery as a back up?

    Has anyone used a solar powered generator?

    Any other thoughts or suggestions beyond what I've asked about?

    I know there are going to be a lot of differing opinions, and each one has its place based on individual needs and likes; having said that, let the fun begin!

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Rolling Along
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    I go with a full tank of fresh water and a plug in the overfill tube. There have been reports of siphoning and losing some of your fresh water before arrival. I also take an extra 6 gallon water jug for the just in case.

    I only shower every other day and can get away with about a 4 gallon shower. That helps on fresh water emptying and gray adding.

    We only do paper plates and minimize dishes that need cleaning. I grill out side a lot and save on pots and pans.

    I have a Predator 3500 only. We just did a few Harvest Hosts with AC in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. We run about 14 hours on a tank of gas only which is 2.3 gallons. So 5 gallons a day.

    No solar for us, the Predator is our go to right now.

    We can go 4+ days on black tank. Then you can do a dump at an RV park or Pilot station.

    Good luck on your adventure.
    Randy and Kris

  3. #3
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    We tried this for two seasons. Took showers over a bucket and used that water to flush the toilet. We had a 40 gal bladder we put in the back of the truck with a 12volt pump for fresh water and a 40 gal blue boy to haul waste water to a near-by dump. We had installed solar panels on the roof (with an MPPT controller and 4 12v deep cycle batteries). We also rigged up a wind generator on a 30 ft pole. We decided this was too much trouble and now spend 5 months south with full hook-ups.
    2018 Solitude 375 RES 2022 F450 Powerstroke Dually

  4. #4
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    Ditto on he paper plates and plastic utensils when possible. I cook outside with the Camp Chef when possible. If we are going to be boondocking 3+ days, my wife does dishes in a plastic thing that is just smaller than the sink, and the dishwater gets dumped outside to keep it out of the gray tank.

    I've never come close to filling the black tank completely, the biggest danger is filling the kitchen gray tank, hence why we dump dishwater when possible.

  5. #5
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoTheGuide View Post
    I may have missed the forum/thread that deals with virgin boondockers like myself, so my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

    I have some questions that probably have simple "duh" answers that I'm just not seeing, but here goes.

    When boondocking, what do you do about fresh water? I'm assuming you fill up your fresh water tank before entering the camping area, but if you're a good distance from the camping area, that's a whole lot of weight added to the trailer at 8.3lbs per gallon; with possible problems caused by that extra weight, especially if you're already close to your GVWR?

    What do you do with the black and grey tank waste if you're staying a few days or more?

    Do you find having a dual fuel generator is the best way to go, with solar/battery as a back up?

    Has anyone used a solar powered generator?

    Any other thoughts or suggestions beyond what I've asked about?

    I know there are going to be a lot of differing opinions, and each one has its place based on individual needs and likes; having said that, let the fun begin!

    Thanks in advance!
    I am a long time boondocker, often for 3 weeks. My RVs have grown in tank capacity to support our style of camping. Toilet use needs to be minimal with most rigs. We have a folding chair modified for potty use, It and a shovel can help with the black tanks a lot. As a general rule, the outdoors is used unless the weather is nasty. We have about 16 6 gallon water jugs, for going to get water. In some areas, grey water can be disposed of. If not, then this is a hard limit on extending a stay. When choosing a RV with boondocking in mind, get one with 2 bathrooms and black tanks .
    2 grey tanks as well.
    FWIW, my Momentum with 2 baths holds 108 (measured) gallons of black and 2 grey tanks for 108 as well. Fresh is 155.
    With this RV we do not use the outdoors for potty much anymore, and have no need to dispose of grey as well.
    Power is supplied by 1860 watts of solar, and 800 AH of Battle Born batteries, If needed the Onan 5.5 generator or one of our Honda EU2000s can be pressed into service. We have a 2000 watt inverter, and it does a nice job for us,. Usually the fridge runs on propane. I have been using electric when under tow.
    Cold weather means a lot of generator use,,, otherwise the solar can handle it.
    Note: This is our 4th RV, and it was selected/modified to support our style of camping from the get go, based on our experiences over 30 years.Our previous rigs, though they got better over the years were not nearly so capable.
    Last edited by huntindog; 06-20-2022 at 06:32 PM.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
    800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
    2020 Silverado High Country 3500 dually crewcab Duramax Allison

  6. #6
    Site Sponsor TerryH's Avatar
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    We boondock 95% of the time. We fill the fresh tanks at home. Never had an issue. There have been problems with the fresh tanks siphoning water out while travelling so we have the Shark bite ball valves on the over flows. Only time they are closed is during travel. We have never come close to using all the fresh water. We are out a max of 4 days usually. We've learned to be pretty efficient with water use and have never filled either black tank or the gray. Agree with the others about using paper and plastic to save on washing dishes. Most of the cooking is outdoors on our Blackstone.

    We have the factory installed Onan 4000 generator for when we need the AC's. We've added a Victron 12/2000 inverter/charger and 300ah LiFePo4 battery for running the trailer when we don't need the AC's. No solar on the roof but a Renogy 200 watt solar suitcase does a pretty good job charging the battery. The Onan is under the master bed in the 31G and no way can I sleep with it running so also carry a Predator 3500 generator for when we need AC at night. Never really considered a dual fuel generator but we have the advantage of a 30 gallon onboard fuel cell on the Momentum.

    To us it's just a matter of learning to be a bit conservative with water and power. We don't do without any of the necessities but rather just meter them out as efficiently as possible. Every minute we get to boondock is worth it. We have only been in a regular campground 3 times since we have had the toyhauler. My wife and I are best friends and enjoy every second we get to be together and enjoy the amazing places that we get to camp and ride our SXS.

    2021 Momentum 31G
    2021 20' Haulmark Edge race trailer
    '17 Ram CCLB 3500 dually 6.7 turbo
    '96 Chevy C3500 CC dually 454
    2019 Honda Talon X
    1985 Honda FL350R Odyssey

  7. #7
    Site Team Ynot4me2's Avatar
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    What we quickly found out is you'll run out of grey tank first. So we now have a plastic bin that fits in the sink and takes half the space. Turns it into a 2 sink. We then dump the dish water in the toilet as oppose to drain it in the sink. This along with military showers takes us to 4-5 days easily.

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    Steph & Lise
    2019 F150 Lariat 2.7 EB
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  8. #8
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuidoTheGuide View Post
    I may have missed the forum/thread that deals with virgin boondockers like myself, so my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

    I have some questions that probably have simple "duh" answers that I'm just not seeing, but here goes.

    When boondocking, what do you do about fresh water? I'm assuming you fill up your fresh water tank before entering the camping area, but if you're a good distance from the camping area, that's a whole lot of weight added to the trailer at 8.3lbs per gallon; with possible problems caused by that extra weight, especially if you're already close to your GVWR?

    What do you do with the black and grey tank waste if you're staying a few days or more?

    Do you find having a dual fuel generator is the best way to go, with solar/battery as a back up?

    Has anyone used a solar powered generator?

    Any other thoughts or suggestions beyond what I've asked about?

    I know there are going to be a lot of differing opinions, and each one has its place based on individual needs and likes; having said that, let the fun begin!

    Thanks in advance!
    Successful Boondocking comes down to how well you manage your limited resources. A factory equipped camper will run out of resources in roughly the following order: Electricity, Fresh water, Galley Grey Tank space, Black Tank space, Bathroom Grey Tank space, Propane.

    Electricity is your first resource that will limit your Boondocking stay. If you are lucky, your OEM Lead Acid battery will get you through an overnight stay. Upgrading your Electrical system can be done in stages with each stage extending your Boondocking days.

    First I would suggest upgrading your battery to at least a single 100 amp hour Lithium (LiFePo4) battery, 200ah would be better, but, 100ah is a good start. With 200ah of LiFePo4 battery capacity you could reach 3 to 4 days of boondocking in a coach that does not have a Residential refrigerator.

    Your second step to extending your Boondocking days also has to do with your Electricity supply...
    You can choose to add more battery storage, or to buy a generator. If you need Air Conditioning where you camp, buying a Generator capable of running your A/C is probably the way to go. Buying the Generator might also be your best choice if you have a Residential Refrigerator. Additionally, adding more battery storage can reduce your Generator run time. By-the-way, I recommend getting a Dual fuel Generator and running the Generator off your Propane system versus needing to carry around cans of gas with you (unless you have a Toy Hauler with it's own gas tank).

    Your next limitation will have to do with your tanks. I suggest you go camping in a site with hookups and not connect your camper to the hookups to determine how long your family can function with your tanks, then take steps to extend the use of the tank that runs out of capacity first, there are some very good suggestions posted above.

    Your Propane supply is probably the easiest to manage because it is pretty easy to take your empty tank somewhere to get filled while the partial tank operates your coach.

    The above suggestions should easily get you through a week to ten days of Boondocking. If you want to Boondock for longer periods, or you want to add the comfort and convenience of having 120v Electricity available while you are Boondocking you would then be looking at adding more batteries, an Inverter, and a Solar System.
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  9. #9
    Rolling Along
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    I have 400Ah of battery, 300W of solar, and we do military showers every few days and use camp wipes & gold bond the other days. We bring bottled water for drinking, and sometimes we use paper plates to save on dishwashing. I still end up limited by battery capacity most often. I'm working on a 12V POE injector for the Starlink in order to shave a few more watts off consumption, but I might very well add another 200Ah battery this summer. We could use more solar, but our favorite campsite gets precious little sun to begin with so it's not going to solve our capacity issue.
    Current: 2021 Transcend 261BH, 2019 Ford F250 SRW SWB CC 6.2 - Picture
    Previous: 2016 Jayco X213, 2014 F150 EB 3.5

  10. #10
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rootusrootus View Post
    I have 400Ah of battery, 300W of solar, and we do military showers every few days and use camp wipes & gold bond the other days. We bring bottled water for drinking, and sometimes we use paper plates to save on dishwashing. I still end up limited by battery capacity most often. I'm working on a 12V POE injector for the Starlink in order to shave a few more watts off consumption, but I might very well add another 200Ah battery this summer. We could use more solar, but our favorite campsite gets precious little sun to begin with so it's not going to solve our capacity issue.
    In your situation, I might suggest a couple of ground deployed Solar panels that can be adjusted a couple of times during the day to track the Sun. This would greatly enhance the Energy you capture from the Sun. The ground deployed Solar panels can be more effective than roof mounted Solar panels in certain situations (like shady campsites).
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

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