Guest Author - Erin Lehn

We pulled into the campground today at Bolsa Chica State Park in Huntington Beach California. It is in a beautiful location in southern California, right on the Pacific Ocean. The only drawback, it’s $26 a night. We just spent less than that for an entire month of camping. We were officially “off the grid” for over three months, boondocking on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. We bought a solar panel in Quartzsite, Arizona in January and were boondocking fulltime until we felt it was time to keep moving on. Suddenly, being back in the world of pay campgrounds seemed strange and expensive to us. When you are traveling on a budget, boondocking is a welcome addition to your trip.

What is boondocking?
Boondocking is living in your RV totally self-contained. When you are self-contained, you don’t need to hook up to electric or water. Most RVs have a 12-volt DC power system that powers many of the electrical devices onboard. The refrigerator can run on propane, and the holding tanks store fresh water. By keeping the house battery charged, via solar panels or a generator, you can continue to run necessities like the lights and water pump.

Where can you boondock?
You can boondock anywhere. Any time you stay in a Wal-mart or a travel plaza for the night you are essentially boondocking. Staying in a friend’s backyard without having a water hose and electric cord running out to the RV is also boondocking. However, the real excitement in boondocking comes when you camp on public BLM land. In Arizona and southern California, there are many BLM areas to choose from. Many RVers spend an entire winter season boondocking in these areas. There are free 14 day areas and many Long Term Visitor Areas where you can pay $125 for the six month season. Some of these places are incredibly scenic.

What do you need to assist you in boondocking?
All you really need is to keep your house battery charged and have propane in your tank. To extend your stay, you should consider purchasing a solar panel or generator. Both are expensive up front but it's money well spent.

How does it save you money?
You save money by not paying campground fees for every night you are on the road. Alternating between boondocking and pay campgrounds can do wonders for your RVing budget.

For more information on BLM lands, please visit www.blm.gov