How we Full Time RV and Boondock all the time
How We Full Time RV and Boondock all the time
You can ask 100 different full timers, and get a 100 different answers as to how they full time RV. This is how we full time RV and boondock all the time. It’s neither the right way, nor the wrong way. It’s just our way.
When we moved into the RV in June of 2012, we were already doing a lot of trips, and camping. We were comfortable with the rig, knew where we could and could not go, and already preferred the back of beyond to any RV park. Our first RV was 33 feet, and we were in it about a year. We were having way too many problems with that one however, and purchased this 39 ft Bighorn in August of 2013.
We are a bit more limited on where we can go, but we still manage to get off the beaten path enough to be happy about it. We also needed the extra storage this RV has, since we are carrying art show supplies with us all the time.
The biggest issue with off grid camping, is well, being off grid. Our lives are powered by electricity. We need to charge phones, computers, and since this is our life and not a vacation, we like to watch movies at night. We have 2 solar panels on the roof, 4 6 volt batteries, and a 2000 watt inverter to keep us powered up. Generally speaking this is more than enough for what we need.
This is our current spot in the desert. You can see the panels on top are tilted towards the south so we can gather in as much power as possible. We only worry about tilting them in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky. We also have a generator for back up power if we need it. If it’s rainy, or god forbid snowy, the generator certainly comes in handy. Since we follow the weather like true snowbirds do, we don’t normally have to worry about heating the RV. But, there are certainly times we have been in bad weather, and our propane furnace keeps us nice and toasty. And our RV is well insulated which is a huge plus.
The other part of boondocking that you have to be prepared for is water. Obviously there is no water to be easily had, so conservation is key. We have a 75 gallon fresh water tank, and 80 gallon grey water tank. Plus the black tank for the potty. We always need to add more water before we have to go dump our tanks, so we carry these.
They each hold 5 gallons of water, and are easy to take somewhere and fill if we need to. We just pour them in, and it extends our time between pulling up stakes and dumping the tanks. We can generally go 2 weeks before we have to take a trip to the dump station. Army showers, paper plates, using as little water as possible for dishes all help in water conservation. We also have 8 separate 1 gallon jugs we refill with drinking water. We are definitely doing our part for water conservation.
Over the years we have made the inside of the RV our own. Since we both like art, and it is our house, we have artsy stuff on every wall, and any other place we can get it. None of the furniture is RV furniture. The kitchen table was the first to go, and just recently my mom gave us this love seat, and red chair. What a huge difference comfy seating makes. RV furniture is made with weekenders in mind, and wears out fast.
We have recovered the window valances, put curtains on the big back windows, and added other personal touches throughout the house.
This is my work space. The big cloth covered square thing is my photo printer. We have to move it to the bed every time we move, to keep it safe.
I’m lucky to have a fairly big fridge, and lots of cupboards. Our fridge runs on propane, or electricity if we are hooked up to a power supply. This is actually an important thing in regards to boondocking. So many larger, newer RVs have residential fridges that only run on electricity. This can be done, but requires way more solar, and battery power than we have. The big fridge, and ample cupboard space allows us to stock up on food, so we aren’t running to the nearest town very often. And it holds a great array of photography.
My rock collection. I would have soooooo many rocks if we had the space. And this doesn’t even cover the heart rock collection.
The dogs certainly like boondocking, especially here, look at all that yard.
We also get asked all the time how we can live in a small space and not drive each other crazy. The simple answer, we like each other. Al was gone to Seattle again for the past two weeks, and I missed him terribly. Being in the middle of the desert is much nicer when he is here with me. Thankfully, he came home yesterday.
How we handle mail is another question. We have mail forwarding in South Dakota because they are one of 3 states that allow you to be a resident, and not actually live there. You have to get a drivers licence, and vehicle registration somewhere, and in SD you can. I request the mail every so often, and they send it wherever I need them too.
I hope that answers some questions on our crazy lifestyle. If you have more questions, ask in the comments and I will answer. I need to thank Jan from Wag n Woof Pets for asking about our life in my last blog post. I have had this blog post in my head for a while, and she prompted me to get it out of there and onto the blog.
I think it is wonderful for you and Al, as it is what you want. Pamela Douglas living on that little boat is also perfect for her and her husband and makes them so happy. Everyone has their place to be in life that makes them happy and if you find it and live it, your life will be all that much better for it. We need a house in suburbia, as that is what makes us happy, but it isn’t for everyone either. Thanks for the tour of your place and a bit about how you make it work. It looks pretty homey and cozy in your RV!
It’s very true, if everyone loved the same things, or same places we would all be piled on top of each other.
Hello, I would love to live the full time RV life. Traveling around and following the warm weather. Hubby has trouble with his eyes, I usually am the driver whenever we go on a trip. I could never drive one of these huge RV’s. We thought about two cheap small manufactured homes, one in Florida and one in Washington state but gave up the idea of owning two places. The home we are in now is too big and is too much to take care of in our golden years. I do love to follow your blog and see where you are and your awesome photos.
I have learned to drive our rig in the past year, after the big health scare we had last year. It’s not as bad as you would think. We have to have a big rig to haul our stuff for art shows, if we didn’t we would go smaller. The small motorhomes are easy to drive, that could be something for you to think about.
Nice to see Al is back from Seattle. Can’t believe how fast this past week flew by. I assume you aren’t in Q any more and with the big tent event approaching, you’re probably looking for more quiet land. Stay in touch and great post on your life.
We are still in Q, and probably will be for a couple weeks anyway. We stay about 15 miles east of town, so the crowds are nowhere near us. It’s always way quite out here. Al was supposed to come back Tuesday, but they got done early so he changed his flight to yesterday. We still need to get together. Will you guys come to Q for shopping?
Thank you for the tour of your lovely home! In some ways I envy your and Al’s freedom; but, like Emma and her family, I need a home in suburbia. I need the convenience of veterinary and human medical services and grocery stores as hubby and I get closer to our golden years (as Eileen called them). I pretty much have to do all the driving these days, too, because hubby sometimes gets confused.
This is exactly what I meant, and I love it! I’m glad I was able to give you a little motivation to share it. :)
Since we used to have a pretty big RV, I understand a lot of it. I wondered about power when you were boondocking and love that you use solar panels. We had ours parked not to far away from our house at one of the few rustic campgrounds we could find that had more private lots. We would have loved being in the middle of the desert like that!
We spent so many weekends and vacations there but eventually it made us neglect our main home and we decided to give it up (losing our dog Maggie at the time, and getting more dogs was also a factor!). I still miss it, and if we didn’t have our little farm now that we love, that’s exactly what I would want to do again.
You are living the good life!
I would imagine that would be hard to give up that little bit of freedom. But you guys are happy doing what you’re doing, and that is all that matters for anyone. Thanks again for the “push” to get this written.
I would love to be able to boondock. Maybe someday. There’s so much to see and do.
There is so much to see and do, and someday…is today. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.
I used to write for Tiny House Talk and they always love stories like this! I think it’s so cool that you can live in your RV, and you did such a good job making it “home.” Your table and chairs are my favorite part — I need those in my home. We live in a small apartment, and I agree — I just don’t get tired of living in close quarters with those I love most. You just make it work. Maybe someday we’ll get an RV, too :)
Thanks so much for stopping by Natalie. Living small is so much easier. We don’t have a house full of “stuff”, we don’t have yard work. Ya, we like it. The table and chairs are awesome, and we just happened upon them 2 years ago.
No yard work is definitely a plus, haha. We are slowly getting “real” furniture for our home, and I love that distressed look. I’m all about Craigslist finds! Someday :)
Thank you for inviting us into your home. It is so lovely. I really love how you decorated it and created such a pretty space.
I am lucky that my boat has beautiful cabinetry. But I have not done much to decorate it. I don’t even have curtains. One of my goals for this year is to do some things to make it more homey. Of course since I need to replace the rigging, I may not be able to afford much.
It was so much fun to read about your solutions to all the little things that we run into with our “very small rig” on our trips. We have repeatedly talked about replacing the fridge to one that will work on propane or electricity. It is our power hog. We do the same thing with the plastic water jugs. I bet that you’re an expert on saving water. When we get back to our house, it always takes me a few days before I use water freely again.
I love how you’ve gotten rid of all the plastic-looking RV stuff. It does really look like a home. And, you have the best backyard ever :)
We have a solar panel but nowhere near the power collection that you do. Hmmm, we need to think about that. Our trips are getting longer so we both need to “work” on our computers some while we’re living in the LabMobile. More power would be a big plus.
The right batteries are super important for storing power. I’m guessing you are powering from the “car” battery. If you have space, you should get a couple of heavy duty 6 volt batteries. One solar panel, per 2 batteries is the ratio you want too. 150 watt or more panel. Then of course you need an inverter to convert the power. There is a company in Eugene, Oregon AM PM solar. Good prices on everything you need.
It was fun reading about your life on the road and in your home on wheels. I can see why it is appealing, especially with someone you enjoy being with.
Hello Mary,
You are an inspiration. I traveled to Elkhart,IN this week to check out our Sprinter Van Conversion. discovered a few mistakes and they are taking care of them. It should be transported to Nevada by the end of the month and we will pick it up out there. After a few days of familiarization we’ll be Newbee Full timers. At our age (late seventies), it Will be a challange but we’re going for it. First year should be a learning curve but with folks like yourself to offer advice we can’t miss. You’ll be hearing from me.
Lloyd