GoneCamper minivan campers are perfect for boondocking!
“Boondocking” is camping beyond water and electricity. Boondocking is free camping – in the forest, desert, on federal land or private land. The possibilities are truly endless. Most of the U.S. (especially the western states) have hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land that is open to free camping! Check a map or Google Earth for federal land in your area. In most cases, unless there are some localized restrictions, you can camp for 14 days for free in national forest and BLM land.
We recently took a drive along the 45-mile long Rim Road in the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona. There were many, many free prime camping spots every mile along this lightly traveled gravel road. Plus, there were numerous side roads that forked away from the Rim Road. We choose a secluded campsite in the pines about one-half mile up one of these side roads. These side roads add hundreds of additional boondocking possibilities.
Boondocking along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona
In southern Arizona, many thousands of “snow birds” converge on BLM land around Quartzsite and Yuma every winter. Near our home base of Cottonwood, Arizona we see dozens of campers, vans, and trailers that are camping for free in the national forest. The same thing is possible all over the west. There are even databases of free campsites that Boondockers have contributed to websites like FreeCampsites.net.
The same rough camping possibilities exist on some lands managed by the Army Corp of Engineers. These lands surround large reservoirs and river systems. There may be some official campgrounds, but there may also be some back woods parking areas at trail heads or boat landings. But please heed any local No Camping regulations.
On our trip through British Columbia, Alaska and the Yukon Territory we saw many rigs "boondocking" in remote areas, sometimes just wide spots in the road. Some waysides are used by truckers for mandatory rests and that makes them fair game for you, too. Just watch for any "No Overnight Camping" signs. We camped one night in a quiet wayside south of Dawson City, Yukon complete with a picnic shelter and outhouses.
Our "private" campground in the Yukon
Next, check out state and county forests. Also check out large tracts of industrial timber land. Many back roads have campsites that are used during hunting season, but are unused all summer. Some private timber land has gated access roads off the main roads. The locked gate is often a hundred feet or more from the main road to allow logging trucks to pull in, and this allows plenty of space and privacy for a small minivan.
Don’t rule out private land owners. Some land owners offer free camping sites just to be hospitable to travelers. See BoondockersWelcome.com for an online resource. Or Google free camping in your location. If you plan to stay for a few days, ask the owner if you can help with a few chores around the place! Finally, there are some tracts of industrial, government or private ranch land that have been abandoned and have been “adopted” by free campers. Check out “Slab City” in California as an example of the wild, wild west that still exists in the 21st century!
Why is a GoneCamper minivan conversion perfect for boondocking? Because a minivan is small, light, and has great traction with front-wheel drive. You can drive down rough and steep roads that would stop a truck and a long camping trailer. You can get into tighter spaces than a truck camper. You can negotiate narrower, tree-lined trails than any motor home, including the Class-B van conversions. You can drive on softer surfaces without getting stuck or leaving a trace. And the six-cylinder motor gets at least double the mileage of gas-hog motor homes or large tow vehicles so you can go farther and camp more often!
MILES from the highway, camping along the Kennecott River at McCarthy, Alaska
A GoneCamper minivan conversion costs a tiny fraction of camping trailers, RV’s and truck campers. For as little as $1,495.00 you can be camping in your minivan (or cargo trailer, pickup, Suburban, or full-size van.) Compare this to truck campers that cost $20,000 to $50,000. Compare this to many Class-B camper vans that cost $100,000 to over $250,000. I even saw a 4x4 "overland" truck camper that cost over $500,000!!! (How many nights could you spend in a luxury resort for $500,000?)
If you are truly boondocking, you don’t have electricity and running water. You are out in the “boonies”.
Yes, I know that motor homes and trailers usually include generators. That means you can still “camp” in the boonies in an RV without giving up your lights, stereo, satellite TV, microwave and flush toilet if you have plenty of gas for your generator. (Yes, some people take a generator out in the boonies even when they camp in a tent!) But you are not really boondocking, you are just creating your own power grid.
In an RV you won’t be able to operate the electric systems without running the generator - or installing a solar energy system with battery backup that costs several thousand dollars. If you could turn off all the electric devices in your motor home and really go boondocking you would match the GoneCamper minivan conversion. But if you really want to boondock in your RV, why are you paying tens of thousands of dollars for a few electric lights and a sink and miniature toilet that require electricity?
The choice is yours – and the COST is also yours! Why not embrace minimalism and just camp? With a GoneCamper minivan conversion you can boondock in complete comfort WITHOUT buying an expensive generator or the fuel to operate it.
The GoneCamper is light, nimble and perfect for exploring back roads
The GoneCamper minivan camper will take you down unpaved roads that are avoided by 95% of RVers. You get away from the crowds - and the sound of generators. Unpaved roads take you to the most amazing places, partly because they don’t get the same traffic as more accessible attractions. And the end of unpaved roads is the beginning of the best hiking and biking trails, canoe routes, and hunting and fishing opportunities.
As discussed previously, think of camping in your GoneCamper minivan as a deluxe upgrade from tent camping! Don’t over-complicate the process. Instead of clearing sticks and stones for a tent, you just roll the minivan into a level spot. Instead of hunching on the ground while you prepare meals, you have everything you need at a convenient height under the rear hatch of the GoneCamper minivan. You can even cook under the hatch in the back of the minivan (IF you use caution to keep all the bedding FAR away from the hot stove.) If it is raining, you can lounge inside the dry van. You don’t have to climb into clammy sleeping bags inside a wet tent. And you NEVER need to pack up a wet tent and damp sleeping bags again!
A full kitchen under the rear hatch
Next, we will discuss camping in your GoneCamper in plain sight, right in town in neighborhoods or business areas. This has been termed “stealth camping” and implies that you are spending the night in areas not otherwise designated for camping.
“Traveling Efficiently, Camping Comfortably, Living Frugally”
