Boondocking Question

[Dwainkitchens]

Some of the pics of Boondocking look awesome, BUT, it looks like your out in the boonies!

 

Since I don't have an RV yet, will get an Oliver, I would be concerned of someone driving out to where my wife and I are and getting robbed etc....

 

I know that may sound hyper, but dangerous world today!

 

Maybe I am thinking of Boondocking wrong.  Are there other campers nearby for safety etc....?  What if there is a medical emergency, then what?

 

I know, life is full of risk. Looks exciting but scary.

 

Dwain

[Mike and Carol]

Safety while remote area boondocking is not something to worry about.  A thief is not going to drive miles into the wilderness in hopes of finding a lone RV to rob.  If they found me in the middle of nowhere hoping to find treasures they might score enough cash to pay the gas it cost to get to me.  A lot of RVer’s carry self protection.  Risk/benefit ration is low for a potential thief.

 

Medical is another issue.  If you are remote, especially with no cell coverage and you have a medical event, getting help might be a challenge.  Most of the boondocking areas we’ve camped had others around, not necessarily close by but not too far away.  Mike

[Dwainkitchens]

Thanks!

[John E Davies]

Thieves and muggers are lazy and often addicted and they stay in places they know, which is usually urban alleys. You are very safe out in a forest or beside a reservoir. You do need to worry a little about wild animals in some places. Fortunately, unlike a tent, a hard sided Ollie is very comforting when there are bears wandering around at night. This is very rare: https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2018/08/bears-have-prompted-glacier-national-park-restrict-rising-sun-campground-hard-sided-campers

 

For a medical emergency or breakdown, you should have some sort of satellite communicator, either an actual sat phone (many $$$) or a small two way messaging device like this which can summon a medivac helicopter if needed: .... https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/

 

You can buy an annual $50,000 search and rescue policy in addition to the inReach service plan, that will pay for a rescue, cost is only $18. An inReach provides great peace of mind to both you and your family at home, since you can send unlimited pre-composed check-in messages at no charge.

 

Part of the risk of venturing away from populated areas is that it will take longer for police or medical aid to arrive, possibly hours. There is not much you can do if you or your wife has a cardiac arrest or a stroke. That is just the way it is.... if either of you has a serious health problem you should probably not stray from urban areas.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[Raspy]

Dwain,

 

If you boil down the concerns to their most basic elements, it seems to be something like: If I continue with the routine I've always done, I'll be safe.  If I stray from that routine, I'll be unsafe.

 

It's the fear of the unknown and nothing more.

 

Or, put another way, if I drive on the freeway, in the city, and go about my life  (where there are X number of traffic deaths, X number of muggings, and X number of murders every year), I'll be safe.  But if I take a risk and go out into the forest, where there is almost nobody around, I'll get robbed and killed for sure.

 

Following that logic, why even go outside, or to the store, or on any kind of vacation?  Or why vote for anyone other than who is feeding you the rhetoric of fear?

 

If you long for a breath of fresh air, want to see the open spaces, listen to the quiet, or explore some natural wonders, you have to get out there and do it.  And an Ollie is the perfect little cabin you can take with you to do it.

 

I must say that wondering about these basic questions reveals that you are looking beyond the confines of the security trap.  Good!

 

Spending the night in the forest, or out in the desert, and just looking and wondering at the night sky, the sound of a breeze in the trees, or a babbling brook, will help you take stock in your life and the meaning of it.  Making some new friends that are doing the same, will give you renewed confidence in humans.  Hearing a coyote late at night, or watching bats swoop in for a drink from a pond as evening sets in, or hearing a bird screech, or poking at the campfire with it's quiet crackle and warmth, as you study the Milky Way, will reset your clock.  And as you drift off to sleep, you'll know you've been changed.  Your insecurities about being in a new place will melt as your fascination about it grows.

 

But, of course, you must take more responsibility for your own safety by taking food, water and supplies, and a way to communicate as much as possible.  As in being wherever you are, you should always be aware of your surroundings.

 

Much of this comes down to addressing emotions with logic.   Those two are incompatible and one cannot answer the other very well.   But reason can bridge the gap.  Curiosity can fuel desire.  Desire and curiosity can lead to adventure.  A taste of adventure can lead to more adventure.  A desire for more adventure and good experiences can lead to acquiring an Ollie.  An Ollie can lead to virtually unlimited adventure.  None of this can occur without a bit of courage and curiosity.

 

I say grab your courage by the tail and let it pull you out of the routine.   Cautiously at first, if need be, at a rate the works for you.  But grab that chance before it's too late.  Or before fear of an imagined bogeyman keeps you hiding under the bed thinking you're safe.   Find your adventure and relish it.  We all have our demons, do they rule us, or do we live in spite of them?

 

Step one:  Get an Ollie and attend an organized Casita or Oliver rally.  They are totally safe, fun and organized.  You'll have chances to make lots of friends and get lots of ideas.  Open house tours will give you a chance to meet others and look at their trailers.  These are social events based around camping.

 

Step two:  Visit some State or National Parks with organized campgrounds.  A safe, organized and a wonderful way to see natural wonders, like Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.  These are camping trips with no risk and easy access to resources.

 

Step three: begin to visit some BLM lands in more secluded areas, if you wish.  There is nothing wrong with steps one and two and they may be just fine forever.  But you might want to get out farther, or find more seclusion.  If so, Death Valley awaits.  The National Forest lands await.  Lakes, forests, deserts, hot springs, Bristlecone Pines,  and all sorts of wonders can act as a backdrop to your escape and wonder.  These are mainly boondocking trips where you are more on your own, but no too remote.   Good examples are:  an eclipse trip, a hot springs search, a place off the beaten path to wait for a campsite in Yosemite,  a desire for solitude, an animal study of some kind, a gold panning trip.  Or a trip to the east coast of Baja to fish and swim in peace.   Or a few nights amongst the ruins of a ghost town as you ponder the past.  Or simply a romantic getaway with your sweetie for a few days.

 

 

[Commanche]

Dwain, My wife is the same way, she refuses to setup camp unless there are other campers in the area. Drives me nuts, but just have to go along, a fight I will never win. Even so, we have camped at some great areas from Montana to south Texas and a lot of places in between.

 

Stan

[John E Davies]

Dwain, since you are still in that initial research stage, check out truck campers. An Ollie with solar and composting toilet is a fantastic, comfy dry camping platform, but you are always hampered by the fact that your rig is 40 feet or more in length. That is always a big factor in driving unknown backroads..... will I have a way to turn around if the road stops at a closed gate or there is a washout or a downed tree? This is not something to brush aside, getting caught at the end of a long single lane road is no small matter and it can cause lots of stress.

 

You can do a lot of research ahead of time using Google Earth, and you can ask your partner to get out and scope things on foot, but the bottom line is that it is always a PITA, either minor or huge, to tow a trailer anywhere. Ferries cost more, parking in cities is often impossible, you risk finding yourself blocked in if you do find a place to stop, storage is more of a problem. Sometimes you will come to a campground that you may not even be able to use due to lack of room to maneuver. Here is one of my favorites, Deception Pass State Park, WA, and I simply won’t go there with my Ollie. And there are lots of similar ones in the woods of the Pacific NW and along the Pacific coast.

 

 

Trailers are just awkward, ALL the time. That is just the way things are.

 

With a truck camper all those particular worries vanish, replaced by a different set of its own. For a couple with no animals traveling all over the country it makes a bunch of sense. If you want to tow a small boat or motorcycle trailer it or a small motorhome is the only choice. There are very few really good 4 season truck campers like Northern Lite, they cost less than an Ollie but you must have a dedicated very heavy duty pickup to carry the load. They are not put together as well, you have to go upscale considerably to an XP Camper for that, but there are always compromises you have to make.

 

Just something else to think about. ... https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/camper-tech/boondocking-101-water-tanks-power-and-propane/?singlepage=1

 

I strongly caution you to avoid all slideouts, they are usually huge nightmares starting the very first year. Finding any recent model RV without a slideout is difficult, they are in fashion because people like the big floor space and they are also idiots. Here you go.... https://northern-lite.com/Truck-Camper-SE-10-2EXSE-DB.php

 

OTH there is NOTHING out there for less than about $125k plus the cost of a HD truck that compares to an Ollie for build quality, features, warranty and above all customer service.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Raspy]

John,

 

All very good points.  I had a lot of fun with a pop-up camper on my truck for years.   I like to explore back roads and you make a good point about wondering if there will be a place to turn around.  And, of course, parking is always a hassle.  A number of times we have wanted to stop somewhere and went on because of no place to park.

 

The thing that wore me down about the camper was not being able to go anywhere without taking it along.  No side trips after getting set-up somewhere.  And the fact that the trailer is so much more convenient once there.

 

The people we got our Ollie from decided right away that it was not right for them because they were in a separate vehicle when camping, unlike a motorhome, for instance.  They felt more secure in a small motorhome.  And they did not like backing up, which doesn't bother me, but can be a challenge.  It seems that by the time they got back to CA from Hohenwald, they were done with their Ollie.  It was a mistake for them and a great opportunity for us.

[Overland]

There’s no shame in leaving the Ollie to fend for itself for a night...