5 Boondocking Essentials | Truck Camper Living | Dry Camping Tips | Full Time RV
In this video, we share our 5 Boondocking Essentials that we think are important when boondocking in a truck camper! We also go a little beyond the 5 at the end and add in some bloopers for a good laugh! These are the basics that we find to be most important during our boondocking / dry camping adventures. We would love to hear what you think and if you have any additional items to add, please drop us a comment and start the conversation!
As always, thank you for watching!
π If you are looking for some easy, step by step recipes that are easy to prepare on the road and in a small kitchen.
Check out our good friend Jeremy over at The Katei Gourmet:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64W1X3-IcwGhtiQePNWB_w
To see this content as an article, visit this link:
https://www.stonyboot.com/2020/09/12/5-tips-for-successfully-boondocking-in-a-truck-camper/
πIf you’re looking for Truck Camping T-Shirts, check out this site:
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https://www.travelmotivated.com/collections/truck-camping
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. Thank you for your support!
These are most of the items that we mentioned in the video. If we missed something, please let us know in the comments!
βΆοΈ Alfa WiFi Camp Pro 2 Long Range WiFi Repeater RV:
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βΆοΈ weBoost Drive X RV:
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βΆοΈ MOFI4500-4GXeLTE-SIM4-COMBO:
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βΆοΈ 4-Gang 12V Rocker Switch Box:
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βΆοΈ Ozark Trail Desert Patrol 6-Gal Water Jug BPA Free:
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βΆοΈ Igloo 6 Gallon Water Container:
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βΆοΈ Kitchen Faucet with Pull Out Sprayer in Stainless Steel:
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βΆοΈ Surge Guard 44280 Portable Surge Protector – 120V, 30Amp:
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βΆοΈ Honda EU2200i 2200-Watt 120-Volt Portable Inverter Generator:
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βΆοΈ Camco Heavy Duty RV Auto PowerGrip Adapter:
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βΆοΈ Mini Bungee Cords set 9 inch 4 piece:
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βΆοΈ Hutch Mountain Conversion Kit:
https://hutchmountain.com/product/honda-eu2200i-propane-natural-gas-gasoline-tri-fuel-conversion-kit/
βΆοΈ Stainless Steel Trash Can:
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βΆοΈ Camco Pop-A-Bag Plastic Bag Dispenser:
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βΆοΈ AiLi 500A Battery Monitor:
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βΆοΈ Renogy 500A Battery Monitor:
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βΆοΈ Vollrath 4-Quart Economy Mixing Bowl:
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βΆοΈ Hefty Recycling Trash Bags:
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βΆοΈ Rubbermaid Roughneck 10 Gallon Rugged Storage Tote:
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βΆοΈ Sterilite 6QT Latching Box:
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ABN RV Furnace Vent Cover:
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If you have any other questions, please leave a comment and we will be sure to respond!
We are a travel couple and explore full time in our NuCamp Cirrus 920 Truck Camper. The camper rides in our Ram 3500 Dually Diesel CrewCab truck. We love our camper and we are excited to share our life with all of you!
Our plan is to continue traveling for another 5 years at least, we are just getting started. Subscribe and follow our adventures around North America and the World!
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βΊOur previous video is here: https://youtu.be/tAf1mRn2gdo
βΊIf you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please leave them below!π
β
A big thank you to Amber from Story Chasing for providing a boost of motivation to get started!
https://www.youtube.com/c/StoryChasing
β
Full tour of our rig with Story Chasing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5idc…
#fulltimetravel #drycamping #nucampcirrus #truckcamperlife #truckcamper #travelcouple #boondocking #truckcamperliving #boondockingtips
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Agreed, tractor supply!!!
Can you please post a link for the batteries you use? How do you keep them charged while boondocking – is it strictly generator charged?
I lived on a Submarine for 20 years….conserving water and space are NOT a problem for me!lol!
Great videos guys. Do you guys know if the Cirrus will allow a motorcycle storage hitch?
Also for your tanks you can get this at Camping world. https://www.campingworld.com/mopeka-tankcheck-lpg-dual-sensor-with-monitor-kit-90403.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=%7BCampaign%7D&gclid=CjwKCAjw-qeFBhAsEiwA2G7Nl5rhTdIjYZlTKEpfaW3oKWdItunUj10zp_2dCX0ZJokZPM7PhPkFwBoCTiQQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I just have to ask why donβt you have a water pump for that it would probably come in handy for many things other than just filling your water. Many people have them for outdoor showers.
Great tips! Thank you. ~carol
Do leave the camper on the truck ALL THE TIME?
I think you're using way too much water
For electrical I ran everything in my RV off of propane and 12 volts.
I had two big batteries on my diesel pickup and one battery on my trailer and I would plug the trailer into my truck during the night and run the truck a few minutes during the day to charge the batteries. That gave me enough 12 volt power to run my lights, my TV, and my 12-volt fan blowing on me all night because in the summer it was a record heatwave but that fan kept me plenty cool all night.
Converters and inverters have a certain amount of loss making them less efficient and draining your batteries faster.
Instead of converting 12 volts into 110v and then running 110 volt appliances you would be better off buying 12 volt kitchen appliances and etc which are plentiful.
There are many dozens and dozens of different 12 volt kitchen appliances, household appliances, tools, beauty products, including 12 volt heaters, 12 volt swamp coolers/evaporative coolers, 12 volt refrigerators and the list goes on and on etc.
There is a great number of 12 volt TVs with built in DVD CD players for RVs. Most electronics design for household use also run on low voltage around 12 volts. They have a built-in step down transformer with a full wave bridge to change them from 110 volt AC down to 12 volt DC. From household current down Automotive/RV current.
Most RVs have a lot of 12 volt lighting throughout the RV and you can put a 12 volt outlet by each 12 volt light fixture to give you more access to 12 volts for your different appliances throughout the whole RV. And again by avoiding using an inverter your batteries will stay charged a little longer.
Most of the time I would have no use for an inverter generator except on very rare occasions. And people like to steal them in broad daylight, even while you're traveling stuck in heavy traffic to run up and grab them off your vehicle.
you can also charge your onboard batteries a lot faster by running the tow vehicle engine then you can by running a generator anyway.
I have also heard a lot of people having frequent problems with their generators breaking down at the worst times.
I have seen a couple of other people mention this also.
Keeping one tank turned off is ludicrous and a waste of a fabulous feature on there. And you are teaching people how to use it wrong.
You should look at the automatic change over valve at least once every day or two. That way you can tell when the tank that it's pointing to is empty, because it'll show an indicator on the valve. When you see that indicator, it means that the tank that it's pointing to is empty. Switch it to the other tank and refill the empty one and reinstall it and reopen it. I lived in my trailer for 4 years and always left both tanks open and if I hadn't I would have froze to death at night. But my trailer had 30 lb tanks and I would look at them every two or three days to see when that red indicater pops up on that change over valve. And I know I have about 2 days to get it refilled and get it back on there and opened up.
This way you have a never-ending supply of propane as long as you remember to check for that empty tank indicator and switch it over when you see it and get the empty one refilled, reinstalled, and reopened.
I have read of so many people that have that feature and don't know how to use it and they complain because both tanks run empty because they're too stupid to check the empty tank indicator every couple of days.
They would rather have one tank open and one tank closed so that when they run out of propane in the middle of night they can run out there in their underwear and in the freezing weather to open up the other tank so that they know when the first tank is empty which is absolutely ludicrous and idiotic.
It really will only run one tank down at a time, giving you time to see the indicator and to get the empty one refilled. You do not have to have both tanks hooked up in order to use the propane. but when both tanks are on there you have to keep them both open for it to switch over automatically when one is empty. But you do have to watch for that indicator on the valve showing that one tank is empty!
There are at least two good videos on YouTube that show how to use those properly. And a few that don't.
It boggles my mind how so many people that have that feature don't know how to use it properly. I figured mine out by accident the first week I owned it.
I know that the people that made this video may not read this, but maybe this will help other people out there that read it. π
You can add several additional air vents to make it come out even faster. π
my first time watching you guy's . That was great nice job . keep up the great work .
Iβm making a video on how I walk my dogs in the park and how when they come home they drink water from their bowl.
New sub, great content! Stay safe and keep on truckin'.
The most realistic and helpful boondocking video I've seen! Thank you guys for your tips, I was definitely taking notes.
The reliance jugs are ok and definitely better than most on the market, but I'd go for NATO or US Military Water jerry cans – yes, only 5 gal of water but very thick walled plastic that can take a beating. I have mine up on the tongue of my offroad trailer and those jugs hold up nicely. I do use a 12V transfer pump with a hose to transfer water to the on-board tank – that way I don't have to take the jugs off the trailer tongue and I don't have to lift 40lbs around. Of course, my offroad trailer doesn't have a bathroom, but it does have a on demand hot shower which sucks water from whatever supply you give it. That allows me to conserve potable water because we use the shower with water from creeks and lakes – clean enough to suck up, heat and shower in – just keep your mouth shut. Get some old books on how food was preserved way back when. I generally bring several weeks worth on trips and we've never had to head out and buy food on any of our trips. Usually we can stay out there for weeks at a time if we find a water source we can filter for drinking. Yes, dried things like rice and beans go a long way as well as bringing flour and other such base ingredients that store well and if you have the knowledge you can make everything from bread to tortillas right there on a campfire. We go camp with a 30 quart electric fridge and that can keep the few perishable items we bring for weeks.
You have a lot of batteries and very few solar panels. I run 200Ah LiFePO4 batteries and 400W solar panels in addition to the Renogy DC to DC charger which is mounted in the back of my jeep and connected to the trailer via a fat 8gauge wire. That pumps spare charge into the batteries while driving since all but 150W of my solar are mobile panels only useful when parked.
Consider under-frame water tanks, with a pump to transfer. A larger alternator can recharge your batteries in less drive time.
I imagine you will be considering Elon Musk's Star Link internet service now, reports show it gives very fast internet anywhere.
New to the channel… interesting stuff.. thank you. I would be curious how one earns income while full time on the road or boondocking. IT work? Blogging? YouTube? How does that work for income taxes? Vehicle registration and licensing? Seems like a complicated subject and not as simple as selling your home and you stuff and hitting the road.
Propane generator?
Thats ridiculous, use an electric pump with an extended hose that way you don't have place on your head, use wet wipes to clean your cups, dishes, etc. Use wet wipes when you go to the bathroom throw them away in a plastic trash bag. As for showers use the Navy shower method it will save you a lot of fresh water.
You need to be careful about those jugs on your head. Take it from someone with fused disks in my cervical spine. You are young so you need to take care of your body and not end up like me.
Very informative and helpful. Will be looking for more of your videos. We are very grateful for all the help and advice out there for the type of life we are planning.
Holy Cow! You go through 35+ gallons in 4 days!? Damn! Where is all that water going? LOL. That pantry cabinet is pretty cool!
I see Ted Cruz is out boondocking too now instead of just going to Mexico!
38 gallons in 3 days? wtf do you do? I don't think I use 38 gallons of water in a regular weekend at the house. What are these two doing? watering the plants outside?
If you have the room a three stage water filter system installed between tank and water pump and a access port cut into the top of your freshwater tank lets you get river water and dump it straight into the tank with a bucket, then you don't have to beg for water and carry so much extra. Plus the chiropractic bills from excessive water jugs on your head will be less.
You two are funny!!! Fun to watch the bloopers!!! Safe & fun travels!
Why is it that it seems like I'm the only one who gets water spitting back out of the fresh fill port.
How often do you take your camper off the truck and just use the truck to explore? Have you encounter places that won't allow you to drop the camper or even take truck campers?
If you dont have it yet get an extended run gas cap for that honda genny and a 6 gallon portable boat fuel tank gives you about 7 gallons of continous non stop run time till empty….great if your running the A/C for along time so you dont need to refuel the genny in the middle of the night.
Well, ingenious method of holding up the water jug. π I'm new to your channel and wonder if you've had the opportunity to travel within Canada yet. I ask because you are dependent on cell service and have already rigged up your camper accordingly. For us U.S. RV'ers, Canada seems a tough nut to crack when it comes to finding reasonably priced cell data service. (I'm referring accessible areas, e.g. cities and larger towns). Arranging the American provider to allow Canadian access for a small fee is the easy part; finding a Canadian vendor with an affordable data package has, so far, been impossible. Any thoughts? And you both do a very nice job here. Best wishes to you.