Wandering With Bill

One of the best tips would be essential items in terms of gear. Will you be camping in an RV or a tent? Let’s assume your family outing will be in a tent. The very least you should consider in your selection of a tent is that it is big enough for your family and one that is capable of withstanding the elements.

Sleeping bags should also be considered carefully. Not only that the bags are large enough for individual members of your family, but the comfort factor. What time of the year will you be camping? This is important to know when selecting the correct sleeping bag. Sleeping bags are rated in terms of outside temperature so you’ll know which one to select for the time of year you will be camping.

Will you want an air mattress under your sleeping bag? How about the terrain of the area where you plan on erecting your tent? Have you included in your checklist other essential items for erecting the tent itself? Things like tie down stakes, ropes, a hammer to drive the stakes into the ground. What if it rains? Will the rain run off instead of into your tent? These are some of the things to consider especially when tent camping.

If you’re not a seasoned camper, make notes while you’re out camping in order to learn so your next camping trip will be better than this one.

Regardless of whether this is a tent camping trip or in an RV, some items are essential for both. A lantern or flashlight should always be on your checklist of essential items as well as a first-aid kit, a hatchet or axe, a small shovel, fold-up chairs and a small table and trash bags. If you’re planning on being in a boondocking situation, or sometimes referred to as primitive camping (where there’s no electricity, toilet facilities or fresh water) you will need to ensure to carry enough potable water for drinking and cooking.

And don’t forget the food. Canned goods are easy to carry as they don’t need refrigeration, but canned foods are heavy as is water, so take that into account as you pack for your trip. If you’re so inclined, there are plenty of bagged, freeze-dried foods on the market. This type of food gets quite pricey, but some enjoy the convenience of it.

Most important is to enjoy your family camping trip while staying safe and comfortable.

Until next time…

Let’s briefly look at a couple of options.

Generators: If you have a Class A, Class B or Class C RV, you probably have a generator built in. Most RV’ers with these type vehicles tend to stay in RV parks where electricity, water and sewer are usually available anyway. You also have to take into consideration the limitations you face with these type RV’s in terms of how far off-grid you can take them. Some people camping in vans, tents, or pickup campers, carry a small gas-powered generator with them. The problem with this is that you have to carry extra gasoline to power the generator, not to mention the noise factor. Most of my friends that enjoy camping off-grid tend to be critical of campers running generators in off-grid camping situations. Their feeling is they go camping off-grid to get away from noise pollution so they can enjoy the great outdoors.

In my opinion, generators are better used in situations around our homes when we have natural disasters which cause power failures for lengthy periods of time.

Solar: This appears to be the choice of most campers, especially the off-grid types. The sun is free! I travel in my van and I have a suitcase type solar panel which makes it easy to stow when traveling. When I get to my destination, I simply pull the solar panel out and set it up facing the sun. It only takes a few minutes. I have an AGM deep cycle battery with a 30 amp charge controller. This provides me and like-minded campers with ample electricity to run my DC refrigerator, my DC fan, charge my phone and my laptop, because I will occasionally do some work while off grid. Basically, this is all I use electricity for. For my coffee, which I thoroughly enjoy in the mornings, I don’t need electricity, I use my propane cook stove. Further, I don’t use my house battery for any lighting as I have small puck lights that are adequate for any lighting I might need and they have their own batteries that last for weeks before needing to be replaced.

And… did I mention that Solar is free?

Until next time…

On the other hand, maybe you’re into camping. Camping is something the entire family can enjoy together. So maybe it’s time to shake the dust off of the tent or roll out the small camper or get that big RV road-ready.

We’ve all seen the ads that encourage us to “Go RV’ing.” It seems that more and more folks are taking to the roads and heading out to the mountains, the ocean, desert or just using the RV to take a road trip to visit relatives or places or interest. We are living in the RV age. It seems like RV sales lots are popping up just about everywhere I look.

This all begs the question. Can RV’ing really be this good, or are the ads so powerful to cause us to rush out and make such a huge purchase. Personally, I think the ads are spot on, especially if you have any wanderlust at all. I purchased an RV years ago and never looked back. Now that I’m retired, I find myself heading out in my RV often, sometimes for weeks at a time.

And for those of you who are new to RV’ing or camping, and some of you seasoned types as well, may be surprised to know that the best and most scenic camping sites are those that are free.

When I began camping with my family many years ago, camp sites typically were those found at KOA’s, Jellystone Park’s and the like and the cost ran from $15.00 to $35.00 or more per night. These days, if staying at such parks, be prepared to pay $60.00 to $75.00 and upwards per night.

Now that I basically travel and camp solo, I look for the free sites… and they are plentiful. I recently returned from a trip to the Sonoran Desert in beautiful southwest Arizona where I camped free on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Land for several weeks. Of course I was off-grid, but that’s the way I prefer it. I don’t lack for anything. My solar panels capture the sun which provides all my electricity needs, so what else is there? Now that my kids are grown and on their own, I don’t need a swimming pool, I don’t need the game rooms, I don’t need all that goes with that camping lifestyle. If I wanted that, I would stay home…

So where are these free scenic campsites?

Try the National and State Parks, mountains, deserts, etc. In my opinion, the most scenic areas in the western part of the USA are not included in parks. Public lands, such as BLM that I mentioned above are awesome. Remember, these public lands are just what the name implies, “public.” We, the taxpayer own these lands and are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. When visiting BLM lands, be sure to ask for free maps of the area, directions, road conditions, etc. Most BLM lands have some inexpensive campsites available, but the amenities are minimal. I have found that the free dispersed camping is normally where the best scenic camping sites are located. Usually, dispersed camping is not shown on maps, so you’ll need to ask. Be prepared to drive on dirt roads and boondock (camping off-grid). Keep in mind too, that you will be limited as to where you can go by the size of your RV. A van, truck or 4-wheel drive vehicle will give you more options than the larger RV’s and 5th wheels.

And remember this. Plan on staying longer than you intended, because once you experience that lifestyle, you’ll not want to leave.

Me? Well, I never want to leave either. I’m one of those guys that wants to check out all the backroads I come across. In doing so, I’ve found some absolutely beautiful off the beaten path campsites with killer views. And the best part? They were free…

Until next time…

This may sound a little strange, but the fact is, more and more people are choosing a lifestyle of van dwelling these days. For some, it may be for economic reasons, but for others, it’s simply a whole new attitude of a way to live.

Vandwelling can mean being able to make a living from anywhere without living in a sticks and bricks home. This lifestyle affords one the ability to live in a location of choice and not confined to a certain city or state for a job. There are vandwellers who live full-time in their vans and work normal jobs. Their vans are very stealthy and give no hint to the casual observer that the van is being lived in on a city street. You can’t do that in a traditional RV. A good percentage of these vans have solar panels affixed to the tops of the vans producing all the van’s electrical needs. Most of these vans are like tiny homes inside and some even have a shower. For those that don’t, the vandweller will more than likely have a gym membership that affords him/her the ability to take a shower anytime they desire. If the vandweller has Internet, and most do, then finding a job can be quite easy and this wonder we call the Internet, affords anyone the ability to find work. Telecommuting is very popular today. There are also workampers programs available, RV parks are looking for workers, State and National Parks hire seasonal workers, Theme Parks hire workers and even Amazon has a work camping program. Then there are those who are retired and have a pension that provides enough income to live quite comfortably in a van.

Living in a van means a much lower cost of living as opposed to living in a home or apartment, so saving money is easy. No mortgage, no rent, no utilities. Just your phone and Internet. A lower cost of transportation as you’ll be in your van close to your work.

You’ll also find that you will need less stuff. You can definitely save more money if you quit buying “stuff” that you really don’t need. Think of your vandwelling lifestyle as an easy way to impose a limit on the amount of stuff that you own now. You will be forced to become a minimalist; which is not a bad thing. With limited storage space inside your van, you will have to be very selective about what you own.

These are just a few of the major benefits of living in your van, not to mention the sheer freedom of it all.

Until next time…

Yeah, I was wrong about a lot of things, but I’ve chalked it all up to a great learning experience. One thing I learned is that there is not enough time in the day to do everything I expected to do and yes, there were quite a few surprises along the way that I hadn’t considered. Living in a van has been an amazing experience, and I’ve picked up quite a few lessons along the way, some of which are below.

Don’t sweat the small stuff…

This was probably the toughest lesson for me and something that took quite a few months to get the hang of. When living in a van, there are a lot of “little things” that can add up over time and if you’re not careful, you’ll let them start building and before you know it, they can become “big things.” Things like mosquitoes and other annoying insects getting into your van at night. Constantly bumping into things and trying to cook inside on a rainy day can not only become a challenge, but frustrating as well. One must keep their attitudes positive in such situations. The sooner I learned not to sweat the small stuff, the quicker I began relaxing and the quicker I began enjoying my adventure. I credit my ability to adapt to these situations rather quickly to being former military and all the discipline that goes with it.

Learning to become a minimalist is more manageable than I thought it would be…

When starting out, I gave little thought to the fact that a couple boxes of clothes would be too much. Practically every vandweller that I have met since, has relayed how they packed too much stuff in the beginning. I made the same mistake! Being in such a small space forces you to prioritize and manage what you want as opposed to what you need.

Time is a precious commodity…

This one caught me off guard. Regardless of where you live; in a van or in a sticks and bricks home, you still have the same 24 hours in a day. I underestimated the time it takes to cook and clean up in a vehicle. Depending on how your van is configured, you might need to pack it up each time you decide to change locations or destinations. I watched a lot of YouTube videos before building out my van and I configured it so it takes a minimum amount of time to make sure everything is secured before moving my van. You certainly don’t want to pull out of a camping area and have things falling all over the floor and spilling and breaking. The same thing goes for sleeping. I’ve seen a lot of vans that require the occupant(s) to move things and pack up before they can even let out their beds in order to go to sleep.

One pot meals…

Now that I’ve been cooking on a one-burner stove for a year, I have become quite adept at one pot meals. I must say, it’s been somewhat exciting at times to get creative with my cooking. Additionally, one pot meals are easier when it comes to cleaning up as well. That adds up to requiring less prep time and less fuel to cook and less water for washing dishes.

Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable…

Kinda like being sick. Once you’re well again, it makes you appreciate your good health. Uncomfortable situations keep things interesting. For example, living in a perfect climate (sunny and warm) for some could be quite boring. Along those lines, by living in a van, I’ve learned to appreciate the cold days as well as the hot. Those cold days makes me appreciate my hot cup of coffee that much more and on the hot days, hiking along a cool mountain stream does the trick for me.

Planning is important…

In my year in a van and meeting lots of vandwellers as well as other nomadic type mobile people, I’ve found that a good percentage of them have no plans at all. They just load up and go. I do the same for the most part, but I still have some semblance of a plan. When I first began vandwelling, my planning went south pretty quickly. My philosophy was basically this: I’m retired, so I don’t want a schedule, a calendar or a map. I just wanted to get in my van and hit the road. Over the course of a year, I’ve learned that some planning makes the road trip just a little more enjoyable. There’s nothing worse than driving around in the darkness trying to find a suitable place to camp for the night.

There’s a reason I have few campfires…

If you take the time to watch a few YouTube videos on RV’ing, vandwelling and camping and then scroll through social media sites on this same subject, you’ll find tons of images of campers and RV’ers sitting by campfires. Some are just gazing intently into the fire while some are roasting hot dogs or marshmallows. These images give the impression that these folks are truly enjoying the campfires… and some are. However, the real truth is, not that many people out in the wild have campfires. Why? The smoke! Smoke can get in your clothing, your eyes, your van – everywhere! Forgetting about the campfire will leave you feeling cleaner and your clothes smelling fresher and save you the hassle of finding wood or carrying your own. It’s also illegal to gather wood on BLM Land; at least the BLM Land that I’ve camped on. Fires, for the most part are fine, but you have to carry your own wood in.

It’s all about the journey, not the destination…

The first thing I wanted to do when I began my vandwelling was to hit the road and visit all the National Parks and as many (interesting) State Parks as possible. After a short few weeks in one state, I realized the impossibility of that plan. Do you know how many hiking trails, state parks, small historic towns and other hidden gems are out there just waiting for you to come explore? This is a very big country and there is just so much to see and enjoy. I could spend months in one small area and still miss out on so much.

The one thing I will leave you with here is this…

                                            I have learned to appreciate where I am!!

Until next time…

This has all been good for travelers up until the last few years when Walmart began slowly closing off its parking lots to travelers. In all fairness to Walmart, it’s not all Walmart’s doing. A lot of the traveling public does not know that the parking lots that a lot of the Walmart stores occupy are not Walmart property, but belong to property owners that lease to Walmart. In these cases, Walmart has no control over letting travelers spend the night in these lots.

Some of these Walmart stores are simply following Corporate Policy that seems to be slowly removing the overnight staying policy put in place by Sam Walton, the Founder of Walmart many years ago. Another reason is that in some cities, city ordinances are prohibiting overnight parking anywhere within city limits including Walmart. I’ve heard that these ordinances are coming about because of pressure brought by RV Parks who are losing revenue to the free lots. It does seem that Walmart stores in rural areas are more RV friendly and are not closing their parking lots down as their urban based stores are.

So, other than the reasons given above, why is Walmart shutting the van dwellers and other RV types from spending the night in their lots. In a nutshell, it’s the bad apples. It’s the RV’ers that arrive in a Walmart parking lot and let out their awnings, roll their slides out, set out the grills and chairs and become “squatters” and stay for days or even weeks in some cases. And then, there’s the RV’ers pulling a trailer. They drive in and park their trailer, unhook it from their tow vehicle and take off and don’t return, sometimes for days or weeks.

I’ve seen trash left, black tanks leakage and smelled the stench of urine or other gross smelling liquids left behind by these bad apples. This is why Walmart is slowly closing their parking lots to RV’ers. I can see a ways down the road when others like Cabela’s will also close their lots to overnight stays.

Quite frankly, I would much rather be parked by a beautiful lake or mountain stream or the beach than a Walmart in the city.

When someone asks me this question, I always answer with a question of my own…

I ask them – are you going to be spending a good deal of time “off-grid?” By off-grid I’m referring to traveling and living in your RV on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Land in the desert, in the mountains or other raw land or so-called primitive campsites without electricity? If you are, then Solar might be for you.

Most Class A’s, Class B’s and Class C RV’s usually come with a built-in generator. With a generator, you can produce your own electricity to power your lights, entertainment system, cooking appliances, air conditioning, etc. However, with the generator comes the issue of carrying enough gasoline to power your generator for a few days to a few weeks or more and the cost of gasoline today has to be considered. You also have the noise factor with a generator chugging along. This can be a pain if your goal is to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to enjoy the solitude of quietness of the desert or a mountain hideaway.

You might consider solar as a complement to your generator. If you’re a van dweller, or towing a small travel trailer, more than likely, you don’t have a generator. In these cases, solar can benefit you greatly. I spend a good deal of time off-grid in my converted van. Because of this wonderful life-style I’ve chosen, I travel the country freely and rarely spend any time in an RV park with electricity and other amenities. I take advantage of free camping and BLM Land (which belongs to the Federal Government) and they let us camp there for free. When I retired and decided I wanted to be mobile and get out and explore this great country, I spent a big sum of money to purchase a rather large Class C RV. I made 2 trips in it before deciding I did not like driving that monster around the country with amenities in it that I rarely used and getting something like 9 miles to the gallon of gasoline. I sold it and bought a van and I could not be happier with my decision.

Once I became a van dweller, I had to downsize a great deal and found that becoming a minimalist wasn’t all that bad. I simply got rid of stuff I didn’t use anyway. The only electrical items I have in my van is my 12 volt DC refrigerator, a Fantastic Fan and my computer and iPad.

For my van I chose Renogy 200 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar RV Kit Off-Grid Kit with 30A PWM LCD Charge Controller + Mounting Brackets + MC4 Connectors + Solar Cables + Cable Entry housing. Following is the link on Amazon.

https://amzn.to/2ImnddX

• This kit includes Renogy’s Adventurer 30A PWM Flush Mount Charge Controller which can charge the battery quickly and safely under almost any condition. Optimum operating current (Imp): 5.62A,Optimum operating voltage (Vmp): 17.8p
• With a Renogy 200W Monocrystalline RV Kit with Adventurer, you won’t have to wonder about whether you’re getting the most out of your system
• Monocrystalline solar cell efficiency: 18.4%; Negative grounding controller ensures the broader off grid applications and safety
• Corrosion resistant aluminum frame for extended outdoor use, allowing the panels to last for decades as well as withstand high winds (2400Pa) and snow loads (5400Pa)

I also chose the Renogy 12 Volt, deep cycle, 200 amp hour, AGM sealed battery. Following is the link on Amazon.

https://amzn.to/2KJqmCP

These items are available from Amazon and shipping is free for Prime members.

There are thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels available, but from my research and in talking with other travelers who have them, I have found that these type solar panels do not last as long as the rigid type and they are more expensive to purchase. Therefore, I made my decision to go with the traditional type and so far have not been disappointed.

I have found that the panels and battery above are more than adequate for my electrical needs.

Of course I have to have my coffee and tea, but I use a drip type coffee maker that does not require electricity and my portable stove heats the water for this in no time.

I do hope this post has been helpful to you in making your decision regarding solar for your RV.

Most of the photos in this blog are provided with the courtesy of pixabay.com.

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Until next time…