How long do you stay in one place when boondocking?

[grubworm]

ok...i changed this to a different line of questioning and added a poll to make it easier.
the reason for this question is because i am wondering what the majority of folk do on here. the wife and i travel a good bit and when we "boondock", it is to spend the night and then get back to being mobile. when people ask about a good place to boondock in a particular area, i'll give my answer based on what worked well for us to spend the night and then leave. my boondocking site might not be very well suited for people wanting to stay multiple days. i always just assumed that most people on an "overlanding" site would be more mobile and moving around a lot and not staying in one spot very long. i might be wrong, so out of curiosity, im wondering how long most members stay in one spot when boondocking...

 

[genocache]

Boondocking has always confused me. We used to call our boots in the Navy "boondockers", What does boondocking have to do with boots?

 

[Rgmaguire]

Boondocking has always confused me. We used to call our boots in the Navy "boondockers", What does boondocking have to do with boots?

That's funny. I noticed your image shows boots with laces. When I was in, our boondocks were the slip-on kind. Good times...

 

[MidOH]

It's camping in an unofficial spot, where you wouldn't normally camp. Generally a spot where you're "bending the rules" a bit.

Pull off next to road, empty grass field, desert, etc. Not Walmart, so much.

Similar to overlanding, but not off road based. And usually not limited to small sizes.

 

[grubworm]

Boondocking has always confused me. We used to call our boots in the Navy "boondockers", What does boondocking have to do with boots?

well...the navy in general always confused me...
my understanding is that the army coined the phrase "boondocks" to mean jungle or a rough wooded terrain and so boots designed to be worn in that were called "boondockers". i was on subs and we wore tennis shoes to keep the noise down, so i never wore them that much, but i was issued "boondockers" in bootcamp and they absolutely sucked. looked and felt like something frankenstein's monster wore...

 

[Outdoordog]

I'm not familiar with the term, but I guess that's the type of camping I do.

I dislike campgrounds.

I only camp in places that are far from other people, hard to get to, and great views.

 

[grubworm]

i get what it is, for the most part, was just wondering what it means in the mind of the average person on here as far as duration of stay. when people ask if a particular area has boondocking, are they meaning to spend one night and move on or are they wanting to stay in that spot for several days or longer. like i said earlier, that does make a difference. i'd offer my backyard or driveway to a traveler to boondock overnight and save the cost of a campground or motel but that doesnt mean i want them there for a week or two.

 

[ZombieCat]

In the context of OB, my definition is an “unofficial” free camping spot, as in not an established campground/campsite, where you are self-contained. Power would be off-grid, as in solar or a generator. Water would be transported in or filtered from a natural source. It can be on public lands, private land or commercial property (ex. Cracker Barrel parking lot). While camping is free, there may be restrictions on how long you can stay in one location.
Boondocking can be one night or for an extended time. Full timers may boondock in one location for several weeks if rules of the property permit.
The majority of people reading this will boondock for recreational reasons (overlanding or other vacation activities). However, I think the definition of boondocking could more generally include anyone living under these self reliant conditions. An example would be living in a travel trailer on undeveloped private property - no power, water or sewage hookup.

 

[indergroun]

I usually only camp in places that are remote, hard to access, and offer stunning views. As for how long I stay, it really depends on the location and the conditions, but I typically aim for a few days to fully enjoy the solitude and scenery

 

[grubworm]

When I was in, our boondocks were the slip-on kind. Good times...

yeah, theyve lowered the bar to the point to where grown men dont even have to know how to tie a shoe lace to get in...
sad times, actually...

 

[rgallant]

Well for me that is pretty much all the time, in most of British Columbia outside of Provincial/Federal parks camp where you want in the back country. As to duration, it depends generally I move every day unless the fishing is good or there is something specific I want to do, checkout old mines.ghost towns etc. But rarely more than 2 days.

 

[Rgmaguire]

When I was in, our boondocks were the slip-on kind. Good times...

yeah, theyve lowered the bar to the point to where grown men dont even have to know how to tie a shoe lace to get in...
sad times, actually...

Not so. Laces take too much time in emergencies, and I served in the eighties, so they came later.

 

[grubworm]

Not so. Laces take too much time in emergencies, and I served in the eighties, so they came later.

yeah, i was in during the 80s as well. they have lowered the bar a lot, even while i was in. the body fat index was raised to a higher percentage and even our yearly PT exercise was lowered to adjust more for out of shape sailors. i dont even think there is a minimum pull up/push up requirement now...
i know people in the military now and it is a totally different freak show than it was when i was in. not to go off on a tangent, but since this thread has moved into discussing navy footwear, i might as well go with it...

 

[pcstockton]

So what is the difference between "Boondocking" and "Dispersed Camping"?

 

[Dave in AZ]

So what is the difference between "Boondocking" and "Dispersed Camping"?

You'll never get agreement from a ton of folks on definitions like this, everyone has their own interpretation. Mine is: boondocking is for longer stays, maybe up to the 14day limits. Also because of longer stays, tends to be associated with large RVs, VanLife folks, people living in their rigs. Dispersed Camping IS what a lot of boondockers are doing, but this term is used when the connotation is for overnight camping, weekend campers, overlanders, people just camping for recreation. If you're doing dispersed camping for long periods, living in your rig kinda, then you generally say boondocking instead of dispersed camping.
That's just my take on it, but there's no general agreement on ANY of these words really.

 

[grubworm]

So what is the difference between "Boondocking" and "Dispersed Camping"?

You'll never get agreement from a ton of folks on definitions like this, everyone has their own interpretation. Mine is: boondocking is for longer stays, maybe up to the 14day limits. Also because of longer stays, tends to be associated with large RVs, VanLife folks, people living in their rigs. Dispersed Camping IS what a lot of boondockers are doing, but this term is used when the connotation is for overnight camping, weekend campers, overlanders, people just camping for recreation. If you're doing dispersed camping for long periods, living in your rig kinda, then you generally say boondocking instead of dispersed camping.
That's just my take on it, but there's no general agreement on ANY of these words really.

i dont know a specific difference between those two terms, either...but i do like the way @Dave in AZ has explained it.
"boondocking" is just like campground camping in the one sense that some folk will boondock or go to a campground only to be there long enough to sleep, shit, shower, and shave and then be going off exploring while others will also boondock or campground camp where they actually stay there and just hang out for whatever reason. i know people who spend big bucks on a nice 5-wheeler and golf cart and they go to a campground for the weekend to cook, watch tv outside and ride around in the golf cart. so with that in mind, some campgrounds will have more appeal to folk who are actually staying there the entire time while a "lessor" campground will be perfectly fine for the folk that are just sleeping and leaving. same for "boondocking". i'd be just fine boondocking off a dirt road out in the desert or at a rest area since im only there for a few hours and then moving on.
despite what its called, it really boils down to how long you are staying as to what you would consider an ideal spot and THAT is what i was trying to get the feel for by asking that.
if someone asked me if i know of any boondocking in west texas, how do i know if they are just looking for a quick place to sleep and leave OR are they wanting a place for free to hang out and hike, fish, or whatever for a few days? knowing that would determine what answer i give. would be nice if there was a word or phrase that distinquishes that

 

[Alanymarce]

Without getting tangled in definitions, I'll share our experience camping in places which are not defined campsites (i.e., "wild camping").

1) On routes where there are no campsites or any other form of accommodation - e.g.:

- Simpson Desert crossing , which was a 5 day crossing, and we camped each night in spot which looked attractive or was a bit sheltered.
- TransLabrador Highway - no formal campsites so we camped at attractive places, usually on a river crossing.

2) Where wild camping is a better alternative to a campsite packed with permanent caravans and RVs, e.g.:

- Late in the season in Western Ontario heading west, where there were no campsites open - camped on Crown Land on a lake about half an hour off the highway.

We usually do this for no more than one night; when we stay somewhere for more than a night it's because there are reasons to stay longer - game reserve, city, remote work, etc., and we want to have more facilities than when wild camping.

 

[Dave in AZ]

And in case it isn't clear to everyone, the word "boondock" means rough, remote, isolated... camping at a Campground with facilities, water ir electric is pretty much by definition, NOT BOONDOCKING ;)

 

[K12]

I boondock 90% of the year. Usually stay in one place for a week or two at a time. This is going by the non-designated camping area definition. Usually on some type of gov land in the middle of nowhere. Im fulltime and try to only hit campsites if neccessary for one reason or another. Alos really depend on the oart of the country I'm in. Out east there is not much in the way of free gov land areas to stay.

 

[grubworm]

I boondock 90% of the year. Im fulltime

so what do you look for in a site? if you stay at one place for a week or two, are you out and about most time or are you at camp doing things?