What percentage of time does everyone boondock? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

jimindenver · RV-Dreams Family Member

RE: What percentage of time does everyone boondock?

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think the unfolding panels would work well for a smaller RV, like a class-B or a fiberglass egg camper that lacks sufficient roof space, as would side mounted, swing-up, awning like panels.

For those with sufficient roof space there's always this: www.youtube.com/watch

Here's 2,250 watts in peel and stick thin film (light weight) solar panels being installed on a flat building roof in about 1/2 hr. www.youtube.com/watch

I know they would add rather than subtract heat load to the roof plus they would run at higher temps reducing their efficiency, but it may be an option for some because of the light weight and quick and easy money saving installation (if you must pay to have it done.)

Another thing I've been thinking about recently is covering the air conditioner cover and vents with some lightweight Mylar reflectors, which would act like a mirror to reflect more light on a panel rather than to shade the panel, increasing rather than reducing its output, even if only by a marginal amount. www.mirrorsheeting.com/ or www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MY1M50-50-Foot-Reflective-Metalized/dp/B003AUH45Q/ref=pd_sbs_lg_3 Also for those with portable panels placed on the ground on a 45 degree angle, if one would attach a lightweight, mirror (say with a thin sheet of mirrored Mylar attached to some Coroplast) to one edge of the panel, which could be folded out to reflect more light on the panels, especially in low-light, overcast, winter conditions to inexpensively boost their output. Of course you wouldn't want to get too crazy with the mirrors and damage your panels from excessive heat, using them in full summer sun say in the desert - just enough to boost them to near rated capacity or maybe just a tad better when they are not receiving enough sunlight to perform as they should.

Chip

Steve and Kate · RV-Dreams Family Member

Trick question for us! We boondock 100% of the time we use our RV but only use it 6 months of the year. We are entirely off the grid living at 10,000' altitude May-October, after that the snow is too deep to get out. No phones, no electricity, no water wells-we have to haul our own water up the mountain, no tv, no radio except for a weather alert, no mail-almost no human contact except for trips to town once a week.

Steve and Kate living at Aspenridge with Bella our faithful and fearless dog

2013 Keystone Cougar

2013 Chevy 3/4 ton

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

We do a version of BoonDocking-
This past year, 2014, we were on campground hook-ups for a total of 19 days. But we worked the other 49 weeks on a semi-hook-up.
When were on site, we are on generator power, water is supplied in a 300 gallon tank weekly and a pump out service supplies a 300 gallon septic tank. The water is potable for washing, but without a RO system I won't drink it.
So we are "Off Grid" but still have amenities in limited amounts.

tibbar · RV-Dreams Family Member

We now boondock almost 100% of the time. I wanted a generator so we could go to Quartzite 3 years ago and since then all our camping except one trip has been boondocking. That one 11 day trip cost $244 in campground fees and $70 for an annual pass so we wouldn't have to pay an extra $10 a day fee.

We are all set up with a 50 gallon tank we pump the grey and black water into and drive to the dump station. This way we don't have to move our TT from our spot in the LTVA north of Yuma, AZ. We were using two 5 gallon bottles to fill our water tank but I just bought a 45 gallon water bladder exactly like the one in the link above. We will try it out when we head west in a few months.

We also bought two 6v batteries and a big Boliy generator that we run about every three days, LED lights really help with power consumption. We run our laptops through 12v outlets and the TV with an inverter plugged into another 12v outlet.

Buzz · RV-Dreams Community Member

#2 We've been fulltime for 8 months, 7 months spent boondocking. Here in Wyoming you can stay on state & blm land for 14 - 16 days at a time for free. We've not been able to travel much because of a family medical situation, so boondocking has been great for u
s!