First-Time Experience

Having recently from nearly a week of Boondocking in the Cades Cove campground of the Smokies I thought I would share my experience for what it’s worth. Living and camping in Florida and having full hookups every time, I wasn’t sure how effectively the heater and other systems would work, though I tried everything before I left including running the heater, refrigerator, water heater, and a burner on propane simultaneously in my driveway. I packed plenty of bottled water to drink and planned on filling up the fresh water tank with water when I arrived at the campground instead of filling up with water from my house and hauling around the extra weight.

This was my first time boondocking in a trailer. My biggest concern initially was with battery power as it relates to running the propane heater fan in the TM -knowing that the weather was supposed to dip just below freezing at night for the first two nights of my stay. I have a 2006 2720SL with the original battery. The battery seemed in good shape but I purchased a spare marine battery and charged it up just in case I had to switch out batteries in the middle of the night to keep the heater running. After reading the archives, I was unclear on how much juice the heater fan would draw knowing full well that generators were not permitted between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. I was confident that with the spare battery at night and Honda generator to recharge both batteries in the morning I would be ok.

After 20 hours of driving I arrived in the dark, tired and cold as a light snow began to fall. (It wasn’t easy negotiating some of the countless ‘S’ turns in the mountains in the dark.) I didn’t see any water spigots anywhere after driving around the entire campground twice so I just picked the best campsite I could find. When unhooking and setting up, the first thing I did was to hook up and start my propane-powered little red portable campfire. This helped with some extra light, and my mood, plus it also throws off quite a bit of heat which I needed because I forgot gloves! I quickly set up the TM and turned on the refrigerator and heater and got ready for bed, somewhat depressed. I kept the heater at a very low setting the first night to try and gauge the battery usage to get a better idea. Because of the lack of water, I was unable to charge and use the toilet, but I was close enough to walk to the heated bathrooms which were very nice but didn’t have a shower. I should have brought at least 2.5 gallons of water to charge the toilet!

I got up the next morning and stepped outside…it was beautiful! The trees still had quite a few brightly colored leaves, and deer and wild turkey were wandering within 20 feet of the TM. After driving for so long by myself in the dark and not really seeing any fall colors this really started to cheer me up! The picture I am now using as my avatar was taken that day.

I checked my battery by using the gauge by the sink. It seemed fine, though the heater probably didn’t go on more than 3-4 times. My first real priority was water. I had enough drinking water as I mentioned but needed to charge the toilet and wash my hands, dishes, shower etc. Well, I found the campground water spigots during the light of day, but all were turned off because of the fear of freezing pipes! So, I went back into town (about 25 minutes) and bought 24 one gallon jugs of water at 79 cents each. They did have the 2.5 gallon size, but they were much more expensive. The cashier thought I was insane! The town was small and didn’t really have many other options. I didn’t bring any large water containers, so I brought the water back to the trailer and filled it up the fresh water tank in the TM one gallon at a time without spilling too much and charged the toilet.

The second night was a hundred times better - I was less concerned about power and turned the heater up to around 65 degrees which was plenty warm, had plenty of hot water, a cold refrigerator stocked with RC cola and other staples, had a working bathroom and started to really relax and enjoy. That night it was colder, however. The heater would turn on every 10 minutes and stay on for 10 minutes. So for that night it would stay on for 30 minutes every hour, for about 8 hours. I was really concerned with the battery in the morning, but checked the gauge again and it read in the middle, meaning I seemed to have plenty of power left. I hooked up the generator in the morning that morning and each morning thereafter for about 90 minutes to charge it back up and even to run the microwave as needed. As a side note, my heater is located in the front, inside the slide-out couch. Although it was somewhat noisy, it wasn’t much of a factor since l slept in the back and still much less noisy than the air-conditioner. Just hearing it cycle on and off was very comforting.

I set up a pop-up privy next to my outdoor shower outlet toward the back of TM and feed the shower hose inside. The privy is very roomy and I figured that after backpacking I would rinse off in it and conserve so I wouldn’t fill up the gray water tank too soon. This worked very well and is more comfortable than showering inside the TM for me. With the hot water flowing inside it actually got a little steamy which was welcome. I did bring a 10 gallon gray/black portable water tote in case those tanks filled up, but I never got to that point.

I used more propane than expected and decided to refill one of the two 20 pound tanks which was about empty. That one tank wasn’t quite full when I started, so I wasn’t able to accurately figure out how much propane I consumed. But given the heater usage, the water heater, and the refrigerator (which I had turned too cold at first) I shouldn’t have been surprised. In the 2720SL, you have to lift up the Velcro on the front shell and push in the couch slide-out to get at the horizontal tanks – a bit of a pain.
By the end of the fifth night, the fresh water tank was getting low, and the gray water tank was getting full, but it worked out well because I left the next morning and stopped at the dump station prior to leaving.

All in all, I had one of the best times I’ve ever had camping. The campground was probably 30 percent full so I rarely had anyone close to me. I was totally self-sufficient, and couldn’t have been more comfortable. My biggest concern was heat and the battery, but it turned out to be a non-issue as I never got to the lowest mark on the battery gauge, and recharged it every morning with the generator. Water was much more critical, given that I originally assumed that I would have water available somewhere in the park. Everything worked exactly as it was supposed to and I can’t wait to do it again. It feels somehow more satisfying to be totally self-contained.

I hope this was a little bit helpful to potential first-time boondockers!

[Bill]

Now that's a nice story, Dano! Many thanks for sharing it with us. And that is a beautiful area. I first got acquainted with it when we had our TM at the factory for a couple days. We were there in the fall as well, and can't wait to go back.

Thanks again

Bill

Thanks!
Coming from someone with experience in the mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine, I appreciate it...two of my favorite areas!

[countrygirl]

I enjoyed reading this. Sounds like you had fun and everything worked out. Your avatar is really neat...love the leaves.

Very helpful and good post, Dano... glad you had an enjoyable first-time experience. Thanks for sharing it with us. I'm glad your battery was sufficient for using with the heater fan. Mind mentioning what kind of battery it is and how old it is?

By the way, we usually charge our toilet with 2 gal. of water (just what is needed to get it to cycle properly) and add appropriate chemicals before we leave... makes it nice for when you arrive... can use the toilet immediately... and it's one less step to have to deal with.

When boondocking, we also bring along an empty 5 gal. water container for refilling the fresh water tank when the TM is set up at camp. We find that we use more for cooking and drinking, so occassionally we refill it. Also nice in those situations where you are unfamiliar with the campground and can't find the drinking water source, as you experienced. We have a water filter attached to the inside kitchen faucet for purification. Many people like to attach one to the outside also.

I like your idea of the portable privacy curtain with the outside shower - we may do the same to conserve space in the gray water tank... we used to have a solar shower before our TM days when tent camping and it was wonderful - other campers were always jealous

Hello,
I have the original Interstate group 24 battery. Since the TM is a 2006, I'm guessing that it is at least two years old. I was actually surprised by how well it held up. Along with the heater fan, I was using one or two lights, and running water which kicked in the water pump.
That's a good idea about charging the toilet beforehand and bringing an empty 5-gallon container. In fact I believe I have a collapsible 5-gallon container that wouldn't take up any space.
I can't say enough good things about the privy.
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_CH%20S100
That link also has the solar shower setup which you've mentioned.
I'm into buying things that are easy to set up and take down and this can be done in less than a minute. I've attached a picture. The thing I need to do is to extend the length of the outdoor shower hose maybe by having a quick-connect fitting. The only downside is that you need to get the hot/cold water adjustment to your liking before going in. I like the pop up concept so much I also bought a 10x10 pop-up screen house.

Thanks Countrygirl,
The picture doesn't really do it justice. The picture I attached which shows the privy has brighter colors. Living in Florida, I really do miss the seasons.

Wow... I can see how you were pleasantly surprised when you woke up in the morning. That is one of the prettiest camping spots I've ever seen (with the brilliant fall foliage). A excellent photo, Dano! I like the privy also.. have seen it... thanks for the link.

Nice story. Others new to boon docking will undoubtedly gain important knowledge from your story.

I always leave home with the toilet charged, the water heater full and the 40 gallon water tank full. This is about 400 pounds. I have no reason to beliee that it has any effect on fuel economy. As you discovered, sometimes the campground water is turned off, either for freeze protection, or because they are working on the pumps, or because it is unsafe. I only charge the toilet until the pump just barely will pump the water. I add potty toddy tablets for odor control and add the toilet chemicals when I arrive.

I carry dual 50 foot flat hoses in the space where the water pump is. They are very small for storage. I would not recommend using them for full hookups to city pressure, but they work well for filling the water tank. I carry dual 25 foot normal water hoses. I carry dual collapsible water buckets, that are also stored in the water pump compartment.

I have two batteries that are connected together, so I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to swap them. They are on a switch so I can use either battery alone, both batteries together (normal position) or disconnect both batteries for storage. I charge the batteries for about an hour every other day, daily if I have been using the furnace.

Adding swimming pool noodles to the gap in the rear bed will reduce the cold substantially.

If you feel a draft of cold air coming in between the rear upper shell and the bottom shell, either behind the closet or in the bathroom, then drill a new hole in the rear latch to pull the rear upper shell in tighter to the bottom shell.

Between Pop Beavers and I we have enough hose in our TMs to reach any of you - I also carry two of the flat hoses and two regular fresh water hoses. I also carry two sewer hoses, two 15 amp extention cords and an extra 30 amp extention cord along with a selection of conversion plugs, "Y" adapter and a water thief. All of the foregoing provides me with flexibility as to where I locate my TM within a campsite and prevents me from having to move the TM if a spigot or electrical hookup isn't functioning properly.

One hint - many bath houses at campgrounds have a hose spigot they use for maintenence purposes that you can use to fill a jug or possibly even reach your TM with if you have enough hose. - camp2canoe