Wow I can’t believe that it’s been over 4 months now and living in the desert without any hook-ups. Many of our friends have asked varies questions about us living out here with no hook-ups and what’s been like. Maybe I can shed a little light on it.
One thing that sticks in my head the most is that last fall I posted a question on a rv group web site and the question that I asked is: Are we ready? Meaning are we ready for boondocking life. I posted that we had all the accentual means to boondocking; generator and solar panel. One person answered back that they about guaranteed us that within the first few months we would be making changes and that it was a given for the first timers to boondocking. Well, that person was right. Within the very first month we discovered that moving an rv out here in the desert wasn’t the easiest thing to do. so we purchased a car….
Now that we have the car, we still had the problem of bring in fresh water and getting rid of our grey and black water. So the next purchase was buying the Blue Boy. We had intentions of buying what is called a “ water bladder”, but after meeting some people and talking to them about their “water bladder”, we decided against it and just went with several 7 gal. water jugs that has worked out great thus far. We also had to purchase a water pump to pump the fresh water into the rv, because our fill is pressurized.
Now that we own a car, we could carry a canoe on top of the car. That way when we were near any waterways, we could exploring on our own. So we purchased a canoe and all the accessories that was needed.
When we first hit the road, our house batteries we questionable and we went the cheapest route and purchased Wal-Mart batteries. WRONG!! They wouldn’t hold a good charge after the solar charged them. Wal-Mart was great about returning the batteries, however that did mean we had to purchased different and more expensive batteries, and no not from Wal-Mart.
It did get a little chilly here and we still had one more hurdle. Propane only last for so long and then you need to refuel; which means, yes, moving the rv-again. So we purchased two 20lbs propane tanks and the extend-a-stay hoses and connections.
Then we discovered that the Catalytic heater/Wave 3 just didn’t keep us warm enough and the floors were always cold. We were told that the Wave 3 would be the perfect size for our little motorhome. Well guess what? Yep, it didn’t do the job it should have done. So once again, exploring our different options to heaters, we found one that we really liked. The downfall is the size. It’s a little big for our little home, but let me tell you, it sure does the job great! Oh, we ended up with Cozy World Ceramic Heater with two bricks/10,000BTU. And we found the perfect owners to take the Wave 3 off our hands. We posted on several bulletin boards that we had a heater for sale and that it would be perfect for a small truck camper. An elderly couple was looking for a heater, but didn’t want to pay the outlandish price and ours was just what they wanted.
so with all that said, yes, we put out the money this first winter of boondocking, but the way we look at it; we are now set to go!!
Stay tune…..
Part two I will tell you how well we survived otherwise out here in the Desert….
One thing that sticks in my head the most is that last fall I posted a question on a rv group web site and the question that I asked is: Are we ready? Meaning are we ready for boondocking life. I posted that we had all the accentual means to boondocking; generator and solar panel. One person answered back that they about guaranteed us that within the first few months we would be making changes and that it was a given for the first timers to boondocking. Well, that person was right. Within the very first month we discovered that moving an rv out here in the desert wasn’t the easiest thing to do. so we purchased a car….
Now that we have the car, we still had the problem of bring in fresh water and getting rid of our grey and black water. So the next purchase was buying the Blue Boy. We had intentions of buying what is called a “ water bladder”, but after meeting some people and talking to them about their “water bladder”, we decided against it and just went with several 7 gal. water jugs that has worked out great thus far. We also had to purchase a water pump to pump the fresh water into the rv, because our fill is pressurized.
Now that we own a car, we could carry a canoe on top of the car. That way when we were near any waterways, we could exploring on our own. So we purchased a canoe and all the accessories that was needed.
When we first hit the road, our house batteries we questionable and we went the cheapest route and purchased Wal-Mart batteries. WRONG!! They wouldn’t hold a good charge after the solar charged them. Wal-Mart was great about returning the batteries, however that did mean we had to purchased different and more expensive batteries, and no not from Wal-Mart.
It did get a little chilly here and we still had one more hurdle. Propane only last for so long and then you need to refuel; which means, yes, moving the rv-again. So we purchased two 20lbs propane tanks and the extend-a-stay hoses and connections.
Then we discovered that the Catalytic heater/Wave 3 just didn’t keep us warm enough and the floors were always cold. We were told that the Wave 3 would be the perfect size for our little motorhome. Well guess what? Yep, it didn’t do the job it should have done. So once again, exploring our different options to heaters, we found one that we really liked. The downfall is the size. It’s a little big for our little home, but let me tell you, it sure does the job great! Oh, we ended up with Cozy World Ceramic Heater with two bricks/10,000BTU. And we found the perfect owners to take the Wave 3 off our hands. We posted on several bulletin boards that we had a heater for sale and that it would be perfect for a small truck camper. An elderly couple was looking for a heater, but didn’t want to pay the outlandish price and ours was just what they wanted.
so with all that said, yes, we put out the money this first winter of boondocking, but the way we look at it; we are now set to go!!
Stay tune…..
Part two I will tell you how well we survived otherwise out here in the Desert….
Good adjustments !This winter seems to have been a bit colder than usual out West.
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