Is Boondocking Always Cheaper?

Beach boondocking at Sea Rim, TX

Boondocking is a word that frugal RVers love. The basic definition of boondocking (the way I use the word anyway) is camping for free or close to free ”in the boonies” on public land such as BLM and dispersed forest sites. It’s the best of the best -> open nature-acess, no neighbours (most of the time) and zip $$ out-of-pocket.  I mean, how much better does life get than that? Like most nature-lovers we love it and try to find spots to squeeze in the beast wherever we can.

Just for fun however, I wanted to explore the question from the side of pure cost. Now, you may think me mad to ask if there’s anything cheaper than free camping, but the truth of the matter is that boondocking has hidden costs for RVers and, from a purely financial standpoint, sometimes isn’t cheapest option even if you’ve got solar. Here’s some intellectual food for thought:

1/ Cost of Recharging Batteries – All the electric stuff in your RV runs off your house batteries so when you’re out in the boonies you need to find a way to recharge them. For most that involves running a generator and depending on how much electricity you use (and so how often you run the generator) that could mean a couple of hours everyday or every other day. Our generator uses ~1 gallon/hr of fuel at full load so that can add up to ~$8/day at current diesel prices. We have solar now and don’t need to worry about this anymore, but for most that will be a factor.

She's laughing 'coz she doesn't need to pay...lucky dog...

2/ Cost of Temperature Variations - We have pets and so we have to be sensitive to temperature changes in the RV. We simply can’t let internal temps fly too high, and if we’re in an area that requires air-conditioning then even our solar can’t keep up. Running aircon for 3-4 hours/day adds another $12-16/day of generator costs. When it’s really hot, getting an electric hookup can make a lot of financial sense.

3/ Costs of Dumping/Water - As the old saying goes, what goes in has (eventually) gotta come out. Most RVers will need to empty their tanks weekly or every other week depending on tank size and if you’re in the boonies you’ll need to find a spot to do it. Some places allow free dumping, but many will charge a nominal fee (typically anywhere from $5 to $15). Not a biggie this one, but it does add to the costs.

4/ Cost of Travel - The best part of getting “out there” is getting out there, but it does mean you might be far away from sightseeing, groceries and other errands. The cost of fuel to/from things you want to do can add up. Having a small, separate vehicle (toad/truck) helps to cut driving costs, but sometimes staying closer to “stuff” can make more financial sense.

5/ Cost of Boondocking – Camping in dispersed (non-developed) sites on public land is very often free, but not always. Quartzite, a popular winter boondocking spot charges a seasonal long-term fee of $180. If camping in a “developed” public campground, even without hookups, there is usually some kind of daily fee.

All these costs mean you might be paying up to ~$18/day for boondocking, depending on conditions. How does that compare to the alternative?

1/ Savings On Developed Camping – Costs in developed campgrounds can sometimes  be very attractive, depending on where you’re willing to go.

It's hard to beat the deals in New Mexico State Parks

• State Deals – Our New Mexico State Pass is a deal at $225/year. So far we’ve used the pass for 30 days of camping and even if you add-on the extra fee for electric hookup ($4/day) that works out to ~$11/day in camping fees. Pretty darn competitive.
• Monthly Deals - Many private campgrounds offer a monthly deal and sometimes they can be very attractive. Out in Alabama we could’ve camped with full hook-ups by the beach for $355/month (~$12/day). We just passed a spot here in Taos that offered full hook-up for $275/month (~$9/day). Purely based on price, it’s hard to beat.
• Camping Passes – Passport America is (in my opinion) the best camping club out there offering up to 50% off at member campgrounds, depending on timeframe and season. You might need to be flexible to get the full discount offer, but with some planning you can get a full hook-up site for ~$15/night.
• Senior Discounts - When you reach the “golden years” you start getting a lot of juicy discounts. America the Beautiful can get you 50% off camping fees in National Parks and federal lands (BLM, forest). Some State Parks and even some private parks offer senior discounts too.

2/ Savings on Laundry – We happen to have a washer/dryer in the RV and, believe it or not, it can actually make sense for us to pay for full hookup when we need to do laundry. A typical load in a laundromat will cost ~$3-$4. Got 3-4 loads and you’re getting close to the cost of a discount site.

There’s no doubt boondocking is fabulous and the best way to get “out there” in nature. In temperate climates with solar panels and a fully stocked liquor cabinet nothing can beat it. But if you’re just starting out or camping in extreme temps there are other options that may be cheaper. Something to discuss over your evening glass, in any case

How Much Does it Take?

A question we are often asked is ‘How much money does it take to live the full-time RV lifestyle?’ Or other not so direct questions trying to get to this point. Before we did this, we asked this question many a time as well. So, I thought I’d address it here on the blog.

During my research into living the RV lifestyle the most common answer I received to this question was ‘whatever you have’. Being an engineer and semi-paranoid about the future this was just not going to do. Thus my journey began. After month and months of on-line research, trolling many on-line RV forums, generating a thousand versions of spreadsheets and comparing them to Nina’s meticulously compiled actual expense spreadsheets, I can confidently say that I have the answer. Ready. The answer is….. ‘whatever you have!’

Now, before you send in some smart alec comments allow me to explain…

First, the hard numbers. A few surveys done over recent years by RV groups show that most full-time RVers live on $1,000 to $4,000 a month of income with the average being $2,500. These numbers do not include an RV payment or taxes but do include everything else. They assume the motorhome is owned outright. On the road you do see a large range of lifestyles from the 20ft mini tow trailers to the 45ft tag axle ‘tour buses’. $2,500 a month is $30,000 per year. Factor in the number of years you would  like to lead this lifestyle for and you have an approximate number for how much it takes. That’s the simplest calculation and is probably adequate if you’re only thinking of the lifestyle for a short period of time, say less than 5 years.

If you want to retire for good and live off your savings then the calculations are  bit different. The best rule of thumb for retirement planning (a topic I’ll address in future posts) is to not withdraw more than 4% of your savings in any given year. This will insure that your savings survive a long period of time (say 30 years) and keep pace with inflation. Using the $30,000 per year number means that you would need a nest egg of $750,000 ($30,000/ 0.04) to safely begin retirement. That’s a pretty big number. Fortunately, there are many other options. By the way, this analysis applies to whatever alternative ‘retirement’ lifestyle you may be considering. Full-time RVing is just one of many and an option that allows one to live with pretty modest means.

Here are a links to a few full-time RVers websites where they publish their monthly expenses:
1. RV Dreams
2. Happy Wanderers
3. Road Less Traveled

Now, for some alternatives to the straight retire-never-work-again approach. Well, the most obvious one is to do some work. You probably want to do something, even if its just part-time. One of the beauties of RVing is that there are many ways to make side income to support your adventure. One of the most popular ways is camp hosting. This is where you work at the campground you’re staying at in exchange for a free camp site with full hookups (elec, water, sewer). Usually this involves 20hrs/week of work (for a couple) at the campground doing various jobs like fee collection, light maintenance, light housekeeping, etc…Since the RV site fee (your rent) and fuel are two of the major expenses for full-time RVers this option can reduce monthly expenditures quite a bit, as much as $1,000/month. That sure makes a big difference – now we’re talking of needing $18,000 per year, down from the $30,000 original estimate.

Finally, there are many full-time RVers who make enough income to cover their lifestyle expenses 100%. Obviously, this involves more work but again there are tons of options out there. I’m constantly amazed at how people make their living on the road and at how many ways there are to do it. There is even an organization that caters to this segment, called Workamper (or Work Camping). For example, recently I saw a job opening for full-time RVers to tag along with a traveling circus and help out teaching/tutoring kids of the performers. Check out some of the cool jobs offered at Workamper under the sample jobs section. Nina is planning a working on the road post where she’ll tell you more…

As for the RV, there is also a huge range of options from the 20+yr old used motorhome (see pic below) for $11,000 to the luxury tour bus type motorhomes for $500K. The most economical options are the travel trailers, fifth wheels and used motorhomes. A very nice full-timing solution can be had for less than $50K.

So, in the end, the answer really is ‘whatever you have’. Like many things in life its about adapting the lifestyle to your particular situation and desires. Hopefully this has given you a few more of the hard facts as to what is involved with full-time RVing.

Anyone enticed??

$11K for your new home!!