8 Tips For Shopping & Boondocking At Quartzsite, AZ

Hanging at our boondocking spot

So, we’re still hanging at Q. The “big RV show” officially ended yesterday, and 2 of the rigs in our group have gone (sniff, sniff…Polly’s BEST PAL Lewis is sorely missed), but we decided to hang out for a few more days of free camping while we figure out our next move. Alot of the big RV social groups are gone, but there are still a bunch of vendors in the streets and a fair few rigs in the desert gearing up for the massive Gem & Crafts Show that starts this week.

Afternoon view of our site

As for us? We’ve been hanging at our lovely site, shopping the rummage sales, and socializing, and all this despite a few days of rain (thankfully gone now). On the $$ side we ended up spending ~$240 at the show (which was rather reserved of us, I thought) most of which was stuff we never knew we needed (isn’t that always the case?). Being a rather dedicated rummage shopper and having spent a solid week in the trenches I can say there are things worth buying at Q and things I would stay away from. I figured it would be interesting to share my perspective on it:

1/ LED Lights -> Worth it IF You’re Picky!

TONS of spots selling LEDs here. You can try and compare before you buy.

LED lights were a HUGE draw this year and the most busy booths. I love the power-savings from LED,  but I’m very particular about light quality and LED’s can vary ALOT (color/brightness etc.) between vendors even with exactly the same specs. They’re not the cheapest in Q (the cheapest LED lights you can get are on eBay directly from China), but here you can see a massive selection and try out the different kinds/colors in your rig before you finalize your buy. After looking at many, many LEDs we finally found the perfect mood light for one of our decorative fittings, and our neighbors (Alex&Ellen) were able to get a bulk deal to re-do their entire rig.

2/ Rummage Sales -> Worth it!

The key to rummage sales is patience..and a keen eye.

Just a sampling of our Q swag!

If you’re patient enough to rummage around the big boxes of stuff and diligently compare prices you can definitely find something that’s worth your while. We got a new 9′x18′ RV matt for $59 (at least $10-$30 cheaper than anywhere else I’ve seen, including online) and a brand new aluminum step for the same price (again, at least $10-$30 cheaper than the general market). We also snagged a mallet for $2, an adjustable/collapsable rake for $6 and some electrical fittings for $0.20 a piece. Most of the stores sell similar stuff, but prices can vary alot so looking around will save you money.

3/ Inexpensive Hats, Gloves & Microfiber Cloths -> Worth It!

This kind of leads on from #2, but there’s something particular about hats, gloves and microfiber/cleaning/dishwasher cloths in Q. For some reason the vendors love them and there are simply NO END of stores selling these things at the big show. You won’t find any high-end stuff here, but if you’re looking for an inexpensive buy and you want to see/feel/try/compare then you’ve got it all right here.

4/ Special Deals on Suspension Upgrades -> Worth it!

Many of the big vendors (Hendersons Line-Up, Brazel’s RV Performance, Redlands Truck etc.) will do special “show only” deals on suspension or specific RV upgrades. Often these will be many hundreds less than what the vendors would offer in their shop. We haven’t done any ourselves, but several of the folks in the Monaco iRV2 group have taken advantage of these deals in the past and rave about them. If you’re in the market for a suspension upgrade these are most definitely worth it!

5/ Solar Installation -> No….not, my choice

There were several vendors selling solar at Q this year, and although I’m sure many of them are fine, it would not be my choice to do an installation here. I feel you can get better prices elsewhere by selecting your own components and, given how many poor solar installations are on the market, it’s worth finding the best-qualified installers to do it.

6/ Novelty Kitchen & Home Gadgets -> Mostly no

Window glove? No, not my thing

You’ll see a ton of shops selling novelty kitchen & home gadgets (the “wonder whisk”, the “grill topper”, the “magic salsa maker”) which are more marketing than function in my mind. Most of these things are something you’ll buy and then use maybe once. We don’t have space for excess stuff like this in our rig and try not to get suckered into the buy.

7/ WiFi & Electrical -> Mostly No

Surprisingly there’s very poor selection of WiFi/amplifier/antenna or electrical stuff in Quartzsite. We only saw one WiFi booth and a few small boxes of electrical knick-knacks in some of the rummage shops (mostly connectors, although we did find one nifty 1 to 3-plug 12V strip), but otherwise nothing that caught our eye. If you’re in the market for electrical stuff this ain’t the place.

8/ Boondocking -> Definitely Worth It!

Panoramic view out of our RV window. Not toooo many RV’s here.

If you come to Q, you just gotta go boondocking! Not only is it part of the whole experience, but there are massive areas for any-sized rig and you’ll have no problem finding a site. I’ve mentioned our fav location (Dome Rock) before, but there are actually 9 separate areas you can boondock around Q for the big show. Five of these (Plomosa Road, Dome Rock, Hi Jolly, Scadden Wash, Road Runner) are free 14-day camping spots with no facilities. The other four (La Posa North, La Posa West, La Posa South, and La Posa Tyson Wash) are paid Long Term Visitor Areas ($40 for 2 weeks or $180 for 7 months) with limited facilities (trash, dump, vault toilets). You can get as close or as far from the main show as you’d like. Some of the closest boondocking sites are literally walking distance from the big tent, but they are also very crowded. The further you get from the show the more space you’ll have.

Map of Quartzsite BLM areas

On social side we’ve had a bunch of visits from various blog readers (so fun!) and been around seeing friends at their various boondocking spots around town. We’ll probably hang for another couple of days before moving on to some (as yet) undisclosed location).

So, for those of you who’ve been here…what do YOU think is worth buying?

Cool cloud reflections on our rig

The turban? No, I don’t think so…

Sunsets -> WORTH IT!

Cooking demo at the big tent

ANY kind of hat you want here!

Home-made ice cream -> yeah!

The Biggest RV Gathering On Earth! Quartzsite, AZ

Calm before the big show…sunrise at Quartzsite!

Once a year, beyond the bounds of reason, thousands of RVs all converge in the same place. The spot is a small, dusty nondescript desert town of ~3,000 people in the SW of Arizona. Under normal circumstances you might drive by without even noticing it’s there, but come January the transformation of a desert phoenix occurs.  The RV’s come, and not just a few of them either…but in the hundreds and thousands! They pack and populate the desert boonies like a giant ant colony, creating a massive sprawl of boondocking RV’s as far as the eye can see.

The biggest RV gathering on EARTH! This fabulous pic was taken by IVAN who graciously allowed me to post it on the blog.

Vendors aisles outside the big tent

The town is Quartzsite, AZ and it’s the biggest RV gathering on earth! What follows is a feast of sellers, flea-markets, rummage-sales, gem shows, artists, professionals and every knick-knack shack you can possibly imagine. Although there are people here for many weeks before and after, the ”big show” officially runs around the last 2 weeks of January. During this time a giant tent (creatively known as the “big tent”) is raised in the very center of town, the desert becomes a massive ad-hoc parking lot and vendors cram the streets.

Shop in the day, and sunset at night…yeah, I like!

Now, I’ve heard alot of people say they can’t stand Quartzsite and I can certainly understand that viewpoint. There are people and cars everywhere, enough shopping to overwhelm even the most dedicated rummage-lover, and the whole thing is rather staged and crazy. But if you take your time to find a decent boondocking spot and embrace the show for it for what it is, it is SO MUCH FUN!

I mean, for starters here’s just a few of the things you can do during the show:

Checking out the rummage sales

Alex gets new awning toppers at our boondocking site

This unique rig is run on veggie oil and part of a roaming artist’s colony

Panning for gold demo…cool!

1/ Rummage Sales Galore - there are masses of large “shops” selling buckets of knick knacks all around town. Looking for that special drill bit? Or perhaps an RV switch? Or some kind of collapsible kitchen or outdoor equipment? Or that weird RV dohickey thing you can’t find anywhere else? You WILL find it here…somewhere.

2/ Art, Crafts & Gems – even before the official Gem Fest at the end of Jan there are massive slews of stores selling individual arts, wood carvings, rocks, gems, fossils, jewelry, unique pieces…you name it. Some are nomadic ”communities” that come in and sell their stuff together, others are commercial ventures, or tribal shops. It’s ALL here.

3/ RV Repairs & Upgrades - Looking to upgrade your suspension? Get that windshield replaced? New awnings? Solar? Satellite TV? Not only can you find the shop here, but they will come out into the desert boonies to your site to do the work. Pretty nifty!

4/ People Watching & Activities – Perhaps you’d like to learn how to pan for gold? Or hang and listen to some music at the Belly Bar? Meet an author? Eat some BBQ?  Get your teeth whitened (I’m not kidding)? Somewhere around here all of that is happening.

5/ Social Get-Togethers - No matter who you are, or what kind of group you would like to be part of they are ALL here. I went over to the Monaco iRV2 group for an AM get-together (even met some fellow Danes there!), had our buddies Jil&Tom from the Escapees boomers come over yesterday (in fact, these were folks we met our first few months of RVing in Utah in 2010 and just saw again for the first time since then!), had Ivan&kittyHailey come over for a visit (we met his kitty, yeah!), and are planning to see some other folks later this week. No matter if you’re single, alternative, young, old, LGBT, or even nudist there is a group for you!

Happy Hour at the Wheelingit site!

We’ve actually been to Quartzsite several times before, but this is the first year we’ve hit the “big show” right at its peak. There are multiple RV parks in town, but most RVers chose to boondock in the massive swarfs of BLM land around Quartzsite, and our fav spot is one of the (relatively) lesser-visited 14-day free areas called Dome Rock just west of town. We set-up shop here on Tuesday and in the past few days we’ve been joined by several friends creating a mini-gathering of nomads in our little spot as well as some excellent happy hour’s and sunset-watching moments.

Our mini-gathering of rigs. That’s Alex&Ellen on the right, Sue&Dave on the left and us plus Suzie&Gary in the background.

We’ll be staying here until (at least) the beginning of next week, so if anyone is in the area you’re welcome to come by. In the meantime I will be SHOPPING…and sipping

Just another great desert sunset

Laundry today or naked tomorrow…I can relate

Polly plays with her BEST pal Lewis

Hats anyone?

African carvings?!

LED bulbs are VERY popular

My new COOL shades!!

And another sunset!

Boondocking Mecca – Quartzsite, AZ

The beast relaxes at her free spot in Dome Rock

For the past several days we’ve been boondocking in one of my favorite spots, next to one of my favorite stories. ”The beast” is most happily parked in our own little wilderness next to one of the biggest and oddest crowd convergences in the country. We’re in Quartzsite, AZ and being here in winter is to become part of a living phenomenon.

Views to the horizon

Quartzsite is your typical lonely ad-hoc desert town. A wild, dry plot of desert with a mere 3,000 or so inhabitants it distinguishes itself mostly by being a “hot-spot” of gem-hunters and backs that up with a slew of odd-ball desert lovers and  no less than 9 major mineral shows each year.

Quartzsite is a mineral hot-spot

But once a year in winter something extraordinary happens. Drawn by a unique crowd psychology that would puzzle even Sigmund Freud, hundreds of thousands of RVers converge onto Quartzsite BLM land and create a living, breathing, pulsating community of snowbirds. It’s a boondocking Mecca and likely the biggest collection of dry-camping rigs in the world.

Early build-up of RVers on the LaPosa LVTA

Quartzsite has adapted to the influx and offers several huge LTVA (long-term) boondocking areas for a mere $180 for the season (7 months). It’s one of the best winter deals around!

One of hundreds of temporary shops that set-up in the area during winter

But that’s not the end of it. With the coming of the wheelers’ begins a madness of enterprise. Out of the blank canvas of the desert there arises  a mish-mash of colorful activities with craft shows, line-dancing groups, pot-luck dinners, rallies, group meetings and music jams. You’ll have RVers selling knick-knacks from their rigs and endless rows of “rummage” shops offering every part, bit and parcel you could imagine. Even the major RV dealerships get in on the deal hosting a massive show in early Jan each year. It’s a crazy rush of spontaneous free-livin’ society at its’ best!

Gorgeous desert sunrise at Dome Rock

But it’s still early days yet. Here in mid-November the collection of RVers is only just starting and we’ve still got plenty of space to ourselves. We’re parked outside the “main drag” in one of 5 designated free 14-day limit parking areas (Dome Rock) with our next neighbour well out of sight. Here we recreate our very first boondocking experience , including our most wonderful loo escapades, albeit with 2 years more on the road and a far better toolbox. And to top it all off we’re part of the phenomenon, baby!

Paul exchanges books at the free book-swap in the local laundromat

Knick-knacks on sale. Snowboard in the desert anyone?