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Boondocking

Camping in an RV without hookups — no electricity, water, or sewer connection. Off-grid RV camping.

Also called: boondocking, dry camping, dispersed camping, off-grid RV camping, wild camping

Boondocking means camping in an RV without any external connections — no electricity, no water hookup, no sewer hookup. You’re running entirely off the RV’s onboard systems (house battery, fresh water tank, propane, holding tanks).

The term is loosely synonymous with dry camping, dispersed camping, and off-grid camping, though purists differentiate between paid dry-camp sites (Walmart parking lots, Cracker Barrel, some state parks) and truly remote dispersed camping on public land.

In the United States, the main legal venues are:

  • BLM (Bureau of Land Management) public land. Most BLM dispersed camping is free, with a 14-day stay limit per site. There are millions of acres of it, particularly in the West.
  • US Forest Service (USFS) public land. Similar rules to BLM — free dispersed camping on most National Forest land, with stay limits per area.
  • Walmart, Cracker Barrel, Cabela’s, some casino parking lots. Private property, requires the location’s permission. Many corporate-policy “yes” locations, but individual store managers can refuse.
  • Rest areas and truck stops. Generally allowed for short overnight stays. Not for multi-day camping.

What’s not legal:

  • Most national park campgrounds (boondocking requires backcountry permits, not RVs)
  • City streets (illegal almost everywhere)
  • Most state park campgrounds (which are paid hookup sites, not boondocking)

How long you can boondock depends on your tanks and batteries

The four limiting factors:

  1. Fresh water tank. Typical RV: 30–80 gallons. With careful use, that’s 3–7 days for two people.
  2. Black water tank (toilet). Typical: 25–50 gallons. With normal use, 5–10 days.
  3. Grey water tank (sink + shower). Typical: 30–60 gallons. Often fills faster than black.
  4. House battery. Without solar or generator, a single 12V lead-acid battery runs the lights, water pump, and propane furnace for about 1 night. Most rental RVs have 1–2 batteries.

For two people in a well-equipped modern Class B with solar and a 100Ah lithium battery, 4–7 days is achievable. In an older Class C without solar, 1–2 nights is the realistic cap before you need shore power again.

Boondocking in a rental RV — what to check

Most rental RVs are designed for hookup-campground use, not boondocking. Before booking for an off-grid trip:

  1. Ask the rental owner if the RV has solar. Many peer-to-peer Class B builds in 2020+ have it. Corporate Class Cs generally don’t.
  2. Ask about house battery capacity. Single battery: 1 night. Dual battery: 2 nights. Lithium upgrade: 4+ nights.
  3. Confirm the generator works and is included in the rental. Most corporate Class C rentals charge for generator runtime ($3–$5/hour after the first 2 hours).
  4. Confirm fresh water tank capacity and plan your trip around it.

For long-form boondocking trips, your best rental options are:

  • A solar-equipped Class B from Outdoorsy or RVshare
  • A travel trailer with solar from a specialty peer-to-peer owner
  • Avoid: corporate Class C fleets, which are wired for shore-power use

What boondocking is not

Boondocking is not “I’m at a campground but I didn’t plug into the power pedestal.” That’s just camping with hookups available. Boondocking specifically means no hookups exist where you are.