Have you ever dry camped? It can be a great experience if you plan ahead. Dry camping allows you to soak in natural beauty, with peace and quiet, away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world. Whether you are a dry camping expert, or brand new to RVing, here are some tips from our pros that might make dry camping easier.
- Plan your trip in advance. Know exactly how much water, fuel, and battery life you will need. Take extra fuel, or a way to charge your batteries (hooking up to your truck usually works for us) so you aren’t left without power. Jason, our Inside Sales Manager, uses solar panels mounted on his trailer with a power inverter wired to his batteries. His solar panel keeps his batteries charged for about five days.
- Weigh your camper so you aren’t towing too heavy. Lori, our Marketing Manager, recommends starting light and planning shopping trips close to your destination. She has a list of food they always eat camping, and stops by a grocery store close to her destination. This allows them to conserve gas and tow lighter.
- Don’t fill up with water until you are close to your destination. There are a number of websites that list RV filling and dump stations. Plan in advance, so you can choose a station closest to your campsite. This also makes it nice when your trip is over, because you know where to dump your tanks before you get home.
- Conserve your water supply by taking short showers, switching to a low flow shower head, and utilizing wet wipes. Also, consider filling up a five gallon water container and keeping it outside. Use this water for hand washing and dishes, so you don’t fill up your gray water tank too quickly. (Be smart. Don’t leave food particles on the ground. You don’t want critters visiting your camp at night because they can smell the food!)
- Bring smaller packets of food, avoid bringing big Costco-sized food purchases. We recommend using Ziploc bags for smaller portions.
- Pick foods that have a longer shelf life and meals that don’t require a microwave. Our Graphic Designer, Scottie, likes to prepare his food ahead of time, and likes hot dogs or bratwurst, cooked on a stick over the fire. He also has a great white chicken chili recipe. (Want it? Hit us up on Facebook and we’ll share it with you!) Hamburger Helper meals are also great, because you can cook them on the grill outside. Lastly, Scottie says, “Of course, s’mores. S’mores galore!”
- Use LED lights. LED lights are a better choice for several reasons. They help keep your RV cool without using the AC, they last much longer than normal bulbs, and they draw less power, meaning batteries will last longer. Keep your lights off as much as possible as they can attract bugs and make it harder to see stars.
- Keep your trailer cool without using the AC by tilting your blinds up and cracking your windows to enjoy a cross breeze.
- Unplug devices that create phantom loads such as DVD players, clocks, stereos, etc.
- When choosing a generator, it’s best to pick a quiet model. This allows you run it at night, without feeling like there is a lawnmower outside your camper. Some recommendations are the Yamaha EF2400iSHC Portable Generator and the Honda EU200i Inverter Generator.
- Matt, our Product Manager, reminds campers to abide by the golden rule, “Be aware that if you’re in the mountains or on someone’s property, clean up after yourself. If you are on private property, get permission. Your actions can impact the future of camping.”
- Enjoy the ride and be aware! Todd, our Inside Sales Rep says, “Relax and have fun! Don’t get too caught up on getting to your destination and forget about all of the amazing sights and sounds you can experience while traveling. Keep your ears, eyes, and senses open so you don’t miss cool stuff on your way.”
Do you have some great dry camping tips? We’d love to hear them! Visit our Facebook page, and tell us about it.
