Park Camping, Dry Camping, Boondocking, Wally docking, Harvest Hosts, and Boondockers Welcome there are so many ways to camp in your RV these days that the choices to find that perfect spot are almost endless. Over the years we have found that we enjoy dry camping in National and Provincial parks. These parks are typically easy to get to and are not far off the beaten path or road system. Some will have service roads leading to the campground that are typically gravel roads. This can make for a bumpy ride but if you take it slow the ride is not too bad and the distance is typically minimal 20k or less. We have investigated Boondocking but a lot of the places out here in the West can be hard to get to going over gravel roads that are not in the best of repair and with access roads that make me nervous. With the old RV I really did not have to many worries about Boondocking but with the new RV I do have concerns, and at the moment I am still to enamored with our RV that I am afraid to break it. So Dry Camping is the way for us at this time. Now Dry Camping can be almost as isolated as Boondocking depending on the campground and campsite you pick. We have been to many campgrounds where the campsites are well spaced, and have significant foliage to provide exceptional privacy. Of course then there is the reverse where your neighbors are within high five distance but those are more the exception than the norm at least from what we have seen camping here in the west.

The type of campground you choose always has a lot of bearing on your experience. We have found over the years that Provincial campgrounds tend to be better than the National campgrounds offering bigger campsites with more privacy than their National counterparts. This is not always the case and for example the campgrounds along the Icefields parkway certainly rival their Provincial counterparts for size and privacy.

Now you may be asking what’s the difference between Dry Camping and Boondocking, well Dry Camping is almost the same as Boondocking except you are utilizing a defined campground and a paid for campsite. Whereas with Boondocking you are exploring the back country and utilizing Crown Land to camp on. Both types of camping rely on your RV to provide you with all of the essentials required to have a glamping experience. All RV’s are capable of working off grid. Sewer, electrical, water, heat etc. can be provided by your RV for at least a limited time. We find using our RV in this manor is more satisfying than driving into a RV park and hooking up to full hookups. Though, if this is your thing then certainly there is nothing wrong with wanting all of the amenities available to a traveling family, and in some instances a full hookup park with all the amenities can make camping with kids a lot easier.

So how long can you Dry Camp or Boondock for? Well that depends on your RV and how much propane, fuel, waste water, and fresh water storage you have available. Every RV will be somewhat different in these areas with some having more than others. With our new RV we have found that we can Dry Camp for 7 days before we have to pull up stakes and go find a dump station with fresh water, and a fuel station for propane and gas. This gives us a really good stay for our money and allows us to fully explore an area that we are in without having to worry about running out of supplies. So all of our trips are planed out for a seven day period with the eighth day being a travel, dump, and supplies day.

No Matter how you decide to camp we all have options to explore to find our perfect site for our perfect trip. Dry Camping, Boondocking, or full hookups at an RV park are all great ways to use your RV and enjoy the glamping lifestyle. In the end it is a personal choice on how you and your family will enjoy the great outdoors, explore our backyard, and enjoy this great country we call Canada.

Happy Trails

The Glampurs