by Bill Moeller
There are several steps you can take to reduce the quantity of waste that goes into your black-water holding tank as well. For example:
Use a spray bottle filled with water to remove any remaining traces of waste left in the bowl rather than flushing more than once. (The permanent sprayer mounted on the side of some RV toilets uses too much water to be practical for long-term boondocking.) We first tried the spray bottles found in cosmetic departments but the spraying mechanism broke down too quickly. Now we buy spray bottles from garden departments, which are sturdier and have a more forceful spray.
Conserve water by using a common spray bottle, available from any garden shop, to clean the toilet bowl.
Portable holding tanks allow you to transport waste to a dump station.
(Barker Manufacturing)
Keep a small bag in the bathroom to collect toilet paper so that none of it goes into the holding tank, then burn the bag in the fire pit. There’s no danger of spreading germs if it’s burned completely. If you can’t burn it, close the bag securely and dispose of it in a trash receptacle. If this offends your sensibilities, consider that the toilet paper holds less waste than a loaded disposable diaper, which are commonly disposed of in this manner.
Portable Holding Tanks
For long-term boondocking, it may be more practical to have a means of taking your waste to a nearby dump station rather than breaking camp to take the RV. Many small towns located near popular boondocking areas have public dump stations. Service stations also may have dump stations available for a small fee.
Portable holding tanks can be mounted in the same manner as water tanks on trucks or other vehicles. Then you can use your macerator pump (see below) to both fill the portable tank at the RV and empty it at a dump station. Holding tanks are available in sizes from 5 to 32 gallons. Two companies that make these are Barker Manufacturing (Tote-Alongs; www.barkermfg.com) and Coast Distribution System (Tote-N-Stor; www.coastdistribution.com). The larger ones, which are very heavy when full, have optional equipment that allows you to hitch one to your tow vehicle or dinghy so you can tow it to the dump.
The problem with a tote is that it may not hold as much as one of your holding tanks. And once the gate valve is open, you may not be able to get it closed fast enough to keep the tote from overflowing. To avoid this problem, it is best to empty the holding tanks often, before they get too full.
Do not dump holding tanks, even gray water, on the ground or down a gopher hole, or by digging a large hole to hold the waste. Years ago this was acceptable, but today there is too much pollution in the ground-water as it is, and your waste water can contaminate someone’s drinking well or even your own source of drinking water. We believe it is the duty of all boondockers to help protect the water supply.
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Staying Safe: Sewage Overflow
Keep in mind that if your black-water tank overflows, you are dealing with human waste, which carries microorganisms that can make you sick if ingested. Be careful to use a disinfectant to thoroughly clean your hands and anything else that gets contaminated by waste from the black-water tank.
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Macerator Pumps
You can also avoid overfilling the tote by using a macerator pump. This device is mounted on a flat sewage cap (replacing the existing cap) that fits on the end of the sewer pipe and runs on 12-volt power. The pump grinds the waste in your holding tank (including the toilet paper) as it pumps the waste through the hose. You can control the flow into the tote simply by switching the macerator pump on and off.
Macerators also allow fast discharge of your holding tanks at dump stations as they can suck a reasonably large tank dry in just a few minutes. You can also replace the flimsy sewer hoses with a good-quality ¾-inch garden hose or a 1-inch washing machine hose.
Macerator pumps can be very handy. For example, if your campsite is close enough to a dump station, you may be able to use the macerator pump and a very long hose to empty your holding tanks without breaking camp. Or if you’re visiting friends or relatives in your RV you may be able to use the pump to dump your holding tanks into the cleanout fitting of the house sewer pipe, although it is a hassle. These fittings are often located outdoors or in the basement of the house.
We have only one word of caution: Macerator pumps are impeller pumps, and they can burn out if allowed to run dry. Be sure to shut off the pump once the tank is empty.
TRASH
Managing trash is an important issue for boondockers. As consumers, we can generate quite a bit of it, and it can become a problem for boondockers. First, we have less space for trash containers, and second, disposal can be more challenging—there are no trash pickups for us!
Reduce the Trash You Take
with You
If you are apart-time RVer, prevention is a good place to start with trash management—eliminate as much potential trash as you can before you leave home. See what foodstuffs you can put into reusable containers (with a secure lid) or plastic bags. For example, dry cereals, canned foods, and baking items (such as cake or muffin mixes) can go into plastic containers or bags. If you’re taking boxed frozen vegetables, dispose of the box at home (in your recycle bin!) and just take the plastic bag of vegetables.
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Staying Safe: Keep Your Campsite Clean
If you’re boondocking in a wilderness area, such as a national forest, it is important to keep your campsite clean of trash and garbage. You’re not only closer to nature in these places, but closer to wildlife, and the smell of trash or garbage can bring uninvited animal visitors into your campsite.
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Getting Rid of Trash
When you get to your campsite, the easiest way to get rid of trash is to put it in the campground’s own trash containers—if it provides them. Or you may be able to burn most of your trash in a fire pit.
If these options aren’t available, you’ll have to keep it with you until you leave. This requires that you have a trash storage area. Since recycling is common and even required in many areas, you will need to plan this trash area to allow for some separation of trash. For example, have a separate container for cans, bottles, and paper/garbage. Compress what trash you can as much as possible to keep it from overwhelming you.
CHAPTER 5
Food: Stocking,
Cooking, and Storing
As far as boondock camping is concerned, cooking and storing food are pretty much the same as any other type of RVing. However, you’ll want to look at menu planning with an eye toward conserving your resources, such as water, propane, or battery power, especially if you’re doing extended boondocking. This will be reflected in what foods you stock and how you cook them.
PROPANE SUPPLY
First let’s start with a primer on propane, which you’ll use for the stove/oven, refrigerator, and hot-water heater. (Heaters also use propane—see Chapter 6.) Propane, also called liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, is a flammable, colorless, odorless gas. It is compressed to a liquid, then stored and transported in cylinders.
(RVIA)
The propane we buy in cylinders for our RVs isn’t 100% propane; it can contain other chemicals such as propylene, butane, and ethylene. Because it is an odorless gas, ethanethiol (also known as ethyl mercaptan) also is added to give it the characteristic rotten egg smell.
Because propane is flammable, propane fires and explosions are always a risk. When handled properly, however, propane is a safe fuel for heating, cooking, and cooling.
With its gas lines, valves, and tanks, an RV’s propane system has a lot of potential for leaks to occur. When you combine this with the vibration and stress of road travel, it is wise to regularly check for leaks.
To do this, fill a spray bottle with soapy water and spray on line and valve connections and along gas lines. If you see bubbles, there is a leak. (You can also purchase liquid products from RV supply stores that perform this same function.) Make repairs immediately. Do not use your propane system until y
ou’ve fixed all leaks! There are also some propane detectors available; Camping World (www.campingworld.com) offers a selection.
It’s also a good idea to have your propane system inspected annually by a qualified propane gas or RV dealer.
STOCKING THE PANTRY
When stocking your RV, a variety of types of food is a good idea. You’ll want some foods that have a long shelf life and need no refrigeration, for example:
Dry cereal and crackers
Peanut butter and jelly (unopened)
Canned goods: meats, tuna, vegetables, fruits, juices, soups, and desserts
Dry milk (package in self-sealing or zip-top plastic bags to make pints or quarts of milk)
Instant coffee and tea bags
Sugar and powdered coffee creamer
Snacks, such as canned or packaged nuts, raisins and dried fruit, granola, and breakfast bars
Supplement canned and packaged foods with fresh produce, bread, meat, and baked goods. Stopping at a grocery store before you pull into a campground can provide you with fresh food for a couple of days. Also, check out farm stands and orchards where you can pick the fruit yourself. It’s a great way to get to know the people in the area and have fun as well.
And sometimes, you can find unexpected bounty. Once when we were in a very remote place, we found a hill loaded with ripe blueberries. We picked and picked until we had nearly filled a large bucket with berries. When we got back to the RV, we were not quite sure what to do with them until we decided to bake a couple of pies. We finally baked a total of three and a half (one small) pies, and gorged ourselves on them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. We finally had to leave the place when we ran out of flour. Events like this make for great boondocking memories.
If you are not a fulltimer, you’ll have the opportunity before your RV trip to do some preparation. Make the most of your storage space and propane supply by planning your meals ahead of time. Precook whatever you can and package securely (remember, however, that space in an RV refrigerator is much less than in a typical home fridge). Planning meals ahead may seem to take the spontaneity out of boondocking, but it prevents you from forgetting something or taking more than you need and wasting valuable storage space. By planning, you can also manage your water and propane, so you don’t run out of cooking fuel when there are still three days to go in your camping schedule. However, it’s always a good idea to have ingredients for supplies you don’t need to cook in case you do run out of cooking fuel and would rather not break camp.
COOKING
Cooking meals can be as fancy or as simple as you’d like when you’re boondocking. And you may find some really creative ways to produce family meals. Obviously, using the stove and oven in your RV is one way to prepare meals; the microwave is another. Sometimes cooking food for a few minutes in the microwave, such as frozen vegetables, is a more efficient use of resources than boiling them on the stove. And don’t forget your charcoal grill where you can enjoy cooking outdoors.
But you might want to use this time creatively as well by supplementing the usual cooking methods with the unusual. For example, try campfire cooking. The pioneers did it using good old-fashioned cast-iron cookware. If your campsite has a fire pit, and you have a good supply of dry firewood (it must be dry; green wood will smoke and not burn hot enough), you can set out a grill over the fire and cook breakfast in an iron skillet. Or learn how to make a stew or bake a cake in a Dutch oven over the coals. The International Dutch Oven Society (www.idos.com) has lots of information on campfire cooking, cast-iron products, and links to recipes. Plus you’ll find many campfire cooking books at Amazon.com or camping supply companies.
With a sun oven, you can cook delicious meals without using any fuel.
(Sun Ovens International)
Another alternative cooking method is a sun oven, which uses the sun to heat food to cooking temperature. One such product is the Global Sun Oven, which the manufacturer, Sun Ovens International, says will bake, boil, or steam any kind of food—no fuel needed. Go to www.sunoven.com for more information, including recipes. Although we’ve never used one, you may find it a useful option to check out.
Plan Ahead
Besides trying propane-free cooking methods, conserve your propane supply by doing some prep work at home—if you are not a fulltimer—before you leave. This will reduce cooking time when boondocking. Some ideas are:
Cook meats such as ground beef or chicken. Season as you cook according to the meal. For example, season sliced chicken breasts Mexican style for chicken fajitas one night. Make sloppy joes at home and freeze. A little cooking to heat the meat, and you’re all set.
Cook breakfast sausages at home, slice, and freeze. Use them on your trip mixed in with scrambled eggs or onions and peppers.
Cook a roast at home, slice, and freeze. Thaw later for sandwiches. Even add the gravy for hot roast beef sandwiches.
Cook pasta at home to save water and propane. Mix in the sauce. Place in zip-top plastic bags. Store in the refrigerator or freezer and reheat as needed. (Mixing sauces into the pasta at home can be a space saver as well.)
STORING
Storage space being what it is on an RV—namely, probably less than you’d like—use your space wisely and look for ways to reduce bulk. Here are some ideas:
Select food in packages that are impervious to humidity or drying out.
Repackage foods in airtight containers. We transfer nearly all types of food except canned goods from the original packages to plastic containers with airtight lids.
Choose containers that make the best use of each cabinet’s storage space.
Be sure all packages are insect- and vermin-proof.
GOOD FOOD, NEW FRIENDS, GREAT FUN
Good meals can definitely enhance your enjoyment of camping in isolated places. Bill does all the cooking in our RV. But he likes to say he doesn’t do windows or dishes. He also loves to bake; he makes wonderful Danish pastries, pecan rolls, cakes, brownies, cookies, and other delights such as lemon curd. We have also enjoyed many of Bill’s roast beef dinners while we have been boondocking. Bill developed his roast beef recipe over several years, trying many different cuts of beef. He finally decided on eye of round as being the best cut for delicious tender meals and a great meat for sandwiches.
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Bill’s Roast Beef Dinner
Bill likes to get one or two eye of round roasts that will fit in the pan. He cooks the roast(s) and vegetables together, so you’ll need room for the veggies in the pan with the meat. Note: This recipe uses 3 hours of propane.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Completely trim any fat from the meat; season meat with salt and pepper.
3. Place the meat in a roasting pan and bake uncovered for 1 hour.
4. Remove the roast(s) from the oven.
5. To 1 cup water, add the following ingredients: 1 heaping teaspoon beef bouillon crystals (low sodium if available), salt, pepper, and ¼ cup red wine.
6. Pour this mixture over the meat, cover, and return to the oven for 2 hours.
7. While the meat is cooking, prepare the vegetables: peel and quarter 2 or 3 potatoes and slice ½ onion and 1or 2 carrots.
8. When the meat has about 40 minutes left to cook, add the vegetables to the roasting pan, and put the cover back on.
9. At the end of the cooking time, check that the vegetables are done, then remove them to a large dish.
10. Check the meat for tenderness by poking it several times with a fork. If you use a meat thermometer, it should read 190°F or higher.
11. Remove the meat to a platter, and make the gravy.
Many people seem to have a problem making good gravy. Here’s Bill’s method:
1. Dissolve 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch in ¼ cup water; add more beef bouillon and wine to make ½ cup.
2. Place the roasting pan on a burner and heat the pan juices until they start to bubble.
3. Add a little of the cornstar
ch mixture to the juices, stirring constantly.
4. As more bubbles appear, add more cornstarch mixture.
5. Repeat until the gravy is nice and thick.
6. Serve and enjoy!
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We found by chance, in a small drugstore, a nice little roasting pan with a lid that was perfect for fitting inside of our RV oven. These ovens are smaller than regular stove ovens and much searching will be necessary to find pans, cookie sheets, cake pans, and the like for use in RV cooking. The same is true for cooking dishes for the microwave and/or convection ovens, which are usually smaller than home appliances.
Getting together with fellow RVers is a great way to add to the fun of the boon-docking and to make new friends. Usually, we all pitch in and come up with several good dishes for a potluck dinner. Once while we were at Quartzsite, we didn’t know what to bring, until Jan remembered we had some sausage, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, so we made a "New England" boiled dinner. It was a big hit.
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Our "New England" Boiled Dinner
This is a simple, tasty one-pan meal, which means less cleanup, and less water! You can make as much or as little as you like, depending on what you have on hand and how many people you want to feed.
1. Peel and chop the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. Slice the sausage.