RV Podcast 311: Try Moochdocking for cheap RV Overnights

You surely have heard the term moochdocking by now, a variation on the boondocking trend that is so popular with RVers these days. While boondocking is typically off-grid camping in remote areas, moochdocking is camping – usually without hookups – in people’s driveways or the back of their property. This week, we’ll learn about a new website that will help you find places to inexpensively do some moochdocking, offering still another resource for RVers who want to avoid overcrowded and overpriced campgrounds. Also, this week on Episode 311 of the RV Podcast, we have lots of RV news, your questions, and a fun and entertaining off the beaten path report from Tom and Patti Burkett. You can listen to this episode of the RV Podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes and a transcript of the interview, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about. WHAT MIKE AND JENNIFER ARE UP TO THIS WEEK Mike and Jennifer Wendland, hosts of the RV Podcast and the RV Lifestyle Travel Blog We hope everyone had a fantastic Labor Day weekend. Many were camping. But, according to an informal survey of campers and campground hosts, we're hearing that more RVers than normal will continue camping through the rest of the month.  Many campgrounds are filled and others report being much busier than normal. With so many still working remotely, a lot of RVers figure why not work from the road. We’re planning a fall color RV getaway to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – right after Jennifer has a tooth pulled. Ouch! This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Camping World – America’s #1 RV Dealer Listeners of the Podcast can get 10% off all purchases over $99. Just go to RVLifestyle.com/campingworld and you will see all the Camping word RV gear and accessories we like the most! Just use the discount code RVLIFESTYLE10. RV PODCAST NEWS OF THE WEEK More than 200 people were evacuated from a California campground, some with burn injuries, as a fast moving fire trapped campers More than 200 people in California trying to squeeze in a little camping over the Labor Day weekend had to be evacuated by military helicopters after a fast-moving wildfire came upon them, sending more than 20 to the hospital, at least two with critical injuries. The campers were near Mammoth Pool Reservoir in the Sierra National Forest in northcentral California. The fire started Friday night and by Saturday blocked the only exit to Mammoth Pool Reservoir, trapping the campers as fire spread on all sides. The National Guard sent helicopters in to rescue people, taking more than 200 to safety. One evacuee shot some terrifying video (click here) of what the campground looked like before he was rescued.  Wildfires have been a major problem in much of the West, and California especially is hard hit. Majority of Americans planned a road trip vacation Labor Day weekend If you decided to take a last minute road trip this weekend, turns out you were in the majority. Some 60 percent of all Americans planned to travel over the weekend, 88 percent by vehicle. Also the majority of those traveling headed out further from home than they did Memorial Day weekend. The stats come from a survey by Cars.com. The info collected was very similar to AAA reports, indicating 97 percent of all Americans were vacationing by vehicle this summer, and which corresponds to what we are hearing out there in the middle of the pandemic. Not too long ago we had YOU call in and tell us what it is like out there on the road. To hear that podcast click here. The Better Business Bureau urging RV shoppers to be aware of scams if shopping for used RV online If you are shopping for a used RV online, the Better Business Bureau has a warning: Beware of scams. As more people are shopping for an RV as a way to travel in the time of a pandemic, scammers are spotting an opportunity to make a quick dishonest buck by listing RVs for sale that do not exist. To avoid being scammed, the Better Bureau suggests the buyer ask the seller for a FaceTime interview and a video walkthrough, ask for VINs, and more.  We also recommend that, if possible, you hire an RV inspector to look over the RV to make sure it is in the condition claimed by the seller. We did a whole Podcast episode about buying an RV and getting it inspected. CLICK HERE for the information on RV inspections. Yet another American fined - this time $2,000 - for violating Canada's Quarantine order An American family was fined $2,000 and expelled from Canada last week after violating the country's Quarantine Act. Americans are permitted to enter Canada if they go straight through to or from Alaska and the lower 48 states. They are not permitted to go to national parks, leisure or tourism areas. They are only permitted to stop for food, gas or sleep. And they are required to have a tag stating the day the entered Canada and the day they must be out. This tag is what gave the latest quarantine-violating American family away. They entered British Columbia Aug. 25, and were found vacationing in Vancouver Aug. 29. Once discovered they were fined and escorted to the Peace Arch Border Crossing. If Canadian border remains closed, Canadian campground organization warns snowbirds will need somewhere to go Speaking of Canada, as the Canadian-American border remains closed to non-essential travel because of COVID-19, Canada's National Private Campground Association is looking ahead. The group estimates Canada has about 50,000-200,000 Canadian Snowbirds, who live or travel in an RV in Canada in the warm weather, the U.S. south in the winter. If the border remains closed they will need somewhere to go, and the group is suggesting a partnership with hotels since many of the seasonal Canadian campgrounds can't operate in winter. There are increasing indications that the border may be closed until 2021. This part of the podcast is brought to you by RadPower Bikes, America's #1 e-bike brand, offering direct to consumer pricing on powerful premium electric bikes. Now with free shipping   RV PODCAST QUESTION OF THE WEEK What happens when my RV runs out of freshwater? Here’s a question that came in from Wendy: QUESTION: Newbie here: we are quite confused about where to get clean water to fill the freshwater tank when Boondocking/dry camping. How do you do it? ANSWER: One of the things we’ve done in the past is use 1-gallon water containers that we pick up at a supermarket. Our RV has a short hose and a valve that will suck water out of the water jugs. It comes standard on our Leisure Travel Vans RV. But most RV shops can easily set up with a similar system. If not, we’ve heard of people who take an empty soda bottle, cut a rectangular hole in it and use it as a sort of funnel to pour in the water from the gallon jug to the freshwater fill on the RV. A better solution for most RVers is to use something called a Water Bandit. It has a ¾ in threaded connector on one end tat should connect to your city water connection. The other end is an a highly flexible, silicone polymer sleeve that stretches to fit over the end of virtually any standard water source… like a gallon water jug… making it really easy to pour in the tank. It costs around $8. Here’s the Amazon link - https://amzn.to/35gpKkZ Something else we’ve done more recently is buy a heavy-duty collapsible 5.3-gallon water container. It only costs $12 or so. Here’s a link to it on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2ZixW0c When empty, it collapses very small and easily stores. When I fill up the RV freshwater tank, I’ll also fill up the collapsible water container. That way, if we’re boondocking for a while and we run low on fresh water, we have an extra supply that will let us stay out longer. As I said, Wendy posted her question on our Facebook RV Lifestyle Group. It brought in more than 40 responses from members. Here are some of the replies and suggestions: Jack: I top off at home before leaving I often top off at a paid campsite before leaving there. Most truck stops have water hose at or near the pumps that you can use to top off. Any gas station would probably let you top off especially if you tip the attendant a $10 or $20. If you use a small pump you can pump creek water if you can get close enough but make sure you chlorinate it to kill any bacteria or parasites. Dave: I use several 3-gallon water jugs with handles. Much easier to carry 2 three-gallon jugs then 1 five-gallon jug. all drinking water we use goes through a Brita water filter first. Renee: Some fire stations will let you fill your RV freshwater tank. Cindi: We also carry a 60-gallon tank in the back of our truck that we fill as well. We have a small transfer pump that pumps into the camper. Between coffee and washing we always run out of water before our grey or black tanks are full. Robert: We boondock nearly all the time. Water has never been an issue nor have we ever paid for water. Gas Stations, parks, a few stores, and a brewery have helped us out. You also need a Water Bandit RV Gear info We have a full page of all the products Jennifer and I use and recommend, including the water bandit and that collapsible water container. Just go to RVLifestyle.com/gear and you’ll see everything in one spot, all the products and gear we personally use and talk about here on the podcast. Do you have a question you’d like us to answer, or a comment on the things we’re discussing? If so, we invite you to leave us that question or comment on the special voicemail number we have for the podcast – it’s 586-372-6990.  If you are driving and can’t write it down right now, just go to the RV Lifestyle travel blog at rvlifestyle.com and scroll down the page. You’ll see that number prominently posted on the blog. This part of the RV Podcast is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, maker of quality, safe and reliable lithium batteries that can be installed in just about every RV.