Looking for something to do with those telephone books that you never use? Put them inside the camper and tear out a few pages at a time for lighting a fire. I recently found this stack of old Names and Numbers books that were going to be thrown out, so I took about 30 of them!

From logging your path, to requesting roadside assistance, or even calling in the cavalry (search and rescue) in an emergency – personal locator beacons can serve a valuable purpose when camping!

No hookups means a finite supply of water, power, and propane. Often times, one is dependent on another, such as your propane heater also requiring battery power for the fan. They key to boondocking is to bring as much supply while limiting consumption. Here are some tips for doing both.

This image is from a very nice restaurant we visited in the Grand Tetons. After a week of camping, we treated ourselves to showers and a thick steak prepared and cleaned up by someone else! We do this often when camping and even boondocking, taking one night to go explore town.

Many locations only allow fires inside a controlled pit or ring. Some campgrounds and even a few dispersed boondocking spots will have a metal or rock ring already existing. Other times, you must bring your own to comply with local fire regulations.