Dry camping, also known as boondocking, is camping without hookups—no electricity and no water connections. This is how we primarily use our trailer since most of the campgrounds we visit, like California state parks, are dry. They don’t offer water or electricity hookups. Here are some items we bring with our trailer to make dry camping easier and more enjoyable for us.
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Sink Basin
First is a sink basin. We keep a small container in our kitchen sink to catch the water we use instead of letting it go down into our gray tank. This way, when we’re using the kitchen sink, we’re just filling up this bucket instead of our tank. When it’s full, you can take it outside to dump it. Some campgrounds have restrictions on where you can dump gray water, but usually, if there’s a spot designated for dishwashing, that’s a good place to empty your basin.
Collapsible Bins
Next are collapsible bins. These are convenient for many reasons, like carrying food in and out of the trailer. For dry camping, they’re particularly useful because they give you an extra place to wash dishes. Our sink only has a single basin, so we usually put soapy water in there and use one of the collapsible bins for rinse water. This allows us to expand our sink space and wash dishes more efficiently with less water.
Blackstone
The next item we love for dry camping is the Blackstone griddle, along with squirt bottles and the cleaning process we use. Cooking on the Blackstone doesn’t require any pots or pans; we cook directly on it, which saves us a lot of dishes and helps us conserve water—essential when dry camping. To clean the Blackstone, we squirt a little water on it, wipe it down, and then apply a bit of oil. This method uses minimal water, making the Blackstone perfect for dry camping.
Hand Wipes
We also like to have hand wipes on hand for dry camping, especially since we camp with kids. While our kids are good about keeping their hands clean, it used to require a lot of water as they frequently came into the trailer to wash up. To save water, we keep hand wipes outside the trailer. Although wipes aren’t the best for the environment, we try to be eco-conscious by using plant-based options and encouraging the kids to use them sparingly. They’re great for quick clean-ups that don’t require using the sink.
Vent Covers
Another essential item for dry camping is our MaxxAir vent covers. We have one on the fan in the front area and another in the bathroom. These covers allow us to keep the fans open anytime, even when it’s raining or while we’re driving. They protect the plastic fan covers, so it’s safe to have the fan running. When dry camping, you don’t have electricity for AC, so we rely on these fans to keep air circulating and the trailer cool, making them invaluable.
USB Fan
We also keep a USB-powered fan in the trailer. This little oscillating fan is excellent for moving air around. As I mentioned, without AC or power, finding alternative ways to cool the trailer is crucial. The fan works well and is USB-powered, so we can charge it ahead of time. If it runs out of battery, it still works while charging, and because it’s USB, it runs off the trailer’s batteries and DC system. It’s a fantastic item to have while dry camping.
Portable Solar Panel
A portable solar panel is another must-have for dry camping. It helps charge up your batteries. We carry one with us all the time, even though we have solar panels on the roof of our trailer. The portable panel is a great backup in case we need more solar power to top off our batteries. If you don’t have solar panels on your roof, a portable solar panel is even more important. You can hook it directly to your batteries, and it has its own charge controller, so you don’t need a full solar system—just the panel and controller to give your batteries a boost.
Solar Upgrades
Lastly, our favorite dry camping item is the significant solar upgrade we’ve done on our trailer. We have two 190-watt solar panels on the roof, providing 380 watts of solar power. We’ve also upgraded our batteries to 300 amp hours of lithium Battle Born batteries. On top of that, we have an inverter, allowing us to use any appliance in the trailer off our batteries, including the microwave. With the inverter and lithium batteries, dry camping for us is almost like camping with full hookups. In fact, most of the time when we’re at full hookup sites, we don’t even plug in because our trailer is fully self-sufficient. If you want to be as comfortable as possible while dry camping, investing in an inverter and lithium batteries is definitely the way to go.
I hope at least one of these items makes dry camping a little easier and more enjoyable for you.
