How to RV State Parks on Limited Hookups: Maximizing Your Water, Power, and Sewer Systems

[@sally_forth]

I love that there are so many ways to RV. I recently did a vid where I talk about how to have a 23 gallon black tank last 26 days. That means I had to super conserve on fresh 46 gallons) and grey (35 gallons) water too. The issue is less about the tank being mostly empty causing smells than it is about the P-trap under the sink drying out if it’s not being used. Running a small amount of water in the sink to refill the P-trap often solves the odor problem. Same is true after a travel day on bumpy roads -that can slosh the water out of the P-trap too.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Excellent insights. Thank you Sally

[@lostinforever9635]

For those wanting other options for plates/bowls, Amazon has many options for compostable and biodegradable dinnerware. 😊

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Nice!

[@benthere422]

Hey Kids. As I watch this, I'm camping in Mackerricher State Park on the California coast. The state parks that I've visited are dry camping, no water or electric. AND the sites are predominantly sized for camper vans, sub-20 foot trailers or tents. My site is listed online as being suitable for a 35 foot trailer. My rig is 32 feet long and it BARELY fits. But I'm not complaining, this place is GREAT!!! We're here for a week then off to the next coastal state park. My lovely wife and I are full time RV nomads, just hit our 3rd year.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Good to know. Seems the older the state park the smaller the spots. CA definitely is a tight fit but we managed. lol

[@BobandLaurielandvogt]

Hi one of the best videos yet from all the Rvs i follow . We are in the last 2 weeks from being full time , house is almost ready to rent in San Clemente ,Ca and we get in our RV and go . we love you two , like us easy going and very practical ! Great job ! Thank you

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Awe. Thank you so much. We are so happy you like the content. We are working really hard on it all. We are so excited for you guys. Enjoy the good and challenging parts. It's sooooo worth it.

[@bbeatty]

County and City parks are great finds too. Near Chicago, Kane county has 2 parks that are great. Water and 50A hookups. 2 week stays. In Elgin and in Big Rock.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Oh that’s great to know. We have family near chigago

[@arollingrock]

I have the 2024 version of this trailer. love these tricks

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Well hello FamAlly❤️👍

[@williampeacy5217]

We normally stay in state parks and have for the last 35+ years. We don’t have a big rig. Currently, we have a 29’ class C and tow a small car on a tow dolly. We are fine. We’ve also had 29’ travel trailer, hard side popups, and tent sided popups. We’ve even done the tent thing. We live near Chicago and normally camp in Michigan state parks. In 35 years of camping in Michigan, we’ve only done one private campground. Their state parks have improved over the years and the showers/bathrooms are pretty good. Even though we have a class C now, we still use the campground facilities. Many of the Michigan campgrounds are very popular and you really need to make reservations 6 months in advance (this is the earliest they allow) and 14 days max. Weekends are really busy during the kids summer break. We’ve been in some of their campgrounds as late as mid-June and the campground was basically empty (even the weekend). Depending on the campground, the campgrounds are pretty open. As they start updating the campground infrastructure, they are including some full hookup sites. In most of these campgrounds, the sites are pretty roomy and they have some that will accommodate bigger class A rigs. We take up a bit more space as well due to the tow dolly. We still have plenty of room. The biggest con for us is the Michigan state bird, the mosquito (no, it’s not the state bird-Minnesota claims it too). Common to wooded areas. We have been in some of their campgrounds that did not have 50A electricity. In more recent times, we have seen more. We’ve stayed in a couple of Illinois state parks, they were fine as well. We did a trip to Yellowstone and mostly stayed in private campgrounds, including a few KOAs. The cost of the campgrounds is the plus. In Minnesota, we have used county campgrounds. To get into a state campground needed reservations made months before the desired time. During the summer, spur of the moment trips may not work too well.

[@raoulroberts2024]

Another banger, Darlene and Barry. You're doing a great service. 32:10 This alone sounds like it's worth that dumpster's full weight in gold.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Thank ya!

[@gmrbowden2133]

I have dumped my kitchen water but I use vinegar for detergent. I also don't dump liquids from foods because wildlife...

[@WENDYOSBORN-i7l]

Love your video! Very informative!!! Thank you!!! Also so glad that you came to Charlestown SP ! This is our hometown campground. I could tell when I saw that you all were getting water in the bladder.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Yes! Loved that stop.

[@MileHighBeach]

We’re getting in to more State Parks too. We’re a big rig (45’ Toyhauler). Our biggest issue has been reservations… and availability. We work full time too so the during the week thing works and we run out on the weekends anyway, so that is a great flow for us too! So far our favorite is Cherry Creek State Park in the Denver area. We haven’t done that campground review yet but that’s coming!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

I hear ya. We are headed through the Dakotas, Wyoming this summer and CO in the fall. Most were already booked. So we’ll mostly boondocking now. Which is fine if the temps behave,

[@MileHighBeach]

@liketheresnotomorrow The reservation thing is so bad I think it's CA wants to do something about it. We've been in places where we checked the reservation and it all looks booked. You ride through that same park and it's virtually empty for the time we requested. It really makes booking a challenge. Especially when most states require the reservation months in advance. We're trying to figure out how to Crack that code! Oh, another one.... we're also getting into city, county, COE and Fairground parks. Same idea 💡

[@SamCarleton]

So you have touched on in this video and I saw it in another one that is near and dear to my heart: using paper plates and other disposable things when boondocking to save water. There is a quote from Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA: “There is no such thing as ‘away.’ So, when we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.” My wife and I are about to be full-time in a few weeks (amazing it is so close!) intending to mostly boondock. One of the main reasons is we are doing this is to enjoy this amazing Earth. It seems counter-intuitive to me that one of the things we do to make this lifestyle easier on us is to use a lot of one-time-use things that will end up in landfills. My thinking... I know that when folks tent camp or camp in small teardrops that don't have gray tanks, they wash their dishes outside and allow the water to just run off into the woods. I think we can really reduce how quickly we fill up the gray tank by washing dishes outside when that is permitted. On the note of the paper in the toilet vs doggy bags, we are 100% on board with that! We have gone one step further: we installed a composting toilet, so we won't ever have a black tank to empty!!!!! (P.S. I do make sure the bags are designed to be biodegradable )

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

You have a great plan and outlook. Go with your heart and always do you. Thanks for your input. Awesome insights.

[@pgwarth]

Awesome video guys. So helpful and clearly organized. You both are now pros on camera!!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Now, I dunno about that “pros” but we just try and keep it real. So glad you thought the info helpful. Thanks so much for watching. We have so much more to share. 😜👍

[@kellycharliesophia3450]

Could you talk about how your are able to get reservations for the full two weeks? Do you plan 6 months out? I would love a video that really gets into the nuts and bolts of planning for full time as we are about 8 months out! :~)

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Will do!! I’ll try and do a trip Planning video for you sometimes soon.

[@cashfoley]

Hey there! You may want to consider a macerator pump. It allows you to have the black tank in the truck bed. You won't have to pull it and you can go much further when you are boondocking. I really upped this by getting a 100 gallon black water bladder. I also got a Gen Y to free up the bed space.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Indeed. We have one. In this video we just wanted to show he traditional method as most state parks have a pretty close dump. We’ll have to do one using the macerator pump next time. Great reminder

[@kellycharliesophia3450]

@@liketheresnotomorrow Do you guys have a macerator pump?

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

@@kellycharliesophia3450yes. We use it often when boondocking

[@SandyHartley-c9w]

thank you for this video We have camped for 35 years a I still came away with a couple tips.

[@stephanieduston7490]

Great video! Saved to reference back to when we get closer to this dream of going full time. Love that you covered the grey water entering the tote with your logo! 😄

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Glad you enjoyed it! Nobody wants to see someone else’s waste. 😜

[@thecherryrvlife]

We too have the 36gal tote and use it often. The ~$100 tow bar and front wheel assembly kit is 100% worth the money. Just found your channel. Sub'd.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Thanks a bunch. Be sure to checkout this weeks Thursday night video. We found something better than the big Camco tote! Excited to share it.

[@philjossart6620]

Great video guys, thanks!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@carolboettcher9093]

Thank you! Thank you! I love your KZbin channel. I'm subscribed to many full time RV ers. Your content is a step above.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Wow! Thanks so much for your kind words. We are certainly trying hard. lol welcome aboard.

[@dionesibley]

I’m a new follower and trying to convince my family to consider full time rving, and I really enjoy your videos! You guys have excellent and very informative content! Great job!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Welcome aboard… and thank you!

[@nicolenatvig8140]

Wisconsin has absolutely beautiful State Parks ;)

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

We can’t wait to get up North. So much to see!

[@AnneJutras]

Very informative guys! Love the parchemin paper on the counter, great idea! Thank you.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

You are so welcome!

[@k-mparker]

Excellent video guys!!! Love the cheap state parks too and most are big rig friendly as you mentioned. Our TH is 48ft and some change, so recon on google earth is your friend!!! We have the same bladder and a 12V water pump too. What we did is got the Anderson connectors and a roll of 10 gauge wire. I made a 20 ft pigtail off our 8 lithium battery bank with a female Anderson connector. Then I attached a male Anderson connector to our the same thing 12V water pump, Vair air compressor, and our 12V portable macerator pump we use to pump our black tank to the sewage tote. It’s a fairly easy project and simplifies and streamlines the process. 👍😃🍻

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Excellent info. We also use a macerator pump for times when the dump is too far from us to tote and we need to put it in the truck bed. We’ll probably do a video for the people the next time we do that.

[@camustang1966]

We are on the road about 20+ weeks out of the year in the Spring and Fall for the past 6 1/2 years. Over the past 3+ years, we have stayed at very few private campgrounds. We stay almost exclusively at State Parks (and CoE Parks, National Forest/BLM, City/County Parks). The quality of the camping is far superior to private parks. Like you, I don’t care about the lack of “amenities”. I don’t need a pool, or a trampoline, or a mini-golf course. Yeah, not having full hookups is a little less convenient, but using the dump station on the way out is not a big deal. It is the best way to RV (in my opinion) and it isn’t used by so many RV’ers…which is fine by us!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Yes!!!👍👏👏👏

[@kathydavis5085]

In Ohio state parks, near us, have several fresh water spickets located around the campground loops. There are also grey water areas around the loops to dump your grey water. This way, if you are tent camping, car camping or staying for additional days and saving water. There are places to dump out your dirty sink water.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

That’s awesome. I wish all state parks would provide that.

[@campinwiththeconfers]

Great tips! We love state parks! We have a water bag too. The first one I busted because I did not have the bag at tailgate and had to move it after the fact. Not good. lol. Also- you might want to consider getting a SoftStartUp.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Hey friend. Thanks for the reminder about soft starts. We have them on all the acs. Totally forgot to mention that (duh), hope to see you guys again soon.

[@ourlist8661]

Thanks for all the great ideas. On your water pump from the bladder what about mounting that pump inside a pelican case and use quick disconnect water hose fittings and then make a simple power connection in your bed with a power switch? Lot of explanation but basically put that pump in a water proof box with a power plug and switch ? Keep the ideas coming.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Yea, I saw another channel do that. Great idea

[@lifeswhimsytutelage]

Hello. WE really need to meet up one of these days. In the last video you were at the Sturgis Escapee whoya (I was in the Black Hills, who knew?! haha).. I have not attended one of those yet... a little nervous about that. Anyway... my comment was.. if in a state park with toilets, dump the dish water in the sink or toilet at the restrooms if concerned about dumping on ground. Some say yes, others say no... but that is a compromise.. I think... Thanks for sharing. Safe Travels.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

100%. It depends. If you only have a little water you might be able to do that. We were a ways away, but you totally could. You’d just be going over there a lot! Sometimes they even have sinks for washing dishes near the restrooms. It’s just easier to dump into the tote after a week and be done with it:

[@gregorymg2006]

Another great video with lots of great information

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@stevehull5756]

Great video guys. Love our state parks.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Us too! Thanks for watching. 🥰

[@SamCarleton]

State Parks I recommend, everyone I have been in Michigan has been wonderful. My favorite was the Wilderness State Park, about 7 miles west of Mackinaw City & Mackinaw Bridge. Wilderness State Park is right on Lake Michigan and is just beautiful! Between Wilderness State Park and Mackinaw City is the Headlands Internation Dark Sky Park which we stopped at in the evening. They often have presentations around 8pm. Mackinaw City is the southern location to catch a ferry to Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is a MUST-see, there are no cars, all the transportation is horse and buggy, bicycle, or foot.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

We are so putting this on our list.

[@KSSwith2Shihs]

I dump the dishwasher. I just make sure I don't have large food particles in it.

[@lifewithstephanie42]

Thank you for the video! Great information ☀️

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

You are so welcome!

[@Slackware1995]

Tips not just for State Park camping (some sites may have no hookups or electric only), federal campgrounds or boon docking. 1. Save plastic grocery store bags for garbage. They are small enough to carry up to a dumpster or drop off at gas stations or other stores with outside garbage cans. 2. Small water bladders. 0.5 gallon to 2 gallon. Water weighs 8 pounds per gallon. These small bladders fold up even smaller. Take one with you when you go on a walk (to the public restroom, garbage, dog walk, etc). On the way back stop at a water faucet and bring back a bit of water. If you have a bike/ebike then its easier to have a larger bladder. 3. Get a collapsable portable sink. This allows doing dishes outside using the water you brought back. Amazon has a 2.4 gallon collapsible sink with handles and 1.3 gallon callapsible bucket for $27. Many campgrounds have "dishwashing stations" (a faucet and drain) and/or fish cleaning stations if you don't feel comfortable dumping out a bit of "dirty" water. You can either carry the sink to the station/restroom or pour into the bucket to dispose of the "dirty" water. If you want warm water either warm in over a fire or stove in a pot. This will reduce the amount of "fresh" filtered (you are filtering right) you use and minimize filling up the kitchen grey tank. 4. If your RV has a gravity fresh water connection you could filter the water you bring back and use a funnel to add it to your fresh water tank. 1-2 gallons may not seem like much, but depending on how active you are (or if you have a bike/ebike with a larger bladder) it can add up. Two trips per day using a 2 gallon bladder is 28 gallons a week. Plus these small bladders allow you to get water from public sources such as a restroom or water faucet when you go into town. If your RV has a hose connection to fill the fresh water (usually small RVs have the gravity version) then you just need a small pump (used only for fresh water). It could be a hand pump, drill attached pump (faster than a hand pump but leaks alot as it uses water as lubricant and you need a drill. I wouldn't use it for more than 5 or maybe 10 gallons), or an actual water pump. I have a drill attached pump and an RV 12v water pump (I have large water bladders). I chose to use a 12v RV pump to transfer water as it can be used as the main RV pump if the main pump ever fails (a lightly used spare). 5. Consider having a solar and inverter system.

[@Slackware1995]

Even a tiny 200-400 watts of solar and a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter can make your life better. This will be enough to run your 12v lights, maybe the furnace for a couple hours and charge your phone (even if your RV does not have 12v USB chargers built in they are easily added near your batteries). For this system the inverter should be off until needed for an emergency as it uses some power when on). Knowing you can use the 12v system at a rest area, walmart, dry camping, or if the campground has a power outage is nice. Upgrading to a larger system with more solar, bigger batteries and a larger inverter brings more options. If your RV came with a small solar system you can often increase the number of solar panels (get the exact same panels). Sometimes the solar charger can handle a couple more panels. You can replace the solar charger with a larger one. The important thing is to not exceed the amperage rating on the solar cables coming from the roof. Example: Your RV came with two 200 watt panels for 400 watts. Each panel is rated at 28 volt at 7.18 amps. The cable to the roof is rated at 25 amps. The panels are in parallel giving a total rating of 28 volts at 14.36 amps. The solar charger is an MPPT and rated 12 volts at 40 amps. When charging the batteries it uses a maximum of 13.8 volts (lead acid batteries). This will result in about 29 to 33.3 amps. The charge controller is rated with a maximum PV input of 50 volts. This means you can not use the solar panels in series (two 28 volt panels in series is 56 volts). If you add a third panel in parallel you could charge the batteries at up to 50 amps, exceeding the 40 amp rating of your solar charger. You need to replace the solar charger. The solar cable to the roof is rated at 25 amps, meaning you can parallel up to 3 panels (3 x 7.18 amps = 21.54 amps). You find a bigger MPPT solar charger with a PV rating of 100 volts at 20 amps. It says that the minimum starting volts is 50 and the preferred vokts is 80. This means you need at least 2 panels in series (2 x 28v = 56v) and a maximum of 3 in series (3 x 28v = 84v). The 20 amp rating means a naximum of 2 in parallel (2 x 7.18 amps = 14.36 amps). Luckily you can have 2 strings of 3 panels in series 2p3s (each of the strings is 3 panels in series with 84 volts maximum, the two strings in parallel means 14.36 amps maximum which pretty much maxes out this solar charger). This means you will be adding 2 solar panels in series to the current two panels that are in parallel. You will be going from two 200 watt panels (400 watts) to two strings of three 200 watt panels (each string is 3 x 200 watts = 600 watts. Two strings is 2 x 600 watts = 1200 watts). If your goal is 1200 watts of solar I would recommend getting a larger solar charger that can handle the 1200 watts of solar and maybe allow for a a 2p4s configuration in case you decide that 1200 watts is not enough for you and you can add 2 more panels for 1600 watts. You also have an option to not use the original 200 watt panels and instead use other panels that might be larger or allow more panels on the roof. You might be able to easily run a new set of cables to the roof allowing you to keep the original solar system and add another system. Another possibility is replacing the current solar cabled with larger cables rated for more amps. The benefit of adding a new set of cables is redundancy. When upgrading your solar you must ensure that the original cables between the solar charger are large enough and that a properly sized fuse/breaker is installed. The cables from the roof need properly sized fuse/breaker also. I prefer to have a breaker near the solar charger and one for each string on the roof. These breakers allow you to easily disconnect a string on the roof or all strings near the solar charger. This is a huge safety factor if younor someone else needs to work on the system. If you are going with this mid-sized system it is a good idea to upgrade to lithium batteries. 1200 watts of solar connected to two 12v lead acid 100ah batteries makes no sense. Without going into details each of these batteries only has 50ah of usable storage (2 x 50 ah x 12.8 volts (full charge) = 1280 watt hours). Simply replacing with two 100ah lithium batteries (2 x 100ah x 13.6 volts (full charge = 2720 watt hours). If you use the newer mini sized lithium batteries you can use 4 without adding much weight and only a bit more space. You could also get two 150ah batteries in the same space and less weight. Two 150ah would be 4080 watt hour; a decent match for 1200-1600 watts of solar. A 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter is a good match. In full summer sun you should be able to run a single air conditioner for a few hours a day.

[@Slackware1995]

Because of the complications of setting up a whole RV solar/inverter system I HIGHLY recommend using a hybrid inverter. Thess combine a pure sine wave inverter with one or more solar mppt chargers, ac (shore power), sometimes generator charging. These come in various sizes from 2000 watt to 6000+ watts. Some are designed for 120Vac and others 240Vac split phase (be careful not to get 240Vac that does not support split phase). They will use battery banks if 12v, 24v or 48v. The higher voltage battery banks are cheaper and usually anything over 3000 watts requires either a 24v or 48v battery bank. Most RV 12v convertors either do not support lithium or badly support lithium. You will need to disconnect it and either use a hybrid inverter or get a lithium battery charger. If you use a main 24v or 48v main battery bank then you need a way to provide 12 volts. 1. Use step down (or buck) convertors. These will take the high voltage and reduce it to 12-13.6 volts (some are set voltage others are programable). This works best if you have hydraulic jacks and slide outs (these require high amperages). They are available in 10-50+ amps and you can use multiple. Remember 10 amps is only 120 watts and 50 amps is 600 watts. The furnace fan usually is 20 amps (but requires about 80 amps to start). 2. Keep a lead acid battery. The converor can charge it and/or a 24v to 12v charger (48v to 12v chargers are hard to find and very expensive). If you kept the original solar system it can also charge this battery. The lead acid battery can run the electric jacks and slide outs (standard 12v lithium batteries can have issues with the electric jacks and sometimes electric slide outs). 3. Dual purpose 12v lithium battery. These are like standard lithium batteries but also are rated to start larger electric motors (car engine starters and rv electric jacks). You will need a lithium charger.

[@Slackware1995]

Then there are crazy people like me. I have two EG4 6000xp hybrid inverters. Each is rated at 240Vac split phase at 25 amps. Combined they are able to provide 240Vac at 50 amps (just like hooking into shore power). I have SIX EG4 48v 100ah batteries with about 31kwh of storage. I also had two 12v lithium 240ah batteries for about 6.5kwh storage and a dual purpose 12v lithium 140ah battery for my electric auto leveler only. I have an EG4 chargevertor which can charge the 48v battery bank using 120Vac or 240Vac (and even 3 phase 208Vac). This means I charge the batteries with it connected to 120Vac 15, 20 or 30 amp shore power or 120Vac generator. Using 120Vac will charge the batteries at a maximum of about 2200 watts. Using 240Vac it is capable of charging at about 5100 watts. This is in addition to the EG4 6000xp which has a 240Vac input and another 240Vac "generator" input. I also have two 48v chargers that are rated at 15 amps each. I believe in redundancy. We were camping at a small town's campground on a 95+F holiday weekend. They were packed. I was connected to 120Vac 30 amp to the EG4 chargevertor as they didn't offer 240Vac 50 amp service. We had both air conditioners running, a mid sized dehumifier, TV, computers running. About 10am the campground lost power. We didn't notice. A neighbor asked one of our guests if we had power, she told them "yes"; which should have been obvious. About 6 pm, the campground maintance person stopped by to let us know power was restored. He asked me "how did you run your ac when the campground had no power". I responded "a large solar system". At that time I only had a single 1800 watt main solar string, a 400 watt and 260 watt string. It was a sunny day with few clouds but smoke from a wildfire. The main string produced about 1100 watts, plus about 300 watts and 150 watts from the smaller string. About 1550 watts of solar production. I only had 3 EG4 batteries. When I was informed power was restored I was at about 40% charge on the main battery bank. Having your RV electric isolated is huge. I also have the ability tovrun both air conditioners (I can control them remotely) while driving diwn the road. Starlink now also in-motion use up to 100 mph. This means I can remotely control any WIFI device, even while driving. The dehudifier in the basement can run all the time on warm or humid days, my auxillery hot water heater (for shower and bidet) can be turned on ahead of time, and I will be installing a tiny 2000 BTU air conditioner in the basement (rated at 280 watts) that will help cool the hybrid inverters. Imagine stopping at a rest area for lunch and having a nice cool 5th wheel and 1.5 gallons of hot water ready. We can use the microwave, instapot and large air fryer to cook. We can watch tv. In a pinch we can take an emergency shower. If it's cold out we can run the electric fireplace and portable electric heaters. Additionally I can provide 240Vac externally. This could be a large welder during an emergency, charging someones EV or even providing power to another RV (unless I knew them I would probably only supply 120Vac at 20 or 30 amps. If its someone I knew that understood electricty I could allow them 240Vac at 50 amp, meaning we would both have to self limit to not exceed 50 amp total). This also means I could connect to a generator plug at a house to act as an emergency generator. That really makes a "boondocker's welcome" stay interesting.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Awesome awesome insights and tips. Thank you👍😜

[@gerricole1598]

VA has amazing state parks. Shenandoah State Park will have some sites that will fit your rig and it is right up by the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Sweet! We will add it to our list. THANKS!

[@michaelquirke1281]

Hey Barry, what brand of inflatable boat and motor are you running, TIA. Michael.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Fish Skiff 16 by Sea Eagle. We might be showing more of it and how we pack it around in a video soon.

[@michaelquirke1281]

@@liketheresnotomorrow Thanks, will be checking it out.

[@thechambersrv]

Honestly, managing water has been my biggest fear for boondocking and staying at state parks. I have a little one so it is hard to get most things done, otherwise it wouldn't be an issue. Thanks for covering this very helpful topic!

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

You can do it!

[@windyfetterly5423]

How do you get around the 14 days maximum in any state park from May to September?

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

We generally only stay at one for 14 days at a time before moving to a new one. I have heard of people leaving for a day and then returning but I think most have rules of time between stays. You may have to look it up on their website.

[@amandahenson7620]

How long is your rig? And how far in advance do you recommend for reserving a spot for two weeks at state parks?

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

We are 44ft. For two weeks I’d say book as early as they will allow you for holiday or summer travel. Most state parks open up booking 6 months in advance, but it varies. Off season I got a full two weeks within a couple of months before but even if you don’t go that far in advance, just keep checking for cancellations. I have booked a week and then caught a second week later.

[@1TxSwampRat]

I've learned through experience I can have 3 people in my Springdale for 6 days being judicious in water and toilet use. I learned some hacks from OJT and KZbin. It can be done as long as you know your rigs capacity.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

That’s awesome. Appreciate you sharing

[@ohioclassCcamper]

We stay at state park alot. We wash dishes in tub keep 5 gallon free pickle bucket by door and dump dish water in it till near full all the state parks we stay at have grey water dump in camp area every 10 or 15 site a we dump it there. Not on the ground.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Thanks for sharing. Great idea

[@daverussell9875]

That’s good thinking on them doggy bags.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

#gamechanger our tanks last so much longer now.

[@amybecker5797]

Do you have to purchase state park stickers for each state to be able to camp at those places?

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Most of the time, no. They generally include it in your reservation fee... however, we have had a couple where we had to pay the $7 entry fee once. They usually list that info on the state park website when you book. There has been one park where it was a daily fee, and we decided not to stay there because of it. That has been the only one we came across doing it this way. Of the ten state parks we have stayed at only one asked us to pay the entrance fee one time.

[@PeggyKrohn]

Thank you for the info.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

You bet!

[@seaphor665]

on your pump wiring you can install a $2 toggle switch on 1 of the wires to turn off and on instead of it coming on when attaching the wires to the battery

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Great idea thank you

[@edvargas3045]

@@liketheresnotomorrow I like your idea of using a "spare" water pump, but here's what I would do differently, get a 7--way trailer wiring connector, use the brown wire to connect a switch and connect the ground, wire then connect to water pump. if you turn on parking lights, it will energize the brown wire, and it all is one neat wiring adapter that will plug into the existing trailer plug in the bed of your truck, no need to carry a spare battery.....

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

@@edvargas3045 great idea. Thank you

[@grouchinthewoods4995]

Just to let you know, Charlestown State Park is in Southern Indiana, not Ohio. We hosted there in August of 2021. Very good video.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Whoops. lol thanks for that correction. We’ve been at so many lately I think I got them mixed up. lol

[@valeriaaidi374]

If I was able to have a van or RV I will definitely go for an incinerator toilet. No water and no black water tank to worry about 😊.

[@robynidyllwild6755]

I can’t even get into a state park in California, I have been trying to get into Carlsbad State Beach for over 3 years lol. So apparently wherever this is at must either be Hot, Humid, or have lots of bugs 🤣🤣 Yes I will dump dishwater, and leftover black coffee. All those things are great but they all take room and in a Class B you just don’t have it.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

It really is dependent on your area. Ca by far has been our hardest state to get into state parks. We literally gave up. Maybe because the weather year round is decent. In other parts of the country there is shoulder season when it’s more available. Summer, however, is always hard to get in. Maybe get out of CA! lol

[@jessicaw.6321]

Have you ever thought about taking a garbage bag and putting it one or two of them over the toilet seat putting some horse bed pellets they are little pellets that are made of ground up wood that they soak up urine etc and when you're done you put your trash and everything in it and then you bag it up tied up and you throw it in the dumpster. No worse than babies dirty diaper. And it doesn't smell because the pellets soak up all the urine. I've had to use 5 gallon buckets for many years. And when I found out about the horse pellets that are betting pellets that absorb urine. You can buy them at tractor supply store. It made a world of difference.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Wow. Now that’s an idea… but I’m afraid I’m not willing to go to that level of commitment and effort. lol I Love how you have it figured out and working for you though.

[@zeuszivonencia3068]

I want to live full time in a motorhome. I am a boat captain in the Gulf of Mexico and leaving it alone for 4 weeks is my only worry.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Yea, that would be a challenge. I’d say finding someone you trust that would allow you to store it, or leaving it hooked up at a park where a neighbor might keep an eye on it.

[@mikesleigher932]

30 Amp = 3600 wat.. 50 Amp = 5000 wat... soft start on ur a/c makes a huge difference

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Us too, we put soft starts on all the ac’s as well. Hoping to cover that in future videos.

[@susantaylor8554]

Falls Lake state Park North Carolina electric and water Goose creek state Park full hooks there North Carolina.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Oooohhh thank you…adding to the list !

[@jannettewebb8326]

Lassen state park

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Making a note. Thank you

[@MaryWehmeier]

Try over $50 a day in California.

[@cristyrobertson9165]

Of course I’d dump my dish pan. What do people think tent campers do they have no tank

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Exactly! You’d be surprised what some people say. lol crazy

[@ArleneWalsh-tq7os]

We used to tent camp and we would wash our dishes in the sink outside the bathrooms, or wash them in a tub and then dump the tub at the sink. All the state parks that we have been to have a big sink. It’s gross to dump your dirty dish water at a campground and it attracts animals.

[@chadkoller7809]

Dishwater is ok to dump

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

Thanks for saying that…and we totally agree.

[@rogergraves242]

Yes don’t Drink that water that hasn’t been Filtered.

[@liketheresnotomorrow]

I know, right!?