We Dry Camped for 10 Days Straight, Here's What Happened

We Dry Camped for 10 Days Straight, Here's What Happened + Tips for RV Dry Camping
You read that right we recently spent 10 straight days and 9 nights dry camping (boondocking) in our RV. How did it go? What were our biggest challenges? How did our solar and lithium battery system perform? What did we learn from this and previous dry camping experiences? What did we have to monitor while dry camping? How did we get water? What did we run off our batteries? How did we find dump stations? Did we use our generator?
We take you along for a day-by-day experience as we camp without any type of electric, water or sewer hookups for 10 days during the summer, and share some of the mistakes we made and things we learned along the way.
Don't forget to watch for our videos about our experiences at Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Dinosaur National Monument! Coming Soon!
To see more about this experience and More RV Dry Camping Tips, visit our website: rvtexasyall.com/rv-lifestyle/... .
Mentioned In This Video:
Wingin' It About Dry Camping in 2019: • Unplugged Adventure: R...
Our Visit to Padre Island: • Escape to Padre Island...
Installing Our 48-Volt Solar and Lithium System: • RV Solar and Lithium: ...
Clam Screen Tent: amzn.to/3MY9HMl
Small Rechargeable Fans: amzn.to/3CSUgAv
Rechargeable Camping Fan with Light: amzn.to/3eXSJRU
Rechargeable Foldaway Fan: amzn.to/3D0Nxoc
Chapters of this Video:
00:00 Introduction & Day 1
02:17 Day 2
04:55 Day 3
07:27 Drinking Water Tips
09:33 Day 4
11:46 Some Ways We Keep Our RV Cooler in Summer
13:35 Day 5, Finding a Dump Station
17:06 Day 6
19:29 Day 7, It's Really Hot!
22:14 Why We Bought Our 48-Volt Solar/Lithium System
23:20 Day 8, Rechargeable Fans
26:25 Day 9
28:29 Day 10, What We've Learned About Dry Camping and Tips for Dry Camping
#drycamping #boondocking #rvlife #rvtravel
📍 Filmed During the Summer in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Dinosaur National Monument, Utah, USA
🤠 Thanks For Watching!
We are Tom and Stacie Langland, known for 10 years as RV Texas Y'all.
We are Native Texans and Full-Time RVers who are all about exploring the Great State of Texas and America one campground at a time. We're on a mission to experience life, not just live it and we're bringing you along for the fun.
In 2018, we sold our house, our business and gave away just about everything we own to hit the road and see America. Our home is a 33' motorhome named Freedom. We installed an extreme solar and lithium battery setup so now we can camp just about anywhere with our dog (Star) and our cat (Astro).
Every day is a new adventure, so join us as we RV America Y'all.
Safe Travels and Happy Camping!
__
👋 Find Us Across the Internet!
rvamericayall.com/links
__
Music Credits:
www.storyblocks.com

[@rvamericayall]

Happy Sunday!! This 10-day stretch was quite an adventure! We can't wait to share more about Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and Dinosaur National Monument in the coming weeks. We've added more of what we've learned from our dry camping experiences and tips for dry camping on our website. Visit rvtexasyall.com/rv-lifestyle/we-dry-camped-10-straight-days for more information on dry camping.

[@susanhazelton6645]

Very good information thanks for telling the difference between the water faucets and hoping soon we can be ouththere too. It a joy to watch you both and star and astro

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Susan and good luck with your journey!

[@stevendunn264]

I just love you two. What a great life. Thank you for sharing.

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome and thanks for watching! 😊

[@allanwarmflash4440]

great looking sight glad your solar is working very cool safe travels

[@rvamericayall]

Working great! Thanks

[@leighmcqueeney9848]

So good to see you boondocking. It is our favourite form of RVing. In the middle of 6 days at Garden of the Gods IL. Spectacular. Cheers the 2 Tasmanians.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks y’all and glad your enjoying Garden of the Gods!

[@joebudde3302]

This episode is one of my favorites, great to hear how you're using and experiencing the solar/lithium setup. One question do you plan on having some app to monitor the interior Temps while you're away from the coach?

[@rvamericayall]

We do have an app that works on WiFi and monitors temp, batteries & the inverter. Thanks for asking!

[@bigtruckbigtravels]

Love to boondock. We dry camp about 60% of the time. Love the deserts out west. Enjoy the peace.

[@rvamericayall]

It is nice to just get away!

[@martyh4777]

For showers : when we boondock we still often take a shower daily or every other day (in particular during warmer days). Yes, outdoor showers, so not to add to our grey-tank. Warm up the water at your fireplace and put on your swimsuit and flush-off with a gallon or two of warm water at the end of the evening. Easy & very refreshing.

[@rvamericayall]

😎

[@jasonred1258]

you have installed 51v 150amp batteries = 7,650kW and I recall from your earlier video that you have opted for extra 2 batteries (total of 4) = 30,600 KW. That should be able to easily run a small house. Have a great time.

[@rvamericayall]

It does, it basically can run my entire RV house! 😊

[@davidmarbury4210]

We love you guys, y’all. See you in PSL the end of October.

[@rvamericayall]

😊

[@andrewlabat9963]

Awesome trip, enjoying the full ability of that motorcoach, and getting away from the masses.. keep enjoying it..

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Andrew! 😊

[@christinemerzario5860]

Love your haircut!! Nice choice. We are at JBRVP too. Maybe we’ll see you this month!!

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks, hope to get to meet y’all!

[@VETUSAF1]

Enjoy watching your videos. You give a lot of good information. The thing I like the most is that you seem so down to earth. Love the colors of your motorhome. I can’t talk my wife in to doing much boon docking but at 74 she may be right. Wishing you safe travels and good weather.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks KC!

[@cross9494]

Great information on the the way to use your solar and generator to conserve power! Thanks for a great video again!!

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks RC! 😊

[@TheDionysius57]

Love you guys ❤! Thanks for taking me on your adventures!

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome, thanks for watching!

[@jimmymcclosky3786]

Thanks for all of great information.

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@leonwagenaar4479]

Great setup you've got! Thank you for sharing!

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome Leon, thanks for watching!

[@hangingoutenjoyinglifewith2268]

Great Content!!👍🏾 👍🏾

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks

[@garychristison763]

Subliminal advertising, I have a craving for pecan pie and don't want to wait until April for the Tatum Pecan Pie Festival. You all have to be rare in your ability to run AC overnight off batteries and then use solar to recharge. Thanks for the feedback on how your extreme system is working out. It's kind of a fantasy system for someone like me and it's fun to follow along.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Gary, it really is a rare system. Thanks for watching!

[@yesyess78]

Love your videos.. and the update tag you both did..

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks

[@caniacstevehenderson7115]

Great job y'all!! Thanks for sharing this with us all

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome!

[@bobelder18]

You’all have a beautiful rv. Thanks for the videos.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Bob! 😊

[@VernonWallace]

Sounds like a great setup. Thanks for sharing.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Vernon!

[@ericverpeten8503]

love this video, 👍👍👍👍

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Eric!

[@judystreich7333]

Can’t wait to see your Flaming Gorge video’s, glad ya’ll went there. 🙋🏼‍♀️👍

[@rvamericayall]

Coming tomorrow! 😊

[@dewayneatwell7604]

Glad everything worked so well. Looking forward to seeing the videos about your exploring the area.

[@rvamericayall]

Hi Dewayne, coming tomorrow!

[@joemiles6917]

Interesting and informative video.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks

[@kayeasterling5774]

WOW!!! Beautiful, Gorgeous, Awesome, Wonderful, Grand are a few of the descriptive words of this Video. Great Job again, with the musical background, Tom. Most informative and scenic areas well covered. Have lot's of fun and stay safe. Grammy Kay

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks mom!

[@lorettalaws8801]

Tom and Stacey looks great. I enjoy all of your videos . Watching from North Carolina have been for a long time now try and be safe. Be Blessed & Safe travels for you and your beautiful animals

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Loretta!

[@allanwarmflash4440]

great info

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Allan!

[@leann4925]

So glad that your doing well. My biggest experience has been surviving hurricanes and a major ice storm. Health reasons have kept me grounded as well as unnecessary crime that has taken place. I do look forward to your upcoming videos. Thanks and Love y'all.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Leann & we hope things look up for you very soon!

[@user-cd2qo8xn1x]

Love the t-shirt! I live in St. Augustine

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks, that’s a fun place!

[@duncanjames914]

This was an excellent video that highlighted the value of a large solar/lithium system for boondocking or camping in areas that prevent running the genny at night. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

[@rvamericayall]

You’re welcome ☺️

[@davideschberger]

You've got a great setup! For me the advantage you have is the freedom from having to plan around the weather. We're in a van and with our solar, water, and composting toilet we've dry camped for a couple of weeks until we've had to refill water. However we can't run an AC with our electrical setup so we could only visit the areas you visit in this video in spring or fall or we have to stay somewhere with electricity (we hate being hot at night). I think with the lifestyle you lead it's worth every penny of your investment to have that extra bit of freedom.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks David, we love it 😍

[@martihoffman]

Thanks for this video. We are just starting to use our new solar system. Balancing the power usage for air conditioning is the number one challenge.

[@rvamericayall]

Absolutely 💯

[@allanwarmflash4440]

we have had a ball with national parks this year enjoy guys

[@rvamericayall]

We did too! 😊

[@allanwarmflash4440]

@@rvamericayall see you in Galveston safe travels

[@Herk988]

Canyon Rim is our favorite spot. We try to go annually, although we haven’t been there for the past two years. We know the Flaming Gorge area well as we lived in Wyoming for awhile. Can’t wait to see footage and hear your thoughts on the area. Hopefully you were able to visit some of our favorite areas of the gorge. The rock formations are incredibly beautiful, the colors defy description. We’ve traveled this great nation for years and still remain enamored with the Flaming Gorge area.

[@rvamericayall]

It is absolutely stunning, we loved it 😍

[@maggiewilliamson624]

great information- thanks. I learned a lot. Might suggest a little condensing just because 45 minutes was pretty long.

[@rvamericayall]

Fair

[@supremeautomotive6749]

If you guys really wanted to have AC 24/7 and not worry about it get 2 small window AC units 1 in the bedroom 2nd Up front. They use 300 to 600 watts you would be to run AC all day and night no issues just a thought for emergency AC for cats

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks for the tip!

[@allanwarmflash4440]

thisbhas been an interesting year for weather have been as low as the low 20s to as high as 107 all good safe travels from the big Miss

[@rvamericayall]

Sure has!

[@TravelingonAdventures]

Great video!!! THIS is why I want solar which of course isn't quite in the budget yet, but we are starting to slowly build a system. We just ordered lithium batteries which are arriving tomorrow to upgrade our lead acid batteries.

[@rvamericayall]

That is a great start! The batteries are the key! Thanks for watching!!! 😊

[@Coleen_West]

Wow! -- QUESTION -- That paint job is so nice.. It really makes the RV looks great! Can I be so bold as to ask you if you had pay extra for that paint or does it come with it?

[@rvamericayall]

They are custom colors that we paid extra for. Since we ordered this coach from NIRVC in Dallas we got to pick out the extras we wanted!

[@thecherryrvlife]

We're installing our lithium next month (total 1,080 Ah @ 12v) ... super excited to get them in and get solar installed a little later.

[@rvamericayall]

That’s awesome, perfect way to start! You will love lithium!

[@mnmandthegang]

Great video, we are also thinking of getting a solar and lithium upgrade, the 4 AGM batteries and 200w solar we have isn't enough for boondocking. Safe travels

[@rvamericayall]

Lithium is definitely the way to go!

[@roddjarmon2064]

Hey guys!! I'm back. I'm late. Working 2 jobs. So I'm behind. Dry camp? Wow. I'll watch so I can learn more about dry camping. Scary!! 😂😂. Have fun.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Rodd, welcome back! 😊

[@roddjarmon2064]

Wait P.S. - Is that a Miami Dolphins hat?😂😂

[@rvamericayall]

😂 nope! 😂

[@zanobiashalks2769]

Thanks for a very informative video. Glad you liked the KOA in Steamboat, my home. I'm curious, how many watts of solar and how many amp hours of battery do you have?

[@rvamericayall]

2,280 Watts of Solar & 600 amps @48 volt which is equivalent to 2400 amps at 12 volt! We did a video on the system about a year ago.

[@zanobiashalks2769]

​@@rvamericayall Wow, thanks! I found the video and am watching it now. I'm in the process of listing my house and upgrading from a Roadtrek Class B to a 27' Class C and am in the market for Mega Solar with a Mini-split. Keep staying Cool!

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks we will!

[@WILDEBILL308]

Interesting video. So this was more about doing 10 days without shore power than doing a long stretch on your tanks. When you are in Arches area go to Pasta Js in Moab. Great food.

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks Bill but as we said when we dumped at the KOA that we could make it but why not dump just in case!

[@WILDEBILL308]

@@rvamericayall Yes never pass up a chance to dump. Where are you now?

[@rvamericayall]

Lol, that’s for sure, we are at Caprock Canyon State Park right now.

[@WILDEBILL308]

@@rvamericayall You getting any of the rain that is blowing through? Small world. One of your fellow New Air owners Donald Hagge is in Amarillo. He is going to NIRVC on Thursday. We will see him when he is there. Nov 9-12 we will be in Durant Ok at the Choctaw RV park for a rally Let me know if you can stop buy.

[@rvamericayall]

Yes we are getting rain & cold!

[@fratermus5502]

Today makes 1,531 straight days of dry camping. :-)

[@rvamericayall]

That’s awesome 👏🏻

[@n1uno1965]

How long do you think it takes to filter that pitcher of water using the burkey? Cool video! 🖖🏻😘👍🏻🙏🏻

[@rvamericayall]

15-20 minutes

[@davidhannan2023]

Have you considered change your name to “RV America y’all”? You’ve said a couple of times and I think it would be great for you guys.

[@rvamericayall]

Maybe so! 🤔

[@marychristie6194]

Great Video-My husband and I just purchased a Jeep Gladiator-We want to get a Tonneau Cover-What brand do you have on your Gladiator? Thank you -We love watching your channel 😃🚌🇺🇸

[@rvamericayall]

Not sure of the brand because the dealer installed it.

[@marychristie6194]

@@rvamericayall thank you 😊

[@stoneyvanwie6042]

Did you put soft starts on both A.C. ? Also did they set you up a auto start on generator in cause you were gone during the day ?

[@rvamericayall]

Yes on both questions! The soft starts are the first thing they did & our coach came with Silver-leaf that controls the auto generator start.

[@stoneyvanwie6042]

@@rvamericayall good to know I've followed your set up I guess maybe a year ago ! I just didn't remember that part. Glad to see you really using it and challenging yourselves for the just in case !

[@HDTRVTRAVELS]

Question: do your AC’s have soft starts? We have only 600ah with almost 1600 watts on our panels. I’m just curious if I could possibly run at least one (maybe 2) AC’s with our set up since we have soft starts in all 3 ac units. We usually just run the genny when we want ac

[@rvamericayall]

We do have soft starts. Maybe one, if wired right but I’m sure you can’t run 2! Good luck!🍀

[@rightright6582]

do u have to run your engine on high iddle, 1500 rpm or so, to run that second alternator? what is the amp on that sencond alternator and voltage? so i see that one hour of running that cummins engine, do about 40% of battery charge...at about 4 GPH?

[@rvamericayall]

Between 1200-1500 works well!

[@jessepitre7095]

Couple questions Tom. 1) with your roof practically covered with solar panels I’m guessing very hard to impossible to wash roof now right? 2) with all the solar panels on roof how difficult is it to check your decor sealing and if starting to get cracks how diffult to lay new sealant over existing?

[@rvamericayall]

Both great questions & yes it is impossible to clean the roof but luckily the solar panels add extra protection to the roof from the sun & other types of weather. We can inspect it though & remove some panels if we need to lay new sealant but definitely more difficult than not having them. Everything is a trade off and it’s worth it to us to have the solar. Thanks for watching!

[@jessepitre7095]

Thank you for getting Bach to me Tom. The wife & I have been watching y’all for at least a couple of years and really enjoy your channel! Safe travels!

[@rvamericayall]

Thank you for watching! 😊

[@bobjensen9272]

Trying to understand what your solar setup offers you. You have spent a boatload of cash on your solar setup, yet you still need to use that generator. Other than less run time on the gen, what does the solar setup get you except for running the A/C at night and saving a few gallons of fuel? What might your payback be?🤔

[@rvamericayall]

Freedom, that’s our payback! We can stay anywhere at anytime we want! Also, when we are traveling we don’t ever run the generator so it’s much quieter. We don’t even need a generator since we have our 48 volt alternator. The alternator charges the batteries much faster than the generator.

[@kr639]

Those class A’s sure get a boatload hotter than some of the better insulated fifth wheels. It’d suck to try to cool down that thing with battery and generator use. I’m glad I can cool mine with a 12 volt portable ac if need be. Much smaller footprint though

[@rvamericayall]

We are very well insulated, that’s not really an issue at all. However, we can’t cool it with a 12 volt A/C, actually I’ve never seen a 12 volt A/C, maybe a 12 volt fan, I am interested to know what brand is that A/C? TIA

[@kr639]

@@rvamericayall It’s not 12 volt but rather 48 volt dc. Eco flow delta. It’s best paired with a eco flow delta max or pro battery. Only draws like 250-300 watts Very efficient on dc. Plus has eco and timer functions that make it more efficient. You can hook solar up to the eco flow battery also so it could run for a good while! Main thing for me is cooling off enough for the dogs.

[@kr639]

@@rvamericayall But the fifth wheel is only 28 feet so small footprint. Portable ac is going to be handy for boondocking! Only 4K btu but you all could use two of them.

[@davidhannan2023]

@@rvamericayall Yes, Newmar has one of the top insulated Class A RVs on the market!

[@Clay-Sport]

Do you have a “feel” for about how much diesel the generator uses per hour when running both a/cs.

[@rvamericayall]

We don’t need to use our generator, we run our A/C’s off our batteries & inverter!

[@Clay-Sport]

@@rvamericayall I thought y’all said in the video that you did run the generator a couple of times when it was so hot. Thanks for the response

[@rvamericayall]

Yes, I’m sorry, I was thinking of another video but it’s about a 1/2 gallon per hour of run time!

[@garykrissteiner1004]

It's great to see you using your awesome solar setup! Our favorite places are boondocking and we love using our solar and lithium. Great video! @BigDogRV

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks y’all!

[@bruceschafer7142]

Did you use Batteries or Generator to open/close slides?

[@rvamericayall]

Batteries but I had the engine running

[@AmericanSurvival001]

So there’s one flaw in your solar system that maybe you’ve addressed in previous videos just found your channel, when you consider those panels are laying flat on the roof they don’t really start producing any significant energy until about 11 o’clock in the morning when the sun is probably hitting them at 60° and and only receive a few hours until about two 230 in the afternoon of somewhat direct sunlight I’m betting after three you’re probably getting less than 50% charge capability out of them because of the angle of the sun so really your effective charging hours are only about 2 to 3 hours this time of year, And then you factor in those puffy little clouds overhead your Solar is substantially compromised this time of year, I am impressed with that 48 V alternator putting that much charge in in a half an hour, i’m guessing at the cost of about 3 gallons of diesel lol I wonder how much horsepower it takes to turn that alternator?

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks for the comment. Yes we do get reduced capacity on the solar because they don’t angle but we get more than you think because they are elevated on our roof so we have no shading at all from things like A/C covers & awning covers. BTW, the alternator works very effectively and the engine just needs to be turned up just a little to get a lot. It’s much more efficient than the generator but we don’t like to start the engine up in a campground if anyone is around because of course it’s a little louder! Thanks for watching!

[@andrewlabat9963]

They panels are also protected they way they are laid by the motor home itself. what would the weight, complexity, and cost be to have articulating panels when most will never use them nearly to their capacity?

[@jamesculver605]

Did you get your lithium system installed at the factory ?

[@rvamericayall]

Nope, just down from the factory at Mastertech RV in Elkhart Indiana.

[@motocross_guy5212]

I don't know if yall are watching the Astros but they are going to the world series.

[@rvamericayall]

Heck yeah we’re watching!! Thanks for the note. Go Astros! 🍾

[@4pittbullsacrossamerica4750]

We dry camp all the time we fill up carry drinki g water and get 14 days in black tank

[@rvamericayall]

We just didn’t need to so why not dump if we can!

[@4pittbullsacrossamerica4750]

@@rvamericayall I mean if ya got money to blow send it

[@brianroth7852]

C4YT!!!!

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks

[@billymichael3627]

Help us please!!!! We have had a 48volt system installed that’s not working right. Our installation company worked on it for 18 days and it still not right. Who did your installation and how do we contact them? Despite.

[@rvamericayall]

No problem, call and ask for Tim @ Mastertech RV in Elkhart, IN [phone] Please tell them you heard about them from us. We have no affiliation with them but it would be good for them to know. Thanks

[@billymichael3627]

Thanks so much.

[@rvamericayall]

Your welcome! Good luck!🍀

[@williequintana6145]

How much was your solar set up

[@rvamericayall]

Quite a bit but it’s so different that we don’t want to scare folks off that want to do a normal type setup!

[@4pittbullsacrossamerica4750]

Why do you need to dump in 5 days

[@rvamericayall]

I answered in your other comment

[@IJUSTWANNAFLYDJIDRONES71]

I wanna see somebody actually enjoying their self cooking out or swimming…fishing hiking……most of the time people just sit around and talk.

[@rvamericayall]

Agreed

[@ashcan3028]

Berky is being sued they are not certified, maybe you want to investigate it , we quit ours.

[@rvamericayall]

Haven’t heard that, will have check into that!

[@kevinjones6638]

C4YT

[@rvamericayall]

Thanks

[@ZmaxLife]

Today you talk like Kamala Haris -word salad .

[@rvamericayall]

What??? That’s totally 😜

[@ZmaxLife]

@@rvamericayall Yes you are right it's is totally aka Kamala mumbling -watch again and maybe you will understand repeating over and over and over isn't good. You have plenty good videos and I do understand not every video can be good . Don't be Kamala with 25% solid info and 75% repeating please. We all like you guys and believing you can do better.