Fall Teardrop Camping

We took a quick trip down to the Eastern Sierras last weekend to go hiking and see the fall colors. When we camp in this area, we love to find free Forest Service campgrounds which makes our teardrop trip a lot less expensive. While the amenities are basic (pit toilets, picnic tables and fire pits), we never forget how lucky we are to have beautiful, free places to pitch camp.

Teardrop Camping in Someone's Backyard

This weekend, my husband and I went down to Sonoma County, California to do some camping in the beautiful Cali weather and to visit with Kent Griswold of the Tiny House Blog. A friend of mine shares a large property in the small town of Sebastopol with some family and offered to let us camp in the backyard. The property has redwood trees, cool, funky artwork, chickens and goats and lots of flowers, grapevines and the plants that make up this lush area of coastal California. It's a perfect place to go camping.

There will be times in your teardropping life when you'll be camping in someone's backyard and it's a great way to visit an area for free. However, there are a few things you should take into consideration. My friend's family was very kind in letting us camp for a few days in their yard, so we changed up our camping style and schedule to accommodate that kindness.

Plan out your bathroom visits

Our hosts offered us the back bathroom of their home and we used it once or twice, but tried to utilize public bathrooms as much as possible so we wouldn't bother them or their two dogs.

 Be water-wise

We did have access to the hose in the backyard to fill up our water container for drinking, cooking and dishes—which was great. However, if you're in a desert or drought area, try to keep your water use at a minimum or purchase water from a store.

Clean up after yourself

Don't leave a mess behind, even if you're going to be back to camp. During our everyday teardrop routines, it can look like a bomb went off in the teardrop and plates, pots, pans, food and clothes will be everywhere. Tidy up and put everything away (especially in a wind-prone area) and keep a clean camp.

Show your appreciation

You are most likely staying at your friend's home for free. Show your appreciation by inviting them to a teardrop trailer breakfast or dinner or offer to do some yard work. Since our hosts were working most of the weekend, we bought them a bottle of organic Mendocino county wine to relax with.

Friday Teardrop Photo

Taken at the Gathering at the 'Glyphs near Austin, Nevada. 

The campground is the beautiful (and free) Hickison Petroglyphs State Park.

Teardrop Trailer Boondocking

Many times when we go camping with our friends (who also own a teardrop trailer), we will boondock. Boondocking is essentially free camping on public land. It's also called dispersed camping, and there are various places around the U.S. where you can set up camp for the night with a minimal amount of amenities. Boondocking with a teardrop trailer is just as easy as with a larger RV, and maybe even more so because a small teardrop tucked away in the woods or in the desert does not have as high a profile as a larger RV and can be less conspicuous.

You can boondock on BLM land or National Forest property, and some people even boondock in the parking lot of Wal-Mart or a local truck stop. There are discussions among campers whether or not parking lot camping is really boondocking, and the word tends to refer only to free camping on public land.

Depending on the area and terrain, boondocking areas will have specifically designated areas for camping, vehicles and campfires and some sites may not even allow any kind of open flame. Boondocking spots normally don't have hookups, sewer, showers or water, but sometimes they have basic pit toilets. Many boondocking areas have a time limit of several weeks.

You can find boondocking areas on these two websites: Free Campsites.net and Boondocking.org.

Boondocking tips:

Bring your own water or a water filter

Several places where we like to boondock have a nearby creek or river where we will fill up canteens just for washing dishes or ourselves. This water should not be used for cooking or drinking unless it has been filtered or boiled. It's best to bring several five gallon tanks of your own drinking water.


Stay safe

Camp with people you know and trust. Boondocking is not necessarily dangerous, but since there is no camp host and some boondocking areas are away from populated areas, it's best to not camp alone. 


Re-use campfire areas

If you are boondocking and happen to run across a spot where someone once had a campfire, use the same area rather than creating a new area to burn. Depending on where you're camping, many boondocking areas have plenty of downed wood.

Use Dry ice

If you plan on boondocking for a week or more, use dry ice instead of regular ice. Your food will stay colder longer and you won't have to travel a long distance to re-stock your ice supply. Here are some tips on how to use dry ice.

A Magazine Just for Teardrops

A free electronic magazine just for teardrops will be arriving in February 2013.  The Cool Tears and Tiny Campers magazine is a bi-monthly publication that will be delivered to your email box and is dedicated primarily to teardrop trailers and other small and ultralight campers.

One goal of the magazine is to break down the vast amounts of information on the web into a few interesting stories presented in a familiar graphic magazine format. The magazine will also feature quality manufacturers, custom builders, and do-it-yourselfers and teardrop trailer parts and supplies.