Ever thought about using an e-bike to help you get into those hard to back out of boondocking sites? Check out this video th-cam.com/video/B5Y9y8rUhvU/w-d-xo.html
although i have been boon-docking my whole life in recent years there has been a lot more traffic, with this more waist has been left behind. pack out what you take in. and always leave a site better than when you got there. you should do a video on back country etiquette.
Unless I want to boondock during the week , one of my 39 million California neighbors will already be there. If that spot was in CA, it would be crowded & trashed. I camp in my backyard, it quiet & free & i can't beat the commute!
Glad to hear this was helpful. Richard, I think you are really going to enjoy it. It takes a couple of trips to figure out the power and water situation. But, to us that part was pretty fun trying to figure it all out. Then once you get that figured out you just get all that time to be by yourself, breath fresh air, and listen to nature all around. Hard to beat it!
I would like to share with you an idea to heat up in cold weather: When I was camping in winter I used electric blankets with a hat or I also covered my head. This is something very safe and super effective with a minimum of electrical consumption (less than a light bulb) and really after an hour the heat cannot be tolerated, even when it is snowy in a camping tent.
Great suggestion. We are huge fans of this. Actually so much so that we made a 13 minute video about it. I think it will come out in about a month. And you are so right. It gets so darn hot we are sleeping in our under garments in the middle of an Alaskan winter. Appreciate you sharing this Naomi.
Awesome video as always Drew, loaded with great tips and “secrets” . We can’t wait to get up there and explore your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight.
@@bucktalesoutdoors7566 I do a bit of voice dictation from my phone and it often doubles up my responses as well. The worst thing is that it often does it with entire paragraphs.
I think that Alaska is the paradise for boondocking. So many places we found after we met a man from Arizona who explained us that the BML lands are free to camp and he also thought us to use the free campsite app. Now the is like you mentionned I Overlander which looks great. But I will try Google earth for our next road trip whenever we can go somewhere.
Isn't BLM land great. Once you start using BLM and National Forest land for camping it can really open you up to a whole new world of possibilities. Excited for your to use your new tools for your next adventure. Thanks for sharing Henri!
Thanks, Drew. We have never boondocked, but are thinking we will try it out next Summer - so this info is really helpful. Glad you got a great sponsor - love Backcountry!!! Love that site you found - absolute perfection.
How fun! Hoping we inspired you a little bit. You will have to tell us all about your first trip. And yes, we feel so blessed through this sponsorship with Backcountry. Never in a million years would we have imagined our go to gear company would reach out to us. I guess we need to start dreaming bigger 😆 Honestly, we wouldn't have even thought of reaching out to them. We feel like such little fish in this big TH-cam pond. Very inspiring for all us small camping channels.
Just found you and cant wait to watch ALL the videos haha. I am enthusiastic as I just got a little Nobo 10.6 and want to make things as comfy for my wife and kids in hopes to get them off grid camping :)
You nailed it with "comfy." That is the trick. I don't tell May this but I bust my butt out there (making me uncomfortable and busy) to ensure they are comfortable and relaxed. Yes, it makes my camping a little harder, but so worth it when they are all excited to stay extra days or come back a couple of days later.
I have been camping at this site sense I was 7 we called it Waikiki, now that I'm an adult with my own family this is definitely our favorite spot to camp. If you ever get a chance you can boat over to porcupine island from here it's awesome.
Funny you mention this Erik. On day two someone pulled in and said is this "Waikiki Beach?" And we said, "Maybe?" They had been in search of the site as well. They were from Seward and said everyone down there calls it Waikiki. Would love to head over to porcupine island. Thank you for the suggestion!
New to overlanding here. What are the typical ways to recognize a boondocking site? You mentioned it but didn’t really explain. Thank you for the other great tips!
Sorry about that. We ended up cutting that portion out due to length. It is a combination of a lot of little things. The first two things that stick out to me are a well traveled road/path that only goes back 50 yards or less (typically if it isn't a boondocking site within 5 yards you will see a no trespassing sign) and cut back brush from humans (meaning while driving you see a section of bushes or trees that all of a sudden have an opening). Then I start looking for signs that a vehicle drove somewhere other than just the middle of the road/path (are there signs of people parking on the edges). Then it is time to look for remains of fire pits (burned ground or rock rings), and then the sad but very true things (old decomposing toilet paper, broken bottles, leftover trash, spent shells/bullet casings, etc. Here in Alaska if it is near a water source you will most often see that the bank has a slope to it from all the boats/paddleboards/etc that have been dragged in. Hope this helps a little. Again, until you see it in person it probably just sounds really vague. But trust me once you see a few they all have very similar traits. Once you move on to a different part of the country they look pretty similar as well, but there are a few different characteristics based on topography.
Thank you for this video! Amazing tips! I have seen so many people talk about boondocking but no one explains how they find them but you do! So happy I found your channel!! I'm a newbie and I can't wait to find some places now that I know what to look for!
Your are most welcome! Boondocking sites can be a funny subject for many folks. It's like stumbling upon paradise. Once you find one, it is hard to giveaway your secrets. It takes a while to get your eye trained. But once you do, you will start seeing a boondocking sites on a map, like a hunter sees the slight movement of an animal in the woods.
Nicely done! Your sponsor should be pleased with your work...you made the sponsorship portion of the video just as entertaining and nicely done as the rest of it. Great tips and inspiration to get out there! Thanks for sharing and .... Happy Camping!
Hey! We see you have a new video out. Loved that last one. Makes us want to get out to the desert one of these days. Glad you enjoyed this video. We were excited to partner with the sponsor. Not only because they are our go to company up here in Alaska due to the free shipping. But, like you said we thought it would fit well into the content as we typically review gear on here anyway. Happy camping to you as well. Adding that video of yours to our watch later.
@@PlayingwithSticks Hey...glad you noticed the new video posted, it was a load of fun to produce. I still have a very long way to go to reach the level of professional looking videos you're doing :) but it's a fun learning process. We have a trip planned for the holiday season I plan to produce a video of, I do love the deserts but this next trip will include more water lol. Then next year I retire and we will be traveling and camping full time and with good fortune I'll be able to do videos at a quicker pace. Maybe... if we feel confident in our travel and gear we even make it up to Alaska one year....
Good thought. I will add it to the description. We mentioned freecampsites.net, www.google.com/earth, and we showed a screenshot of www.campendium.com/free-camping I almost forgot to add ioverlander.com
Great tips Speaking of Nebraska, unless otherwise posted, you can boondock on the gravel parking areas of Nebraska wildlife management areas. Conveniently for travelers there are a few of these places along I80. I like boondocking for my long distance driving days - so long as its not hot/sticky (when I'd want air conditioning) I just need a place to park for a few hours. Why pay 40+ for an RV park for that. I don't know as I'd be comfy dropping my camper off on some BLM or FS road and then going to explore for a few hours. Camper alone in the wilderness with no witnesses just seems like its asking to be burgled
Thank you for sharing this. We didn't know about the gravel parking areas. Would have been nice to know back when we were traveling there. I'll throw in one more Nebraska must as well. If any of you have not had the chance to see the great sandhill crane migration, Nebraska is an excellent spot to intercept them on your journey. I couldn't imagine a more fun, purposeful small camper adventure than heading to Nebraska to camp along the river and watch such beautiful birds in magnificent numbers. Good point on the hot sticky days, we aren't big fans either. As for dropping off the camper we have never worried about this beings our camper has very little value. However, with our nicer gear we own now, and then one day upgrading our trailer, I bet we will view it a bit different. Our motto has been to travel with items that we are willing to part with. Because if you can't, you tend to just be a hawk around your campsite instead of being free to roam the forests.
@@JJC1898 I don't want to take away the joy that comes from finding a spot like this. It is so much more rewarding when you put in the investigative work. Because it took us so long to find, it made it just that much better. However, we promise we won't leave you hanging. If you don't find it by July send us an email and we will give you the coordinates.
Great advise, great content and most importantly well delivered. We use Gaia, iOverlander, Ultimate Campground, OverlandBound, Google Earth to narrow in on some prime boondocking sites. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks guys! That means a lot coming from a quality channel like yours. Gaia, Ultimate Campground, and OverlandBound is new to us. We are pretty fortunate in that we haven't had to use many sites with all the opportunities up here. But, will definitely need these resources when traveling through the Lower 48, so much appreciated!
Too too kind. Again appreciate the positive feedback on our channel. You guys are awesome and we will continue to be fans of your channel. If you do visit the lower 48, specifically Wisconsin, be sure to look us up.
That’s awesome to hear Brad. Like you it takes me a while to figure out the heart behind some of these channels. We have the gear that works for us and we like to share that with folks, but at the same time we like to expand into new things we’ve never tried. For one, sometimes we are just straight up wrong and we end up adapting the new technique or gear into our own camping arsenal. And other times it’s really not for us but it’s neat to show people because it might be just what they need. I think the biggest one for us was the refrigerator. May and I thought we had absolutely no need for one. But we also felt guilty telling people it wasn’t needed until we tried our self. And boy were we wrong.
My rain gear consists of basically a 1$ Store umbrella, a promotional free pocket stuff-able rain jacket and an old Whistler skiing trash bag rain cover. Yeah. I know. If you ever get time for Alaskan type rain-gear suggestions, I would be all in!
You will laugh in our next video, we wear winter gear as our rain gear. We thought everywhere had snow this time of year. Guess not.. But the winter gear was surprisingly nice for late fall rain. I had on the winter boots, ski pants, puffy jacket. If someone pulled up they would have thought I definitely was not from Alaska! Rain gear would be a fun video. Short answer anything breathable. Breathable rain jackets cost a bit, but once you get your first one it is so hard to go back. We find they are needed for both cold and warm temps. In the heat they allow your body to breathe. In the cold they let that body moisture escape that typically makes you bone cold. Now someday I need to stop wearing all this cotton clothing. They have almost no wicking properties, but I just like how cotton feels. Another great thing this time of year. Changing into new socks before bed, even if you don't feel your socks are damp. What we have learned is that your feet really never stop perspiring, even when cold. A nice dry pair of socks has been a game changer for us in terms of keeping our feet warm at night. How did I meander all the way over to socks from a jacket comment 😂
@@PlayingwithSticks Meander away😃. I am frugal (read cheap). Ripped sweatshirts and $1 store kind of guy. However, I will way overspend for stuff that works. Love my Baffin boots I bought on P.E.I. I am a sucker for cotton. 90% of everything I own. Hope it does not get me someday per the “cotton kills lost hunter” training. Love new socks. Nice dry socks, sweatpants, and long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt to bed are a must when cold. I take multiple pairs hiking. I finally found my best everyday socks at Tractor Supply after my last preferred socks were “new and improved” out of usability😬
@@mikemead2315 Same goes with us. Just recently we started enjoying the fruits of our labors a bit more. But we still purchase 90% of our items from our local thrift store. Up here there is a never ending supply of breathable rain jackets. Not long ago it was all about Gore-Tex and these jackets weren't cheap by any means. But now there are tons of great breathable fabrics out there at a much lower cost than Gore-Tex. Today many of these companies like we mentioned with Backcountry make their own versions of these high end jackets. That is really the way to do it. Like the puffy jacket in the video. It was about half the price of the comparable name brand jacket and then there was an additional 40-50% sale off of that . I wasn't sure how happy Backcountry would be if I mentioned how we shop there. May and I just wait around for the deals, which come up often. Pretty much everything we get off there is during sales of about 60% off and it is usually the copy cat gear that they make. So when I said a SWEET deal, it really was a sweat deal. Again, we don't buy many items like this. But when we do we see them more as an investment because they last. The last quality puffy jacket I bought was a Patagonia jacket at a ski swap sale. That thing is going strong, but it sure looks ugly. Was a gray jacket originally, but now looks black :)
Water fording. It turns out some manuals have fording depth ratings. The key is not to get water into the various drive and motor components, but it was the differential vents that I forgot about. That said, the slower the speed, the higher the depth rating - I guess to keep splashed water from getting into the component vents. My truck has 5 mph and 10 mph ratings: 24” at 10 mph and 30” at 5 mph. Both are a lot deeper than I expected, so not worried about the occasional forest road that goes across a non-floaded river. Unfortunately, water comes into the cabin at less than both of those depths 😱
Thats a really good point. The little bit of water we crossed went higher than it should’ve because of the impact when we hit the water. If we would’ve been in for high instead of four Lo the front of our jeep wouldn’t have come crashing down on the water. I think for many of us though, the first time we cross, it almost feels counterintuitive to crawl at those speeds. You’re so nervous you’re going to get stuck in the middle that you think you need a bit of momentum. But like your manual mentioned momentum is not your friend. I’m going to have to check my manual and see if it has that in there. Another great share Mike, really appreciate this!
@@PlayingwithSticksYes! The instinct is to floor it to make sure it will pass over soft spots before it sinks in and bogs down - keep that forward momentum working. Agreed - creeping along at 5mph is unnatural. Still, information learned.
@@PlayingwithSticks 🤣. Yeah, unless I know the depth, I would want to check the depth manually ... only to be swept downstream, and bears steal my truck 😳
Hey great stuff! I'm about to venture out for the first time (actually moving into my car but that's a long story)...what is a good gps (have you done a video?) to use to find those navigation points? Thank you!
Sorry to hear about the life change, but it also sounds like a great opportunity for new adventures and to carve a new path. I have lived in vehicles as well and they were some of the best months of my life. As for GPS we still carry around an old etrex venture, that is literally now 20 years old I think. But honestly we do all the GPS coordinates off our phone. You just need to make sure the maps are preloaded. Or if they are not, that you have a signal before you leave. Once your cell signal goes out the map will still stay on there with the coordinates... typically. Hope this helps. Always nice to be able to use something you already own.
I found your Playing With Sticks Amazon Store! I have used the individual links, but I was always fearful I would not be able to find “that one link” when I wanted it. This is great! (PS. Dont tell me if it was always there😬. My geezer self-esteem may not be able to take it. Ignorance really is bliss😃.)
The store is brand new and still being built. You may be one of the first people to ever find it! They used to give these storefronts out to any creator, now you have to be approved. We tried getting approved twice a month and received rejections twice a month. For some reason it went through this last month. Woot woot!
Beautiful place to live! We have spent a lot of time in the Chadron area. Our favorite camping places are in the wide open sandhills and Long Pine. Not only is Long Pine beautiful, it has TROUT! I think it may be the only place in Nebraska that does. Go Big Red!
It is a basic 4X8 homebuilt teardrop. We have been tough on it over the years and we are due to make some minor upgrades to the exterior. The only thing different about it than most entry level teardrops is that it has independent suspension which is really nice. If you would like to see a very similar model that is mass produced check out Colorado Teardrops and Tiny Camper company. Both these companies make very similar teardrops to ours in terms of look and style. Funny, we just realized we have never made a video about this little camper that is in 45 of our 56 videos!
That was brilliant! I am going to check that out! Also, I use Backcountry as well. Little pricey though. And! All my relatives live in Nebraska. And I would say Alaska might have a bit prettier scenery. Ha!
Thank you! Yes, Backcountry can be a bit pricey. I think we started using them originally because of the free shipping to Alaska. Years ago the Lower 48 often didn't consider us part of America in terms of free shipping. Now I use Backcountry mainly for the gearheads when I don't have time to dig through all the forums and reviews. I mostly scroll through the site looking for deals. Funny though, the last few years Google has figured me out. Now it flashes Backcountry deals at me on every web page I land on ;) They either pay a ton for advertising or Google just knows what I want. We have relatives in Nebraska as well. That is what brought me to school there. Alaska does have great scenery, but honestly you do get used to it overtime and flat areas start having a really mystical appeal to them :)
Boondocking isn’t just about recreational camping. The word on the net is that public lands is the place you want to be so load up the RV, trailer, van, truck, car or tent and live on public lands rent free. Just too many people out there doing it. Stay safe, well and positive!
Yes, we have heard some interesting stories from fellow boondockers in the Lower 48 this summer. Very sad stories. Hopefully, like most trends this will all fizzle out and these beautiful lands will go back to those who respect and cherish them.
Just thought I would mention, as I haven't seen it in the comments, in order to see historical photos of Google Earth, you must have Google Earth Pro installed.
Thank you for sharing this. I actually didn't know what it was called. So yes correction, what I called "The Desktop Version" in the video is Google Earth Pro. Thank you again for this, much appreciated!
So many places. One of our favorite lesser known areas is the Long Pine Creek area. Found that pursuing trout. Yes, there is actually trout in Nebraska. But, like you mentioned where the Black Hills pops up a little bit in the Chadron area is nice as well. But, actually what I was referring to is the flat areas out in the sandhills. I came to absolutely love the beauty of flat lands after going to both undergrad and grad school down there. At first I kept making rude comments to my folks like "You know what the Nebraska state tree is?.....The telephone pole." But, in less than a semester I changed my tune pretty quick. Never have I seen such beautiful sunsets, bird migrations, and land that seemed to the eye to stretch on forever. I realized then, and have had much more supporting evidence ever since, that no matter where you go you will be surrounded by beauty. Sometimes it just takes a little while to get submersed in the culture enough to see it from their eyes.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney. My parents were shocked when I decided to go out of state to a small school and be a Loper. My family has a lot of history there though as that is where my parents met. And the cost of tuition was incredible at the time, I’m assuming it’s still pretty good compared to other schools. #GBR
@@PlayingwithSticks Great School, They used to hold the ITG International Teardrop Gathering just south of Kearney, I wish they still did. Check out the videos. th-cam.com/video/i6u_l_XMm0Y/w-d-xo.html
If you watch the channel you know we share all our boondocking locations with those who ask. However, on this one we said we wanted people to try our methods and find it for themselves. Half the fun of discovering this campsite was researching to find it the last two years. So worth it! If by summer you still can't find it Jay email us and we will give you the gps.
Oh no! We did not realize this. Thank you for sharing this. We are an android family and just switched over to iphones this summer. Sounds like we got lucky on the timing.
This is true. But typically that’s the exception to the rule. If you are in an area where the map says Boondocking is allowed then this is completely legal. However, sometimes national forest and BLM lease out parts of their land so it could be private land within a Boondocking area. But in all reality that’s the job of the land leased to post a sign
Side note. Please stay on the trail..... You may pull 2ft off the road but now the road is 2in wider.......and your 1 off 1000 cars going by today...... Please keep dirt roads dirt roads and not highways, thx!!!
I never would’ve thought of people doing that, that’s awful. That’s a good point I should’ve added is doing your research of the areas you’re looking at to make sure they’re not on private lands.
Hi Phill. I wasn’t sure if your comment was just to all of us Boondocker’s in general or you were referring to a specific moment in this video? That’s a really good point about the trail. We often here that about hiking, But that is good to share in the Overland community as well.
If I were you, I'll stay away from backcountry.com. They sued about a dozen of youtuber with the name backcountry in it. Lots of companies withdraw their products and consumers boycotted backcountry as a backlash. You should google search about it if you want to know more in depth about it.
@@PlayingwithSticks they made a mistake, but if I remember correctly, they apologized and owned up to it. Congrats on your sponsorship and great video!
@@coloradomallcrawlers Yes, we just did some studying tonight. And you are right, definitely owned up to it. Which we respect. Thank you for the kind words! By the way have you ran across Grayline Overlands channnel yet? th-cam.com/channels/jMmJmOLibjG1tTFeWCI2TQ.html Pretty fun watching how aggressive they are with their Meaner Bean Trailer behind their Jeep.
The more I camp the more I realize quality lanterns tend to come at a price. Overpriced, yes like many things in the outdoor industry. But the quality is there.
Awesome video as always Drew, loaded with great tips and “secrets” . We can’t wait to get up there and explore your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight.
Thank you guys! Watch out you are nearing that 1,000 subscriber mark. That was the tough one for us. I think it took us about 1 year to get there. But then it really took off from there. Can't wait to see your channel get shared with a wider audience!
Hey Drew , the numbers don’t mean all that much to me , it’s the genuine friendships I’ve made via TH-cam that keep me going and the fact that I enjoy the hobby of actually making videos. Been at it for almost 3 years and even if I ever hit all those magic numbers I never plan on monetizing. It’s just been a great way to meet new and interesting people from all walks of life but with some kind of interests in common. Have a great weekend. Don
@@bucktalesoutdoors7566 Love your style Don. We completely understand your desire to not monetize. Regardless of the numbers I think you will be happy to see what happens at 1,000 though. I have noticed with our channel and others small channels like ours we start getting served up to a broader audience. Which is really neat because then you start meeting folks from all over the world and people a little more outside your regular crowd. This has really given us a ton of new ideas and ways to look at camping, which we never would have run across outside TH-cam.
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Ever thought about using an e-bike to help you get into those hard to back out of boondocking sites? Check out this video th-cam.com/video/B5Y9y8rUhvU/w-d-xo.html
although i have been boon-docking my whole life in recent years there has been a lot more traffic, with this more waist has been left behind. pack out what you take in. and always leave a site better than when you got there. you should do a video on back country etiquette.
Unless I want to boondock during the week , one of my 39 million California neighbors will already be there. If that spot was in CA, it would be crowded & trashed. I camp in my backyard, it quiet & free & i can't beat the commute!
May just laughed out loud at this comment. I know the first part wasn’t very funny, it’s kind of sad but your optimism about the backyard is great!
Awesome video! Thanks for the tips, definitely will use them next summer!!
Glad you enjoyed it. We will probably run into you next summer at our "secret" campsites :)
Chuke!!!
Oh wow, awesome video production, beautiful scenery, and very informative. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it Vinny! Not a lot of people have stumbled across this video. Always good to hear someone found this one.
My wife and I are going to try boondocking next year and you provided some great resources to help us with that adventure.
Glad to hear this was helpful. Richard, I think you are really going to enjoy it. It takes a couple of trips to figure out the power and water situation. But, to us that part was pretty fun trying to figure it all out. Then once you get that figured out you just get all that time to be by yourself, breath fresh air, and listen to nature all around. Hard to beat it!
I would like to share with you an idea to heat up in cold weather: When I was camping in winter I used electric blankets with a hat or I also covered my head. This is something very safe and super effective with a minimum of electrical consumption (less than a light bulb) and really after an hour the heat cannot be tolerated, even when it is snowy in a camping tent.
Great suggestion. We are huge fans of this. Actually so much so that we made a 13 minute video about it. I think it will come out in about a month. And you are so right. It gets so darn hot we are sleeping in our under garments in the middle of an Alaskan winter. Appreciate you sharing this Naomi.
Awesome video as always Drew, loaded with great tips and “secrets” . We can’t wait to get up there and explore your neck of the woods.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight.
Same comment twice. We are going take that as the highest compliment! We definitely appreciate the double post :)
Hahaha sometimes my IPad freezes up and my comments go over twice. Not intentional but your welcome😉
@@bucktalesoutdoors7566 I do a bit of voice dictation from my phone and it often doubles up my responses as well. The worst thing is that it often does it with entire paragraphs.
Excellent, been waiting for this!!!
Glad you enjoyed it. Probably lost our secret campsites now here in Alaska, but definitely worth sharing the info.
@@PlayingwithSticks This is the best video on the subject I've ever seen, thanks.
@@LWRoad We were really hoping someone out there felt that way. Super cool to hear this.
I think that Alaska is the paradise for boondocking. So many places we found after we met a man from Arizona who explained us that the BML lands are free to camp and he also thought us to use the free campsite app. Now the is like you mentionned I Overlander which looks great. But I will try Google earth for our next road trip whenever we can go somewhere.
Isn't BLM land great. Once you start using BLM and National Forest land for camping it can really open you up to a whole new world of possibilities. Excited for your to use your new tools for your next adventure. Thanks for sharing Henri!
Thanks, Drew. We have never boondocked, but are thinking we will try it out next Summer - so this info is really helpful. Glad you got a great sponsor - love Backcountry!!! Love that site you found - absolute perfection.
How fun! Hoping we inspired you a little bit. You will have to tell us all about your first trip. And yes, we feel so blessed through this sponsorship with Backcountry. Never in a million years would we have imagined our go to gear company would reach out to us. I guess we need to start dreaming bigger 😆 Honestly, we wouldn't have even thought of reaching out to them. We feel like such little fish in this big TH-cam pond. Very inspiring for all us small camping channels.
@@PlayingwithSticks You are an inspiration! Love your channel - it has really helped me get through this crazy time!
Just found you and cant wait to watch ALL the videos haha. I am enthusiastic as I just got a little Nobo 10.6 and want to make things as comfy for my wife and kids in hopes to get them off grid camping :)
You nailed it with "comfy." That is the trick. I don't tell May this but I bust my butt out there (making me uncomfortable and busy) to ensure they are comfortable and relaxed. Yes, it makes my camping a little harder, but so worth it when they are all excited to stay extra days or come back a couple of days later.
@@PlayingwithSticks awesome and yeah I'm all for the work to get them out there! Thanks for all the content!
I have been camping at this site sense I was 7 we called it Waikiki, now that I'm an adult with my own family this is definitely our favorite spot to camp. If you ever get a chance you can boat over to porcupine island from here it's awesome.
Funny you mention this Erik. On day two someone pulled in and said is this "Waikiki Beach?" And we said, "Maybe?" They had been in search of the site as well. They were from Seward and said everyone down there calls it Waikiki. Would love to head over to porcupine island. Thank you for the suggestion!
New to overlanding here. What are the typical ways to recognize a boondocking site? You mentioned it but didn’t really explain. Thank you for the other great tips!
Sorry about that. We ended up cutting that portion out due to length. It is a combination of a lot of little things. The first two things that stick out to me are a well traveled road/path that only goes back 50 yards or less (typically if it isn't a boondocking site within 5 yards you will see a no trespassing sign) and cut back brush from humans (meaning while driving you see a section of bushes or trees that all of a sudden have an opening). Then I start looking for signs that a vehicle drove somewhere other than just the middle of the road/path (are there signs of people parking on the edges). Then it is time to look for remains of fire pits (burned ground or rock rings), and then the sad but very true things (old decomposing toilet paper, broken bottles, leftover trash, spent shells/bullet casings, etc. Here in Alaska if it is near a water source you will most often see that the bank has a slope to it from all the boats/paddleboards/etc that have been dragged in. Hope this helps a little. Again, until you see it in person it probably just sounds really vague. But trust me once you see a few they all have very similar traits. Once you move on to a different part of the country they look pretty similar as well, but there are a few different characteristics based on topography.
Sweet! Thank You :-) Your Kids are so lucky too Mom & Dad!
Thank. You are so kind Sharon!
Have always thought of this and wondered.
These sites would be great for your workouts. But, unfortunately there would be no spectators for you to show off those massive lats!
Wow! “How too” videos are my all time favorite! Thanks!
We thought you may like this one. We assume these tips will work well in those remote desert areas you travel through.
Great video! Beautiful!
Thanks Maykou!
Thank you for this video! Amazing tips! I have seen so many people talk about boondocking but no one explains how they find them but you do! So happy I found your channel!! I'm a newbie and I can't wait to find some places now that I know what to look for!
Your are most welcome! Boondocking sites can be a funny subject for many folks. It's like stumbling upon paradise. Once you find one, it is hard to giveaway your secrets. It takes a while to get your eye trained. But once you do, you will start seeing a boondocking sites on a map, like a hunter sees the slight movement of an animal in the woods.
Nicely done! Your sponsor should be pleased with your work...you made the sponsorship portion of the video just as entertaining and nicely done as the rest of it. Great tips and inspiration to get out there! Thanks for sharing and .... Happy Camping!
Hey! We see you have a new video out. Loved that last one. Makes us want to get out to the desert one of these days. Glad you enjoyed this video. We were excited to partner with the sponsor. Not only because they are our go to company up here in Alaska due to the free shipping. But, like you said we thought it would fit well into the content as we typically review gear on here anyway. Happy camping to you as well. Adding that video of yours to our watch later.
@@PlayingwithSticks Hey...glad you noticed the new video posted, it was a load of fun to produce. I still have a very long way to go to reach the level of professional looking videos you're doing :) but it's a fun learning process. We have a trip planned for the holiday season I plan to produce a video of, I do love the deserts but this next trip will include more water lol. Then next year I retire and we will be traveling and camping full time and with good fortune I'll be able to do videos at a quicker pace. Maybe... if we feel confident in our travel and gear we even make it up to Alaska one year....
Can you please reference the webs sites that you mentioned in the video? Loved it!!!
Good thought. I will add it to the description. We mentioned freecampsites.net, www.google.com/earth, and we showed a screenshot of www.campendium.com/free-camping I almost forgot to add ioverlander.com
Great tips
Speaking of Nebraska, unless otherwise posted, you can boondock on the gravel parking areas of Nebraska wildlife management areas.
Conveniently for travelers there are a few of these places along I80.
I like boondocking for my long distance driving days - so long as its not hot/sticky (when I'd want air conditioning) I just need a place to park for a few hours. Why pay 40+ for an RV park for that.
I don't know as I'd be comfy dropping my camper off on some BLM or FS road and then going to explore for a few hours. Camper alone in the wilderness with no witnesses just seems like its asking to be burgled
Thank you for sharing this. We didn't know about the gravel parking areas. Would have been nice to know back when we were traveling there. I'll throw in one more Nebraska must as well. If any of you have not had the chance to see the great sandhill crane migration, Nebraska is an excellent spot to intercept them on your journey. I couldn't imagine a more fun, purposeful small camper adventure than heading to Nebraska to camp along the river and watch such beautiful birds in magnificent numbers.
Good point on the hot sticky days, we aren't big fans either. As for dropping off the camper we have never worried about this beings our camper has very little value. However, with our nicer gear we own now, and then one day upgrading our trailer, I bet we will view it a bit different. Our motto has been to travel with items that we are willing to part with. Because if you can't, you tend to just be a hawk around your campsite instead of being free to roam the forests.
@@PlayingwithSticks Sounds like a great spring break opportunity.
I loved those lake scenes... just where I want to be
Glad you liked that Paul. We were hoping they would be inspiring.
@@PlayingwithSticks where is it lol, we have been living in Alaska for 3 years and we’re trying to explore the area more.
@@JJC1898 I don't want to take away the joy that comes from finding a spot like this. It is so much more rewarding when you put in the investigative work. Because it took us so long to find, it made it just that much better. However, we promise we won't leave you hanging. If you don't find it by July send us an email and we will give you the coordinates.
Great info. Publish an ebook!
Glad it was helpful Cheri. You got us thinking, I wonder if we have enough information to make a small book. Thanks for the great idea.
Thx so much for the info. Just got my teardrop this year and am looking forward to using this info to help find some cool camping spots
Excited to hear how it goes for you Cindy! I think I already asked you this, but what trailer did you end up getting?
@@PlayingwithSticks Got a 2004 4x8 vintage Little Guy Tailgater . It has a beer tap on the side. I'm not a big beer drinker but it is cool.
@@1cosmocat How fun! We have never heard of this model. Just looked it up. It truly is the tailgating teardrop!
well done
Glad you enjoyed it Dave!
Great tip! Always knew about Google Earth historic photos but never thought of using it for finding campsites.
Glad you enjoyed it Brian!
Great advise, great content and most importantly well delivered. We use Gaia, iOverlander, Ultimate Campground, OverlandBound, Google Earth to narrow in on some prime boondocking sites. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks guys! That means a lot coming from a quality channel like yours. Gaia, Ultimate Campground, and OverlandBound is new to us. We are pretty fortunate in that we haven't had to use many sites with all the opportunities up here. But, will definitely need these resources when traveling through the Lower 48, so much appreciated!
Too too kind. Again appreciate the positive feedback on our channel.
You guys are awesome and we will continue to be fans of your channel.
If you do visit the lower 48, specifically Wisconsin, be sure to look us up.
Thank you for the information!
Our pleasure Joyce!
Awesome. Just what Iʻve been wanting to know.
Glad to hear it Susan!
Born and raised in Nebraska!
It really is the “good life” Go Big Red!
Sorry it took until my 10th video or so, but finally subbed. Your videos are strait legit! Btw, excellent conclusion!
That’s awesome to hear Brad. Like you it takes me a while to figure out the heart behind some of these channels. We have the gear that works for us and we like to share that with folks, but at the same time we like to expand into new things we’ve never tried. For one, sometimes we are just straight up wrong and we end up adapting the new technique or gear into our own camping arsenal. And other times it’s really not for us but it’s neat to show people because it might be just what they need. I think the biggest one for us was the refrigerator. May and I thought we had absolutely no need for one. But we also felt guilty telling people it wasn’t needed until we tried our self. And boy were we wrong.
And I must admit selfishly using TH-cam as an excuse to test all this gear and try different camping techniques is a bit of a dream come true.
My rain gear consists of basically a 1$ Store umbrella, a promotional free pocket stuff-able rain jacket and an old Whistler skiing trash bag rain cover. Yeah. I know.
If you ever get time for Alaskan type rain-gear suggestions, I would be all in!
You will laugh in our next video, we wear winter gear as our rain gear. We thought everywhere had snow this time of year. Guess not.. But the winter gear was surprisingly nice for late fall rain. I had on the winter boots, ski pants, puffy jacket. If someone pulled up they would have thought I definitely was not from Alaska! Rain gear would be a fun video. Short answer anything breathable. Breathable rain jackets cost a bit, but once you get your first one it is so hard to go back. We find they are needed for both cold and warm temps. In the heat they allow your body to breathe. In the cold they let that body moisture escape that typically makes you bone cold. Now someday I need to stop wearing all this cotton clothing. They have almost no wicking properties, but I just like how cotton feels. Another great thing this time of year. Changing into new socks before bed, even if you don't feel your socks are damp. What we have learned is that your feet really never stop perspiring, even when cold. A nice dry pair of socks has been a game changer for us in terms of keeping our feet warm at night. How did I meander all the way over to socks from a jacket comment 😂
@@PlayingwithSticks Meander away😃.
I am frugal (read cheap). Ripped sweatshirts and $1 store kind of guy. However, I will way overspend for stuff that works. Love my Baffin boots I bought on P.E.I.
I am a sucker for cotton. 90% of everything I own. Hope it does not get me someday per the “cotton kills lost hunter” training.
Love new socks. Nice dry socks, sweatpants, and long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt to bed are a must when cold. I take multiple pairs hiking. I finally found my best everyday socks at Tractor Supply after my last preferred socks were “new and improved” out of usability😬
@@mikemead2315 Same goes with us. Just recently we started enjoying the fruits of our labors a bit more. But we still purchase 90% of our items from our local thrift store. Up here there is a never ending supply of breathable rain jackets. Not long ago it was all about Gore-Tex and these jackets weren't cheap by any means. But now there are tons of great breathable fabrics out there at a much lower cost than Gore-Tex. Today many of these companies like we mentioned with Backcountry make their own versions of these high end jackets. That is really the way to do it. Like the puffy jacket in the video. It was about half the price of the comparable name brand jacket and then there was an additional 40-50% sale off of that . I wasn't sure how happy Backcountry would be if I mentioned how we shop there. May and I just wait around for the deals, which come up often. Pretty much everything we get off there is during sales of about 60% off and it is usually the copy cat gear that they make. So when I said a SWEET deal, it really was a sweat deal. Again, we don't buy many items like this. But when we do we see them more as an investment because they last. The last quality puffy jacket I bought was a Patagonia jacket at a ski swap sale. That thing is going strong, but it sure looks ugly. Was a gray jacket originally, but now looks black :)
@@PlayingwithSticks My kind of people! I’l check out more of the BackCountry products! Thanks!
Yay!
I was interested to see if these tricks would work down here in the lower 48. Worked great here in Wyoming and Utah.
Water fording. It turns out some manuals have fording depth ratings.
The key is not to get water into the various drive and motor components, but it was the differential vents that I forgot about. That said, the slower the speed, the higher the depth rating - I guess to keep splashed water from getting into the component vents.
My truck has 5 mph and 10 mph ratings: 24” at 10 mph and 30” at 5 mph. Both are a lot deeper than I expected, so not worried about the occasional forest road that goes across a non-floaded river.
Unfortunately, water comes into the cabin at less than both of those depths 😱
Thats a really good point. The little bit of water we crossed went higher than it should’ve because of the impact when we hit the water. If we would’ve been in for high instead of four Lo the front of our jeep wouldn’t have come crashing down on the water. I think for many of us though, the first time we cross, it almost feels counterintuitive to crawl at those speeds. You’re so nervous you’re going to get stuck in the middle that you think you need a bit of momentum. But like your manual mentioned momentum is not your friend. I’m going to have to check my manual and see if it has that in there. Another great share Mike, really appreciate this!
@@PlayingwithSticksYes! The instinct is to floor it to make sure it will pass over soft spots before it sinks in and bogs down - keep that forward momentum working. Agreed - creeping along at 5mph is unnatural.
Still, information learned.
@@PlayingwithSticks Your Jeep will have a fording rating.
I can just picture me now out there with my little stick. “Honey, it’s a GO!”
@@PlayingwithSticks 🤣. Yeah, unless I know the depth, I would want to check the depth manually ... only to be swept downstream, and bears steal my truck 😳
Hey great stuff! I'm about to venture out for the first time (actually moving into my car but that's a long story)...what is a good gps (have you done a video?) to use to find those navigation points? Thank you!
Sorry to hear about the life change, but it also sounds like a great opportunity for new adventures and to carve a new path. I have lived in vehicles as well and they were some of the best months of my life. As for GPS we still carry around an old etrex venture, that is literally now 20 years old I think. But honestly we do all the GPS coordinates off our phone. You just need to make sure the maps are preloaded. Or if they are not, that you have a signal before you leave. Once your cell signal goes out the map will still stay on there with the coordinates... typically. Hope this helps. Always nice to be able to use something you already own.
Love the vids
Thank you! Much appreciated.
I found your Playing With Sticks Amazon Store! I have used the individual links, but I was always fearful I would not be able to find “that one link” when I wanted it. This is great!
(PS. Dont tell me if it was always there😬. My geezer self-esteem may not be able to take it. Ignorance really is bliss😃.)
The store is brand new and still being built. You may be one of the first people to ever find it! They used to give these storefronts out to any creator, now you have to be approved. We tried getting approved twice a month and received rejections twice a month. For some reason it went through this last month. Woot woot!
Great video! We're right on the South Dakota/Nebraska boarder. Where were your favorite places to camp where you were in NE?
Beautiful place to live! We have spent a lot of time in the Chadron area. Our favorite camping places are in the wide open sandhills and Long Pine. Not only is Long Pine beautiful, it has TROUT! I think it may be the only place in Nebraska that does. Go Big Red!
What model is your camper? Could you show us your camper?
It is a basic 4X8 homebuilt teardrop. We have been tough on it over the years and we are due to make some minor upgrades to the exterior. The only thing different about it than most entry level teardrops is that it has independent suspension which is really nice. If you would like to see a very similar model that is mass produced check out Colorado Teardrops and Tiny Camper company. Both these companies make very similar teardrops to ours in terms of look and style. Funny, we just realized we have never made a video about this little camper that is in 45 of our 56 videos!
Thanks 😊
That was brilliant! I am going to check that out! Also, I use Backcountry as well. Little pricey though. And! All my relatives live in Nebraska. And I would say Alaska might have a bit prettier scenery. Ha!
Thank you! Yes, Backcountry can be a bit pricey. I think we started using them originally because of the free shipping to Alaska. Years ago the Lower 48 often didn't consider us part of America in terms of free shipping. Now I use Backcountry mainly for the gearheads when I don't have time to dig through all the forums and reviews. I mostly scroll through the site looking for deals. Funny though, the last few years Google has figured me out. Now it flashes Backcountry deals at me on every web page I land on ;) They either pay a ton for advertising or Google just knows what I want. We have relatives in Nebraska as well. That is what brought me to school there. Alaska does have great scenery, but honestly you do get used to it overtime and flat areas start having a really mystical appeal to them :)
Boondocking isn’t just about recreational camping. The word on the net is that public lands is the place you want to be so load up the RV, trailer, van, truck, car or tent and live on public lands rent free. Just too many people out there doing it.
Stay safe, well and positive!
Yes, we have heard some interesting stories from fellow boondockers in the Lower 48 this summer. Very sad stories. Hopefully, like most trends this will all fizzle out and these beautiful lands will go back to those who respect and cherish them.
Some light reading.
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/journals/pnw_2019_baur001.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2yrXUmUScp-oNBXnRMKs4D9jXGFq53GXvHbsuXZPtH0UMFwCtNCPOEeHg
@@darylhawkins4658 Thank you for this Daryl. I am going to have to forward this to Mike Mead as well. I know he will appreciate this "light" read.
Just thought I would mention, as I haven't seen it in the comments, in order to see historical photos of Google Earth, you must have Google Earth Pro installed.
Thank you for sharing this. I actually didn't know what it was called. So yes correction, what I called "The Desktop Version" in the video is Google Earth Pro. Thank you again for this, much appreciated!
Thanks for the post. What year/model Jeep in this clip?
The Jeep is a 2007 Jeep Liberty.
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks. I'm looking into the Jeep Renegade trail hawk as a possible single person economical small camper convert.
Sharp haircut!
Thanks Dan! I was due for a haircut. I'm known to just hide that shaggy hair under my hat most the year.
Another good vid. Hope you guys are doing well . . .
Thank you! It has been an amazing winter here so far. Such beautiful fluffy snow. Hope all is well for you too.
Some nice tips. Also try BLM's Recreation site, works well for some states.
Where in Nebraska were you camping? Pine Ridge?
So many places. One of our favorite lesser known areas is the Long Pine Creek area. Found that pursuing trout. Yes, there is actually trout in Nebraska. But, like you mentioned where the Black Hills pops up a little bit in the Chadron area is nice as well. But, actually what I was referring to is the flat areas out in the sandhills. I came to absolutely love the beauty of flat lands after going to both undergrad and grad school down there. At first I kept making rude comments to my folks like "You know what the Nebraska state tree is?.....The telephone pole." But, in less than a semester I changed my tune pretty quick. Never have I seen such beautiful sunsets, bird migrations, and land that seemed to the eye to stretch on forever. I realized then, and have had much more supporting evidence ever since, that no matter where you go you will be surrounded by beauty. Sometimes it just takes a little while to get submersed in the culture enough to see it from their eyes.
What school did you go to in Nebraska?
The University of Nebraska at Kearney. My parents were shocked when I decided to go out of state to a small school and be a Loper. My family has a lot of history there though as that is where my parents met. And the cost of tuition was incredible at the time, I’m assuming it’s still pretty good compared to other schools. #GBR
@@PlayingwithSticks Great School, They used to hold the ITG International Teardrop Gathering just south of Kearney, I wish they still did. Check out the videos.
th-cam.com/video/i6u_l_XMm0Y/w-d-xo.html
GPS on that camp site???
If you watch the channel you know we share all our boondocking locations with those who ask. However, on this one we said we wanted people to try our methods and find it for themselves. Half the fun of discovering this campsite was researching to find it the last two years. So worth it! If by summer you still can't find it Jay email us and we will give you the gps.
Stuck in construction.... Welcome to Ohio
You guys too huh? We always think it is just us due to our short construction season up here.
☺️👍
Thanks Cheryl!
iOverlander has not worked on android for over a year, too bad cuz it looks good.
Oh no! We did not realize this. Thank you for sharing this. We are an android family and just switched over to iphones this summer. Sounds like we got lucky on the timing.
@@PlayingwithSticks yea it's so sad, so many reviews on the play store mention it, I've put in tickets, no response.
This is the sellout content I've been waiting for! 🤣
Love it! We are going big Cho 😂
Just because someone else did it doesn't make it a legal place to camp
This is true. But typically that’s the exception to the rule. If you are in an area where the map says Boondocking is allowed then this is completely legal. However, sometimes national forest and BLM lease out parts of their land so it could be private land within a Boondocking area. But in all reality that’s the job of the land leased to post a sign
Side note. Please stay on the trail..... You may pull 2ft off the road but now the road is 2in wider.......and your 1 off 1000 cars going by today...... Please keep dirt roads dirt roads and not highways, thx!!!
One of my side jobs is destroying campsigts on private land....its sad to see how much people can suck
I never would’ve thought of people doing that, that’s awful. That’s a good point I should’ve added is doing your research of the areas you’re looking at to make sure they’re not on private lands.
Hi Phill. I wasn’t sure if your comment was just to all of us Boondocker’s in general or you were referring to a specific moment in this video? That’s a really good point about the trail. We often here that about hiking, But that is good to share in the Overland community as well.
If I were you, I'll stay away from backcountry.com. They sued about a dozen of youtuber with the name backcountry in it. Lots of companies withdraw their products and consumers boycotted backcountry as a backlash. You should google search about it if you want to know more in depth about it.
Thanks for the heads up. They have been such a great resource for us over the years. Guess we have some studying to do. Thanks Splazzh.
@@PlayingwithSticks they made a mistake, but if I remember correctly, they apologized and owned up to it. Congrats on your sponsorship and great video!
@@coloradomallcrawlers Yes, we just did some studying tonight. And you are right, definitely owned up to it. Which we respect. Thank you for the kind words! By the way have you ran across Grayline Overlands channnel yet? th-cam.com/channels/jMmJmOLibjG1tTFeWCI2TQ.html Pretty fun watching how aggressive they are with their Meaner Bean Trailer behind their Jeep.
Nope- not much better then that.
Yes! That is what we were hoping to hear. Pretty neat little location! Thanks for the feedback!
Lost my interest when you started promoting overpriced bio lite stuff
The more I camp the more I realize quality lanterns tend to come at a price. Overpriced, yes like many things in the outdoor industry. But the quality is there.
Awesome video as always Drew, loaded with great tips and “secrets” . We can’t wait to get up there and explore your neck of the woods.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight.
Thank you guys! Watch out you are nearing that 1,000 subscriber mark. That was the tough one for us. I think it took us about 1 year to get there. But then it really took off from there. Can't wait to see your channel get shared with a wider audience!
Hey Drew , the numbers don’t mean all that much to me , it’s the genuine friendships I’ve made via TH-cam that keep me going and the fact that I enjoy the hobby of actually making videos. Been at it for almost 3 years and even if I ever hit all those magic numbers I never plan on monetizing. It’s just been a great way to meet new and interesting people from all walks of life but with some kind of interests in common.
Have a great weekend.
Don
@@bucktalesoutdoors7566 Love your style Don. We completely understand your desire to not monetize. Regardless of the numbers I think you will be happy to see what happens at 1,000 though. I have noticed with our channel and others small channels like ours we start getting served up to a broader audience. Which is really neat because then you start meeting folks from all over the world and people a little more outside your regular crowd. This has really given us a ton of new ideas and ways to look at camping, which we never would have run across outside TH-cam.