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Boondocking Recovery Gear for Off Road Driving

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Have you ever gotten stuck boondocking? Do you have the right equipment for offroad recovery? If you are a full-time or part-time RVer that likes to boondock it’s bound to happen eventually. 

We can’t tell you how many times we have seen or heard about RV boondockers stuck in the sand, mud, or a ditch. In this article, we cover what gear you should have to make an off-road recovery while boondocking and get yourself back to the highway.  When making an off-road recovery, tools that will save the day include tire deflators, traction boards, soft shackles, recovery rope, shovel, and of course common sense. Let’s explore further…

Tire Deflation Tool

It’s very common for heavy vehicles to get stuck in sand, mud, or snow if your tires are set to highway-apprproriate PSI. While having your tires inflated to the proper PSI is VERY important on the street for safety, mileage, and wear, those higher PSIs will get you stuck eas on rugged terrain. Lowering your tire pressure gives each tire a larger contact patch with the ground and increases traction. Airing down your tires can be critical for this reason. We are fans of this tire deflation tool.

Tire Plug Kit

Driving a heavy rig down dirt roads increases your chances of a flat tire. Thorns, sharp rocks, or nails can easily create a small puncture on your vehicle’s tires. We highly recommend carrying a tire plug kit like this one and knowing how to use it. Most kits include tools, plugs, and spare cores. We cannot tell you how many times we have used one! These can save you headaches on the highway too if you pick up a nail in your tire!

Traction Boards

Traction boards do have many uses but are not required. They can be useful in sand, mud, or snow when placed under your tires to help give your RV or tow vehicle the traction it needs to get out of a sticky situation. They can also be used as a shovel alternative for digging in sand or snow. BONUS TIP: You can also use traction boards to level your RV if you run out of leveling blocks! Traction boards are often thought of as an optional item. We recommend getting a less expensive model, which will be great insurance in times when they might come in handy. We like this style of traction boards.

Shackles and Tow Strap

If your adventure vehicle gets stuck in the mud or sand, shackles and a tow strap are a necessity. Shackles are used when tethering two vehicles together for an offroad recovery. A tow strap is added in between so one vehicle can be used to tug on the other, helping it to break free from the obstacle. Since these items require the use of another vehicle, they aren’t exactly considered self-recovery equipment. Regardless, it’s always smart to carry them with you and the cost is significantly less expensive than a winch system. 

Air Compressor 110 PSI

We mentioned earlier that airing down your tires improves traction and stability on uneven and soft terrain. But airing down means you’ll need to re-inflate your tires to the correct levels before hitting the road again. We like this Viair compressor because it gives us the self-sufficiency to do so. 

Shovel

This standard household item comes in handy if you need to dig your tires out of the sand, mud, or even snow. Any shovel will work, but a foldable, lightweight shovel is ideal to save space and weight. 

Common Sense

Roadside assistance won’t save you off-road. If you decide to venture down an unknown path, it’s a good idea to equip yourself with the gear and knowledge to recover from an unsafe situation. 

Pay attention to the weather and anticipate road conditions. At the end of a big rainstorm or snowy season, trails can be muddy and soft, prime conditions for getting stuck!

If you’re new to boondocking or unsure of your abilities, try to plan to bring a friend or book a professional guide. If possible, venture out with someone more experienced than you. You’ll have more fun and can pick up tricks and tips along the way!

Check out this full list of our preferred offroad gear or our video covering this topic!

Royal Gorge Route Railroad

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Last spring we took a trip to Cañon City, Colorado. This small town is located Southwest of Colorado Springs. Cañon City’s main attraction is the Royal Gorge, an extraordinary river gorge that cuts through the Royal Gorge Hills and extends almost 1000’ deep. The Royal Gorge Railroad route was first established in 1878 and is still active to this day.

We picked a nearby RV boondocking spot in Penrose Colorado knowing there were many must-see places in Cañon City. The area offers tons of attractions for visitors, most of which are based around the Royal Gorge itself. The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park is a 360-acre park at the top of the gorge. They have an incredible suspension bridge that extends over the gorge, a cliffside Via Ferrata, Royal Rush Skycoaster, and of course the Cloudscraper Zip Line. We opted for the Royal Gorge Train ride which begins in Cañon City, Colorado and winds 12 miles upriver and then back down the canyon. Visitors will find breathtaking views of the river, canyon walls, and old mining sites.

This 1950s-era train takes a winding scenic route through the bottom of the gorge, deep into the Colorado Rockies. It follows the Arkansas River beneath the Royal Gorge Bridge before coming to a stop to begin the return journey. The total railroad train ride takes about 2 hours round-trip. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad has a varied menu on the train, offering breakfast, lunch, afternoon, and dinner rides. We highly recommend a dinnertime ride because the canyon views at twilight were incredible. Of course, they also offer a full bar serving beer, wine, and cocktail options. After enjoying food and drinks at our seats, we headed to the outdoor train car.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad experience has three main ticket types available: Coach Class, Vista Dome, or Club Class. We opted for the Vista Dome car that gives you endless 360 dome window views with booth-style seating. Although if we were to do it again we would opt for Coach Class, because we spent most of our time on the outer deck enjoying the fresh air. The fully open-air train cars are standing-room only and are accessible with any class ticket, so we spent most of our time with the breeze in our hair and drinks in hand.

TIPS FOR A GREAT EXPERIENCE

  1. Buy your tickets in advance. Although you can not choose your exact seat, it does guarantee you a seat on the train.
  2. Budget-concious visitors will want to opt for a Coach Class ticket. All visitors can access the outdoor train car 
  3. Who doesn’t like a good sunset and romantic lighting? We think the dinnertime train ride is a must, especially if you like to enjoy a good cocktail and fresh air. April-October is the best time to visit. 
  4. Royal Gorge Route Railroad runs year round. We visited in late April and discovered perfect temperatures for an evening ride. 

Next time we visit this area we plan to walk over the Royal Gorge Suspension bridge. But who knows, we are always up for a great train ride!

Pirate Cove Resort And Marina

RV Trip Planning, Uncategorized

It’s not often that we stay at RV parks, campgrounds, and definitely not RV Resorts. But every so often you have to make exceptions and splurge to spend time with friends and family. Pirates Cove RV Resort is one of those places.

Once a year, we book a week-long stay at Pirate Cove RV Resort with friends. Pirate Cove is located South of Needles, California along the California/Arizona border. Right on the shore of the Colorado River, it makes for a great summer getaway. 

Peninsula Sites and Private Beaches at Pirate Cove Resort

RV Sites

Pirate Cove campground has a lot to offer. Our favorite part about this campground is the ability to have a semi-private beach to anchor your watercraft. When we stay at this RV Resort we typically book out one of the waterfront peninsula sites. The peninsulas hold between four and ten RVs, but we generally make it a point to book the whole Peninsula so we can have privacy for our friends and family away from other campers. Many peninsula RV sites have full hookups right on the Colorado River! Other available RV sites at Pirate Cove offer 30amp or 50amp electric services.

Sunset on the Colorado River

Rentals

Pirate Cove Resort and Marina also offers many different types of rentals. A very popular option if you’re not into camping is their luxury waterfront cabins. With stunning views of the Marina and the Colorado River, these cabins are just a short walk from Pirate Cove restaurant and bar. Be sure to check out their 64 oz drink buckets. Our friends like to indulge in a Shipwrecked-on-a-Long-Island, but these pack a punch! Of course, Pirate Cove Resort also offers other rentals such as ATVs, boats, jet-skis, and even travel trailers. Tent camping sites are available too, with shower and restroom access!

Off Roading

This RV resort isn’t just for boating or hanging out on the river though. Accessibility to offroading in the desert is just behind the campground, and you can park your off-road vehicle right next to your RV. Directly across from your camp, you’ll find sand dunes and 3200 miles of BLM off road trails. This resort truly has everything.

This has become a yearly tradition.

Other amenities include a general store, 225 boat slip marina, water taxi, 24-hour gas dock, free shuttle, a dump station, and overflow parking.  

Bottom line, if you are looking for a top-of-line year-round RV resort this might be the place! Be sure to make reservations well in advance. Pirate Cove Resort can be booked up all year long, with Peninsula sites reserved up to a year in advance. 

Planning an RV Travel Day

RV Trip Planning

Planning and preparing your RV for a travel day takes time. Give yourself the timeline flexibility to do it correctly because the last thing you want to do is rush the process. We like to go through each step methodically, slowly, and in the same order. Rushing only makes it seem you’re saving time but truly only adds stress and causes issues if something gets missed.  

Start with the Inside

Start on the interior of the rig, working from front to back. Close or latch any doors, cabinets, and windows. Secure all loose items. Make sure you clear off any free-floating items that are not attached to flat surfaces such as countertops or tables. Sinks are great places to store these belongings. Do not forget to close roof vents! If left open, they can be caught in the wind and crack or break. Ask us how we know! Lastly, sweep floors of any rocks or dirt and fully close your RV slides. Be sure to watch and listen for unusual sounds or obstructions. 

RV Exterior Check

Moving outside of the rig, confirm all slides are completely in and all doors and windows are closed. Hitching up might be the most critical part, so take your time. Triple check all hitching components: chains, coupler, breakaway cable, and trailer wiring. You’ll generally follow the same process if you’re hitching up a towed to a motorhome. ALWAYS do a final rig walk around to be certain the slides, windows, doors, stairs, and tires all look ready for your RV travel day.

Expect Interruptions 

Things WILL go wrong, that’s inevitable. Truck and trailer failures are actually very common. Engine trouble, overheating, wheel bearing issues, broken springs and shackles, and tire blowouts all come with the territory. Having the right tools for a tire blowout is very important. We recommend an impact driver and Andersen Rapid Jack. You might get lost or miss your turn, yes, even with GPS! You’ll want to check your route for low bridges, sharp turns, or steep grades. RV Parky is a useful tool for checking bridge height.  At times depending on the size of your rig, you or your passenger might want to look ahead to confirm that your RV can easily fit under a gas station overhang before deciding to stop there. Our favorite tool for this is actually Google street view. 

Helpful RV Travel Tips

Every RV travel day WILL take longer than you expect. Traveling with an RV takes more time than the same route would in a passenger car alone. Fuel stops, potty breaks, and driving at a slower speed are all factors that add time to RV travel days. DON’T SPEED, it’s not worth it. RVs can be harder to handle at high speeds and tire speed ratings have their limit.

Avoid plans to drive too far in one single day. We recommend the 3 3 3 RV rule: Limit your travel to 300 miles, stop every 3 hours, and plan to arrive before 3PM. A typical RV travel day will take 50% longer than what Google maps estimates.

Remember you’ll most likely have a few stops along the way. Some will be mandatory, while others will be voluntary. Many RVers will need to stop at a dump station before arriving at your next destination or returning home. Depending on the length of your drive, you’ll likely need to stop for fuel. 

Pro tip: If you have a travel trailer or 5th wheel, fuel up before hitching up to leave if possible. This can save you time and energy and avoid awkward slowdowns with tricky navigating through gas stations. You’ll thank us later! Need to stock up on groceries? If possible do this task in advance too! 

Interesting roadside attractions should never be skipped! This is the whole point of RVing! But we recommend trying to map them out in advance and allow for extra time to visit.

Lastly, enjoy the trip and try not to get stressed. RVing is supposed to be fun. Take your time and enjoy the open road!

Preparing for Full-Time RV Travel

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We know the struggle. You’ve been considering and planning for full-time RV travel for months or years. The planning and preparation process is likely daunting. Choosing a travel trailer, motorhome, or fifth wheel is a huge step. Downsizing your belongings to fit in your new tiny space can be an emotional and overwhelming process. You might have even changed jobs or quit working altogether. We get it because we’ve been there. Mentally, logistically, and financially preparing for your big adventure can take a toll. 

We’re not going to sugarcoat it. Full time RVing is a major life transition that comes with its own set of hurdles.  

We’re here to remind you that those first few weeks and months will be a big learning curve. Especially if you’re new to RVing. It might take some time to adjust to your new lifestyle. But it will also be a time of excitement, wonder, and awe. You’ll feel a sense of unparalleled freedom. You’ll travel to new places you’ve never been before and get to experience the sense of refreshment that only comes from an RV move day. 

If you’re planning to travel with family in an RV, you’ll be able to spend so much more time together on a daily basis. After all, the re-prioritization of family time is probably one reason you decided to full-time RV in the first place. 

Here are some helpful tips to get you through this transition. 

  • Be patient with yourself and your travel companions. This might be a stressful time and this is expected. 
  • Check in with yourself (and your family) about your honest feelings. Often just taking the step of naming reasons you’re feeling a negative thought helps identify and work through that thought. 
  • Enjoy the journey. Absorb as much as you can from each moment. 

Eventually, you’ll develop a sense of the pace and style of travel you enjoy the most and an idea of what works best for you and/or your family in your new space and new life. 

Maybe you’re planning to RV for a year, maybe two years. Your time frame might still be up in the air and that’s ok. When we started RV life, we were only guaranteed 6 months on the road, and we made the best of it. Truly, we jumped in with both feet first and had no clue what we were getting ourselves into. Yet here we are, three years and several major life transitions later, still living it. 

And if you decide full-time RV travel is not what you expected, you can always cut your losses and find a house to rent or somewhere new to settle. Worst case, you might end up right back where you began. Either way, you’ll be proud of yourself for trying something new and getting outside of your comfort zone.

How We Became Digital Nomads

Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Almost two years ago my husband and I began the full time RV life. We rented out our house, sold two cars and a bunch of other stuff we didn’t need, and hit the road to become digital nomads while living in a fifth wheel and traveling the US full time.

One of the most common questions we are often asked is how we’re able to travel full time. I’ll be honest, this one dumbfounded me for years. I saw plenty of gorgeous Instagram photos of people traveling all over the world and wishing I had that kind of life, but it seemed like a pipe-dream, or something only possible for established travel photographers and journalists.

Granted, we were no strangers to camping and exploring. We owned a nice-enough house in a nice-enough town and yet we constantly wanted to travel and road trip to new areas. Almost every weekend you’d find us camping, backpacking, overlanding, or flying to a new city. You could call it Adventure Endeavor 1.0. These short trips were nice, don’t get me wrong, but we yearned for more.

So back to the Instagrammers… How could these people possibly afford to travel full time? How do they make money to support their lifestyle? I thought of the concept of RVing fulltime was for retired people who had saved for years and finally left the workforce. We thought we’d be no different.

Most people my age (33) and older were raised believing a job is a place you go to work. To many working-aged individuals, the concept of working from home seemed an idealized dream provided only to a few fortunate individuals. I didn’t believe that traveling full time was “real” for most people in traditional office jobs like me.

Then in the summer of 2017, I came across Jason and Rae Miller’s announcement about hitting the road full time. My perspective slowly began to change. I went to high school with Jason and Rae, and was acquainted with them personally. There it was, living proof that REAL people I actually knew, real people LIKE ME, had found a way to travel full time. What a game-changer. 🤯

Then a few months later a crazy event made us realize life can be cut short at any moment and the luxury of having time to do things “one day” went out the window. Tomorrow is never promised and we knew we had to make a change.

A 2-Week Cross Country Road Trip

Fast forward to a year later when we spent two weeks on a road trip exploring parts of the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Montana, and more. Rather than satiate our thirst for travel, it fueled a desire for more.

The wheels began turning when my husband Jesse and began serious discussions about RVing full-time. We crunched a few numbers and figured he could quit doing his production assistant jobs if I kept my income by transitioning my existing job as a Project Coordinator into a remote role. I wasn’t yet ready to leave a career I loved for something totally unknown so I figured I could make it work. We were already decent at finding creative ways to save money and figured a minimalistic lifestyle would only improve those habits.

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Becoming Modern Nomads

After several months of negotiations, I was able to transition my existing job to work remotely on a 6-month trial basis. After only 5 total months of preparation, we bought our first fifth wheel, took a leap of faith, and set out to see the country. Working remotely for the first time while traveling and adjusting to life on the road was a challenging process to say the least. Through it all, I discovered my priorities changed and the limitations of that company were too extreme to be compatible with the lifestyle I was falling in love with.

Two years later, I still work full time as a Project Coordinator. After searching for more than a year, I recently changed jobs which created more flexibility in my workday. Jesse worked in the film studios before we hit the road, but he never found it fulfilling. Now, in addition to managing most route planning and rig upkeep, he edits and manages the videos for our YouTube channel and other social media content. We both work together on the filming, editing, and photography for Adventure Endeavor. I also do freelance writing on the side. All of this is done working remotely from our RV home office.

Not all modern nomads live the same way. Some keep the same job where they were an established employee like I did in the beginning. We’ve also met plenty of travel nurses on the road. Others work seasonally or part time at places like Christmas tree lots, pumpkin patches, events, running tours for tourists, work camping, or camp hosting, etc. Many are travel writers and photographers like I always imagined. Some sell their house and live off savings for a few years. Others are entrepreneurial like us and start their own businesses.

There are many ways to live the RV lifestyle and become a digital nomad and everyone is different. Maybe the RV lifestyle was once only for the retired but the world is quite different now. The internet has changed the world of work significantly and opportunities for digital nomads are everywhere.

If you’re thinking full time RV travel could be for you but seems intimidating, we encourage you to give it a shot. You never know what you might learn about yourself!

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