What is boondocking?

Article By: Todd Davis
The word “bundok” (boondock) comes from Tagalog, the language of the Philippine Islands, and means “mountain".  Definitions include, “rural country; the backwoods” and, “place remote from civilization".  General usage of the term boondocking in the RV world is often used inaccurately to describe the function of camping without hook-ups, not where you do it. Dry camping, a more accurate term, would include camping in primitive campgrounds (like the forest service), Walmart parking lots, RV rallies, truck stops, highway rest stops - or anywhere that electrical, water, and sewage hookups are not available.  Boondocking defines where you dry camp - in the boonies, open desert, backwoods, and away from civilization.  Simply put, all boondocking is dry camping, but all dry camping is not boondocking.