Newbie to retirement

Phil

Most of the 'free' sites, and a lot of the paid sites, do have time limits, just how much that is policed is I guess your question.

I have personally found only a few where there were rangers in attendance every 48 hours ( the beachside areas north of Townsville), however I would normally stop a maximum of 3 nights, and I can not recall ever seeing a ranger at any other 'free' stop.

Regards
Athol

It totally depends on where you are. Usually the closer to town, or settlement, the more restrictions there are. Off the beaten track I have stayed for as long as my supplies lasted.

Thanks Athol,

Your practical reply is exactly what I'm after. Thanks so much.
Hopefully we may converse again.

Phil

Hi Phil,

Water and power are generally the deciding factors when it comes to “off grid” camping. Many places do not have a limit as to how long you can stay. The WikiCamps app is a great tool, I use it as well, however you need to be aware that it is user updated, so may not necessarily be accurate.

Refrigeration is another consideration. Whilst an absorption (3 way) fridge may seem to be a good choice, they do have their limitations. They are not as efficient as a compressor fridge, particularly in hot humid conditions, even the tropical rated ones. There are more questions on forums about issues with absorption fridges than there are with compressor fridges.

The biggest drawback with a compressor fridge is maintaining your power supply. With LiFePo4 batteries and enough solar capacity you can quite easily stay off grid for as long as you have water. Of course, this is reliant on having enough sun for that time as well, something that you cannot guarantee. A backup generator comes in handy for those occasions. A good rule of thumb is that for every battery AmpHr, you need double the watts of solar capacity. In simple terms, if you have a 100 amp battery, you need 200 watts of solar capacity. Solar Panels need to be in direct sunlight to be efficient.

I mostly camp off grid, and have sat stationary for up to 4 weeks without much problem. I do carry a backup generator, but have only had to use it a couple of times. My caravan has a 180 Ltr. Compressor fridge, no inverter, 200 amps of LiFePo4 batteries, 490 watts of fixed roof mounted solar panels. I also carry a 290 watt folding solar blanket that I can use as backup, although this is mainly used for the auxiliary battery for the fridge in the back of the car. The van has 2 x 80 Ltr. Water tanks, and the ability to have 2 x 40 Ltr. Jerry cans on the back.

Wether you choose a motorhome or caravan for you mobile home, will come down to your personal choice. The biggest drawback with a motorhome is that if you want to go into town, or have a look around the area where you are, you have to pack up your entire camp.

Hope this information has been useful.

Macca.

I agree with everything that's been said, but would like to add three extra considerations.

1. You probably with need to fit a good (30-60 amp) DC-DC charger to the bus.
This will speed up charging on the road and will fill in for a generator if batteries get low and there is no sun .

2. You may well find that a good electrical system - 200-400AH lithium, BMS, 500-1000 watts solar, 30-60 amp DC-DC charger, inverter and mains charger or inverter/charger of maybe 1.5KW/40-80 amps - will be the most expensive part of your bus. I would get someone reputable to install an integrated system. My own Victron system is at the top end of these and has been bulletproof. But I hear Renogy is just as good.

3. Which brings us to the delicate subject of the dunny. You can't go crapping in the bush every place you go and may not want to. So one limitation is your need for a dump point. You may get 4-5 days or more out of a cassette on your own and you can certainly carry a spare. But maybe give some thought to one of the new composting dunnies (Airhead or Nature's Head). We have one and it does the two of us for weeks and can be emptied in a plastic bag in the garbage, or even in a remote location in the bush. No smells and no nasties. But if I had my time over I would go for a thing called a Separett Tiny.

Keith

Phil 07,
You have received some good advice so far. I'll add a few thoughts too. My wife & I have been travelling fulltime for a number of years & free camp most of the time. We are in our mid 60's. Our style of travel is without a timeframe & with a preference for the bush, viewing towns only as places to resupply. Not everyone does, for many towns are destinations.

First is about vehicle. If you buy a standard 2 wheel drive motorhome aimed primarily at travel on sealed roads you will find that a *far* higher percentage of the camp spots you can access will be more likely to be time restricted & also quite likely crowded. If you want to bush camp in peace for longer periods you would be wise to purchase a vehicle with preferably 4wd & at a minimum with higher ground clearance. You don't need to go 'hardcore' 4wding to make 4wd worthwhile. The extra capability mutiplies the number of available camp spots to you exponentially. At the very least it enables you to ho that extra half a kilometre along the river bank to that idyllic spot away from the crowds, but once you get out into the bush & the outback you will find places to camp everywhere. Your choices will be so much greater & you can still go to the popular spots along the 'grey nomad routes' for a bit of company now & then too.

In order to do what you want you will need a good solar system. What constitutes that is subject to a wide range of opinions. What you need is a system which meets your needs, & can replenish your batteries to full every 24 hours regardless of whether you are driving or not. Without that you will end up travelling to meet the needs of your batteries rather than what you want to do. There ae different ways to achieve this, some better than others. Don't get sucked into thinking that whart works for someome else will work for you. All of our needs are individual & we all travel in our own way. It makes it hard, but if someone says you need XYZ equipment without asking you about details of how long you like to drive for, what sort of places you prefer to spend time (north or south) type of country (desert , beach, shady forest etc etc) , what appliances you consider essential & how you use them (day or night, how long for etc etc) & a host of other 'user details' chances are that they are recommending what works for them , which may or may not work for you.
Without specifying details I will say that more rather than less solar is good, sufficient battery power to get you through a few days of poor solar weather & a dc to dc charger to properly charge your batteries as you drive in addition to the solar.

Toilet - yes you'll need one, but when you are out bush, (not at popular camp spots) there is always an opportunity to dig a deep hole & bury the contents - this is perfectly acceptable away from where folk camp, & away from any water course. So you'll need a shovel.

The limiting factors to how long you can remain out in the bush are water & food (once you have a power system which can sustain you indefinitely - which is what you need). The larger your water holding capacity the longer you can remain out in the bush. Best spots are by a creek , lake or other water supply. Save the water in your tanks for drinking & cooking whenever you can. River water is fine for washing - clothes, yourself & dishes. Save water when you don't have an external source by not showering - a flannel & a couple of litres in an ice cream tub work well, as does a swim (not with soap). Get creative with re-using & saving water. It our travel outfit we can carry a maximum of 220 litres in two tanks. Two of us have no problem making that last us 3 to 4 weeks if there is no external source - usually there is though. We like stay bush for as long as we can between re-supplying & commonly manage up to 6 weeks, could go to 8, but the diet would be getting fairly 'innovative' toward the end. It is rare over that sort of time frame for us not to come across somewhere we can buy a bit of fresh (or not so fresh) fruit & veg now and then - little stores in small communities. Costs more than in major centres but supports the small communities & is often a good way to connect with locals. If you are in no rush this can be an excellent way to find out about places to stay. More than a few times we have been invited to 'camp down at my billabong'. Travelling slowly without an itninerary helps in finding opportunities & fexibility enables you to take them up.

You need to consider the GVM, ATM and GCM of your setup. You need to take into account the weight of everything you want to load. Most important to remember that one litre of water weighs one kilogram.