Tag Archives: boondocking

Apr 27 2024

Overland Explorer Camp M Review

After an incredible 2.5 years of traveling to National Parks, Monuments, and boondocking sites across the nation, we’re excited to share our experiences with the OVE Camp-M (now known as the Backcountry) lightweight overlanding truck camper. Let’s dive into what makes this camper great and where there’s room for improvement.

The Journey Begins

Our adventure started when we picked up our Camp-M camper from Big Sky RV (Bozeman, MT) in June 2021. As early adopters of the new version with an over-the-cab bed, we were eager to hit the road and explore.

Why We Chose the Camp-M and Toyota Tacoma Combo

Having previously traveled in the Winnebago Boldt for 1.5 years (and dealing with 13 rounds of fixes), we knew we wanted something simpler, smaller, and more durable. Enter the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck paired with the Camp-M camper. Here’s why we love this combination:

  1. Durability: The Tacoma Off Road variant is a rugged companion, built for off-road adventures. Its narrow body allows us to explore even the most challenging terrain. The Camp-M is made from extruded aluminum, the interior is clean and tough.
  2. Comfort: The Tacoma’s interior is surprisingly comfortable, making long drives enjoyable. Plus, the quiet cabin ensures a peaceful journey. The Camp-M
  3. Off-Grid Capabilities: The Camp-M is designed for off-grid living. With its composite construction (extruded in one piece to prevent leaks), we can confidently camp in remote locations.
  4. Winter Camping: Thanks to the Camp-M’s insulation and thoughtful design, winter camping is a breeze. No more shivering nights!

If you’ve never heard of OEV, they’re a branch of LITE Industries Inc., from Alberta, Canada, with a knack for turning any old pickup truck into a mobile home suitable for off-grid travels and life. The campers they produce are completed from composites, extruded in one piece to ensure no leaks and tailored to fit mid-size beds from 5 feet (1.53 meters) to 6 feet (1.83 meters) in length.

We got the Toyota Tacoma TRD Dual Cab with a 6-foot bed. When driving the camper closed with dimensions 122″Lx77″Wx61″H closed and a nice 83″H when open for camping. The interior dimensions when open while camping is 118″L x 72.75″Wx81″H making it comfortable for those as tall as 6’6″. The dry weight is only 925 pounds! The 2021 OEV Camp-M has 20-gallons of freshwater capacity, and no grey tank just empties out the side we just put a collapsible bucket and use Dr. Bronner’s soap when doing dishes and washing hands so it is okay for the environment if boondocking, if at a campground you just can pour out at the kitchen waste disposal. As you all know, we would much rather boondock and go off the beaten path than go to a campground, so we wanted something that could handle a week off the grid.

The Camp-M is great off the grid and has features to make your off the grid experience more comfortable including (this is a mix of what is included and options we selected for exact list visit their OVE Camp M website): a Truma Vario w/thermostat and AquaGo instant water heater, multi-speed MAXXfan roof vent, 20-gallon (91-liter) freshwater tank, and interior propane connection for a portable cooktop. A beefed-up electrical system is also in place and features everything from dual USB ports, a 12-volt auxiliary connection, a Redarc charger, lithium battery and 200 W solar panels. The screen door is a wonderful feature to keep the bugs out but get better cross ventilation and fresh air on those hot summer days and nights! It has a 10-pound propane tank for your heater and cooking needs. We loved the outside instant hot water shower and found standing on your tailgate to shower made it easy and kept your feet clean! Compared to many campers the electrical and plumbing are clean and organized and easy to follow. The extruded aluminum construction makes it very durable, lightweight and long lasting with no wood to fail. The composite panels have the same automotive gel coat finish as a fiberglass boat or Corvette.  The aluminum extrusions are powder-coated white. If you are in a good sunny spot and near a stream for additional water, we were able to boondock a week when we were in Red Lodge, MT.

As you know we like to do a lot of winter camping as we go searching for the powder skiing. The soft walls are rated R-4, made from a coated nylon on the exterior, a thermal fill for insulation, and a fire-rated canvas on the interior.  The nylon they chose has the highest UV rating on any exterior-purposed nylon product on the market.  The exterior nylon is dark grey for the highest UV block.  The interior canvas is light cream to brighten up the interior. The sidewalls are designed to breathe.  That prevents the sidewalls from retaining moisture. With the heater going all night and you breathing we found there was a lot of condensation, we crack the side window to help with that.

Inside the Camp M, sitting above the cab, you’ll find the bedroom with a 4″ memory foam queen mattress with an extender and additional memory foam to make it a King bedding suitable for two guests plus a four-legged friend or small child. (The new version has storage under the bed). A dinette sits at the foot of the bed. This dinette can also be converted into a sleeping area ideal for another smaller occupant and has storage under the seats. The cushions are made from marine grade fabric that is 4” medium-density foam. At the entrance of Camp M, you’ll find the kitchenette with a countertop, sink, faucet, gas connector for your stove, more storage and the tray for your cooler style refrigerator. We purchased the dependable, efficient Truma C63. The vinyl flooring is pretty indestructible, easy to clean and functional. The dimmable LED lights are one of our favorite features, especially as you wake up in the morning and don’t want to get blasted with a bright light right off the bat.

On the outside you have plenty of lights on the back and side, MOLLE racks to add additional Rotopax water we store 2, 2 gallons. They use a Sigiva (Bullfinch) outside shower connection.  It’s a single-point hot-cold port (the Aquago is an on-demand water heater system).  Storage for your outside shower hose, hose to fill water, we store our Jetboil cooking system, shovel, ax, soap, etc. It has a beefy rack for you to hang an awning of your choice, we got the Alu-Cab shadow 270 coming from Australia it is fantastic and bomber! It can handle rainstorms and the wind. It comes with (4) Manual Rieco Titan Camper Jack and we can say these are tough! As we were building out our property, we lived in the Camp M for 6 months and had no issues living in it on four blocks with these Jacks. It is pretty easy to put on and off the truck bed. It also has (4) Torklift Anchor Guard Derringer Tie-downs, that are very strong.

Improvements:

  1. Cooking- If the Four Wheel Camper Fleet can fit a two-burner propane stove why can’t OVE fit at least a one burner? They give you a low-pressure propane connector, but all camp stoves are high pressure, we could not find a connector to work. We tried 5 different camp stoves, and nothing worked. We did find one at Camp Chef but it was too big and too high powered that it would set off the carbon monoxide detector. In the end we gave up on cooking in the inside and just bought the JetBoil System with its own propane tank and it fits perfectly in the outside storage compartment and works fabulously.
  2. Talking about the carbon monoxide detector, we highly recommend you installing a quick release (thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR)! Because the area inside is so small, the carbon monoxide detector is very touchy and the carbon monoxide from your breathing can set it off if you don’t crack a window or the vent in the winter with your heat going. Three times we had it go off at 2AM and were those campers in a campground you do not want to be. Having to pack-up and drive off in the middle of the night and try to figure out how to stop your alarm is not fun. (We fixed this issue in our camper.)
  3. The lock on the front door is plastic and wears out easily, with everything being bomb proof you would think they would install a stainless-steel door lock and handle. Again, thanks to the guys at Techniquevo in Bend, OR for installing a great stainless steel door handle and lock alternative for us!

As you can see, these are very minor issues and issues we resolved with our friends in Bend (highly recommend Max and team at TechniqueOVE). If you want a great overlanding camper that fits on a Tacoma, so you can go anywhere –consider the Camp M or as it is called now BackCountry 5.85. We’ll see you in the wild.

Jan 26 2021

Western Arizona RV Trip

For the month of November, we explored Arizona and had several amazing trips!  This week I am going to share our Western Arizona Route and great places to boondock or camp that are affordable and fun! 

One question we get is living in a van how do you manage all your toys of all the different seasons?  We purchased a 6×12 cargo trailer that we leave in Tucson, AZ (Greg’s parents live in Tucson so we can visit them while we drop off or pick-up items).  The name of the RV Park that we store it at is Diamond J’s, its very affordable and located next to some great hiking and mountain biking at the Tucson Mountain Park.  We store all of our gear so we can transition from Summer and Fall activities to Winter and Spring.

For our Western Arizona trip, we wanted to paddleboard, bike, hike and run as we adventured to different areas.  November was a very pleasant temperature, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 80s.  We like to travel about 100-175 miles a day or every few days.  Here is our last trip- the good and bad of each location and if we would go back.  

  1. Picacho Peak Campground ($30- no water)
  2. Lost Horse Tank BLM Sonoran Desert National Monument (free 14 days)
  3. Painted Rocks Petroglyphs BLM Campground ($8/$4 w/Access Pass)
  4. Dome Rock Mountain, Quartzsite (free 14 days) recommend Cholla Road instead
  5. Buckskin Mountain Campground ($35 electrical)
  6. Craggy Wash Lake Havasu (free 14 days)
  7. Katherine Landing ($20/$10)
  8. Temple Bar ($20/$10)
  9. Cerbat Foothillls Recreational Area (free 14 days)
  10. Burro Creek Campground ($14/$7)
  11. Chandler Cracker Barrel (free)
  12. Gilbert Ray Campground Tucson Mountain Park, Tucson, AZ ($20)

Picacho Peak State Park is about 49 miles west of Tucson.  Be aware there is no water in the park even though there is electrical spots and water for showers.  You need to bring your water or fill your 5-gallon water jug with a 64 oz water bottle in the ‘wash your dishes sink’ and do gravity fill.  For $30 a night, we feel it’s a little over priced and suggest just do a day trip to do Sunset Vista and Hunter Trails.  I really enjoyed the hikes make sure you bring walking sticks, gloves and wear hiking shoes as it gets rocky and steep and you will use a steel cable to climb up a rocky steep area.  There is an RV dump here, no potable water.  We were under whelmed and won’t be coming back for the price.

Our next stop off old Highway 84, about 60 miles from Picacho, is Lost Horse Tank BLM area (GPS 32.8411, -112.3244) that is in the Sonoran Desert National Monument. There is decent Verizon cell coverage between 2 to 3 bars. You need to be careful where you camp if you go too far South you are in the drug and human trafficking route.  Don’t stay right at the entrance of the area as several people came there to shoot guns, we recommend going down the road and to the right.  We found a great spot away from the freeway and away from the trafficking route with no nearby neighbors.  You can stay here for free for 14 days, were stayed here two days and did a few bike rides and runs through the desert.

From here, you have 51 miles to Painted Rock Petroglyphs (GPS 33.02437, -113.04543).  Since I have an Access pass this is an awesome stop for $4.  They have fire rings, picnic tables, trash cans and ancient petroglyphs.   There are good trails for mountain biking and trail running.  No water, no hook-ups, no RV dump but it’s a great spot.  We love this spot, so few people its like having a campground to yourself.  We have returned to this spot 4 times now.

Next, we headed about 158 miles to the famous Quartzsite.   You need to check in with the Dome Rock Campground host at the entrance to get your 14-day free permit on Dome Rock Road, then head to Cholla Road GPS: 33.6493, -114.28, there are a lot less people staying off Cholla Road.  You head around the bend and you will see dirt road to the right.  I suggest staying away from the wash area so you don’t get stuck.  It was great in November, there were very few people the camp host said they get busy in January. We did several mountain bike rides, and trail runs, there are so many trails everywhere.  There is Verizon 3 bars on Dome Rock but the cell coverage is pretty limited on Cholla Road.  For us it was worth it to get away from people and generators and we just biked or ran to more cell coverage couple times during the day.  If you want to stay longer than 14 days you can head over to RoadRunner and stay there for a few days then head back to Dome Mountain (we haven’t stayed here but drove by it.  It didn’t look bad and we would consider staying there.  We stayed here for 3 days.  We will be back in off-season.

From Quartszite, we headed fifty miles to Lake Havasu and stopped at Buckskin Mountain Campground to fill up with water and to dump.  There is free WiFi and good cell coverage here.   It’s a beautiful location and great stop for paddle boarding and great hikes and trail runs right from the campground. There are 68 campsites, 30 with electric, all with picnic tables and fire pit/grills and you must reserve online ahead of time. We really liked this spot and will come back, it is spendy at $35 but coming from Quartzsite you need to dump and refill water and it is a good middle point before Lake Havasu and less people than the state park in Lake Havasu.  You will also find since there is a drought there are no free water fill areas in Lake Havasu, many of the grocery stores have the water fill stations you pay for potable filtered water but will need to fill 5–6-gallon containers and do gravity fill. We stayed here one night and would be willing to come back here.  Since we prefer non-campgrounds that is why we only stayed 1 night. 

Next, we traveled 36 miles to Craggy Wash (GPS: 34.5863, -114.364586) in Lake Havasu.  There are several areas you can boondock for 14 days.  Craggy Wash used to be one of our favorite free spots but it has become over run with homeless and people pretty down and out.  Depending on the time of year there is great trail running and mountain biking but in November it is pretty deep sand making mountain biking difficult.  Also, with a lot of the homeless, mentally ill, not the most-friendly dogs off leash and folks sporting side arms on their hips as a woman I did not feel too comfortable running by myself.  We used to love this spot but I don’t think we will be back, we only stayed 2 days. 

We were excited to explore the Lake Mead National Recreational Area, our first stop was Katherine Landing which is about 66 miles from Craggy Wash.  There is WiFi and cell coverage and with an Access Pass it was only $10 a night.  There is first come first serve spots and only two of the loops are open during COVIOD19 and winter.  Each spot has a picnic table and firepit.  There is water and a RV dump no electrical. There are several hikes and you can head down to the marina to paddleboard or rent water equipment like kayaks, paddleboards fishing boats, etc.  When we were there it was way too windy, we just did a few hikes.  We spent 2 days here and will come back. 

(temple bar pictures)Surprisingly, there are very few people at Temple Bar which is 97 miles from Katherine Landing.  The park ranger said since its off the main highway not many people head this way.  We really enjoyed the peace and tranquility of this spot (and lack of wind!).  There were nice views of the Lake and other than the camp host there was only one other camper at this 71 campground site.  There is Wi-Fi and great cell coverage and a nice walk down to the marina and beaches.  We liked this spot better than Katherine Landing.  I paddle boarded and did several runs.  Similar to Katherine Landing it is $20/$10 a night with picnic tables and firepits and some sites also had grills, water and RV dump station.  We stayed here two nights and we’ll be back. 

From Temple Bar we headed back to Tucson as we had an appointment at La Mesa RV to get some items fixed.  We had planned to take the old Route 66 near Kingman but we ran out of time.  Kingman is a great spot to get gas, groceries and get your Starbucks. On freecampsites.net you can get several free spots to stay on Route 66 and if you are a Harvest Host Member there are two spots on Route 66.  For us, we headed down the hwy 93 to the Cerbat Foothills Recreational Area about 76 miles from Temple Bar. Its convenient, right off the freeway so we only stayed one night.  It’s a true boondocking spot with nothing but just a gravel parking lot but there are lots of cool mountain biking and hiking/running trails.  The landscape was beautiful you have a mixture of one-night campers and a few long-term homeless campers.

A nice quiet spot that is right off the freeway is Burro Creek Campground that is 75 miles South.  (Top 4 pictures below) For only $7 a night it is great to get water and have an RV dump.  Its right on the river and a few nice spots with views.  We stayed here only one night there was a little too much generators for peace and quiet.  I had a nice run in the area but there are a lot of cattle and the trails are over grown.  There is BLM booondocking spot above before you get to the campground that we would most likely stay next time.  We left super early so we could get through Phoenix before rush hour traffic.

(We needed to stock up on groceries and there is inexpensive Costco Gas in Chandler, so we drove 139 miles to the Cracker Barrel in Chandler for the night.  There are three RV spots and its pretty calm place.  Early the next morning we headed out to bypass any traffic and headed to Gilbert Ray Campground in the Tucson Mountain Park which is about 98 miles.  We really enjoy all the trails you can mountain bike and hike.  For Arizona $20 a night is the most inexpensive campground you will find outside the forest service and there is an RV dump, water, picnic tables and firepits.  Its quiet and there is a first come first serve loop.  We will be back! 

We hope you enjoy these spots as much as we did!  Enjoy!

Jul 22 2020

Summer Travel Help Us Find the Next Mountain Town and Visit McCall, Idaho

So, we just returned from McCall, Idaho area and returned to our beach house in Newport, Oregon to repack.  We decided to remove our Ram Mount table to give us more room to move around and for Bode to stop hitting his head (we haven’t missed it at all yet, it would be cool if we could store it up top on the rack and have an exterior mount).  We brought the inflatable stand-up paddle-board and loaded up the Trasharoo with some firewood.   We dropped off the winter gear and just have summer wear in two cupboards.  We also fixed my mess up, when I put in the locking hitch extender backwards where the key was up against the toe hitch and couldn’t be unlocked.  So I got to spend 45 minutes hack sawing it off and wasting $50.  As an engineer, I will never live this mess up down.  We now have a 11inch hitch extender which makes it a lot easier to access the Trasharoo while our electric bikes are up.

During our trip to the McCall area, we loved all the forest service campgrounds that were inexpensive $15/$7.5 Access and Gold Pass holders.  The area is beautiful and paddle-boarding, kayaking, mountain biking, trail running and hiking galore!   We had a great time at the Tamarack Resort, they were super nice and as we tour several units to decide if we wanted to live in a ski resort community they allowed us to boondock in their parking lot.  Greg did some awesome mountain biking and Bode and I headed for the trails to run.  Check out our video to see the area and the places we stayed.

We are now headed North to Washington State to check out Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainer, Okanogan- Wenatchee National Forest, Wenatchee, Methow Valley, and Sandpoint, Idaho.    We are excited to visit Greg’s Niece and Nephew and do a few mountain bike rides in Issaquah, WA.  I am also excited to see a few ex- Microsoft friends- yes, we will be social distancing outside when we meet up😊.

Our first stop on our northward migration was the Blue Heron Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon.  We are using our Harvest Host membership here.  We found having a membership with Harvest Host- we have listed a 15% discount code that you can use to join has been helpful as we travel around  the West Coast.  These are farms, vineyards and golf courses who welcome you to stay a night for free, in exchange for their hospitality, Harvest Host asks you to make a small purchase in return.  Such as, a bottle of wine, some produce, happy hour or play a round of golf.

From here we are headed to Mount St. Helens.  Greg was twelve years old when she blew her top and he watched the eruption from the top of Mountain Park in Lake Oswego when he was growing up.  I was in Texas and only five years old so it wasn’t so memorable for me.  We are excited to boondock and hike around the mountain.

This is where all our viewers and readers come in.  As we have discussed several times, Bend has become a little over run with more than 3 million visitors each year.  We are looking for the next mountain town.  We love to cross country ski, back country ski, snowboard, hike, mountain bike, snow shoe, snow biking.  We are looking for a smaller town, less people, 2-8 acres.  So if there is a mountain town you want to see or you live in a mountain town and want us to come see you or your area, suggest in the comments below where we should go.  If we pick the town you suggest, I will send you a surprise!  So help us find our next home and our travels for this Summer.  We hope you enjoy this short video about our travels in McCall, Idaho and suggestions of places to stay.

Don’t forget in the comments section below, please tell us what Mountain Town you think we should visit this Summer and live.  If you live there and want to meet up (social distancing) please let us know you can email me at ranebendor at gmail dot com.