Boondocking---sewer black and "gray"

[Travel2build]

Is it easier to move trailer every 7 days and dump OR get some transfer tanks in pickup and macerator pump to tank then go to dump?

We have water and power but no way to dispose of waste yet.
What are some options to dump waste on site?

[ctilsie242]

Depending on rig choice, I've found a few ways to deal with waste while boondocking:

1: Place the Blue Boy in the truck bed, use the above mentioned macerator pump to push the black/gray water into the tank. Then, use the built in valve to empty at the dump station. Since the pump does the work, your back doesn't have to.

2: Buy 1000 "plastic T-shirt bags" from Amazon for $17 + shipping, line the toilet with one, do #2, drop the soiled bag in another bag, wrap it tightly, toss it in a trash bag. Caveat: Be VERY careful to ensure the trash bag does not get flushed into the black tank. Maybe even attach it to a tether somehow. I have found this method quite workable at minimizing black tank contents.

3: By minimizing black tank use, I can use a five gallon bucket to transfer gray tank stuff to the black tank. However, be careful on this... once the black tank is full, your boondocking expedition is over.

[was_butnotnow]

We did away with the Blue Boy See how we deal with gray and black water. http://fulltime.hitchitch.com/blueboy.html

[cross21114]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
We are fairly new to this game, bought our first RV in 1998, so less than 20 years RV camping.

Doubt many people have been at it longer on a consistent basis.

[2oldman]

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
If a person has a multi-slide trailer that requires packing up like a Chinese puzzle box, a macerator and a tote along with a fresh water portable tank is the way to go.

x2.

For me it's having to put away all that stuff on the inside, like plants, and dishes, and TVs, and anything else I don't want on the floor when I get done.

Then there's the re-leveling, unless I can back onto my leveling blocks exactly the way I was before. And the hitching, and unhitching, and perhaps having to tear down the sat dish if it happens to be in the way. I don't have to fret about conserving water when dumping does not involve moving. I also have a cat, so there's that.

And then there's the unknown of how many people are at the dump station ahead of me. Quartzsite has a separate blue boy dump which means there's almost never a wait. Many campers have utility trailers outfitted with waste tanks which they use instead of moving.

No method is better than another, it's just different situations for each person.

[TexasChaps]

Travel2build wrote:
Is it easier to move trailer every 7 days and dump OR get some transfer tanks in pickup and macerator pump to tank then go to dump?

We have water and power but no way to dispose of waste yet.
What are some options to dump waste on site?

we usually hold out for 10 days or so before moving on and dumping
at the nearest dump. much easier in my opinion than messing with nasty waste.

[D_E_Bishop]

We are fairly new to this game, bought our first RV in 1998, so less than 20 years RV camping. As my tag says, we're travelers, not destination RVers. Normally while traveling I dump every 3 or 4 days, only twice have I needed to go to a dump station or for water and then return to where we were. We currently have a two slide rig and picking up and going is pretty easy, especially if we're dry camping. Retract the slides, store the levelers and back out, so the two times we needed to dump or get water or propane were easy peezy, getting back in the position we were in before moving is often much harder. Sometimes the DW wants exactly the same view.

If we were trailer folks, I think the BB and a water bladder would be the answer.

[Lantley]

wbwood wrote:
We had a tote when we had the TT. Used it a few times. Then never used it. Took up room in the back of the truck. When we got the motorhome, we sold the tote. Just as easy for us to pull the slides in and drive to the dump. Don't know why it would take someone hours.

One thing to remember, is if you can go a long time (week), then you have some pretty big tanks. Bigger than what a tote will carry and heavier than what you will want to deal with. You are having to make multiple trips with the tote to empty your tanks. At least 2 (1 for gray and 1 for black), and that's if your tote is the same size or larger than each of those tanks. If you have 60 gallon tanks and a 30 gallon tote, then you are making 4 trips to empty it. I'd much rather just hook up and go dump and be done with it.

I have a 42 gallon tote with 4 wheels. I have to roll it to the truck not carry it. WEight is not a factor for me. 30 gallon + capacity black tanks will not have to be dumped for a week stay.
Generally only grey tanks require dumping. Black can easily last a week or more.
Ultimately what type of rig you have is very important. A five slide towable is a pain to break down and set up. While a non slide motorhome will be the easiest. Tank capacities is also a factor.
If you go without sewer often a large tote that is equal to the size of your grey tank is easier to deal with.

[wannavolunteerF]

I find a fill my gray tank much faster than my black.. Each are 35 gallon size. I have an use a tote for my gray when I camping without sewer connections. I had a small tote and it was a pain to make multiple trips for gray water. I now have one that is same size as gray tank, so other than having to deal with weight of getting it on truck hitch, it is much simpler. I have never filled my black (except running extra water on purpose to make it dump better), so haven't had to use tote for it.

I have 90 gallon fresh water (and use filtered water for drinking and cooking) so can go a long time on it. I rarely camp without water, so can't give a true idea of that. The main place I camp without water, I don't generally stay more than a couple of days.. and I am so far in the boonies that showers aren't a priority.. until I get ready to leave and face civilization again.

[wbwood]

We had a tote when we had the TT. Used it a few times. Then never used it. Took up room in the back of the truck. When we got the motorhome, we sold the tote. Just as easy for us to pull the slides in and drive to the dump. Don't know why it would take someone hours.

One thing to remember, is if you can go a long time (week), then you have some pretty big tanks. Bigger than what a tote will carry and heavier than what you will want to deal with. You are having to make multiple trips with the tote to empty your tanks. At least 2 (1 for gray and 1 for black), and that's if your tote is the same size or larger than each of those tanks. If you have 60 gallon tanks and a 30 gallon tote, then you are making 4 trips to empty it. I'd much rather just hook up and go dump and be done with it.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

It really depends upon the rig a person has. If it is easy to hookup and get to the dump that is the way to go.

If a person has a multi-slide trailer that requires packing up like a Chinese puzzle box, a macerator and a tote along with a fresh water portable tank is the way to go.

We often stay at a COE park near Dallas with no sewer hookups. Most Class A, Class C and no-slides trailers go to the dump station. Most 5th wheels and trailers with slides use a sewer tote.

[vermilye]

Much depends on how easily you can pack the trailer for travel after setting up. In my case it only takes 10 minutes or so.

Last winter I stayed in La Posa West LTVA in Quartzsite. With very careful management, I went 12 - 14 days before needing to dump and take on water at the station 3 miles away. While that worked fine for me, a neighbor had a plastic water bladder on the truck roof & a blue boy in the back of the pick up she filled with a macerator.

While she didn't have to hook up the trailer & haul it to the dump station, it took her longer to dump & deal with transferring water to & from the bladder than it did for me to haul the trailer there & back.

[DrewE]

pnichols wrote:
Hmmm ... searching the Net I see in some places that Scamp seems to offer a small 5th wheel, but Scamp sure doesn't make it easy to find on their current web site, if at all:

http://www.scamptrailers.com/

They do have them listed in the showroom section as the 19' models. Until you see the side view picture, it's not all that obvious that it's a fifth wheel, I admit.

[shelbyfv]

If you can go 7 days w/o dumping. I'd just hook up and go to the dump. You can have a lot of aggravation messing with portable tanks and not gain much additional time. Our first trailer had only 11 gallons gray, so a portable was necessary.

[pnichols]

Hmmm ... searching the Net I see in some places that Scamp seems to offfer a small 5th wheel, but Scamp sure doesn't make it easy to find on their current web site, if at all:

http://www.scamptrailers.com/