Betty and I are new to the US RVing scene but have had a fair bit of experience in Australia and Europe where our preference is to wild-camp/free-camp/boondock.
Are there any publications that list a reasonable selection of places (other than big box car parks) across the USA that we could use as a "beginners' guide" to get us started when we begin our first 6-month trip at the end of January starting off from LA.
Boondocking in the eastern part of the US is limited, comparatively speaking. I've had success finding nice spots by researching online. Many National and State forests offer both, developed and dispersed camping. Someone on the left coast can probably point you in the right direction out west.
Remember "Without Truckers America Stops" It's too late to save your shoes..so roll up your pant legs "When all else fails..Amateur Radio" I need some more Coffee&Old Bushmills Semper Fi
I've never been able to find a comprehensive boondocking guide for camping but Don Wright's books are helpful. http://rvbookstore.com/shop/search.aspx?st=free+campgrounds&submit=Search
A little caution on these though. A lot of the listings are out of date so the pricing is not accurate and sometimes the campgrounds do not exist any more.
Other than these books the best thing is to check out the BLM and national forest websites. You can also visit the information centers for each national forest as you come upon them and get information from the rangers.
There are also a few websites where people have kindly decided to share boondocking spots.
Thanks for those suggestions. I guess "The Trailer Life RV Road Atlas"
might be the sort of general resource I am looking for. Perhaps not up to date (and how can anything be fully up to date anyway) but will give me a good idea of what is permitted and what might result in a late-night knock on the door (something we have only experienced once - in Morocco - when a guardian of the law "suggested" we would be much safer moving to a local van park. His limited English prevented a full and frank discussion about his relationship with the owner of the park)
Now to find the right forum on this site for info on the best breakdown service to join up with just in case - especially since the rig doesn't have room for a spare.
That and the DW are two things I would suggest finding room for!
Yes, I agree. Converted MC8 I have here in Oz has effectively three spare tyres (2 on the tag axle), so having to do without any is a bit of a worry. May at least carry an unmounted spare and the bit of gear needed so I can fit the tyre on the old rim if I get desperate
Offline
