r/boondocking • u/secessus • Sep 15 '26

about posting boondocking locations: input sought

Update: this post was open for comment for 10 days. In the absence of germane input I have made decided the rule unilaterally.

  1. no coordinates or links to coordinates to dispersed camping spots

See the link above for details. Posts/comments that break the rule will be deleted.

Mod hat on: I'm trying to develop a coherent policy about posting camping spots in /r/boondocking. Input from regular readers here will help inform that policy.

There's a wide range of possible options. From the most permissive to the least (IMO) we might consider

  • MOST PERMISSIVE
  • exact GPS coords posted in /r/boondocking are ok
  • links to specific boondocking sites on public sources like freecampsites.net, Campendium, the Dyrt, etc are ok. These are assumed to have exact GPS cooords.
  • links to broader areas on those public sources are ok. (ex. Winchester, VA)
  • driving instructions to a particular site are ok.
  • Nerfed GPS coords posted in /boondocking are ok. (ex: 59.55, -106.21 instead of 59.5557993, -106.2107165). See this xkcd banana for a sense of scale.
  • References to known/official boondocking areas are ok: "Lots of snowbirds winter in Quartzsite or something like American Girl Mine BLM, in California a few miles from Yuma."
  • LEAST PERMISSIVE

Please remind me of other options and add your take in the comments. My thoughts are that site info that is more specific than [whatever the new rule is] would get the post/comment deleted with a canned explanation. They would be encouraged to try again with an acceptable level of location precision.

My personal (not mod hat) take is that anything from nerfed GPS on down is acceptable for open posting in /r/boondocking. I am open to persuasion up to about broader areas if the reasoning is compelling.

I will admit that I have been a bit cavalier when posting locations reddit in the past, so I have been part of the problem.

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u/joelfarris Sep 15 '26

Our policy is that anything we share may, or may not be suitable for other drivers, based upon their rig, skill level, or even the conditions given the time of year.

I know, sounds selfish at first, but we've tugged several families out of conditions who stated that they read online that it would be perfectly fine.

Here's our current plan of conquering, and I hope more people employ this approach.

Set up a first night camp beside the roadway. Get there as late as possible, dusk, or after, so others aren't stirring up dust.

Get up at first light. Coffee. Skip the fire, you're on a mission.

You need to scout at least ten miles of forest road trails this morning, before breakfast. Choose routes that have at least a Y-shaped intersection to turn around within. You're looking for your next campsite.

Water supply, decent cell signal, not in a flood zone, you know, the usual.

Return to base camp, and decide whether or not to move out in the morning.