Anyone doing BLM / dispersed camping with 400?

kbdigitiqe

Hey y’all, we are all set to trade in our 320BD for a 400BD in February and I just finally got to see (and walkthrough) a 400 in person. 

Aaaaand it absolutely dwarfed the 320 it was sitting right next to... lol

We pretty much only camp in National Forest and BLM areas (out west) and now I’m having a slight panic that the 400 is going to be prohibitive compared to our 320.

Is anyone using the 400 like we plan to?

VictoriaP

Go look up Mandy Lea Photography’s videos on YouTube. She and her partner Kendrick have been boondocking full time with a 400 for about two years now.

Obviously the 320 is going to be easier to fit into small spaces, and Mandy Lea has said before that there are places they felt comfortable taking their 320 that they won’t take the 400. But it’s certainly doable overall.

kbdigitiqe

Sweet! Thanks @VictoriaP I’ll check them out, cheers!

Denny16

We plan to boondock/ free camp in out TaB400 BD, thus coming year, to stay sway from crowds, etc.  We had the higher clearance Boondock axle/wheels added to our rig for this purpose.  You want to have factory solar also, to keep the battery charged.
cheers

johnfconway

Thus far, boondocking is all we do. Covid aside, the opportunities are vast compared with RV parks. We look for areas with a lot of dots (indicating dispersed camping) on USFS road maps so odds are in favor of finding a near ideal site. What the map can't tell you is condition of road getting you there. If no recent posts are found regarding road condition, we suck it up and put up with creeping along where washboarding is bad. Once pondering a site, I think you get good at sizing up whether trailer is at risk of damage getting in or out. Other concern can be sun exposure hours for solar panel. I think we may be more inclined to carry generator in future. Also considering suitcase solar panel with reasonably long tether.

kbdigitiqe

Thanks fellas, to clarify this is how we already camp in our 320BD (with solar and a big Lithium rig) I’m just nervous about maneuvering the 400BD in those areas now that I’ve seen it in person. 

Seems like folks are definitely doing it though so I’ve just gotta get my confidence up about it. Also definitely going to add a wireless backup camera methinks. 

johnfconway

@kbdigitiqe, will you be upsizing TV as well? The 400 tracks better than you think it would. We stayed with 4.0 L, mid-size truck to keep overall length minimized. It's also all the truck we need for non-TV use... which is 90%. We pull to shoulder ahead of potential site. Get out and walk in. Pace off distances if need be. If I had to guess, our site rejection rate is about 40%.

kbdigitiqe

Same Nissan Frontier V6 for TV @johnfconway - we don’t go anywhere crazy mostly dirt roads and washboard in the desert

johnfconway

Ha... maybe someday we'll have to do rock, paper, scissors for last remaining site somewhere in AZ!

kbdigitiqe

@johnfconway HA! Maybe!