There's no better relief than a trip outdoors. Here five friends discover that how to go RVing cheaply in California. If you are looking for RV rental services, simple internet search will help you find reputable RV rental facilities across the USA or visit www.ocrv.com for more details.

1. 32 MAGAZINE | SprING 2010
No-buCKS
BY NIck GREEN
PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDAN GILLOGLY AND LAUREN CIABATTARI
REVIEWS I DESTINATIONS I ROAD TEST
A cheap escape from the workweek is very
possible, as I learned, if you dry-camp under
the stars with just the basics.
RVingFive friends rediscover
that campfire hot dogs, a
large jar of peanut butter,
and a rented RV sure beat
staying in the city
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2. SprING 2010 | MAGAZINE 33
Early morning coffee
never tastes better
than it does in the
most remote places.
T
he economy is a little different
than it was a few years ago,
when everyone seemed to be
doing well. Many of us are now
working three times harder, and we
find ourselves pinching pennies wher-
ever possible. With all this economic
worries, there’s no better relief than
a trip outdoors, where the BlackBerry
doesn’t have service and you can’t
hear (or see) the city for miles.
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3. 34 MAGAZINE | Spring 2010
REVIEWS I DESTINATIONS I ROAD TEST
Costs for even simple trips, though, add up quickly, espe-
cially when friends are involved. But a cheap escape from
the workweek is very possible, as I learned, if you dry-camp
under the stars with just the basics.
Actually, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. It wasn’t the Ritz,
but there were plenty of good times, as four of my friends
pitched in to rent an RV and head out to one of California’s
most pristine desert landscapes.Together we anted up
$1,000 for the weekend ($200 per person), and no one was
going to eat steak for dinner.
What might have seemed like hopelessness actually was
easily achievable after I located an RV rental facility with the
right accommodations for the group. By sheer luck, I did a
quick search online for an RV rental facility and came up with
OC RV in Anaheim, California.They had the perfect RV for us,
an ’09 Fleetwood Pulse 24D, which slept five adults and even
our dog Ally.At $229 a night (plus $69 prep fee, and we opted
to spend the $89 cleanup/dump fee) my friends and I could
forgo sleeping in flimsy tents and spend our nights inside this
warm and comfortable Pulse, which had a large slide-out
that increased the interior space 33 percent.
The rental RV’s interior had all the amenities we could ask
for, including shower, refrigerator, and TV.The trip cost us $72
in fuel, and we covered 298 miles of road.
Another big reason that our group decided to go with
the Pulse was that it had a 3.0L diesel engine.The little diesel
built by Mercedes was amazingly quiet on the road and got
excellent fuel mileage.
One of the biggest areas where we had to watch our
spending was food. If you don’t pay attention in the grocery
store you can spend several hundred dollars. So my friends
and I ate well before going shopping for the weekend.That
way, there were no last-minute temptations. Shopping on an
empty stomach can mean spending more money than you
planned.
My girlfriend is a thrifty shopper. She brought along a
fist full of coupons and planned a menu around ordinary
camping fare. No steaks, no pork chops, nothing other than
the basics. For breakfast we had cereal, eggs, bacon, and
pancakes. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.
Campfire-roasted hotdogs for dinner. Not to mention all the
fixings for s’mores and some trail mix. She spent a total of
$98 on food for the weekend for five people.
Our final destination was Calico, in the high desert of
California.We were there to explore the old silver and soap
mines, drive on some extreme off-road trails, and sit around
the campfire and enjoy the fresh air and stars. One of the
benefits of Calico’s remote location is that it’s on Bureau
of Land Management land and we had acres of potential
camping spots to choose from, all free of charge.
After locating the perfect spot with a fire ring already set
up, I set the parking brake and pushed the button to oper-
ate the slide out. Once the slide-out was fully extended it
was time to set up camp. My friends took the Jeep off the
trailer, set up our chairs, stacked some firewood, and made
the beds. Finally, all of us were in the great outdoors with no
cell phone service and no noise except the crackling of the
campfire.
Our brief stay was filled with adventure.We drove four-
wheel-drives on miles of trails, discovered a little bit about
the mining history of Calico, and saw the remnants of old
mine cart tracks, vent shafts, and some awesome open
caverns the size of football fields, although most of these
shouldn’t be explored because of the dangers of collapse.
Like clockwork, in the late evenings the group headed
back to camp and lit a fire in the pit.After dinner the tem-
peratures in the early spring dropped to the low 30s, so the
RV generator was used quite a bit to heat up the Pulse.After
spending hours around the campfire, most of us retreated
into the RV to warm up, read books, or watch TV.
The standard batteries in the RV kept the heater running
all night without having to run the generator at all, and there
was more than enough sleeping room because no one
seemed to complain.
For breakfast we had cereal, eggs, bacon,
and pancakes. Peanut butter and jelly sand-
wiches were lunch, and campfire-roasted
hotdogs were dinner.
The OC RV Fleetwood towed my Jeep on a double-axle trailer without a problem and still got
fine mileage, 14.6 to be exact.
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4. Spring 2010 | MAGAZINE 35
no-bucks RVing
A Little About OC RV
There are plenty of reputable RV
rental facilities across the U.S. and
Canada, and a simple Internet search will
help you find what you need. However, if
you are in the Southern California area,
RV Magazine recommends a visit to
OC RV.They specialize in luxury Class A
and Class C motorhomes, travel trailers,
toy haulers, enclosed trailers, and utility
trailers.All the company’s rentals are
low-mileage units, some are loaded with
options, and all are backed by excel-
lent customer service. OC RV vehicles
are meticulously maintained, serviced,
and detailed after each use.The rentals
include 24-hour emergency roadside as-
sistance throughout the U.S. and Canada.
For more information contact them
directly at www.ocrv.com or by calling
toll-free (888) 674-6278.Tell them RV
Magazine sent you!
One last campfire to
celebrate our week-
end on the cheap. No
cell phones or worries
about finances here.
Our brief stay was
filled with adventure.
We drove four-wheel-
drives on miles of
trails, discovered a
little bit about the
mining history of
Calico, and saw the
remnants of old
mine cart tracks,
vent shafts, and
some awesome open
caverns.
One the downside, a larger fresh-
water tank might have been better for
five adults, especially with the shower.
But the Fleetwood Pulse made for a
comfortable trip.
The OC RV Fleetwood towed my
Jeep on a double-axle trailer without a
problem and still got fine mileage, 14.6
mpg to be exact.The grand total for two
nights and three days was $837. So we
each spent $167.40 on the weekend.
I actually spent $32.60 less than I had
budgeted.
The trip was a total success, no
snags at all.The RV ran perfectly and
had no mechanical problems.The
guys at OC RV were very professional,
making sure when we returned that
everything had met our expectations.
I would do this trip again in a min-
ute because it was so affordable and
relaxing not to have to worry about
emails, cell phones, or even my tight
finances.
Ed. note: This is Nick Green’s
personal account of how to go RVing
cheaply. Boondocking is great fun, but
be sure to check with your local land
management agencies for the rules and
regulations of the area before you go.
A little four-wheel-drive
rockcrawling just after sunrise.
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