RV, Van & Camping

For navigation, see Offline Maps & Nav. For weather watching, see Weather, Air Quality & Radar. For peer-to-peer car (and van!) rental, see Car Rental & Rideshare.

The van-life / overlanding world produced a small but excellent set of community-driven apps — iOverlander especially — and the major reservation platforms (Recreation.gov, ReserveAmerica) cover the established US campground inventory.

Overlanding / dispersed camping

• ★ ★ iOverlander — free; ★ ★ the community campsite database — vetted by overlanders worldwide; cell coverage notes, road condition, fees, water/dump availability. Donation-supported, ad-free.
• ★ Park4Night — paid Pro (~€10/yr) + free; ★ for Europe — French-origin van-life database; richer than iOverlander in EU.
• FreeRoam — free; US-focused dispersed camping with cell signal overlay.
• Sēkr — paid + free; visual / curated; US.
• Boondocking.com, AllStays Camp & RV — paid + free; older; commercial.

Established campgrounds (reservations)

• ★ Recreation.gov — free; ★ for US National Parks, Forest Service, BLM, Corps — official site for federal campsites. Reservations open 6 months out (sometimes lottery for Yosemite/Glacier).
• ReserveAmerica — free; ★ for US state parks — most states use it.
• Reserve California, ReserveAmerica New York, etc. — state-specific.
• Parks Canada Reservations — Canadian federal parks.
• Hipcamp — paid; ★ "Airbnb for camping" — private land, glamping, ranches.
• Harvest Hosts — paid (~$120/yr); ★ for self-contained RVs — overnight at farms / wineries / breweries / golf courses.
• Boondockers Welcome (Harvest Hosts) — paid; member-to-member backyard hosting.

Long-term parks / RV-specific

• Campendium — paid + free; ★ for RVer reviews — cell signal, hookup quality, reviews.
• Good Sam — paid; mainstream RV club + campground network.
• KOA (Kampgrounds of America) — chain.
• Passport America, Thousand Trails — discount memberships for RVers.

Trip-planning for RV / van

• Roadtrippers — paid Plus (~$30/yr) + free; routes optimized for RV height / weight / fuel range.
• RV Trip Wizard — paid; serious RVers; integrates with Garmin.
• Furrion Vision S, Garmin RV — RV-specific GPS hardware (height-aware).

Off-road / 4x4

• OnX Offroad — paid (~$30/yr); ★ trail database, public-vs-private boundaries.
• GAIA GPS — paid; ★ off-grid backcountry; see Hiking & Cycling Routes.
• Trails Offroad — paid + free.

Van conversion / build

• FarOutRide (free site) — ★ comprehensive van-build documentation.
• Outside Van, Antero, Sportsmobile — paid builders.
• r/vandwellers, r/vanlife, r/Sprinter, r/promaster (Reddit) — free; community knowledge.
• Vanlife Customs, DiY Camper Van — DIY guides.

Power / solar / off-grid

• Solar calculators: ExplorIcon battery sizing, Renogy calculator (free).
• Battery monitors: Victron BMV-712 (paid hardware) — ★ standard for serious off-grid.
• Power stations: EcoFlow, Bluetti, Jackery — paid; "solar generator in a box" simplification.
• Inverters / chargers: Victron Multiplus (gold standard), Renogy (cheaper).

Water / sanitation

• Sani-dump locations — iOverlander tags them.
• Refill water: most US gas stations (Pilot/Loves Travel Center) sell potable water.
• Composting toilets: Nature's Head, Air Head — popular DIY-build options.

Safety / community apps

• Truck Smart, Mountain Directory — paid; height / grade warnings.
• Trucker Path — free + paid; oriented at semis but useful for tall RVs (parking, fuel, weigh stations).
• REVER, EatSleepRIDE, Rever — motorcycle GPS / route apps for moto-camping.

Practical rules (2026)

• iOverlander first, then verify with recent reviews — site conditions change with weather and management.
• Cell signal kills work-from-van plans — Campendium and iOverlander tag carriers and bars; ★ a Starlink Roam terminal (paid hardware ~$500 + ~$50/mo "Mobile Regional") is the 2024–26 game-changer for connectivity.
• Reserve federal campgrounds 6 months out — popular ones (Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Teton) sell out in minutes.
• 14-day BLM rule: most BLM dispersed camping limits to 14 days per spot per year; observed but rarely enforced.
• Quiet hours, generator hours vary by site; iOverlander notes them.
• Fire restrictions change daily in fire season — check local ranger station before any flame.
• Wildlife storage (bears, raccoons) — bear boxes / canisters mandatory in many western US parks.
• Insurance: regular auto often doesn't cover full-time RV use; specialty RV insurance (Good Sam, Progressive Full-Time) needed for full-timers.

Pick this if…

• Default dispersed-camping database: iOverlander.
• Europe van life: Park4Night.
• US National / state park reservations: Recreation.gov + ReserveAmerica.
• Private-land glamping / weird stays: Hipcamp.
• Self-contained RV freebie network: Harvest Hosts.
• RV trip planning with cell coverage / reviews: Campendium + RV Trip Wizard.
• Off-grid connectivity: Starlink Roam.