also called full hookups · electric hookup · water and electric
Campsite connections that supply electricity, water, and sometimes sewer to a vehicle.
Hookups are the connections at a campsite that feed your vehicle electricity, water and sometimes a sewer line. They are the opposite of boondocking, which is camping off-grid with none of that; hookups plug you into services. Having them decides whether you can run power-hungry devices, refill your tanks and stay put for a while without moving on to resupply.
You park your van at a campsite with full hookups and plug in, so you can run a heater overnight, refill your water and empty your waste tank without going anywhere. The week before, boondocking off-grid, you were rationing battery and water and had to move on the moment the tanks ran low.
Determines whether you can run heavy devices, refill tanks, and stay longer without relocating.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These split by whether you have facilities and permission.
Boondocking and wild camping both mean staying without paid hookups, boondocking usually on public land and wild camping's legality varying by place.
Hookups are the campsite connections for power, water and sewer; a dump station is where you empty waste tanks; and an aire is a simple European motorhome stop with fewer facilities than a full campsite.
A new term lands on this site every day, and the email is how you get it the day it lands. No digest, no roundup, no pitch. One term, what it means, and what it costs you to get it wrong.
Unsubscribe in one click, any time. We do not sell or share your address.