A Day Off in Moab: What Camper Life Actually Looks Like
Good morning from Moab, Utah. This place is incredible. It's also my day off, which when you live in a camper does not mean what it means to most people.
This is an errand day. Laundry, groceries, propane, a gym shower, and then a race across town to photograph the full moon at an arch before it rises without me.
If you want to know what full-time camper life actually looks like on a normal day, this is it.
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Sunday is the reset
I love Sundays. You get your morning coffee in and it feels like a full reset for the week. It's my favorite day.
I also woke up too late and was immediately behind schedule, which is a very normal way for this to go.
My campground here requires some off-roading to reach, which is its own video. Today is just the errands.
Leaving the camper
Tidy up inside, gather the laundry pods that have been frozen and thawed more times than I can count, and close the windows.
On security: there's genuinely nothing in here for anyone to steal unless they're unusually interested in my t-shirts. That's a deliberate choice. I take my camera gear with me, always. It's the one thing in this life that's actually worth something and genuinely hard to replace.
Then I pack the camera bag for the day. I left one lens behind and took the 70-200, since the plan is a moon shot at distance.
The errand loop
This is the part nobody films, so here's the honest sequence.
Laundry. Found a spot, got it going.
Coffee. The coffee in this town is genuinely good and I drank it black. The shop was packed and far too loud to get any work done in, which happens more often than you'd think.
Groceries. Water and trail mix. Both crucial. Water especially, when you're managing a 23 gallon fresh tank.
Propane. Took a bit to find, but propane is secured, which means I can run the heat tonight. This is the errand that isn't optional. In genuinely cold conditions I've gone through two propane tanks every four days, so refilling is a rhythm rather than an event.
Gym. The Moab Recreation and Aquatic Center. I bought a month-long pass for $50, figuring I'd be back enough times to make it worth it.
Why the gym matters more than the workout
I forgot my headphones and I'd eaten nothing but trail mix, so the workout was not my strongest. That wasn't really the point.
The shower was the point.
Water is the constant background worry when you boondock. Showers in the camper are the water-on, water-off kind, not the luxurious kind. A gym membership is one of the most effective ways to take pressure off your fresh tank, and at $50 for the month it's cheaper than most campgrounds with hookups.
If you're planning full-time camper life, budget for gym passes in towns where you'll linger. It's a water strategy disguised as a fitness expense.
Racing the moon to Arches
Here's the tension that made the whole day feel rushed.
The full moon was rising early, and I wanted to photograph it at one of the arches in Arches National Park. Days are short this time of year, though they're finally getting longer, and I still needed the gym. So I gave myself about an hour there and then ran.
This was also by far the hottest day I've had since moving into the camper, which after a winter of below-zero nights was a genuine adjustment.
I made it. And I discovered that our not-unique idea was in fact not unique — there were other photographers already set up.
Which turned out to be the best part. I didn't record much around the moon at all. It was too dark to film with the camera I had on me, and I ended up talking with the other photographers the whole time instead.
What the day was really about
Mostly errands, if I'm honest. But hitting Arches at the end of it made the whole thing worth it, and I'll probably do the same tomorrow.
That's the shape of this life more often than the highlight reels suggest. A lot of logistics, and then one hour that justifies all of it.
FAQ
Where do you shower when you live in an RV?
Gym memberships are the most reliable answer. I paid $50 for a month at the local rec center in Moab. It saves your fresh water tank, and camper showers are water-on, water-off affairs anyway.
How do you do laundry living in a camper?
Laundromats in whatever town you're near. It's one of the errands that anchors you to civilization every week or two.
How often do you refill propane?
Depends entirely on temperature. In severe cold I've burned two tanks every four days. In mild weather it stretches far longer.
Is Moab worth visiting for photography?
Yes. The views are extraordinary in every direction, and Arches is right there. Just expect company at the obvious spots, especially around a full moon.
Do you leave your camera gear in the camper?
Almost never. It goes with me. There's little else inside worth stealing, and camera gear is the one thing that's genuinely hard to replace.
Final thoughts
Errands, a bad workout, a good shower, and a full moon over an arch with a few strangers who had the same idea.
Where should I go next? Let me know in the comments. I'll see you out there on the road.
Related:
Gear in this video
Everything I actually use out here, from this video’s description. These are affiliate links, so buying through them supports the channel at no extra cost to you.
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