Anyone have experience with RVs?

[Lecka]

I have seen people park RVs at campgrounds.  It’s pretty normal (I’m sure depending on the lot!) to have help guiding it in and getting it positioned.  Someone from the campground will probably help with this, they might ride down with you on a golf cart.  
 

I don’t think people need help like that with trailers very often (or never).  
 

You might see on campground reviews if spaces are hard to get in and out of. 
 

I have stayed in a trailer and done KOA campgrounds where we rent a wooden cabin but use a communal restroom.  
 

Campgrounds often have really fun things like movie nights, cool toys for kids, etc.  If you are someone who would want to find a place with water hookups (I assume you would want water at minimum) you also might be either okay or not okay with outdoor kid stuff and playgrounds etc.  
 

My kids loved the campground amenities when they were little.  That is the kind of thing our family likes.  It’s not the same as people who “don’t” like the campground amenities, lol.  
 

You can see campground information that tells all about what they have and how to reserve a spot.
 

You can’t count on having a spot for an RV or sewage hookup without reserving a spot, in some places.  
 

The kinds of places we like would be booked out in a normal year, and then it can be easier to get a spot for a smaller trailer — or this is my impression!

[Not_a_Number]

12 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Honestly, it was done well.  We had our own air unit and they were not putting anyone in rooms next to each other unless they were all part of the same party.  

Hmmm, cool. Good to know. That's a good point that we might be able to do this quite safely given that hotel demand is low. 

[Lecka]

What I have seen and think look cool are these big van things that have pop-outs — they look like they would get a really good breeze in the summer!  I don’t know what they are called.

 

[WildflowerMom]

My parents have a class C and they pull a jeep behind it.  They just got back from a nearly 2 month road trip with them and their 3 dogs.  They got it because my mom wanted to see the country, but finding dog friendly motels is a pain.    I really thought it was going to be a disaster and asked them not to go on their 2 month trip out west.  To my surprise, they did fine!    They go on mini-trips with their friends who also have an RV and in the fall they are headed north.  
 

[Danae]

My parents have a class B with four seats.  When my boys were younger (smaller) they took them camping in it and they all loved it.  In theirs the seats fold into two single beds and the table in the back folds down into a double bed.  They mostly leave the back as a bed and just eat outside rather than using it as a table. The boys outgrew the seat beds around age ten.  
 

I would say that if you’re using it to travel and sleep, and do most of your recreation and eating outdoors the class B is fine for two adults and two non-adult-size children. 

[Sneezyone]

DH wants to get the new F150 lightning, electric truck. I told him he could get that if I got a big trailer to go with it. 🥰

[rebcoola]

36 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Honestly, it was done well.  We had our own air unit and they were not putting anyone in rooms next to each other unless they were all part of the same party.  

This was not true at all on our cross country trip in June.  We tried to get nice hotels with good protocols but only one had the rooms separated and none had air filters. 

[Lecka]

Btw — yes, it is fun!  Really fun 🙂

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, Danae said:

My parents have a class B with four seats.  When my boys were younger (smaller) they took them camping in it and they all loved it.  In theirs the seats fold into two single beds and the table in the back folds down into a double bed.  They mostly leave the back as a bed and just eat outside rather than using it as a table. The boys outgrew the seat beds around age ten.  
 

I would say that if you’re using it to travel and sleep, and do most of your recreation and eating outdoors the class B is fine for two adults and two non-adult-size children. 

Thank you for the firsthand experience! That's our situation, yes. Two adults and two non-adult-size children. I'm sure we'd mostly use it to travel and sleep. 

How long did they use it for? What kind do they have? 

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, rebcoola said:

This was not true at all on our cross country trip in June.  We tried to get nice hotels with good protocols but only one had the rooms separated and none had air filters. 

Ugh. That's exactly what I worry about. This is where an RV appeals. 

[Danae]

9 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Thank you for the firsthand experience! That's our situation, yes. Two adults and two non-adult-size children. I'm sure we'd mostly use it to travel and sleep. 

How long did they use it for? What kind do they have? 

It is a Pleasureway class B camper van.  We call it the vanper.  They’re had it for about 15 years now.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, Danae said:

It is a Pleasureway class B camper van.  We call it the vanper.  They’re had it for about 15 years now.

Vanper... I love it 😄.

[Ausmumof3]

We have an off-road van.  No toilet so we generally have to camp where there’s one available which won’t help with pandemic stuff obviously.  It’s fun, flexible and pretty comfy.  It does leak very slightly in intense rain storms around the canvas zippers but not enough to not sleep comfortably.  You just have to air it out well to avoid mould. The fridge is crusty and unreliable so much better to buy a separate good quality car fridge.  Because it’s dual axle it’s a bit of a pain to back.  Registration and insurance costs about $600 a year plus you have replacement tires and stuff like that to fix.  Still cheaper for long holidays but not if you’re doing short bursts.  It’s really nice if you’re the kind of person who needs to disinfect a holiday home before you feel comfy because you don’t have to worry about that.  It has a gas stove and grill plus microwave if there’s power available, heating and cooling again, if you can connect to power.  There’s solar for when you have no power but only enough for lights.  I don’t really like cooking in it because it just feels like too much of a fire hazard (small small space, three kids, gas, hot liquids and lots and lots of very light timber) so we mostly use a portable bbq outside.  That also avoids spills and smells etc. We learned by bad experience that you want to have good insurance and really good roadside assistance especially if you’re going far.
 

honestly if I was you I’d try hire one for a short stay (a weekend or so) and see how you feel.

[KSera]

3 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Interesting. Why does a trailer seem preferable? I don't really know anything about either type. 

 

3 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

The seatbelt issue freaks me out.

https://saferide4kids.com/blog/traveling-children-rvs/

A travel trailer can have more set up/pack up time, but the vehicle pulling undergoes more crash safety stuff and gives the option to take a drive around without pulling unnecessary weight or awkward parking, and then returning to an established campsite.

Crash safety is the reason we haven’t done it, though it really appeals. I couldn’t find any safe vehicle to do it in,  though I do recall at one point some company making a really expensive, high end travel van that had seats that met regular passenger car safety requirements.  Then a family member had a relatively mild collision while driving theirs, and seeing the pictures of how destroyed their motorhome was from that, I definitely felt reinforced in my decision. Would’ve been horrible if there had been any kids in there.  It might as well have been a cardboard box.

2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm, cool. Good to know. That's a good point that we might be able to do this quite safely given that hotel demand is low. 

Have you looked at Airbnbs or VRBO?  That’s how we have managed a couple short getaways over the past year and a half.

2 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

DH wants to get the new F150 lightning, electric truck. I told him he could get that if I got a big trailer to go with it. 🥰

DO IT!!!

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, KSera said:

Have you looked at Airbnbs or VRBO?  That’s how we have managed a couple short getaways over the past year and a half.

We do usually AirBnB -- we usually stay in places long enough that we far prefer having a kitchen. So I suppose that could work as well. 

The only thing about that method is that it's less of an adventure 😉 . But it's possible I'm overselling the value of adventure here. 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

honestly if I was you I’d try hire one for a short stay (a weekend or so) and see how you feel.

Yes, we'd DEFINITELY do that. It's certainly expensive enough for being careful. 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[Ausmumof3]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

Yes, we'd DEFINITELY do that. It's certainly expensive enough for being careful. 

One other thing, I don’t know what it’s like in the US but here sometimes dump points can get kind of busy and gross which might be a risk pandemic wise.  I only mention it because I know you are being super cautious otherwise I might not worry.  I don’t know if someone dumping incorrectly could cause aerosols or something.

[itsheresomewhere]

2 hours ago, rebcoola said:

This was not true at all on our cross country trip in June.  We tried to get nice hotels with good protocols but only one had the rooms separated and none had air filters. 

Air unit-  air conditioner not air filter.  
An air filter unit would be the first thing stolen so I see why they don’t provide them.  You can always bring your own. 

We stayed in a non chain.  But she should check around the areas she is looking at for their own protocols.  

[livetoread]

2 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

DH wants to get the new F150 lightning, electric truck. I told him he could get that if I got a big trailer to go with it. 🥰

Same conversation in our house, lol. I love camping - he can take it or leave it - so our deal is he gets his Lightning and I'll get a fiberglass trailer and we'll camp that way.

[Not_a_Number]

24 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

One other thing, I don’t know what it’s like in the US but here sometimes dump points can get kind of busy and gross which might be a risk pandemic wise.  I only mention it because I know you are being super cautious otherwise I might not worry.  I don’t know if someone dumping incorrectly could cause aerosols or something.

Good point. Interesting thought. 

[Beth S]

We are purely Vicarious RVers, but there are lots of full-time RVers who pass along helpful info on Youtube, and their blogs, etc.

Keep Your Daydream
Less Junk More Journey
Drivin' and Vibin'
Chris and Sara
Long, Long Honeymoon

All of these Youtube channels have a bit of instructional aspect to them, in addition to being a travelogue.
Usual advice is to rent before you buy, because there are so many different types to choose from.

 

[footballmom]

We did an extended cross country trip a few years ago in a rented RV.  Most amazing vacation for our family.  My kids still talk about it. I hope to do it again before they’ve alllllll flown the nest. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, footballmom said:

We did an extended cross country trip a few years ago in a rented RV.  Most amazing vacation for our family.  My kids still talk about it. I hope to do it again before they’ve alllllll flown the nest. 

What kind of RV did you use? Where did you rent it from? 😄 

[footballmom]

There was a local place (not a National chain) that rented them.  We had a really good experience with the place.  I think we rented a 26’ Winnebago - I think it was nicknamed a Mini-Winnie? We had never done anything like drive or travel in an RV before but DH was a natural.  There was a stove and I could grill sandwiches while DH drove down the road and the kids were playing cards or puzzles.  We also had a fridge and ample storage space.  The biggest downside like a PP mentioned is unhooking from your campsite every time you want to go see the area.  

[Lecka]

(I went on several vacations as a child and teen in a pop-up trailer.  So I have first-hand experience of going on vacation in a trailer, but not of pulling one or doing the work.  As an adult we have been guests of people who set up a trailer at a lake — so much fun.  And I have gone to campgrounds as an adult that had RVs and trailers and pop-out vans.  I am 99% sure I went on a vacation with relatives in an RV as a child — but my mom didn’t like it because there were not enough seatbelts, I think one of my sisters was sliding around on a bed or something.). (For my mom not to like the RV is saying something — I rode in the back of a pick-up with a camper top for a multi-hour trip to go to a church retreat for years with my mom’s best friend and her kids, and my mom had no problem with us being in a pick-up bed with a camper top.)

 

(My sister has also coverted our old mini-van into a camper van and takes it to Burning Man and camping — but it is a tight squeeze for 2 adults, it’s better for her to go solo camping.  And she has ripped out all the back seats, now it only has two front seats.). 

Edited August 31, 2021 by Lecka

[Lecka]

I am going to be blunt about the problem with unhooking.

Some people can back up to where the hitch meets the — whatever it is called — on the trailer.  They make it look SO easy.  
 

Then there are people who back up and go back and forth for 15-20 minutes because their wife is not good at giving signals or something.  
 

I have seen people who have ZERO issues backing up to a hitch.  
 

My step-dad — he seems like the kind of person who would have zero issue, but actually he has a hard time!  Depending on the space, too, some are more forgiving — there is more room to pull forward and then back up.  Some don’t have as much space — you pull in the first time, and then un hook and drive out.  But then you have to get back into that space to hook the hitch back up.  Some places have a ton of room and some don’t have as much room.  
 

We also would have problems on and off with the trailer’s lights working as far as traffic signals — ideally (legally, I don’t know) you are supposed to push the brake pedal and have the brake light on the back of the trailer light up.  This would frequently take a lot of messing with on my grandparent’s pop-up trailer.  
 

 

[wathe]

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

I am going to be blunt about the problem with unhooking.

Some people can back up to where the hitch meets the — whatever it is called — on the trailer.  They make it look SO easy.  
 

Then there are people who back up and go back and forth for 15-20 minutes because their wife is not good at giving signals or something.  
 

I have seen people who have ZERO issues backing up to a hitch.  
 

My step-dad — he seems like the kind of person who would have zero issue, but actually he has a hard time!  Depending on the space, too, some are more forgiving — there is more room to pull forward and then back up.  Some don’t have as much space — you pull in the first time, and then un hook and drive out.  But then you have to get back into that space to hook the hitch back up.  Some places have a ton of room and some don’t have as much room.  
 

We also would have problems on and off with the trailer’s lights working as far as traffic signals — ideally (legally, I don’t know) you are supposed to push the brake pedal and have the brake light on the back of the trailer light up.  This would frequently take a lot of messing with on my grandparent’s pop-up trailer.  
 

 

Re hitching solutions:

Expensive but super convenient : our tow vehicle has a back up camera with a hitch mode.  It's really easy.

Cheap: flags on the hitch and the ball that attach with magnets.   They're tall, so you can see them through the rear window.  Just back up and match them up.  I used ones like these in the previous tow vehicle that did not have a camera

 

Edited August 31, 2021 by wathe

[Pam in CT]

We've had a class C, which is 24' long with a bump-out, long before COVID.  It's good for two adults and two smallish kids.  We have 3 kids, no longer small.  I don't think we ever used it with all three of them at the same time, but in various combinations of 2-4.  My eldest (26) takes it with her friends at least once a summer.

We got it after renting two mondo huge As for an extended family trip 10+ years ago in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which was wonderful.  Definitely rent first!

Parking anywhere but campsites is a pain.  Possible, but it takes a lot of planning.  And I never fully relax if I'm the one driving.  The advantage of the C is that it's small enough to fit in tent-only sites; the downside is that you have to pack everything back up and secure it all if you want to go to the store or trailhead or whatever.

And you have to figure out whether you really need full hookup (which definitely limits your options, and also tends to put you into less charming, more closely-packed spaces).  We've figured out we really only need electric -- any park that has electric hookup can fill water going in and dump waste on the way out... and since we have the C, we're going in and out regularly enough that that works out fine.

We, and our family/friends, have used it a LOT during the pandemic -- from driving kids to distant college rather than flying or staying in hotels, to camping out in my mother's senior residence in the days they weren't letting visitors inside, to just using it like a mobile bathroom when we went to the beach / distant parks / etc. 

[Sneezyone]

4 hours ago, livetoread said:

Same conversation in our house, lol. I love camping - he can take it or leave it - so our deal is he gets his Lightning and I'll get a fiberglass trailer and we'll camp that way.

We like day hikes but not the outdoor sleeping experience, lol. A trailer seems like a good compromise since we can buy a used one and pay it off in a year by living in it.

Edited August 31, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Pam in CT]

2 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

We like day hikes but not the ‘outdoor’ sleeping experience, lol. A trailer seems like a good compromise since we can buy a used one and pay it off in a year by living in it.

I grew up tent camping, and my husband.... let's just say, did not, LOL.  RV trips are not camping.  Much more like being on a boat, which my husband quite enjoys.  He likes the tinkering and problem-solving and temporarily-fixing things with duct tape and dental floss as well.

[Matryoshka]

32 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

I grew up tent camping, and my husband.... let's just say, did not, LOL.  RV trips are not camping.  Much more like being on a boat, which my husband quite enjoys.  He likes the tinkering and problem-solving and temporarily-fixing things with duct tape and dental floss as well.

The bolded made me think of this...

 

[Sneezyone]

13 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

The bolded made me think of this...

 

I camped. I have no wish to repeat the experience. Trailer FTW!

Edited August 31, 2021 by Sneezyone

[Lecka]

I also like campgrounds which I think is different than liking camping.

If camping means going on hikes and that kind of thing — I do like a little of that.

I love campground things like — they have a cloud trampoline, they have a wall ball (?) court, they have horse shoes, they have a super easy way to roast hot dogs and s’mores (like — there is a grill or a fire pit, and you buy supplies at a campground store).

Its really different from building a fire with looking for tinder and sticks, choosing a site to make the fire, etc.  I do not care for that.

I like the “mobs of kids on bikes” kind of atmosphere, too.  

I like a quiet atmosphere, too, but I don’t have a preference for it.  I don’t have a preference for privacy.  
 

My sister likes “car camping” but definitely with a more “camping in tents” vibe.  Like what Pam in CT is saying — that is a really different kind of thing.  The atmosphere is really different.

 

 

[popmom]

Only thing I have to add to this discussion is…I HATE towing. Okay…I HATE my husband towing. The only way I’ll ever have another travel trailer is if I can be brave enough to tow it myself. 🥲

I want a motor home. An Entegra Odyssey. And flat tow a SMALL car behind it.

Those are my requirements. 
 

Alright, those are my dreams. I’m not holding my breath or anything lol.

Seriously, dh and I are seriously considering a motorhome because we want to be able to travel with our 2 dogs. It’s not easy finding rentals or hotels that are TRULY pet friendly. With all the fees and weight/breed restrictions, the supposed “pet friendly” hotels/rentals are actually “pet punitive”!

We don’t have the financial means to buy a motorhome rn, but we are researching now. Maybe in 4 years…

Edited August 31, 2021 by popmom

[popmom]

Another thing (and possible downside) to consider is that the more desirable state and national parks stay booked up WAY in advance. We tent camp, but we like to have a site with electric and water hook ups. Unless we are willing to book 6-11 months in advance, we can’t get a site. I’m currently looking to camp in mid October. All of my preferred state parks are booked solid through November, so I have to stalk for cancellations. I definitely don’t want to shell out $$$ on a motorhome that I can’t use because all the campgrounds are full. 

[TexasProud]

We have been using an RV now for 16 years. We first had a travel trailer that we pulled with my husband truck, it was approximately 30 feet long. We bought it when the kids were 4, 9, 11.  We kept it for 7 years. We went to so many national parks and state parks. I coordinated our travel with our history studies. So when we studied the Civil War, we went to lots of battlefields.  When we studied oceans, we went to Canon Beach.  It had a bunkhouse in the back, but our middle child moved to the couch and when he was 6 foot, his legs were hanging out and we just didn't have room for stuff. The travel trailer had no slides.

So, we got our current 5th wheel when the kids were 11, 16 and 18.  It is 32 feet and we like towing it better than the travel trailer. It has a bigger bunkhouse in the back with another bathroom. We went with all three kids for several years, then only the youngest for a couple of years. Now, the bunkhouse is my study. We put in a recliner and a desk in that area. I used it a ton when the pandemic hit and all three kids were living at home again. I did my schoolwork in it. It was my spot to be alone. I love my study!!!

The nice thing about towing is that you leave your RV at the campsite and then you can drive wherever you want to go.

One year, we flew to Alaska and rented a drivable RV ( I am sorry. I don't know the class names, never kept up with it.) We spent 2 weeks camping around in it. I would recommend you doing that... I mean renting a drivable on, not necessarily Alaska. 🙂  I do think that camping in a van with 2 children would get claustrophobic. Plus, not sure if the vans have bathrooms. If they do, I bet they are really small and 4 people can fill it up pretty quickly.  I think a 25-30 foot drivable one would give you some room, but still be small enough to maneuver. I am glad you are renting. 

The poster above had a good point about making sure you can reserve what you want.  I am typing this in our RV in a state park  in Colorado. We reserved this 6 months ago the minute our window opened. The campground is booked this entire month. It is much harder to travel spontaneously now with the pandemic.

Another option you might look into, though again, this might need to be months from now because of reservations would be cabins in state parks. That would be fun. Some you have to bring your own linens, some are furnished. 

https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Mueller/Pages/PineCabin.aspx

https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Mueller/Pages/SpruceCabin.aspx

 

[skimomma]

We have had trailers for the last 18 years and LOVE them.  We were tent campers and backpackers prior to that....both of which we still also do.  Our current trailer is a pop-up which is a very different animal than a van, motorhome, fifth wheel, or larger enclosed trailer so there is some overlap in experience but not directly comparable.

We love the pop-up because we love sleeping out in the air.  We tend to camp at rustic state forest campgrounds (no hookups at all) up to state parks which do have electric hookups and modern bathrooms but no water/sewer.  Our trailer does not have a bathroom but some pop-ups do.  During the pandemic, we have mostly stayed at rustic campgrounds with pit toilets.  Using those is more risky than having your own bathroom but not as risky as using a bathhouse, IMO.  People do NOT linger in those.  Lol!  

We do not need any hookups to be comfortable.  Electric can be nice for lights and charging stuff but it is not nice enough for that to ever be a factor when choosing where we will camp.  Our fridge, stove, and heater run on propane and we have solar chargers for the most essential charging needs so we can be completely off grid.  We cook and wash dishes outdoors and just use the campground pump for water and pit toilets for the other business.  We even removed the sink from ours because it was far too much of a pain to deal with rather than using a dishpan outdoors.  Always responsibly dump dish water and use biodegradable soap!  We typically dump dirty water in the fire pit if the campground does not have a drain or dump station.  I have noticed that even our friends with much bigger rigs still tend to not use their indoor water, opting instead to wash up outdoors and use the communal restrooms or pit toilets.  Since we rarely camp at places with hook ups, this is true of most other campers we see.  Only the biggest and best rigs have enough tank capacity to truly sustain normal bathroom and kitchen water functions for more than a day or two.

A previous poster mentioned campground help with parking.  I have never seen this.  I have also never camped in one of the more resort-like KOA campgrounds, so this might very well be a thing.  But anywhere I have camped, the neighbors pretty much point and laugh while you are on a fast-track to divorce court trying to park.  I kid.  Mostly.  I am comfortable pulling our trailer but parking it is very hard for me.  Dh is much better at it, but even he has struggled at times.  You just have to be patient.  Hooking it up is easy as we have a back-up camera on our tow vehicle.  Even without one, it is not that bad.  I have done it solo with a 10yo helping to direct with no problem.  Again, as long as you are patient, you'll eventually get it done.  We typically camp with a group that has everything from tents to huge trailers and no one seems to struggle much with hook-up.

We almost always spend multiple nights at each site so being able to have a vehicle to go do things without securing your whole "house" is non-negotiable for us.  If we were doing a more epic, move-every-day type trip, I could see us going with a van or very small motorhome, but that is way out of our budget and likely always will be.  We may rent in a situation like that.    

For those that are grappling with tight spaces, keep in mind you can kick the kids out to a tent.  We had to do that when dd turned 8 as she outgrew the bed she was "assigned" to.  We set up a tiny backpacking tent up right under my pop-up bed so we could talk easily and I could hear her if she needed anything.  By age 10, she was happy to set up further and further away from the rig.  This may or may not be why she is now comfortable solo backpacking for days on end at age 18.  It was also nice to contain the kid mess to another piece of real estate!

That is a ton of mostly-useless info but thought I'd chime in as someone who has spent at least 400 nights in an RV over the years.

[mommyoffive]

Well now I was thinking of doing this all last night.  I wish we would have tried it over this summer or last.  But I did look into it earlier this summer and man it is expensive.  To rent an rv, gas, and then the campground.  We decided to stay at nice Airbnbs and ranches instead. 

We also thought of trying doing this when we went to Banff.  There were so many rvs then.  I think it would have been so much easier when the kids were all kid sized.  

[skimomma]

32 minutes ago, TexasProud said:

 

The poster above had a good point about making sure you can reserve what you want.  I am typing this in our RV in a state park  in Colorado. We reserved this 6 months ago the minute our window opened. The campground is booked this entire month. It is much harder to travel spontaneously now with the pandemic.

 

 

Very true!  We used to just make last minute plans to camp.  That is mostly not a thing anymore if you are looking for full service campgrounds.  State, county, and national forest campgrounds (almost always rustic) are often not reservable and even in the pandemic, you can almost always still find many open sites last minute.  So we do plan ahead when there is a specific place we want to go.  I literally set an alarm to wake up to hit the opening minutes for reserving at state parks and even then, I often do not get the sites I was hoping to.  It is bananas.  I am hoping this eventually calms down.  It is also obvious in the parks themselves that there are a lot of newbies camping.  Most are fine but we have witnessed amusing and sometimes alarming things that we have never seen before the pandemic.

[livetoread]

Availability depends on the state. I live in the midwest, and I've been camping a bunch at different state parks this spring and summer. I don't make reservations - I just show up and pick my site and then reserve - and I've had no trouble finding nice sites. I go during the week because weekends are a different story, but even then, a couple of times I decided to camp on a Friday night and have found openings at the smaller, more remote parks. I can check availability online to make sure there are spots which is helpful.

A few years ago we did a northern CA trip and rented a camper van in San Francisco. It was great, but I had to do the "set your alarm, have two people on computers trying the second it opened" thing to make sure we had spots at the state parks we wanted. All spots were literally gone in three minutes. I'm sure it's even worse now.

[Pam in CT]

re "I can see that you're saying words, but..."

10 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

The bolded made me think of this...

 

LOL.  My favorite part was "well, my MOM and I did Eagle Scout...."

 

 

7 hours ago, popmom said:

Another thing (and possible downside) to consider is that the more desirable state and national parks stay booked up WAY in advance. We tent camp, but we like to have a site with electric and water hook ups. Unless we are willing to book 6-11 months in advance, we can’t get a site. I’m currently looking to camp in mid October. All of my preferred state parks are booked solid through November, so I have to stalk for cancellations. I definitely don’t want to shell out $$$ on a motorhome that I can’t use because all the campgrounds are full. 

This is true, but it does vary by region (we pulled right into full hookup sites RIGHT ON THE GREAT LAKES in the Upper Peninsula with less than a month's planning; Cape Cod sites are GONE the day they open)... and it also varies by degree of service.  Full hookups, and particularly drive-through full hookup sites, do book up the day the cycle opens.  If you're able to manage electricity-only (which we're fine with) it's much easier to find sites.  I prefer the quieter/ more private / less service sites.  In the Northeast, the National Forest (not Park) sites are pretty barebones service-wise but very, very lovely -- often on rivers -- and very sparsely used.  Within the state park systems in our area, we're often able to use tent sites which are almost always nicer (because we're only 24' -- that's often the cutoff-- and don't require hookups).

Commercial campgrounds vary *widely.*  We only use those when we're being utilitarian and need to be in a very particular spot bc we're going to an event or dropping someone off etc.  They also tend to be much more $$$$ than state, which tend to be more $$ than federal.

It *is* nice to travel with dog.  Our dog leaps with joy when we move his dogbed into the RV.  I'M GOING WITH THEM!!! THEY'RE TAKING ME!!!  ALL MY PEEPS ALL TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM, ALL IN MY LINE OF SIGHT!!!

[Pawz4me]

2 hours ago, skimomma said:

Only the biggest and best rigs have enough tank capacity to truly sustain normal bathroom and kitchen water functions for more than a day or two.

With a family--I agree. But for solos/couples traveling in Bs or smaller Cs there's often an element of challenge to see how long they can make it. On the Travato FB page I belonged to there were people who could go 7-10 days without dumping/refilling. Or they claimed to. I don't know how they do it. If DH and I had kept our A and traveled in it just us and the dog we could have probably made it a week w/o skimping much on usage.

Quote

A previous poster mentioned campground help with parking.  I have never seen this.  I have also never camped in one of the more resort-like KOA campgrounds, so this might very well be a thing.  But anywhere I have camped, the neighbors pretty much point and laugh while you are on a fast-track to divorce court trying to park.  I kid.  Mostly. 

 

Yep. We've never stayed at a campground that helped with parking. Many KOAs, and some other private campgrounds, will have someone on a golf cart escort you to the site (because some campgrounds are like mazes, and things aren't always well marked). But actually direct an RV for parking? Nope to the nope. They aren't gonna do that for liability reasons. Watching people park--especially people in looooong trailers and people in rentals--is major entertainment at a campground! So accept the fact that you will have an audience, although most people will at least try to act like they're not watching you. And truly--most people are very willing to pitch in and help with anything. They all remember when they were newbies, or struggled to get into that awkward site with a tree *right here* and another camper's pickup *right there* so they couldn't pull up/turn/whatever where they needed to.

[Lecka]

12 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Many KOAs, and some other private campgrounds, will have someone on a golf cart escort you to the site (because some campgrounds are like mazes, and things aren't always well marked). But actually direct an RV for parking? Nope to the nope. They aren't gonna do that for liability reasons.

In retrospect -- maybe people were just hanging around in the golf cart and people got out of the RV to help with directions.  That would make sense.  I have definitely seen the golf cart hanging around, lol.  

Edited August 31, 2021 by Lecka

[Pawz4me]

6 minutes ago, Lecka said:

In retrospect -- maybe people were just hanging around in the golf cart and people got out of the RV to help with directions.  That would make sense.  I have definitely seen the golf cart hanging around, lol.  

Well, I guess I shouldn't have said nobody's going to do it because (obviously) . .  I haven't been in every single campground! But we've never known of any campground staff to do it.

[kokotg]

25 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Well, I guess I shouldn't have said nobody's going to do it because (obviously) . .  I haven't been in every single campground! But we've never known of any campground staff to do it.

We've found it's pretty common, particularly with KOAs. In campgrounds with tricker sites, especially, we've had people guide us in very, very precisely--they've clearly done it a million times and know exactly which trees and rocks to watch out for! 

[kokotg]

How hard it's gotten to book certain campgrounds definitely deserves to be highlighted. We're making reservations right now for next summer's big trip. We booked a campground outside Glacier National Park a couple of months ago, because I knew it would be a tough one. But then a few weeks ago we wanted to shift the reservation one night earlier to move some other things around, and we called and they were totally booked for all of July already. But it can be very tough to predict what's going to fill up. We also booked the Ingalls Homestead in South Dakota a few days ago. This place only has 4 RV sites, and our dates coincide with the Laura Ingalls Wilder annual pageant thing, so I was nervous about getting a site. But they seemed to think we were a little strange for booking so early and assured us they NEVER fill up so far in advance. So, okay, middle of nowhere South Dakota vs. Glacier National Park, but it's not always nearly so predictable! I like to plan way in advance, but even I get stressed out about just how far in advance some campgrounds have to be booked. Particularly given how much uncertainty there is both in the world and in my family's life about what exactly will be happening several months from now. Cancellation fees can really add up! 

[Pawz4me]

20 minutes ago, kokotg said:

We've found it's pretty common, particularly with KOAs. In campgrounds with tricker sites, especially, we've had people guide us in very, very precisely--they've clearly done it a million times and know exactly which trees and rocks to watch out for! 

Sure, that part's easy. Anyone with eyes can see obstacles. But no campground staff knows how a particular RV or tow vehicle turns--turn radius and things like that--and they certainly don't know how long your power cord is or how many feet of fresh water hose or sewer hose you've got with you, how close (or not) you need to be to the hookups, how far each of your slides extends, etc. We've stayed in a lot of KOAs, and only one time did we have anybody try to direct us to park. I'd blanked it out of my mind until this thread. The man was either an idiot or (our guess) he was a diabetic and was having a low sugar spell. What he tried to get DH to do would have destroyed our RV, and the three of us almost got into a shouting match over it. The campground manager apologized profusely and definitely gave us the impression there had been trouble with him before. We're very low key people, but it was bad enough that even after the manager apologized we left that campground and went to another one (this was a road trip/one night stop, so not a big deal to go somewhere else). He truly didn't seem to be able to comprehend that where he was trying to direct us to park our 35' RV wouldn't have fit a 20' travel trailer. It would be bad if a newbie got into a situation like that. MUCH better to rely on your own knowledge of your unit.

Edited August 31, 2021 by Pawz4me

[kokotg]

5 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Sure, that part's easy. Anyone with eyes can see obstacles. But no campground staff knows how a particular RV or tow vehicle turns--turn radius and things like that--and they certainly don't know how long your power cord is or how many feet of fresh water hose or sewer hose you've got with you, how close (or not) you need to be to the hookups, etc. We've stayed in a lot of KOAs, and only one time did we have anybody try to direct us to park. That was one of the truly memorable experiences. The man was either an idiot or (our guess) he was a diabetic and was having a low sugar spell. What he tried to get DH to do would have destroyed our RV, and the three of us almost got into a shouting match over it. The campground manager apologized profusely and definitely gave us the impression there had been trouble with him before. We're very low key people, but it was bad enough that even after the manager apologized we left that campground and went to another one (this was a road trip/one night stop, so not a big deal to go somewhere else). He truly didn't seem to be able to comprehend that where he was trying to direct us to park our 35' RV wouldn't have fit a 20' travel trailer. It would be bad if a newbie got into a situation like that. MUCH better to rely on your own knowledge of your unit.

Yikes--that IS a bad experience! We've only had good experiences with people helping us back in, fortunately; I like it because I don't have to get out of the van and spot him; he likes it because I tend to be a fairly nervous spotter 😉 

Edited August 31, 2021 by kokotg

[Pawz4me]

Just now, kokotg said:

Yikes--that IS a bad experience! We've only had good experiences with people helping us back in, fortunately; I like it because I don't have to get out of the van and spot him 😉 

And it's a reason I was always willing to pay a little more for a pull through site!  There's usually less privacy with those, but the parking is super easy. 😉 

[SeaConquest]

We have been living in a 5th wheel RV with our boys -- ages 12 and 8 -- since 2016, so I can definitely give you some perspective on what it's like to full-time in an RV. I am not a camper, by any means. We did it because we wanted the boys to have a free-range childhood and they were not getting that in our urban neighborhood in San Diego. The campground where we have been living is right on the beach in San Diego with a view of the Sea World tower in Mission Bay. The campground is large with tons of outdoor activities, a skatepark, playground, pool/jacuzzi, arcade/gameroom, private beach, marina market, cafe/sports bar/ice cream shop, and lots of kids who live here full-time and all kinda free range together like it's still the 70s. The security guards patrol through the park constantly and know all the kids, so they keep an eye on them and keep them out of serious trouble (thankfully, we've never had an issue). I've told them to stay out of the water without me there and to stay out of other people's RVs unless I know the parents and I've given the OK. Otherwise, they've had the run of the place for years. It's been great. Until Covid, that is.   

Our RV is almost 42 feet long, has a dishwasher, washer/dryer, unlimited/instant hot water, a fireplace, a side patio that pops out, a full-size, residential, French-door fridge with water/ice, a built-in wine cooler (probably holds 15-20 bottles), a small tub/shower combo in our bathroom, a half bath in the back for the boys, a king-size bed in our room, and a bunkhouse for the boys. We don't rough it. We are moving in two weeks only because the boys are getting too big and it's time for them to have their own rooms. My husband would stay forever if he could, but someone has to be the adult in our relationship. 

Lots of people rent out their RVs to people here and we considered doing that too, but it's just too much trouble and we are very busy, so we are selling it. The market for RVs is still pretty hot, so we are hoping it will go quickly. Our campground books out 2 years in advance and people literally call/line up on the day every year after Labor Day when spots become available. So, we have a beachfront spot that we can also give to whoever buys our RV, which is very marketable. I don't know if any of this is helpful, but I am happy to chat with you here or offline about our experience. Full Time Families on FB is another good group for information. 🙂    

Edited August 31, 2021 by SeaConquest