SeaConquest Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 19 minutes ago, kokotg said: 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! 1000x this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 minute ago, Pawz4me said: 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. 😉 We traded the 34' toy hauler (so rear axle sat farther back, making the turning radius even bigger than it would be on a normal 34' trailer) for a 32' bunkhouse before this summer's trip, and the difference was incredible. Or I'm just getting better at not picking iffy looking campsites. Probably some of each. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 One definitely does get better at not-booking iffy campsites. There's a definite learning curve, LOL. And what @SeaConquest describes is... not camping. Awesome beyond words, but not camping! For me and my husband, who grew up in decidedly different socioeconomics doing decidedly different activities, the RV is a way to sort of cut the difference. If I do a good job selecting the campsite, I can get a burbling brook, see constellations, and get real (day)hiking in. He OTOH can have a real refrigerator, sleep on a real mattress, and take a private hot shower in the morning. All else is gravy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 19 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: Ugh. That's exactly what I worry about. This is where an RV appeals. This isn't really an answer to your question, but I stay in an RV at a lake when I drop ds off at college. It's an Airbnb. It's very nice (and I could use kayaks if I wanted.) Maybe you could look around and see if there are Airbnb campers at places you want to visit. Some camp sites also rent cabins. Those would avoid the hotel issue. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Well, the OP is asking about RVs and trailers, not camping 😉. There is a reason RVing is a verb 😉 My sister used to do mostly primitive campsites, and joined us at a KOA campground two times. We had an amazing time, but she definitely had culture shock. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 hours ago, Pam in CT said: One definitely does get better at not-booking iffy campsites. There's a definite learning curve, LOL. And what @SeaConquest describes is... not camping. Awesome beyond words, but not camping! For me and my husband, who grew up in decidedly different socioeconomics doing decidedly different activities, the RV is a way to sort of cut the difference. If I do a good job selecting the campsite, I can get a burbling brook, see constellations, and get real (day)hiking in. He OTOH can have a real refrigerator, sleep on a real mattress, and take a private hot shower in the morning. All else is gravy. Well, it's not like we haven't taken the RV to a ton of different campgrounds. We just don't like to rough it when we go there. Different strokes for different folks. I camped in the Army -- out in the field for 3 weeks with no shower, carrying 55 lbs of gear on my back, sleeping beside my foxhole with bugs crawling all over me. I literally learned that I can sleep anywhere, but I don't particularly find that sort of thing enjoyable and you have to pay me to do it. We also have a sailboat that we spent several years renovating into a floating condo. It's also completely self-sustainable, like the RV we have solar and generators, and doesn't require shore power, but we obviously prefer to be plugged in at nice marinas vs bobbing around at anchor. IMO, people should do what makes them happy. If I had to handwash dishes, walk to an outdoor shower, and schlep my laundry somewhere else, there is no way that I would have lasted 5 years and no way that my boys would have had this experience. Doing something for a weekend or two is completely different than doing something for 5 years. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 "RVing" vs "camping" 18 minutes ago, Lecka said: Well, the OP is asking about RVs and trailers, not camping 😉. There is a reason RVing is a verb 😉 LOL. Indeed. 8 minutes ago, SeaConquest said: Well, it's not like we haven't taken the RV to a ton of different campgrounds. We just don't like to rough it when we go there. Different strokes for different folks. ... IMO, people should do what makes them happy. If I had to handwash dishes, walk to an outdoor shower, and schlep my laundry somewhere else, there is no way that I would have lasted 5 years and no way that my boys would have had this experience. Doing something for a weekend or two is completely different than doing something for 5 years. Indeed again. My husband -- who adores spending weeks at a time on boats (his fantasy is the Great Loop) -- is solidly on Team Not Roughing It. And I do think spending time RVing is similar in many respects to living on a boat. I'm somewhere in between... I have very fond childhood memories of canoe camping, for instance. But it was my parents doing the schlepping. And while I don't need a dishwasher on boat or RV for a week or two... I really, really really like hot showers. And if I were to do it for more than a week or two, schlepping laundry would pretty much make me lose my everlasting mind. (Your free range life is pretty much living the dream. I remember reading your blog when you were afloat. Wowza.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 3 minutes ago, Pam in CT said: "RVing" vs "camping" LOL. Indeed. Indeed again. My husband -- who adores spending weeks at a time on boats (his fantasy is the Great Loop) -- is solidly on Team Not Roughing It. And I do think spending time RVing is similar in many respects to living on a boat. I'm somewhere in between... I have very fond childhood memories of canoe camping, for instance. But it was my parents doing the schlepping. And while I don't need a dishwasher on boat or RV for a week or two... I really, really really like hot showers. And if I were to do it for more than a week or two, schlepping laundry would pretty much make me lose my everlasting mind. (Your free range life is pretty much living the dream. I remember reading your blog when you were afloat. Wowza.) Awww, you're sweet, Pam. I think I am just kinda burned out on it right now. I've been more or less on the boat or the RV (including through two pregnancies), with limited stints in some rentals on land when I *really* needed a mental health break (including giving birth to Ronen, my youngest, in Mexico), for the 14 years that we've been married. Sacha (my oldest) is going to hit puberty in the not too distant future and I'm likely going to be working nights, starting in the next month or so as a new nurse, so I just feel the need for a bit of normalcy for the time being -- especially since Covid has upended the entire world. As you can imagine, our new place is hardly going to be roughing it, and I do imagine that once the boys have flown the nest, my husband and I will likely get a catamaran or another RV, so that we can hit the road again, likely with me doing some travel nursing. We have too much wanderlust/ADHD in us to sit still for too long. 🙂 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Lecka said: Well, the OP is asking about RVs and trailers, not camping 😉. There is a reason RVing is a verb 😉 My sister used to do mostly primitive campsites, and joined us at a KOA campground two times. We had an amazing time, but she definitely had culture shock. Truth. I RV. I do not camp or rough it (much). Confession: IIRC in all the years we RV'd I went into a campground bathhouse maybe three times. Only to use the potty after we'd dumped/flushed our black tank, were headed home and didn't want to put anything else in the tank. Not once did I ever take a shower in a campground bathhouse. One reason I wanted an RV was so I didn't have to share facilities with strangers, you know? 4 hours ago, Pam in CT said: One definitely does get better at not-booking iffy campsites. There's a definite learning curve, LOL. Except you don't always get a choice of sites. For many campgrounds you can make a reservation, but you're just guaranteed a site, not a specific one. In our experience that scenario is much more common than being able to reserve a specific site, unfortunately. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 What have I been thinking about the last 24 hours you may ask? Selling the house and buying a RV. Looking at RV floor plans. Somebody stop me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 12 minutes ago, mommyoffive said: What have I been thinking about the last 24 hours you may ask? Selling the house and buying a RV. Looking at RV floor plans. Somebody stop me. I would love to do this! Not currently feasible with dh's job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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