Destination limits due to coach size

We agree with Pianotuna. If you are planning to full time in a resort, then big is beautiful, but for state and national parks it's better to be smaller. Here in Florida State Parks, you can reserve a site on-line and look at pictures and a description of the site. At many of the older parks, the number of sites that will accommodate bigger rigs is limited. (Of course, at this time of year, it's hard to get ANY site because of all the snowbirds.) In the state parks in Georgia, you reserve an RV site but can't pick which one. You have to hope that when you arrive, there will be one left that you can fit in. The interior roads in many state and national parks here in the southeast can be narrow. You can get a 42 footer in and out, but it can be exciting.

Miramichi cruiser wrote:
I am seeing a trend...don't go to campgrounds on weekends. I will go off season and on Tuesday-Thursday then travel and boondock Friday to Monday.

Actually, that is not a bad idea. Whenever possible, we arrive at a FS campground on Wednesday and stay until Monday. We nearly always see people driving through on Friday afternoon looking for space. There usually aren't any by 3 or 4 PM on Friday. By 11 AM on Sunday, the place is nearly empty.

Miramichi cruiser wrote:
I am seeing a trend...don't go to campgrounds on weekends. I will go off season and on Tuesday-Thursday then travel and boondock Friday to Monday.

We did the CA coastline in mid summer, when the kids were out of school and with no reservations at that. What a battle and played every game they had for getting a site. Still never had to spend a night without a campsite of some sort. We do a lot of Wally World as well, when the weather is right and the A/C isn't required.

I would rephrase this:

Miramichi cruiser wrote:
I am seeing a trend...don't go to Public campgrounds on weekends unless it is off season. I will travel and Re supply at a Private CG and WalMart
Friday to Sunday.

By late Sunday afternoon most of the locals have gone home.

I am seeing a trend...don't go to campgrounds on weekends. I will go off season and on Tuesday-Thursday then travel and boondock Friday to Monday.

""THAT tells me that in that particular campground, there are only TWO spaces that are suitable for big rigs, but 18 spaces where one will not fit!"
Actually that does not mean there are only two spaces for big rigs as you said "guys like me really like the big ones for all the extra room" even though you know they are at a premium for bigger rigs... THANKS"

No thanks necessary. In all the times I have been to that campground, I have never found those spaces empty. There were actually times when I found them occupied by big rigs! It appears they are the first ones taken every weekend!

I have 40' fifth wheel. Of course, different from a class A but likely some similar challenges. In the NW io find challenges fitting into some campgrounds. Compared to smaller RVs that I've owned I do more planning ahead including looking closely at Google Maps, setting expectations on where we can fit and always having a plan B. I also find that I have to pay close attention to low hanging branches.

"THAT tells me that in that particular campground, there are only TWO spaces that are suitable for big rigs, but 18 spaces where one will not fit!"
Actually that does not mean there are only two spaces for big rigs as you said "guys like me really like the big ones for all the extra room" even though you know they are at a premium for bigger rigs... THANKS

OP, before replacing the lights and TVs with LED and heavy internet use I had to run my generator three hours/day to keep my batteries up. Now with 200 watts solar and 800 amp/hour of batteries it takes less than two hours with a Inverter/charger that will not put out 70 amps it's rated 100 amps when on the generator. If I decide to go with a home refer I'll split my battery bank and add another PSW inverter/charger for it which will reduce my charge time even more.
Mr. Mark is correct that you start running out of space for a lot of solar.

Planotuna,

Very helpful, thanks I will read more on it.

Stephen

How do those of us that have never had a 40+foot coach, and in fact have never had anything bigger than a 32 foot, know where a 40+ footer will not fit?
Well, how about when you park your 29 foot Class C in a space, backed in until the rear wheels are against the parking bolster, and your front bumper is only 2 feet off the road?
Or when, in the same campground, different space, there is barely enough room for your Dodge 1 ton with the 11 foot camper on it.
Or, in the same campground, different space, when your 19 foot camp trailer fits with just enough room to park the tow rig cross ways in front of it.
BUT you see big rigs in 2 out of the 20 spaces.
THAT tells me that in that particular campground, there are only TWO spaces that are suitable for big rigs, but 18 spaces where one will not fit!
Since it is a first-come, first-served area, what are the chances that when you arrive you will find one of those spaces empty? Pretty slim, actually, since guys like me really like them for all the extra room! Some of those spaces are so tight that slide out use is pretty iffy!
It really isn't all that difficult to tell by looking what will fit and what won't!

As for water, learning to conserve is, IMO, an absolute MUST! In the campground I just described, for instance, there are, IIRC, 4 water faucets. NONE of them are threaded. There is NO dump station, and dumping into the vault toilets is forbidden, as is dumping grey water on the ground. If you are going to use such a campground, learning to conserve your water is an absolute necessity!
But then, Hungry Horse is only about 10 miles away, and one of the campgrounds there might allow you to use their dump facilities.
For a price.
Here is a pretty good list of Montana dump stations:
http://www.sanidumps.com/sanidumps_usa.php?id=40