You asked about memberships such as .... One you addressed is a campground membership, the other is a parts and repair service organization.
However, Good Sam does have more to offer than just a web site, or stick and brick store with a repair shop and a parts store. Membership to Good Sam also gives you discounts at Good Sam campgrounds and a few other discounts for various services. We have a Good Sam membership and found that the discounts in campground fees have more than paid for the cost of membership. But here again, in order to get the discount, you need to stay at one of the Good Sam affiliated campgrounds. If none are available in your area, you've wasted your money.
This is true of any campground membership organization. Memberships into organizations like Thousand Trails cost a lot! If you are an occasional camper (2 week vacation a year and an occasional week-end), you will never get your money's worth for the cost of membership and re-occurring fees. You are much better off to pay as you go, wherever you go, whenever you go. For someone who is full timing RVing, memberships like these work and work well. For the average 2 week vacationer a year, you're loosing money big time!
KOA is a good one, but here again, KOA's are not everywhere either. Although their membership fees are trivial compared to Thousand Trails, it's still a nice one to have if you travel.
We have Good Sam and KOA. We camp mostly State or county parks. Very seldom do we camp private parks, but when traveling, Good Sam and KOA's are fantastic. This year we did not renew KOA. We've found Good Sam campgrounds have been in locations more convenient for us (more in out-of-the-way locations where KOA's are mostly along interstates).
So, basically, it really depends upon your needs and wants.
We also have an annual pass for Indiana DNR parks (State Parks and Recreational areas). $50 a year, but when you consider each time you enter a State Park it's costing you $7.00 for in-state residence, it's worth it to have the card if you enter the Indiana State parks more than 7 times a year (which we do, when camping or not camping, we enjoy the State Parks.)
Here again, it all depends upon what type of camping you are planning on. Before jumping into something like Thousand Trails, I strongly suggest you try camping (free lance style) for a year and see how it goes before forking over a few thousand dollars for memberships.
You may perfer State Park over Private park, and you may perfer the "time share" type of parks over regular private parks, and you may end end visiting grandma and just park in her driveway too! That's why I suggest you get a year experience with your RV so you will know how you are actually using it. "Theory" is one thing, actual "practice" is quite different. Laid out intentions VERY often get changed. Give it some time before jumping in.
But, you can't go too wrong with Good Sam, KOA, or your state DNR program, as these are usually 1 year memberships and usually pretty cheap. No long term commitments and they don't come back with mandatory payments every year. You don't have to get a membership for next year if you find you're not using it. No problems, you have no contractual agreement, like with Thousand Trail type memberships.
