beginner advice on campground selection please

Hi,

I'd lean to a small class C myself.

These urls may be a help:

Free and Low Cost Campsites

Bob's Cheap or Free Campsites

not necessarily boondocking

steveh2112 wrote:
thanks, we haven't decided on the RV yet be i'm leaning towards something simple like a mivivan and tent which will have more mobility and less running cost than a full on RV

also, i think my wife would be very uncomfortable in the middle of nowhere (think BLM land)

i realize natl parks book up very quickly which is why i'm thinking about this now for next spring and summer

I don't think you and especially your wife will be happy trying to do a 6 mo trip they way you are currently thinking. IMO a mid sized TT around 25'min and decent TV is what would be the most cost effective overall for something like what you are wanting to do. Messing with the compromises in the Mini Van or even full sized Van with minimum facilities is going to get REAL OLD VERY QUICK and will make for a miserable overall trip. Just the compromises in your thoughts of depending on a chemical toilet and ice box is going to take up time and cost in ice, shopping for just a day or two for both ice and provisions, lack of cold storage for things like condiments and having to dump that toilet in the middle of the night cause it's now full and your didn't catch it in time. There are just so many things you can cook on very limited cookware and a simple propane stove and again that is going to get REAL OLD in short order. Even doing something like tenting might be fine for single destination type trips, but for road trips I sure wouldn't want to do that for months on end and I bet Mr. Murphy's brother "BAD WEATHER" will be just waiting to visit you at the most inopportune time and loves to get every thing just as wet as possible and stinky.

Larry

steveh2112 wrote:
i'm sure this has been covered a thousand times before i can't find the answer i'm looking for right now

i'm planning a 6 month, cross country trip

as a general rule, it seems to me that national parks are usually about $20/night and usually have the most scenic locations and generally nice campgrounds.

private camps seem to be about $30 to $80/night but maybe have a pool and a few other facilities, or maybe closer to big cities

i don't know much about state parks.

have i got this right? if looking for great scenery, quiet and good value for money, national parks is usually the way to go then private only if you need to be in a specific place.

am i overlooking something?

thanks, steve

I have done quite a few longer road trips including a 60day grand circle of the lower 48 and have found in general CGs other than private (i.e. KOA, etc.) to not be convenient to places to visit like museums, historic sites, etc. This is especially true when actually traveling between locations and planning overnite stops. A lot of folks want to save a buck or two and IMO use the excuse that they just want to catch those "few hours" sleep and look for WMs, or other freebies. Again when traveling between destinations I have found the freebies like WM, etc. to not be a convenient as the plethera of private CGs along major roads.

Finally a lot of the non private CG options lack a lot of services such full hookups and when staying for more that just an overnight I want the convenience of the "creature comforts" and am usually there as a place to stay and base of operations to explore and visit various sites. Also, the less expensive more scenic places like NPs, and even local county/regional type parks are harder to get reservations if they even take them than private CGs.

Larry

we'd get a self contained chemical toilet for night time use and just use the camp facilities for everything else

also, i'm thinking naked cargo van and just put a mattress, bikes, cooking stuff, ice box, toilet and tent in the back so not too heavy

sleep in the van, cook and hanging out in the tent or outside

i love the idea of a house on wheels RV until i start to think about the practicality of using it for day trips into town for shopping, sightseeing etc.

i think if we had a big RV we'd be stuck in the camp site most of the time, but with a minivan we could do more exploring without feeling like my life savings is going through the exhaust pipe

steveh2112 wrote:
thanks, we haven't decided on the RV yet be i'm leaning towards something simple like a mivivan and tent which will have more mobility and less running cost than a full on RV

Mini van,Very good way to go $$$ wise.

thanks, we haven't decided on the RV yet be i'm leaning towards something simple like a mivivan and tent which will have more mobility and less running cost than a full on RV

also, i think my wife would be very uncomfortable in the middle of nowhere (think BLM land)

i realize natl parks book up very quickly which is why i'm thinking about this now for next spring and summer

I think you have it about 75% right if your talking about "campgrounds" only. But you're going to be overlooking a lot. There are county campgrounds and there is a big difference between Natl PARKS and Natl forest campgrounds. You didn't mention Natl Forest campgrounds at all, many are great. And the size of you rv might keep you out of some places but not many if you have a long RV. Also many places have a City park, some are nice some are just a dirt field. Sometimes you have to get caught up in life an a private campground usually close to city and has washers/dryers, haircut and restock the frig. If the money bothers you (as it did us, until got our "old timers" pass) there is also BLM land, Boondocking etc. Many popular Natl Parks are like a mini city in prime tourist season.
More to your question

beginner advice on campground selection please

Read peoples blogs of where they stayed and how they liked the place. But here is also many other places to stay. For a change we like marinas and sometimes stay just where ever we end up for the night. Just what ever you like to do, with some common since and there are more places to stay than RV's. Just doesn't seem like that sometimes when your elbow to elbow at a park and the next night your all by yourself in the middle of nowhere. With a 6 month trip You'll find out the places you like and don't like.