beginner advice on campground selection please

1775 wrote:
I want to point out to the OP that many campgrounds will not allow one to put a mini-van and a tent on a site. Some campgrounds do have tent sites but these are just for tents and the van or car is parked not on the site. Some will not allow a van other than one used just for transportation that does not have "facilities" - water, electricity, etc. They really don't want someone pulling in and sleeping in their van with a mattress on the floor. This is something to consider in your deciding what you want for an RV and how you will travel with it.

For what you are looking to do, you would best in a small trailer or popup. There are trailer pop ups where the top is a tent and there are some facilities inside. I have seen many of these at campgrounds so that would not be an issue. These will be your least expensive way to go and you can use your mini-van to tow it

really, i didn't know that. how would you define 'many campgrounds'? i'm hoping mostly for national parks (at least in the west), what about them?

i'll look into the popup tent/trailer idea. i guess i could pull that with a reasonably powerful car?

just looked into it and i think you are on to something there
i like this and this to pull it

seems to have everything i would need and can be towed behind a normal car, thanks a lot for the idea

the only down side i see is it is a seasonal thing so may be hard to sell in September, but i guess if i price it right, anythings possible, after all, come to think of it, its September now (we don't have seasons where i live so i sometimes forget there is such a thing as winter)

i really like this idea now i look at that thing some more, way better than sleeping in a van, it has everything, even a shower!
i'm thinking about making that guy a really low ball offer and if he accepts i'd have to store it somewhere for 6 months. hum, something to think about.

Since the OP started this post asking about campgrounds and this has now gone more toward types of RVs, etc. I want to point out to the OP that many campgrounds will not allow one to put a mini-van and a tent on a site. Some campgrounds do have tent sites but these are just for tents and the van or car is parked not on the site. Some will not allow a van other than one used just for transportation that does not have "facilities" - water, electricity, etc. They really don't want someone pulling in and sleeping in their van with a mattress on the floor. This is something to consider in your deciding what you want for an RV and how you will travel with it.

There are conversion vans such as the Roadtrek, Pleasureway, and others that are full motorhomes inside of a van. Because of what is involved in building this commercially, these tend to be the higher price range of RVs. Of course, one can convert one's own van - but as I say, to go into a campground with it the conversion will have to include motorhome facilities.

For what you are looking to do, you would best in a small trailer or popup. There are trailer pop ups where the top is a tent and there are some facilities inside. I have seen many of these at campgrounds so that would not be an issue. These will be your least expensive way to go and you can use your mini-van to tow it.

We are partial to private campgrounds due to their ease of making or changing reservations; and many of them offer beautiful scenery!

This is a private RV park where we spent several days, just outside Grand Tetons Nat'l Park (looking towards the back of our site):

Hi Steve,

The 79 for unlimited is on the Sprint network. Poor coverage in the West.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

Currently best bank for the buck is the Verizon flavor of Mellinicom

thanks, $69.95 for 20GB sounds ok, and $79.95 for unlimited is even better

i just checked and i seems the hotspot plan ($69.99/20GB) is verizon and the unlimited plan is sprint. i'd prefer the unlimited but i looked at sprint coverage and it looks pretty bad for out in the boonies. is that right?


thanks

Hi,

Currently best bank for the buck is the Verizon flavor of Mellinicom

coolmom42 wrote:


I find that having internet access while you travel is CRITICAL to finding a place to stay. The best way to get that reliably is with a 4G wireless hot spot. Check out Verizon or ATT for the best coverage. Pick a device and then go to mobilekarma.com for a good deal on a used one. You can prepay it and keep it working for just the months you are travelling if you don't need it otherwise.

thanks for this. actually i need internet access for my work while traveling anyhow so this is the number 1 issue for me really. i don't need super fast but i do need reliable, and no small download limits

my route will be SF, sierras, LV, grand canyon, Rockies, Yellowstone, smoky mountains, Chicago, DC, NYC, mostly national parks.

what provider would likely have the best coverage for that? i've looked at version and at&t maps and they look comparable, but it would be great to hear from real users. perhaps i should start a new thread on that

thx steve

actually, i just noticed that on the verison map, i can enter zip codes and if i get the zip codes for all the national parks i'm interested in, it looks like 3G or 4G in all of them

what verison plan would work best i wonder if i want a lot of data and not really bothered about phone calls

i lived in the USA for 20 years, i think i know my way around

the more i think about it, the more i think cargo van is the way to go
here's a nice example
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Grand-Caravan-119-WB-CARGO-2010-DODGE-GRAND-CARAVAN-CARGO-VAN-CLEAN-CARFAX-22-SERVICE-RECORDS-/271277360913?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3f29640711
but on the wrong coast for me but still

we could be comfortable living in that for 6 months with something like this on the back
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/sportz-suv-tent-with-screen-room/56491

and this for a toilet
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-portable-rvmarine-toilet-5-gallon-tan/56070

and i think easy to sell at the end of the trip or if we get bored half way through, we just make a sprint for NY, sell and go home

You are trying to plan a USA trip the way you might in your country. That is going to be tough. I suggest you find another couple to buddy with -- we do stuff in odd ways here

part of my reasoning for getting a cargo van vs. an RV is once we get to NY we want to sell it and go home ASAP

my wife's visa runs out after 6 months so we can't wait around, and i think a cargo van would sell fast any time of year but a RV would be a problem in September