Forum Discussion
15 Replies
- Ric_FlairExplorerConsider Walmart.
Camp, shop, relax, and bask in the glow of bright lights and low prices.
Freedom ain't free....unless you're camping at Walmart! - frankdampExplorerWe have a stand-alone gazebo that we put near the picnic table if we're staying more than one night. Along with a "Site Occupied" sign, we've not had anyone take our site over in 4 seasons.
- bigwheelsturninExplorerI'd buy what i needed ..on the way....it's such a pain in the pitutti to break camp...go to town....come back...reset...plan stop on way...just me
- 1775ExplorerWe do this every day we are traveling. We use the campground as a place to spend the night. We leave the campground every morning and return at night in the RV. We are out sightseeing or going to local attractions. There is absolutely no problem doing this. If this is a private campground you are paying when you arrive for as many days as you will be staying and that space is yours to come and go as you please. That space is assigned to you by the campground for your entire stay and closed to everyone else. We have never had a problem with campground management coming and going. We have had some problems with other campers who decide that we have left and not coming back and move things from their site into our site or take some of the decorative things that we put in the site to mark it as ours. I now put a sign in the space every morning before we leave - "Just out for the day. Returning tonight"
If you are at a campground in a park, you are going to have to mark your space very clearly as these spaces are not usually assigned and anyone coming in who sees an empty space decides that it is open to take.
Some attractions have specific RV parking. Many shopping centers or large stores have large parking lots and you can park right up to a Class A in several spaces next to each other. Of course, if you have a trailer, you just take your tow vehicle where you want to go and leave the trailer at the campground. - bsinmichExplorerParking may be more of a problem with an RV unless they have a large parking lot. You usually can't park real close with the RV.
- mlts22Explorer IIOne reason I'm looking at a small cargo trailer after I move to a MH is for exactly this purpose -- making sure that a campsite stays reserved.
I doubt it will be an issue, but having the trailer be well locked down (so it doesn't get "accidentally" moved into a nearby ditch) will ensure that a reserved spot stays that way... and people will tend to respect something substantial sitting on a pad that might damage their vehicle if they hit it, as opposed to a sign that can "blow away", even if the wind is completely calm that day. - tpiExplorerShould be no problem. You may want to scope out the campground with that it mind. Google Earth or Google image search-looking for easy come and go with uncrowded access lanes. Occasionally I've stayed in campgrounds that frequent exits would be a pain, even in a smaller motorhome.
Also, mention during reservations and check-in what your plans are. Perhaps you could be given a favorable spot.
Do try to organize in a way that minimizes the need to leave the site. Sightseeing in a smaller rig is a good reason, but can you minimize shopping trips by planning? Once you're all settled in and comfy it can be hard to leave. - tatestExplorer III've always let the RV park management know that's what I'll be doing, and they'll usually assign a space easy to get in and out of.
I've been in (very tight) RV parks where that pattern of use is not permitted. One in Port Aransas, another in San Antonio, and probably more where I simply have not asked nor tried "in and out" (a "must escort" park in Odessa comes to mind). These parks usually also have a requirement that you be escorted to your site and supervised each time you park your RV.
In campgrounds, you might have to be more careful. Busy public campgrounds without site reservations, someone coming in might consider any empty RV site up for grabs, even if you have paid for it. Sometimes signs work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes camp hosts can be helpful, others you may find yourself trying to drag law enforcement into your dispute with the person who moved into your vacant site. How these things work out depends very much where you are, as behavior in these situations varies regionally and locally.
There are also parks and campgrounds where vehicle fees will depend on whether you are staying inside or going in and out the gate. - Dog_FolksExplorer IIOne more suggestion. Get a "Site Occupied" sign to leave behind when you are in town.
- beemerphile1ExplorerWelcome to the forum.
No rules against the practice.
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