Consequences of RVing’s Unprecedented Surge

mr_andyj wrote:
A friend was a first time RV buyer. It was so big, so roomy, so comfortable, so livable, so big, did I mention big? It was all these things, but the problem is he says most weekend trips he does not want to bother with it because it is so big, cost so much in gas, is such a hassle parking or pulling in, so much to clean after, the holding tanks (on any size) are not worth the trip (no his wife n daughter are not going to NOT use it), and me with my little small-as-can-be trailer (after many previous rvs) just hook and go with no thought of any of these worries...

I also have a small 22 foot TT. I go out every weekend because it is so easy to hook up and unhook again. I don't worry about things like a outside mat, fancy lights, and all the other things they talk you into buying and using.

I have friends that own RV's and hardly ever use them because they say it's to much work. It's all in how you look at it I guess.

Timmo! wrote:
We have seasoned and newbie RVers and as the newbies mature they will adopt habits of us seasoned ones.

But, I see a divide--over half of us seasoned campers pick up after ourselves (with quite a few us adhering to the "leave no trace" philosophy--and we clean up trash left behind by others).

Well, on a recent trip to primitive campground near Fort Hood, I was aghast to see the amount of trash left behind by two families (in brand new TT's). A pile of trash was bagged and stacked next to and inside the pit toilet (rendering it useless for tent campers).

My observation from this past weekend at a national forest campground has to do with garbage also. We pulled up to the dumpster on our way out to deposit our garbage to find half a dozen bags stacked on top of the dumpster. Plus two additional bags on the ground that the racoons got into.

The thing is this dumpster had eight doors on top, I went to the last one in the back thinking it would be full only to find out the back 3/4 was mostly empty.

We could not believe the laziness to not bother to check out the dumpster before leaving a mess for someone else to clean up. Idiots.

Well.. I guess that's another reason to thank that agressive and hostile SEMI driver who totaled my motor home (No parking) Now I know it's Upsetting when they declare a rig totalled. but I have several reasons for being happy (Medical needs, and Vehicle "medical" needs among them) It was starting to look like I'd be needing major repairs soon.. The body work on yours truly and the Chassis work on the RV (Suspension, brakes, and the like). So Totaled it is.

The author mentioned having contact with Amtrack.
One, well Two, things I would like to see or have seen
1: (have seen) is a "Rv=Ferry" service.. Basically you hand the keys to a porter or drive it onto the flat bed freight car yourself, Towed and all, and the Train folks secure it while you move to a Passenger car.. Get where you are going and drive off (They have ramps in the yards for that)

and 2: Same thing but Just Cars, not RV's

That way I could like drive to Detroit, or Toledo, hop a train, arrive in say Chyenne Who, and the porter brings me my very own car. Luggage still in Jeep, no need for any but my carry on bag. And no rental

A weekend rental can easily be a few hundred bucks if you include insurance (My last rental was just that).

We have seasoned and newbie RVers and as the newbies mature they will adopt habits of us seasoned ones.

But, I see a divide--over half of us seasoned campers pick up after ourselves (with quite a few us adhering to the "leave no trace" philosophy--and we clean up trash left behind by others).

Well, on a recent trip to primitive campground near Fort Hood, I was aghast to see the amount of trash left behind by two families (in brand new TT's). A pile of trash was bagged and stacked next to and inside the pit toilet (rendering it useless for tent campers).

Even though the number of people using RVs has increased dramatically in past two years I see the dealer lots are crammed full of new inventory in northern California and Nevada.

CavemanCharlie wrote:

Veebyes wrote:
Like many on this forum we have had to adapt.

We still seldom make reservations but we now look for someplace for the weekend on Thursday rather than Friday this year.

We are seeing an awful lot of obviously very new units with very clean frames out there.

How long the fad continues remains to be seen.

Availability depends on when & what is wanted.Sunday to Thursday is easy.FHUs on the weekend, near impossible.

Adapterbility is the key.

Yup, I've been adapting for decades. I'm miss a lot of the older, simpler times. But, I just had a good weekend of camping at a spot I reserved a few hours before I left home. I was able to get into it because it was a non-electric spot and I was prepared for those places. The weather was cool and the camping was great.

I worry about the future though. In my area all the smaller public parks are becoming seasonal campgrounds.

How can it be a "public" park if the public can't use it ???

Why are my tax dollars going to a campground that I can't ever use ?

I think about this a lot.

Yup there are so many ways we the consumer of things and service get screwed over. Sometimes seems almost non stop

mr_andyj wrote:
A friend was a first time RV buyer. It was so big, so roomy, so comfortable, so livable, so big, did I mention big? It was all these things, but the problem is he says most weekend trips he does not want to bother with it because it is so big, cost so much in gas, is such a hassle parking or pulling in, so much to clean after, the holding tanks (on any size) are not worth the trip (no his wife n daughter are not going to NOT use it), and me with my little small-as-can-be trailer (after many previous rvs) just hook and go with no thought of any of these worries...

LOL

Sagebrush wrote:
I see many first time buyers getting into very long 37' travel trailers and 42' plus 5th wheels for weekend trips. They are going to be frustrated once they actually try and use those. The ones I've talked to at dealers have never towed anything before either.

Almost all the first timers around here are grossly overloading their tow vehicles. I wish they would buy the smaller units and learn slowly instead of getting in over their heads. My family ignored me when I warned them. BUT, the dealer said their new Nissan Titan 4x4 four door truck could tow 9,000 or more easily in real mountains. I think they went on one trip and changed to a diesel F-250. Thankfully they had the money to do that.

I did lots of research before buying my first RV, thankfully the internet was running strong back then. I knew I would want larger trailers later so I never tried towing with my Ram 1500 truck, I went straight to a diesel 3500 back when the max trailer ratings were at 10,000 lbs for a 2wd dually! The good ole days.

I’ve seen 2 TTs on their side recently, they looked to be longer units being pulled by half ton tow vehicles.

I am avoiding all crowded places as much as I can. It is going to get worse because population is skyrocketing. This was projected and talked about back in the 70's. Remember Paul Erlich? His predictions are fairly close I would say.

Furthermore all those Rv's that come up for sale will get sold to college students and others that want to go full time. As property taxes and building costs rise so will rents and housing. There will always be someone waiting for prices to adjust to the market making them affordable.

Veebyes wrote:
Like many on this forum we have had to adapt.

We still seldom make reservations but we now look for someplace for the weekend on Thursday rather than Friday this year.

We are seeing an awful lot of obviously very new units with very clean frames out there.

How long the fad continues remains to be seen.

Availability depends on when & what is wanted.Sunday to Thursday is easy.FHUs on the weekend, near impossible.

Adapterbility is the key.

Yup, I've been adapting for decades. I'm miss a lot of the older, simpler times. But, I just had a good weekend of camping at a spot I reserved a few hours before I left home. I was able to get into it because it was a non-electric spot and I was prepared for those places. The weather was cool and the camping was great.

I worry about the future though. In my area all the smaller public parks are becoming seasonal campgrounds.

How can it be a "public" park if the public can't use it ???

Why are my tax dollars going to a campground that I can't ever use ?

I think about this a lot.