Okay, here's my take on this topic, coming from a person who has been RV'ing for 22 years now:
1) I bought a TT (and before that a PU) so I didn't have to use the bath house. When the kids were little it was a total hassle to have to drag them to the bath house, especially for showers. Most of the bath houses were not upkept, and it was always my wife who had to take the kids because they were girls. I vividly remember the old rusted plumbing, warped or cracked wood floor boards, insects all over the place, and in some cases, even having to put quarters in the showers to get them to work. So I don't quite understand why anyone with a TT or MH cares much about the bath house. Occassionally I'll use the men's room, but for the most part, I use the TT bathroom - that's one of the primary reason to have a TT.
2) The size and configuration of the site is paramount. I don't want to have to dodge trees everywhere and shoehorn back into a site, or have to be sticking out into the road while I back in and uncouple the TV. This is particularly an issue if you are arriving in the dark hours. And there has to be room leftover for parking my TV. I also don't want to have the next site's sewer at the edge of my awning, and have to stare at (and in some cases smell) my neighbors sewer line. There should be some kind of landscaping buffer between sites, so I don't feel like I'm staring at them. Some leveling front to back is expected and easier to accomplish than side to side leveling. Therefore the sites should be relatively level side to side. There needs to be enough room to sit a few people around a campfire, without the flames being too close to the TT or the extended awning. And I don't want the neighbors campfire to be real close to my TT.
3) Management has to be available to address issues during the overnight hours and enforce quiet hours. I've had many stays where adjacent campers got really rowdy in the wee hours (especially off-season), and were so drunk I did not feel safe trying to address the situation myself.
4) CGs should have discounted rates offseason, when you are not taking advantage of ammenities like pools and activities. Fortunately many of them do have off-season discounts.
5) I like to use on-line reservation systems, even if there is a fee for it. Many state CGs use this type of system, but many private CGs do not. In this day and age it is a hassle to have to call the office (when it is open), and give all the info over the phone. I use the internet to buy almost everything, and make hotel reservations. I should be able to do the same with a CG. You should also be able to reserve the exact site you want. Last time I went to one CG they switched me from a pull through to a back-in site that was nearly impossible to get to work. And it backed up to a totally delapitated seasonal site that was disgusting. I won't go back to that CG again.
6) CGs in general do a poor job of signing their streets and sites. It seems that half the time I am confused on how to get to the site, and then totally confused as to which site I'm actually on. Some times I cannot tell where one site ends and one site starts, so I'm nervous that after I set up, another camper will show up and tell me I'm partially on their site. I'd also suggest that bright street lights be turned off after midnight (or whenever the latest checkin time is), so you don't have the light coming in your TT windows all night long.
7) Utilities should be laid out with some logic. Some CGs have random layouts of water, electric, sewer and cable. It makes it hard to know exactly where to position the TT within the site. Last week my site was well laid out for electric, sewer and water, but the post for cable was way out in the front of the site, and my coaxial cable did not reach. I've had sites where water was on the same post as electric. Really? And sometimes the electric panel had no on-off circuit breaker. Sparks anyone?
๐ Too many CGs in my area mix seasonal and transient sites throughout. I realize these CGs make most of their money on seasonal sites (and they get that money up front). But many of those CGs do little to control their seasonal sites from turning it into trashville, where it appears to be a contest to see who can have the most signs, flags, gnomes and other assorted decorations on their site. Not to mention all the sheds, decks, patios, lights, awnings, tarps, etc. At the place we stayed last weekend, several sites had TWO refigerators outside. Who needs two outdoor full-size refrigerators (and the one in the TT). I only have one at home! I don't really want to look at this******when I am camping. So please, separate out the transient sites so I can at least feel like I'm camping.
9) Many CGs don't provide adequate space to park your rig when checking in. In these places you end up blocking traffic and it really adds to the stress level. And just like in a hotel, I really don't like waiting a long time to check in. It should be a very simple process that takes less than 5 minutes and I'm on my way.
10) I'm torn as to whether I like CGs that have security gates. Initially I didn't like them, because again it doesn't seem like camping if I have to go through a security gate (I don't like gated communities in general). However, I have been to CGs where people had accessed the property that should not have been there, so I can appreciate the effort to keep people out that should not be there.
11) For those CGs that do not have sewer hookups, there needs to be an easily accessible location for the sewer dump. And for large CGs, there needs to be at least two dump locations. Getting stuck in a long line to dump upon leaving the CG is no fun.
12) I know safety is important, especially for kids playing and riding bikes, but speed bumps are really annoying, even more so when you are towing a TT. And if your site is near one of the speed bumps, then you have to listen to the noise of all the vehicles going over the bump.
13) In some CGs, the dumpster area becomes a landfill, with people throwing all kinds of stuff out. This is especially the case with lots of seasonal people who clean out their "houses". And the dumpster area can really start to smell bad, so it's best to keep it far away from sites.
14) I guess there is some need for golf carts, especially in really large CGs, but they are really ANNOYING. Especially with people that customize them and put bright fog lights and neon underbody lighting on them. I go camping to get away from the ghetto...
15) Private CGs should show pics of their sites on their website. With many state CGs, you can access a pic of each site, along with info such as length of unit it can accommodate, etc. With private CGs, unless you know the place and a site you've been in before, you give them info on your TT length, and then they decide where they are going to cram you into. When researching CGs, I don't need to see pics of your events like Xmas in July, or Halloween in August. I don't want to see pics of your dance night or potluck supper, or hayride. I want to figure out the best place to park my TT and enjoy it. At this point, I don't have young kids so I don't care about your "activities" anyway.
Maybe I should just move out west and that would solve most of these issues.....
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2014 Keystone Bullet 281BHS
2002 Chevy Avalanche 5.3L 4x4
Equalizer hitch
Nights spent camping in 2015: 25
Next trip: mid-April 2016?
