Total vs Nominal length

[RickLight]

Apologies if this is covered. I couldn't find it.

How tight do various types of sites get on length? I'm thinking of smallish 30 foot range rigs. I heard a rumor that some places will pull out a tape measure. Some folks have removed ladders to fit more places, etc.

Just how real are these stories?

[toedtoes]

I've tried to drive to my campsite when folks have tried to cram vehicles that were too big for the pad. The road is barely one car width with trees and boulders right at the edge. And then I have to try to get around the trucks that are sticking out into the road. That 4 inches can be the difference between a blocked road and a passable road.

I stayed at one campsite last year. It's identified as fitting a 25ft TT or MH. I had stayed at it several years back with my 20ft TT and it was fine - I actually fit my TT, Durango and a friend's chinook.

This time, I brought my FnR - which is 16ft with tongue. I barely fit it and the Durango and had to park the Durango sideways to keep it out of the road. No way would the chinook have fit this time.

Why the difference? Because before, the pad was laid out in such a way that folks couldn't back into the site easily. It required a sharper turning while backing in and folks had difficulty. Since then, they moved it so it was easier to back into, but that put the tree directly behind the pad and created such an angle between the front of the pad and the road that you lose a couple feet on the road side of the pad due to the road turning. Had I pulled the Durango straight in this time, its nose would have stuck out right at the turn, blocking folks with anything but a small car from being able to make the turn.

[hotpepperkid]

Saw the hassle a lady who's TT tongue stuck out past the line 4" at Carpinteria state beach, Carpinteria CA a few years ago. Told her she would have to move, only problem her husband and parked the trailer for her and then left to come back at the end of the week. They told her never to reserve that spot again

[parkmanaa]

We own an RV park. When someone is discussing length of their rig we ask them to give us the legal length: tip to tip, "it's shadow at high noon"

[bukhrn]

like many others, we stay primarily at Federal & State Parks, we have a 29' Class C, that measure 30.5' bumper to bumper, we have a toad on a dolly, we've fit in many sites listed at 30' max. If it's a back in, I either push the dolly all the way to the rear, so that the ramps overhang the back of the site, then back the MH over the tongue of the dolly, or put the dolly off to the side and back the MH overhang off the back of the site, as long as all the wheels are on the pad.
Point is, most public sites are listed as shorter, and you can make yourself shorter to fit, when you make a reservation they ask how long you are, they are normally asking about the camping unit not overall length, mine is 29'. Just don't show up at a 28' site with a 45' Newell. It may fit, it may not.

[docsouce]

I'm in the "maybe" never been measured category. We have a smaller class C which measures 25 feet over all length and that measurement is what I use when making reservations. However, sometimes when checking in to a nearly full park, the management will take a quick look at my RV and change my site to a smaller tighter one than I was listed for even though I gave them the RV length when I made my reservation.

[drsteve]

Usually it's the approach rather than the actual site size that determines how much rig you can fit into a given spot. Some folks are better at backing than others, and most places build in an extra margin to avoid difficulties. In MI state parks, I have found that I can call my 26' overall length TT a 20' TT, and I've never had a problem.

[valhalla360]

Another...never have been measured.

Usually they just want to make sure you can fit on the site. Of course, if you give them the nominal size and the a-frame on the front sticks out into the road, you are on your own...but usually they list the sites as a little smaller than they really are as they don't want to get into an argument over inches.

[toedtoes]

RickLIght wrote:
I'm trying to avoid cramming the rig.

This is a storey of inches. We are shopping and want to stay in smaller NFS, NP that list many sites as 30'. But we like some 30'6" and even a 30'11" rigs. DW is making some noise over those inches and tends to be a rule follower in general, and is pretty smart!

So I'm tapping the collective brain to balance many facets, so we won't worry when it's too late to fix it.

Thanks for all and in advance!

I stay at a lot of USFS campgrounds in the Sierras. I have found that those that will fit 30ft are usually OK for 31ft. When it gets tight is when you look at the 20ft and under sites - 6 inches may mean you're sticking out into the road.

[ScottG]

In our state parks, as long as you can jamb it into a spot without having a wheel off the pad, no one cares.

[agesilaus]

Walaby wrote:
Have never had anyone pull a tape measure on me.

Ditto in many years of RVing. Usually what the problem will be is getting the tow vehicle in the space if you have a long unit. Then if the truck hangs out into the road you'll hear from the manager. But mostly they just tell you to park at the rest room or some other spot.

If the spot lets you park next to the RV then you are good to go, but landscaped parks often don't.

And extra foot will make no difference. In some federal cg maneuvering around the cg roads can be a real issue.

Mike

[Veebyes]

The only times anyone has measured is prior to getting on a ferry. When asked I go by the model number. It is 34 though the true LOA pin to bumper is just shy of 36.

CGs go by pad length. More often than not there is space behind the pad to the nearest rock or tree. Maybe there is a drop off. No matter. If necessary back the wheels right to the end of the pad. Let the 8-10'of trailer behind the wheels hang 'outback'. No real need for the stabilisers if they won't reach the ground.

We have not found a 30' max length CG that we cannot get our 34' selves into yet, & there have been hundreds in more than 1600 nights travelling.

[RickLight]

I'm trying to avoid cramming the rig.

This is a storey of inches. We are shopping and want to stay in smaller NFS, NP that list many sites as 30'. But we like some 30'6" and even a 30'11" rigs. DW is making some noise over those inches and tends to be a rule follower in general, and is pretty smart!

So I'm tapping the collective brain to balance many facets, so we won't worry when it's too late to fix it.

Thanks for all and in advance!

[Dutch_12078]

I use Google Earth/Maps to help me judge the actual site sizes and access to them. The fist site below was listed at 30' on the state park reservation system, and that's our 34' coach and toad on it as seen from the edge of the road. The second photo is another state park from the edge of the road with a 35' listing. Our 34' coach obviously fit easily, but what you can't see is how tight the access road was getting to the site. We saw more than one RV decorated with Mother Nature's pin stripping while we were there.

30' listed site


35' listed site

[Alan_Hepburn]

The only time we've ever been measured was when we went from Vancouver, BC to Victoria - they need to know your full length because they charge by the foot! Other than that you're usually good if you're reasonable - don't tell the campground that you're 25 feet long and show up in a 42 foot pusher!