Memberships worth it or not?

[RVcrazy]

We are planning on fulltiming starting this Spring. In order to keep costs down, we are considering a campground membership in TT, KM, Sunrise or are open to other suggestions. We already know about Good Sam & PA. We already have our AB pass. We are thinking about joining the Elks. What has been your experience with your membership(s)? How much does it cost in dues or for your nightly stays? Are you able to get in when you want? Hookups? I know that there are other threads on this topic and I've read most of them. Now, we are looking for compare/contrast experiences with the various memberships. Can you quit if you decide you don't want it anymore, or are you stuck until you find someone else to buy it? Thanks!

[doxiemom11]

We use passport america and get our annual fee back within a couple of nights. For example - the current park we are at we save $12 per night. The membership cost us $44 for the year. This park has no restrictions as to days or length of time you stay. Many do, but we have not found it to be a problem at all.

[gotsmart]

RVcrazy wrote:
Thanks for the info about Beachwood and being able to have the RPI/ROD/C2C affiliated with that one and not with your "home" park. I didn't think you could do that. Would that mean that if I were to join with one of the parks up here, for example Ocean Mist, instead of Neskowin that I wouldn't be able to use any park within 125 miles of that park for C2C etc? Does it matter to KM where our real home address is? Thanks!

This is a conversation between you and the membership salesperson. I can't speak for KM. Things may have changed since 2011. Also, if you opted for a higher level affiliate program (eg: RPI Preferred, ROD Plus) that has no mileage restriction then the home park issue is moot.

Note: EVERY LINE of membership contracts is negotiable - printed text and handwritten. You can question everything and ask for changes. Many RVers have handwritten modifications to their contracts. If the salesperson agrees with you then have them write it into the contract. If the salesperson makes a claim about fees or provided services that are not printed or written in the contract then GET THEM TO ADD IT IN. There are honest salespeople, but in the same breath there are many salespeople who say whatever it takes to get you to sign on the dotted line. Keep them honest by requiring in writing everything that is promised.

[RVcrazy]

Thanks for the info about Beachwood and being able to have the RPI/ROD/C2C affiliated with that one and not with your "home" park. I didn't think you could do that. Would that mean that if I were to join with one of the parks up here, for example Ocean Mist, instead of Neskowin that I wouldn't be able to use any park within 125 miles of that park for C2C etc? Does it matter to KM where our real home address is? Thanks!

[gotsmart]

I'm a member of Neskowin Creek RV Resort in Oregon. It is affiliated with KM Resorts of America in Washington. I spend the bulk of the year in the PNW. May and June in the Spokane area is wonderful. Since buying my Neskowin membership in 2011 it has been fully depreciated. Other than the annual dues (which is less than the number of days in a year) I can RV at 9 parks for the cost of gas, tires, and oil (and vehicle insurance *groan*).

RVcrazy - My home park is in Neskowin, OR but my home park for ROD purposes is Beachwood Resort in Blaine, WA. In regards to the 125 mile rule, if you sign up with a multi-park resort, ask that your RPI/ROD/C2C/etc be assigned to the park that is farthest away from any park that you might plan to use your RPI/ROD/C2C/etc.

The folks at Neskowin assigned me to Beachwood for ROD - without telling me. I appreciated it. Beachwood is kinda/sorta owned by Neskowin but flies the KM flag (..don't ask). Anyway, Beachwood is 125 miles away from most any ROD park that I'd stay at. Then again, I have ROD Plus, so the 125 mile rule is moo. :C

[Community Alumni]

RVcrazy,

I just sent you a PM.

[BarbaraOK]

Us out West wrote:
First we are not full-timers but are out about 8 months during a year.

With that we would not use Thousand Trails enough to make the annual $525 fee + Zone fees worth it.

There are better options for us that we use...but that's just us.

On the west coast I can get in 50 nights at TT parks in just two months moving through California and up into Oregon and Washington. Just depends upon where you are and what you are doing. For us it is a no brainer to use them each spring as we move north.

[RVcrazy]

Sunrise parks questions

Gemsworld: I tried to PM you as indicated,but you are currently set to not allow PMs.

Is your membership tied to a particular park? What about a 125-mile rule? We have seen the parks at Lake Easton, Black Diamond & Moclips, but none of the ones down south. How much do you pay when you stay? Are you limited in how many nights you can stay each year with your membership? Are there different levels of memberships like with KM or TT? Which level would you recommend? What are your maintenance fees? Did you buy any of the C2C, RPI or ROD tie-ins? I appreciate any light you can shed on all of this!

[RVcrazy]

We plan on spending May through October mostly in the PNW because of family. After a splurge to the East coast, we can better afford the SW for winter. At this time, we have the "go" bug and are unlikely to sit for longer than a few days in any one spot. Thanks for your input so far... We have seen decent resales on KM, Sunrise & TT. It seems like it would be cost effective since we plan to fulltime and spend at least 1/2 the year in the West. We would plan on adding either C2C, RPI or ROD, but probably just one to keep costs in check.

[Dtaylor]

I think it will depend on what area of the country you will be spending most of your time. Some areas areas may not have membership parks. Personally, if they fit your travel plans then go for it. Otherwise, I think they lock you into a travel pattern that may not fit your agenda

[jjwms]

When we began to fulltime we had a membership in Hart Ranch near Rapid City, SD. Through it we got Coast to Coast membership. We finally sold both off because the way we traveled it didn't save us enough to cover the dues. We did use Passport America heavily, GS sometimes. We also joined Escapees RV Club (SKP)and used its mail service so we could be Texas residents for tax purposes. In addition we stayed in SKP parks including some of the co-ops and found the fellowship was an added bonus.

[Larryzv7]

Personally I stay away from those memberships because they are so expensive and the member campgrounds may not be where I want to go. I’ve heard from a fair amount of people who are trying to sell their membership because they don’t use, or like, those campgrounds. Some here have mentioned “resale” as a less expensive way to go if you are interested in becoming a member.

You can get a lifetime Senior Pass if you are 62 or older for a one time payment of $10.00, $20.00 by mail, that will give you lifetime access and camping at National Parks for half price; including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc.

US National Park Passes

Lots of State Parks also have reduced fare Senior Passes or reduced fair Disability Passes. Each State is different and some do require you be a legal resident of that State. I am a legal resident of California but Oregon gave me a reduced fare camping pass, and I did the whole thing, application, etc., online and then mailed it in. So some States will give you a pass even though you are not a resident of that State.

Other than that; as some have already mentioned, the monthly rate at most private campgrounds is usually cheaper than the daily or weekly rate.

[MaverickBBD]

My father got a Sunrise membership back in the late 70's. Transferred it to DW when we got our MH. He thought he was being very generous. I guess he was when I got done paying his past dues and the transfer fees. Then we upgraded to include R.O.D., A.O.R., CampAmerica and some others that we have yet to use. It works for us because it has parks that we stay at and we get more then our annual dues out of it.

[Old-Biscuit]

If you are going to purchase a membership in a private cg then buy RESALE....never purchase directly form the CG

RESALE are pennies on the dollar with full privileges.

We purchased a RESALE membership for $950.
Home park dues are frozen at $59/yr.
We have C2C Deluxe affiliate that allows us to stay up to 14 days in a deluxe/premium affiliate CG for $10/night and at Good Neighbor/Encore parks for $15/night.

We also use COE CGs, city parks, state/national parks, fairgrounds and boondock to control nightly fees.

We rarely stay monthly.....we like to travel and explore.

Memberships.........buy RESALE.........LINK

[nazpaz]

I'm on an unofficial Thousand Trails Facebook group that accepts both the "good and the bad" of TT. At one time there was a period in which there were lots of negative posts about TT. I've seen both good and bad but it seemed to me that there were a lot of people upset with TT. I decided to do a poll in which people could say what their general impression was.

The results were overwhelmingly positive, something like 10 to 1.

Probably the case could be made that those who really had issues with TT have sold their memberships and have moved on, leaving a majority of people who are generally happy.

Still, if nothing else, my findings provide balance to the conversation. In other words, a lot of people who are TT members are happy with their experience.

Having said that, again, it's not for everyone. If you do a lot of workcamping or boondocking or like to stay in upper level campgrounds it's not for you. If you are part time and only think you'll use your membership two weeks a year, it would be a poor investment for you.

We have it, we use it, and we like it. We aren't deliriously happy with it, but our experience is much more positive than it is negative.