TT length & campsite restrictions

[LaEst_CO]

OK so here is a complete newbie question. When a campsite says that their sites are for <30' RV's, does that take into account the tow vehicle as well? I am not sure if I need to go with the larger sites as my TT is 30' long but that does not include my truck.

[K3WE]

The last time this topic came up, I think there was a poster or two who said they had found that "it depends"...sometimes it's the true length of the site, sometimes it's a figure where the length of the TV is figured in.

...the advice was ask if you want to be sure and usually they have a quick answer for you.

[rockhillmanor]

That is something you HAVE to CALL each CG to find out what 'their' requirements are and clarification before you head out to that CG.

Some will let you park the TT in the site and the TV along side some will NOT let you park anything off the site, and on and on and on.I got so tired of getting to a CG only to find out I couldn't fit into any of their sites.

When I had my TT and now with my MH towing:

What I do is add up the total length of my set up and add 10 and call the CG if they have a 'pull thru' with that length.

IMHO this is the only way to go to avoid the can't fit, jockying/
backing to get in the site and figuring out where to put the TV or toad, etc.

Not to mention just how relaxing it is to simply pull in, park and enjoy the extra CG space and when your are ready to leave then just pull straight out.

Pull thru CG sites are for EVERYONE to use so take advantage of them! :C

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

One of the things we learned when we started volunteering is that some sites or campgrounds might be size restricted because they simply don't want bigger trailers in the campground.

Often that has more to do with the tightness of turns in the CG, the width of the roads, the room to maneuver a trailer past obstacles, etc - than the actual campsite.

There is a loop in a favorite small COE campground we visit where some 35 ft TT came make one very obstructed turn, and most 35 ft 5th wheel trailers cannot - because the 5er driver cannot swing wide enough to keep the trailer from making contact with a tree on the inside of the turn. Every campsite on the loop can easily hold a 45 ft long rig and a 22 ft long TV. But the loop is restricted to trailers 33 ft or shorter.

[RandACampin]

SoundGuy wrote:

LaEst_CO wrote:
When a campsite says that their sites are for <30' RV's, does that take into account the tow vehicle as well? I am not sure if I need to go with the larger sites as my TT is 30' long but that does not include my truck.

Think about it for a moment and you'll answer your own question 😉 ... if a campsite is rated "for <30' RV's" then that would have to refer just the trailer itself, otherwise if that rating included the length your truck, say ~ 20', that would mean the trailer could only be 10' long, which obviously makes no sense at all. As has already been noted, ratings on campsite dimensions are very general at best and often when you get there aren't even close to reality. Particularly if there's no solid object such as a tree trunk or large boulder at the rear of the parking pad you can often "buy" more space by backing the trailer even further back into the site with that part of the trailer aft of the axles overhanging beyond the rear of the pad, thereby allowing more space at the front for parking your truck. Every situation is different though and in the years we've been camping, places we've been here in Canada and in the US, I've concluded that any trailer 25' coupler to bumper can be parked on pretty well any campsite we might ever choose or be assigned, other than a terraced tent site (for obvious reasons), but as the trailer length extends beyond that there may be some times when a little more care is required when selecting a suitable site. That said, I don't recall a single time in the years we owned our KZ Spree (26' 9" coupler to bumper) that I wasn't able to place it on any campsite we had. As for the truck, only a couple of times have I had to park it away from our campsite, otherwise I've always managed to snug it in at the front of the trailer and keep it off the campsite road. Our current trailer is just 22' 6" coupler to bumper so I no longer ever give campsite dimensions any thought at all. :B

Like eating a soup sandwich

[2gypsies1]

In traveling full-time for 16+ years we've never found that stated size campsites are true or uniform from park to park. It's just a guess on your part.

One of our volunteering gigs in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l Park was to actually measure the campsites and make a list of what size RV with vehicle would fit in that site. It was amazing comparing our recommendations to the old list they used.

We've always preferred public parks - national, state, national forests, etc. and for the most part, a site with a 35' max could fit our 40' motorhome with the Jeep usually parked in front of the MH and angled across the front. We became pretty creative in parking the Jeep! If you have a big dually truck then you probably couldn't park angled like that. Most campgrounds request that you park in the parking area - not in the vegetation.

[Jayco-noslide]

I only consider the length of our motorhome and not the car we are towing and so far have not had a site we couldn't fit into.

[SoundGuy]

LaEst_CO wrote:
When a campsite says that their sites are for <30' RV's, does that take into account the tow vehicle as well? I am not sure if I need to go with the larger sites as my TT is 30' long but that does not include my truck.

Think about it for a moment and you'll answer your own question 😉 ... if a campsite is rated "for <30' RV's" then that would have to refer just the trailer itself, otherwise if that rating included the length your truck, say ~ 20', that would mean the trailer could only be 10' long, which obviously makes no sense at all. As has already been noted, ratings on campsite dimensions are very general at best and often when you get there aren't even close to reality. Particularly if there's no solid object such as a tree trunk or large boulder at the rear of the parking pad you can often "buy" more space by backing the trailer even further back into the site with that part of the trailer aft of the axles overhanging beyond the rear of the pad, thereby allowing more space at the front for parking your truck. Every situation is different though and in the years we've been camping, places we've been here in Canada and in the US, I've concluded that any trailer 25' coupler to bumper can be parked on pretty well any campsite we might ever choose or be assigned, other than a terraced tent site (for obvious reasons), but as the trailer length extends beyond that there may be some times when a little more care is required when selecting a suitable site. That said, I don't recall a single time in the years we owned our KZ Spree (26' 9" coupler to bumper) that I wasn't able to place it on any campsite we had. As for the truck, only a couple of times have I had to park it away from our campsite, otherwise I've always managed to snug it in at the front of the trailer and keep it off the campsite road. Our current trailer is just 22' 6" coupler to bumper so I no longer ever give campsite dimensions any thought at all. :B

[ScottG]

With Wa. State CG's, the stated length has almost nothing to do with reality.

[GaryWT]

Once in awhile you also see 30 foot trailer, TV must park in lot but this is rare. One campground we like has a 32 foot max limit. My trailer is 35 but that includes the hitch. They told me I would be fine but it seems a little tight so we have not gone..

[Veebyes]

Size is a guide. A 30' pad length can accommodate much longer if the back past the wheels hangs out past the pad end. There is always room to park the TV sort of beside or across the front.

[LaEst_CO]

Thanks, that helps!

[jasult]

generally it is the total length of the trailer and it includes space for 1 vehicle to park
I suggest you visit rv park reviews and look up the site you like

[Old-Biscuit]

I have a 34' 5th wheel...........I always get a 34' or longer site.

It's about the trailer length not the combo truck/trailer.

Have found that odd one on occasion which was just long enough and had to park truck sideways but usually room for truck

[dave54]

The length limits posted for a campground could come from a number of reasons and possibly no reason at all.

It could be the length of the parking spur, turning radius of a curve in the loop road through the campground, a short deep dip or bump, Or it could be from 30 years ago and no one bothered to update the number after the campground was remodeled to modern specs.