Are RV forums dying?

[holstein13]

Seems to me we get less and less participation in this forum each year:

[Walaby]

Having actually ran a forum for a good number of years I can tell you that all forums go through a ebb and flow over the years. I've been here a little over a year I think and have seen the ebb and flow.

As far as the older crowd chasing people off with some of their comments, I can sorta see that. But, when folks ask for opinions on tow vehicle, or weight info or what have you, you are going to get peoples opinions. And I think alot of the older guys are speaking from experience, and if it helps someone else from not making the same or similar mistakes, then it's all good in the end.

Im not one of the old heads, but it's amazing how many people post, asking for others thoughts on their setup, etc.. and then when someone points out either they are overweight, or too little truck etc, then they get all defensive. Hey, if you don't care, then don't ask. The ones I enjoy the most are folks who actually listen to some of the advice given, and it influences their decision, in a positive manner. And they actually come back and thank the people who responded and helped them out.

I am getting tired of the CW bashers though.. the ones who chime in on every post in the CW section, and continually bash CW. Sometimes they deserve it, but many times, at least here lately, they don't. My favorite is when a CW worker complained of their management, and there were folks who actually felt CW owed them a response on what they were going to do about it. Really????

Mike

[kofire]

I've gotten some info here but it wasn't always easy. Lots of smart asses and know it Alls. I get tired of everybody telling these Poor new campers to buy brand new duallys just to tow a pop up tent trailer. I come for information from people's personal experiences not just opinions. The grammar police, weight police and "use the search" police get really old.
I feel sometimes that the older crowd here has a tendency to chase off and / or discourage the younger people with their strange, over the top, over thinking and over calculating approaches.
And BTW I don't think in any way, shape or form camping popularity is dying.

[4X4Dodger]

There is an Elephant in the room...is anybody going to point it out regarding why minorities are under represented as Rv'ers/campers?

For my part I would like to see more folks of all backgrounds, more folks with better dispositions, fewer Grumps, fewer political/ideological/religious hotheads and a few more guys who can actually back up their trailers or MH's without everyone having to run for their car keys to protect the TV's

[spud1957]

Here is a new one, getting ready to head to a RV Park near Disneyland.

All kidding and smart remarks aside, nice setup. Enjoy your trip to Disney. Hope you have children/grandchildren to take and enjoy the park with.

S

[TrailerTravele1]

Nik wrote:
Have possibly Facebook groups taken the place?

What Facebook groups are active, worthwhile & informative? We're nearly newbies getting ready for some more extensive travel with a travel trailer.

[mockturtle]

I am currently in a state park in Oregon where there are black, white, Asian and Hispanic campers. Yes, mostly white but minorities are probably represented proportionally for this area.

[fj12ryder]

The thread seems to have segued into diversity in camping. There are people other than white RV'ing, we stopped at a campground that had an RV'ing group that was predominantly black, from Virginia I believe, traveling in large class A motorhomes. The majority of the people staying at the campground belonged to this group, and they said they got together periodically.

[rockhillmanor]

dave54 wrote:
The Forest Service, National Parks Service, BLM, et al have done the surveys ad nauseum. Yes, campers are overwhelmingly white. Ethnic minorities are underrepresented. As you get deeper into the backcountry and more remote campsites with fewer amenities people get whiter....The government has launched programs and initiatives to get more minorities participating in outdoor recreation, with little success.

No one is sure "why".

Much more reliable source than the Forest Service was OPRAH! :B:B

She got a letter from the ONLY Black CG forest ranger in Yosemite telling Oprah that he never sees black people camping and wondered if she knew "why".

Well......Oprah had to go and find out herself in a Pop Up with her sidekick Gayle.

"The two best friends are headed to Yosemite National Park in California to help out park ranger Shelton Johnson. Shelton wrote to Oprah because he's concerned by the low number of African-Americans who visit the national parks each year. Out of the 280 million tourists who come, just 1 percent are African-American."

"So Gayle and I, being African-American, hopped in our Chevy, packed up our camper and paid him a surprise visit," Oprah says.

I Don't particularly watch Oprah but watching THAT episode of her RV/traveling and setting up camp in that pop up was priceless. And even more gut splitting was watching her try and put up the bathroom surround in that little pop up!
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/oprah-and-gayles-camping-adventure-in-yosemite

And yes Oprah observed that there were no other black people camping.

And I was left wondering how her producers talked her into using a pop up instead of a TT. :?
http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/oprah-and-gayle-set-up-camp-video

[2oldman]

Now start quoting the picture.

[Cummins12V98]

hone eagle wrote:

spud1957 wrote:
I think people are getting tired of the same old rants and same old picture over and over and over........

HAHA I got it

Here is a new one, getting ready to head to a RV Park near Disneyland. :B

[4X4Dodger]

jetcare wrote:

jarata1 wrote:
There are a few people on this board that seem to only make wise cracks, wish they would just keep comments to themselves I think they know who they are

I really appreciate the Block Member feature. I only have 6 people on the list but they show up (as blocked) on many of the posts I read. They usually have nothing of value to add.

To Jarata: this place would be very dull indeed without the humour from those boys in the back row who point out with disdainful humour how absurd some things are. I rather like them.

And regarding blocking. I think it's counter productive and really unnecessary.

One Old Timer who is Canadian and haunts the Mexico Forum has called me at times a Racist, hateful and more, I simply replied that I was in no way a racist that the word he really meant was Nationalist (which I am not either). He never misses a chance to snap at me like some demented Chiuahua whenever he reads one of my posts or answers.

I find him almost amusing as I do the Wisecrackers but in a slightly different way.

Blocking just creates an echo chamber of your own ideas and opinions which I personally find problematic for clear thinking. One cannot take this personally.

[SolidAxleDurang]

My favorite type of thread...

Original post:
"I have a brand X 5er and am having trouble with my brand Y fridge running on gas....."

Most responses:
"ZOMG what truck do you have?? YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!!!"

"You should just use bags of ice"

^^^ That my friends is what I believe curtails posting. The "regular crowd" can not help but editorialize as opposed to just stick the the technical question at hand.

[junmy3]

I hardly ever get on here anymore. I got tired of trying to word a post so that I would not receive replies like use the search (I had), not specific enough (I explained the best I could) and so forth. I get come here every once in a while and still see a lot of it still going on.

Still I learned a lot here in my earlier days. You just have to overlook the bad.

[Duck]

Something else to consider is that most brands have a Owners Forum. You can get information on your model much easier. I belong to the Heartland Owners Forum and the members post a lot of good information. Lots of members also help.
Don

[Homer1]

This has been a very interesting thread, a lot great thinking. Personally I like the forums and actually really I like it the way it is. I am glad to see duplicity, it isn't generally done on purpose, some one has a question and they ask it. If I don't think I can contribute I let it slip on by. No skin off my nose. I get a little bent out of shape about all the new electronics and the many problems they have with them, but that is the new world. I just go out to the campfire and pop another silver bullet.