Camping protocol

[Yosemite_Sam1]

I was told by a neighbor camper to shut off my generator because their baby is sleeping.

It was early afternoon with the heat and I need my a/c. Quiet time for the campsite is 10 pm to 7am.

I relented because we are going somewhere anyways? But will I be considered thoughtless if I did not? I only started bringing my kids into tent camping after age 5.

[Yosemite_Sam1]

SidecarFlip wrote:

2oldman wrote:
What kind of generator?

I was going to ask but you beat me to it...

If it was a open frame noise maker I'd ask to shut it off too. and if it continued I'd wait for dark and trundle over there and pour in a cup full of pop in the gas tank. But never having camped in a campground with other campers, it was never an issue for us even though we run a quiet inverter unit.

Of course we don't have ac in the RV or at home. Never needed it.

I have a Champion dual fuel and set on propane and with noise dampening enclosure. And I did measure dB level for each set up before I even set camping. Read campground rules too.

And yes, you'll be going back with all your front teeth knocked out and maybe some broken bones should I see you attempting that on my generator or camper. And that camping ethics says you have to tell the host if your camping neighbor has violation in camping rules?

But let me guess...

[SidecarFlip]

2oldman wrote:
What kind of generator?

I was going to ask but you beat me to it...

If it was a open frame noise maker I'd ask to shut it off too. and if it continued I'd wait for dark and trundle over there and pour in a cup full of pop in the gas tank. But never having camped in a campground with other campers, it was never an issue for us even though we run a quiet inverter unit.

Of course we don't have ac in the RV or at home. Never needed it.

[RobWNY]

Did the campground you were staying at have specific hours for generator use? All of the ones I've stayed at have morning hours and evening hours listed. I was just at a State Campground in NY where the hours were the most generous I've encountered (9am-11am and 5pm-9pm). Most campgrounds I've been at allow for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

[toedtoes]

Not every baby sleeps through everything. If the folks were polite about approaching you, I would have turned it off for a few hours - just so I wasn't listening to a cranky baby all evening. If they were rude in their approach, I would voice displeasure with their tone but agree to turn it off for an hour.

Is an hour or two with the AC turned off while you are gone really worth getting upset over? For me, it wouldn't be. I'd rather have a rested and happy baby in the site next to me than run my generator non stop during the day.

[jplante4]

My response would have been "I will do it because we are leaving anyway, but when we come back, the air is going back on. We are old and can't take the heat."

[spoon059]

Being TOLD to turn it off? I probably wouldn't have acknowledged the guy. Respectfully being asked to turn it off? I would have weighed the pros and cons. Why did I have it on in the first place? Was it on to give my camper AC so my kids could sleep? Was it on just cause I could?
If I was planning on leaving anyways, I would have been turning it off anyways.

Generally I try not to be a jerk. My dad taught me to be aware of people around me and not act as if I'm the only person in the world. I prefer camping with electricity, so I camp at places that offer electricity. In 13 years of camping, haven't needed a generator yet...

[2oldman]

What kind of generator?

[goducks10]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Babies will sleep through anything. Your neighbor was the one annoyed at your generator running.

I'll bet if he had a generator, he wouldn't have hesitated to run it if YOU were trying to take a nap early in the afternoon.

I don't know, that's a tough one to call.

Bingo

[DutchmenSport]

Babies will sleep through anything. Your neighbor was the one annoyed at your generator running.

I'll bet if he had a generator, he wouldn't have hesitated to run it if YOU were trying to take a nap early in the afternoon.

I don't know, that's a tough one to call.

[troubledwaters]

Well at NP I believe the limit is 68 dB at 20-feet±. If you were below whatever the noise limit is for that park (or they have no noise limit) you are within your rights to run it. Someone can ask, you can decide. If it's obnoxious you will make some enemies, whether they get over it or not, who's to say. If it's over the parks noise limits, you're SOL and subject to being thrown out.

[ndrorder]

If asked, I'd turn mine off for an hour to let the kid sleep. Depending on the parents attitude would control how much I griped about it. If they are tent camping in the RV section, I'd gripe a lot but still give the kid a break.

Kids don't get to pick their parents.