Truthfully, Is RV'in becoming less enjoyable

[nonrev321]

Need truthful opinions based on experience.

My wife and I have been investigating traveling after I retire in two years. We were about ready to pull the trigger on a travel trailer than my wife got talking to some folks in her church who travel a lot with a travel trailer.

Seems they are not as happy with the experience as they used to be. Too hard to find nice places to stay, RV parts are too crowded. You have to make reservations 6 months in advance for the nice places in good locations. The ability to just pick up and go and/ or stop anyplace and stay awhile is becoming increasingly difficult due to the demand for spaces.

Truthfully this kind of freedom was one of the major attractions for myself and my wife. We recognized that some parks would likely be crowded and there would be some need to make reservations in advance... but 6 months ? Also a RV park that is packed to the gills really isn’t too appealing to me, especially if there is nothing like a line of shrubs or other divider to keep me from looking into my neighbors window.

Can people comment? Is it becoming less enjoyable due to
overcrowding?

Thanks
nonrev

[rockhillmanor]

....my wife got talking to some folks in her church who travel a lot with a travel trailer. Seems they are not as happy with the experience as they used to be. Too hard to find nice places to stay, RV parts are too crowded.

You have to make reservations 6 months in advance.

This is SO NOT TRUE! Those church people were fibbing to your wife! :C

I went from Snowbirding to full time and I have NEVER made a reservation and always find a CG to spend the night or stay for a month or two. What ever moved me at the time.

While traveling you can pull into just about any CG, even in the middle of the night after they have closed! And find open sites. They leave a map on the office door where you can park and pay them in the morning.

All CG's keep a row of sites open for the traveling RV'ers.

I Snowbirded to Florida 4 times and NEVER made a reservation for the winter months at any of the CG's I stayed at. AND they were not sardine parking CG's either. Florida has a plethora of 'regular', nice, quiet with big pull thru site CG's.

If you are 'only' looking at the "well advertised snowbird CG's" where they ARE packed in like sardines? Yes they are crowded usually nothing more than an open field and rows of RV's a foot apart and noisy. Some people like that or they wouldn't be filled up! :W

But for every so called 'snowbird park' there are 20 or 30 other CG's in the 'same' area that are no where's even closed to that crowed insanity.

All you do is find a nice area you want to stay in and google the CG's within that town. You will be mildly shocked how many there are.

Stay a week, a month or move on and find another one to stay at in a town that offers something different. That is what I do.

[ppine]

Travel during the week when possible. I avoid campgrounds and RV parks in the summer and mostly boondock camp. I really like spring and fall the best especially midweek. I would much rather camp in a National Forest than a National Park.

[3ares]

One thing to keep in mind is the length of the trailer. Check out places you may want to visit and see if there are length restrictions.

Happy Camping

[covered_wagon]

It's really cool to get so far off the beaten path up in the national forest that you are really, really away.

Its a neat feeling to be compassed by such beauty and on your own with the rv and all preparations perform so beautifully. Scary at times but most wonderful when you feel you can reach out and touch the stars and really get fully charged and excited again.

[3ares]

We have been camping / RVing for 48 years. From tent trailers, slide ins, travel trailers and fifth wheels. We have travel from coast to coast , the Florida Keys to Alaska and have enjoyed our travels with great memories. We are still looking forward to next seasons travels. Both my wife and I are not looking forward to giving up our travels until we want too. Different strokes for different folk.

[georgelesley]

nonrev321 wrote:
Lots of good advise. Really appreciate it. Giving the Arctic Fox a second look vs the Grand Design as I suspect being able to Dry Camp and boon dock will be more beneficial, and fun, than I originally was considering.

So far, for me anyway, the take away is four main points.
1. Being willing/able to dry camp and boon dock opens up a lot more options
2. Chose your travel time for off-peak
3. Look to have fun
4. S*^t happens sometimes so don't be surprised

Thanks everyone

I think you nailed it. Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

jplante4 wrote:
And with all the agonizing in this thread about too many RVs and not enough camping spots, this is the line from Phil's post I took away.

We've made two multiple thousand mile camping tours of the U.S. using very few, if any, reservations.

Certainly almost no one gets into camping with the idea that they'll stay every night in a "resort" with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and pickle ball courts with a gate around to keep out the riff-raff for $100 a night.

Maybe not in a resort as you describe. But I suspect many expect to stay every night at nice RV Parks with full hookups, laundry facilities, and convenient to local sights.

Again, it's really about understanding what YOU want out of the experience and searching for advice/recommendations from those who share those expectations.

If you want/need full hookups every night, then pnichols' list isn't going to be helpful. In addition, his experiences will not have value for what you experience. Nothing wrong with either person's expectations or experiences, just different.

[nonrev321]

Lots of good advise. Really appreciate it. Giving the Arctic Fox a second look vs the Grand Design as I suspect being able to Dry Camp and boon dock will be more beneficial, and fun, than I originally was considering.

So far, for me anyway, the take away is four main points.
1. Being willing/able to dry camp and boon dock opens up a lot more options
2. Chose your travel time for off-peak
3. Look to have fun
4. S*^t happens sometimes so don't be surprised

Thanks everyone

[RinconVTR]

If you travel during during late May, June, July and August you better have reservations or plan on a few stressful and long nights looking for a place to stay.

Outside of this time, you're far more likely to free roam unless you head far south and run campgrounds packed with Snow Birds.

Pick your travel time carefully if you don't like making reservations.

[jplante4]

And with all the agonizing in this thread about too many RVs and not enough camping spots, this is the line from Phil's post I took away.

We've made two multiple thousand mile camping tours of the U.S. using very few, if any, reservations.

Certainly almost no one gets into camping with the idea that they'll stay every night in a "resort" with indoor and outdoor pools, tennis and pickle ball courts with a gate around to keep out the riff-raff for $100 a night.

[toedtoes]

This is why I think it's important to understand what your own definition of "camping" is and to search out like minded people for advice and opinions rather than just random people. What one person considers fun, another considers not fun.

[Lantley]

SoundGuy wrote:

jplante4 wrote:
Phil - some of the best advise I've seen on this forum. Thanx.

Sorry but I disagree - only #4, #7, #11, #15 are what I'd refer to as "camping", the rest are just conveniences or in some cases being just too cheap to pay for a campsite. We've been offered #14, have never done it, and would only accept as a matter of courtesy because we'd been invited, the spot offered was in their yard & not on the road, and our hosts were insisting. Some may disagree but we go camping to "camp", not sit in a parking lot or field somewhere just to save a few $$. :R

I more or less agree with Sound Guy. Stealth camping maybe OK at times.
But staying at a Walk Mart or any retailer for more than an over night
amounts to overstaying your welcome in my book. THere is a difference between camping and over nighting

[SoundGuy]

jplante4 wrote:
Phil - some of the best advise I've seen on this forum. Thanx.

Sorry but I disagree - only #4, #7, #11, #15 are what I'd refer to as "camping", the rest are just conveniences or in some cases being just too cheap to pay for a campsite. We've been offered #14, have never done it, and would only accept as a matter of courtesy because we'd been invited, the spot offered was in their yard & not on the road, and our hosts were insisting. Some may disagree but we go camping to "camp", not sit in a parking lot or field somewhere just to save a few $$. :R

[jplante4]

Phil - some of the best advise I've seen on this forum. Thanx.

[pnichols]

A lot of what's shaping the attitudes for or against continuing to RV by RV owners may have to do with what type of "camping spots" they have stayed in up to that point.

As many before have stated, it helps to have an RV that does not need hookups for a few days. With that in mind, here are some unusual places we have camped without hookups in our small self-contained Class C, without reservations (but with permission when and where appropriate):

1. A church parking lot.

2. A Port of Entry parking lot.

3. In the horse camping area of a state campgrounds.

4. Down a back road to a sandy beach down along the Salmon River.

5. On a farm out next to the barn.

6. In a pasture on a ranch.

7. On a spectacular California beach during the week.

8. In the parking lot of a company where we bought one of their products.

9. Walmart parking lots.

10. Cabelas parking lots.

11. In a nearly empty campground on an Native American reservation.

12. Behind a motel in their parking lot.

13. In a field parking area for an outside bluegrass concert after the concert.

14. Along the curb in front of a friend's house.

15. Several public land camping areas all over the U.S., including both coasts, the Death Valley boondocks, and various deserts.

16. In the parking lot of a boarding house for volunteers during a week of work in a disadvantaged area of Kentucky.

We've made two multiple thousand mile camping tours of the U.S. using very few, if any, reservations.

Camp where other folks won't, or can't, or don't know about. Many of these places are always available, restful, quiet, and serene ... but they are non-hookup places.