What kind of camper are you?

[Searching_Ut]

Do you go to the same campgrounds most of the time, or do you try someplace new as much as possible?

Myself, living in a fantastic area for camping, and with both of us having jobs where we get 3 day weekends most weeks we try and hit a different campground every trip. They claim there are approximately 7000 developed campgrounds in the state. If you rule out tent only, boat access only, too small for our TT, no dogs allowed, or commercial RV parks in cities which we rarely utilize you still end up with well over 1000 campgrounds that are probably worth a visit. How are we ever going to hit them all, even if we stay within the state, which of course we don't.

It would be interesting to see how others like to camp. Do you like to explore, or do you prefer the comfort of what you know? Do you like the RV park sort of setup, or do you prefer boondocking/forest service sorts of areas where you get away from it all?

To start it out, we much prefer scenic areas, avoiding crowds as much as possible. As mentioned, we try to go someplace different every time out. The areas we seek out rarely have hookups, and are often in campgrounds with less than a dozen other campers, more often than not scattered around for privacy. This is what we love, but find that when heading out with our camping friends, most of them seem to seek the RV park, built up sorts of areas so we hit those sorts of places about a 3rd of the time.

What are your preferences?

[sele]

We are probably middle of the road more, we enjoy antique shopping so we shop during the day. Not at F'ver much during the day, but the fun part late breakfast of to shop then back grill out, and a campfire with smores. We camp at about 15 to 20 different campgrounds and it takes a couple of years tomake the circuit, plus throw in the different trips along the way this year door county for a week next year the black hills in SD.

[bukhrn]

bmupton wrote:
We have had a seasonal spot at a provincial park only 20 minutes from home for the last two years. If I were to not get a seasonal site, I would seriously consider leasing long term in a private campground. I'm not a huge fan of pulling my trailer around, especially since my old van really isn't up to the task.

To me, it doesn't matter where we are, as long as we've got a fire pit, cold beer and nature around.

Pros:
1.) You arrive and everything is all set up since it's seasonal
2.) Revolving door of neighbors - meet new people all the time
3.) In the current case, it's close enough I can commute from there to work

Cons:
1.) Revolving door of neighbors - sometimes the new people turn out to really SUCK
2.) having the seasonal makes me feel obligated to be there and my yard gets neglected at home
3.) It's quite expensive for a summer, and there's no guarantee on decent weather
4.) You're stuck at the same place all the time, I do that at home.

I think a bit later in life I'd like to tour the country in a motorhome or something, but for now with the wife and three kids, I'm happy to plop the trailer in a spot for the summer and use it whenever we feel like.

[EcoBullet]

bsinmich wrote:
I don't think we would be considered campers either. We don't go to sit around a campfire, except for once a yar with family. We use the MH as our hotel when we are going to see things. We are hardly ever at the MH during daylight hours because we are out seeing something someplace. When we have covered an area we move on.

Same here, except we use a TT. If I weren't very near retirement, I would just stay in hotels. But, I hope to be on the road at least 3 months out of the year - NEXT YEAR! I can't wait!

[Dtaylor]

For the most part, we try newer places. The times we do repeats are when we are traveling with groups. A lot depends on how long we will be in a place. If it is more than 3-4 days, I prefer to stay someplace with sewer hookup. SC has a lot of state parks and for the most part are all very nice and offer a little privacy. There are some places we go that the campground is our destination and we never leave it. Others, it is a place to stay when we are out doing the tourist thing

[Jim_Shoe]

I'm not a camper. I'm a visitor, and I prefer to visit in my RV so I can have my "stuff" with me. And I choose FHU parks with pull thru sites including cable and WIFI. At a destination, I unhook the toad, hook up the utilities, and see the sights during the day and relax at night. If there's a picnic table at the site, I'm out there in the morning with my coffee, reading the morning paper if its available and enjoying the quiet, or trading travel experiences if somebody stops by. I spend my days seeing what I came to see, fix something to eat when I'm hungry and go to bed when I'm tired. I've never been in a pool if they have one, or a dog walk because I don't have one. That's paradise for me.

[DesertHawk]

We have done both....close to home & off to explore. Being both Educators, we've had 2 1/2 months in summers to do both.

Explored a lot, then for a few years went to a lake state park about 80 miles away while we had a boat. Then back to exploring.

Prefer public sites to private parks. Never done a whole lot of tent camping, but have done some & still have a tent.

Have always like the Travel part of Travel Trailers, even when we were doing traveling in a Class C.

Enjoy being in more of a Nature setting than in a RV Resort setting.

Strange, but we having done as much 'Camping' of any kind now that we have retired. Still wanting to do more in the near future. Not due to health or financial reason, just not as great of an urge to do so as when being confined to a classroom for so many hours, day after day. Ha!

Having one son & his family in Alaska means we twice to see them (2010 & 2011, missed last year). But did get to camp with them in 2011. Hope to again this summer.

Also we have been getting to go on road & camping trips with our AZ grandson & his mom/dad.

[pitch]

When we were working and kids were in school we repeated state parks because of the time limitations. We were also campers at that point.
Now being retired we go and stay as we please,more Hybrid Camper/rvers.

[sdianel_-acct_c]

We try to find new places.

[D___M]

fj12ryder wrote:
We're not campers, we're RV'ers. I gave up camping when I got rid of the tent.

Amen to that, Brother 🙂

[Francesca_Knowl]

I'm a hardsidedtent camper. The only difference between the old days and now is that my tent follows me to camp all set up and ready to go.

I still go out in the undeveloped boonies and stay there 'til the food runs out- or I GET run out. Those Rangers are mighty particular about length-of stay rules...thank heavens. It's nice to know they're out there, paying attention to who's around!

[dahkota]

We have stayed in almost every state and forest campground in MD and about 1/2 the state parks in Virginia. Those are our weekend trips. We have also driven our rig to Maine, Florida, Montana, and Utah, hitting bunches of states in between. In six months, we will be hitting the road fulltime as what we are doing now just isn't enough. We are explorers and prefer to get as far away from the day to day as possible. We have only stayed at one non-public campground (they called it a resort) and probably will not do it again unless we have no choice.

[Padlin]

Both, when getting away to the local beach we stay at the same State Park, not that many to pick from. Other then that we're travelers as opposed to campers so we stay at many and have yet to hit the same one twice in 7 years and about 20 weeks.

We much prefer non private CG's, hookups don't matter one way or the other unless it's going to be freezing or hot. I look for electric if it's available on those occasions, but still avoid private.

[bikendan]

we prefer state/national parks that provide a more "natural" setting.
we also prefer to stay at new places, over going to the places that we've already been to. our HTT allows us to go explore new areas of the country that we've never seen or been to.
if we were the types that would only go over and over, to the same place, we wouldn't have bought a RV.

we rarely stay at private campgrounds/RV parks, maybe once a year.

[FunnyCamper]

Preferences are usually the same campgrounds for our beach vacations and same sites if I can get them. direct ocean front. love those and we hit them every summer. 10 days each trip at 3 different beach cgs. this won't change til kiddo gets out of school.

rest is whatever. weekend in the mountains. long weekend near an amusement park or some other kid adventure.

prefer state parks while camping. like the more quiet atmosphere and lower prices 🙂


we camp whenever we can. nothing much stops us. we do like variety so we try to hit other cgs much as we can but there are some favorite cgs that I won't give up at all.

[bmupton]

We have had a seasonal spot at a provincial park only 20 minutes from home for the last two years. If I were to not get a seasonal site, I would seriously consider leasing long term in a private campground. I'm not a huge fan of pulling my trailer around, especially since my old van really isn't up to the task.

To me, it doesn't matter where we are, as long as we've got a fire pit, cold beer and nature around.

Pros:
1.) You arrive and everything is all set up since it's seasonal
2.) Revolving door of neighbors - meet new people all the time
3.) In the current case, it's close enough I can commute from there to work

Cons:
1.) Revolving door of neighbors - sometimes the new people turn out to really SUCK
2.) having the seasonal makes me feel obligated to be there and my yard gets neglected at home
3.) It's quite expensive for a summer, and there's no guarantee on decent weather

I think a bit later in life I'd like to tour the country in a motorhome or something, but for now with the wife and three kids, I'm happy to plop the trailer in a spot for the summer and use it whenever we feel like.