Why so close? (CG site assignments)

[Belgique]

It keeps happening: a near empty CG but when you get your site, you're cheek and jowl. Where we are now...a great CG: there are really only 3 rigs and the CG has MANY sites open...all in a row. Yet all 3 of us are next to each other..as in awnings almost touching. Luckily, the neighbors are all great, but it is puzzling since they could have spaced us 2 or even 5 sites separated. Yeah, I could have complained and demanded to be moved but I'm a nice guy and we were already committed..sort of..and will only be here 2 nights. I know that a critic will launch on that.

Not just here...seems to happen a lot...at least to us. Maybe CG owners will read this. And, before someone asks, I mentioned it on rvparkreviews.com.

[Belgique]

OP Back: I'm guessing it is the computer doing the deed since the nice lady depended on it for a lot. Its not a big deal and I know they would have moved me if I had asked. I was only there for 2 nights so it didn't matter. I'll just have to remember to ask for space in between in the future.

[bfast54]

Unfortunately I believe it is the herding mentality

a few years ago I was at a campground early early spring--- State Park I was the only rig in the entire park,..... maybe 130 sites in the State Park I left for the day and when I got back at night there was another camper.... they were parked right across from me and they had dogs

The rest of the entire campground was empty ,empty, empty ,---this was a state park you could pick your own site--- what the heck??????

[3oaks]

Sandia Man, I agree whole heatedly with you and do exactly the same.

We like the way the public campgrounds are managed and don't place rigs close together.We get to choose among all the available site that will accommodate our rig. And we also avoid commercial campgrounds because of higher costs and their management practices of clumping rigs close together when other sites are available.

[2oldman]

I thought this was about the CG management placing rigs close together.

[Sandia_Man]

I hear you and have seen it on several occasions. Never have seen it in a state park or most Fed or COE parks in our neck of the woods. If the space you want is available they give it to you unless that area of park is closed for some reason.

Just one of the many reasons we avoid private parks if at all possible. It's rare we reserve ahead at a private park, never if it is slow time of year. We just drive up and look over facility and open sites, most have no problem accommodating your request, those that don't watch us move down the road.

[tpi]

I've had it happen-Skinner Lake in the heat of the summer with just a handful of campers. Many clumped together with other areas nearly vacant-and the sites are tight. I'm sure they would have given me a different spot if I went back to office. I probably could have inquired about it at check in-and in the future I will. There's probably a couple reasons for it-some people like it, it may be clerically easier, and it may make maintenance easier. I prefer to be away from the crowd-at least by a few sites if they're available.

[muelldawg]

Belgique wrote:
It keeps happening: a near empty CG but when you get your site, you're cheek and jowl. Where we are now...a great CG: there are really only 3 rigs and the CG has MANY sites open...all in a row. Yet all 3 of us are next to each other..as in awnings almost touching. Luckily, the neighbors are all great, but it is puzzling since they could have spaced us 2 or even 5 sites separated. Yeah, I could have complained and demanded to be moved but I'm a nice guy and we were already committed..sort of..and will only be here 2 nights. I know that a critic will launch on that.

Not just here...seems to happen a lot...at least to us. Maybe CG owners will read this. And, before someone asks, I mentioned it on rvparkreviews.com.

I expect you were at the Meadows RV Park in Ketchum, ID.
That is the way they operate. We asked why.... and were advised that the large rig pulling in next to us would spoil grass if they were elsewhere. Our rig is 16 feet; theirs was 36 feet. We no longer go to that park

[noplace2]

We workamped in a park where one of the office staff was notorious for filling one site after another, in order. After a couple of complaints in succession the owners asked her to start spacing people out. Her reasoning for doing it her original way was, "Well I just think people like to be close together in these places".

[falconman]

I think the office staff just doesn't see it as a problem and they fill up spaces grouped together. It also amazes me that staff doesn't seem to know about the campsite space lengths. Many times we have been assured our rig will fit only to find that the toad sticks out in the street. The next row is plenty long enough. It's seems easier to do a drive around and check out the space they've given you before pulling in and setting up. They usually don't have a problem changing a site for you.

[Homer1]

I have experienced this same thing many times. I never asked, but I will bet it has a lot to do with maintenance of the other sites. Most guys that mow do not like to mow around campers, too much chance of hitting something or an object being thrown out of the mower causing damage. So bunching is expedient for the C/G management. I have see this same thing in State Parks.

[westernrvparkow]

There can be many reasons. Lazy, don't care, not thinking etc. are the ones that come to mind as a traveler. As a park owner, it might be they need to keep a certain amount of people on a sewer line to keep the flow adequate to prevent problems. They may be working on a group of sites either upgrading equipment, grading pads, doing a landscape project etc. Those vacant sites might be seasonal sites, owned or reserved by people who are not yet there. There could be a number of people due in over the weekend and they don't want to take a chance that they have to tell you to move if you choose to extend. The sites being used might be the easiest for short term stays to get in and out. They might be considered the better sites because of views or location in regards to the facilities. If they put you in a site out in the "back 40" you might just as likely be complaining about that. It's pretty hard to read every customer's mind.
Then there is the fact that if they spaced everyone out, sooner or later they are going to have to put people in those spaces between you and the next rig and you are probably going to be upset that of all the sites available, they packed that guy next to you instead of next to someone else.

[jfkmk]

spoon059 wrote:

I see the same thing on the road... some drivers just like to clump together. You can drive down the highway and not see a car for 3 miles, then you come up on a rolling roadblock of ignorance of 30 cars just packed together, blocking all the lanes, all doing the same exact speed.

I thought this was only a Pennsylvania phenomenon!:)

[jplante4]

You could always reserve 2 or 3 campsites... :B

[spoon059]

dodge guy wrote:
It's been proven that when few people are around, they tend to "group" together. It's a natural reaction.

amandasgramma wrote:
I call them "apartment dwellers".....they're so used to having people close by they are afraid to spread out......:( sad, isn't it.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
'Herding'

I see the same thing on the road... some drivers just like to clump together. You can drive down the highway and not see a car for 3 miles, then you come up on a rolling roadblock of ignorance of 30 cars just packed together, blocking all the lanes, all doing the same exact speed.

I suppose its human nature if you shut off common sense. I prefer to have a little space around me at all times. Others obviously prefer to clump.