Tents at RV Sites

[Quattro15]

I'm thinking of bringing a tent with me to allow my 1 year old a place to crawl around outside and get out of the sun and bugs. This will also double as a spot for my 11 year old to camp out with her friends so as to not keep the rest of the family awake all night with their giggling and the like.

I was curious if you all have done this and if it is even allowed at campgrounds? I'd imagine some campgrounds would want me to also get a tent site for the tent?? That kind of defeats the purpose, but I'd understand if that was the rule.

What are your thoughts on the subject??

[NYCgrrl]

I like most NE state parks because the rules are quite clear: 1 RV per site, up to 3 tent structures and no more than 2 vehicles. This year we will put up a large sleeping tent, equal in size kitchen/L/R/ guest B/R screen room tent and possibly a play tent for the kiddos. Since the sites in the section we camp in are about......50X50 it all works.

[Tom_Diane]

Having hosted at a county park for 3 years, they had a rule of 1 rv and 1 tent was allowed.
But the tent or RV could only have under age 18 in the extra unit!
I know that sounds wrong and had some reason that they would not leave their kids in a tent by themselves without supervision!
What I would tell those people that if you crawl in that tent, I could care less because the ranger does not open tent to do bed checks!
The reason the rule reads like that is because some parties would come out in groups of 6 or 8 adult couples and take a site and spread 3 or 4 tents in one spot and paying for one unit! That many adults in that situation screams party and camping neighbors being bothered after quiet hours!
We did have a group arrive and it got drunk and loud and the ranger was called at 1 in the AM. He told them that he was not going to send them out on the roads in their condition! But he should ticket them all but the registered camper for after hours violation and public intox and have them hauled into the county drunk tank!
The argument they gave the Ranger was that the rule wasn't posted and he showed them on their registration tag the rule and it was on the kiosk. They also offered to pay the non electric rate because only one of them was using the electric, they were told that they would pay the electric rate and 3 tents had better be gone by the time the park opened later on and that if they did not pay on the way out that he would pursue it!
The same old rebuttal! "You need to put up a big F@#%ing sign"!
If there was a big ------- sign for every rule ,the park would be nothing but billboards!
I just think that its easy to find out about the rules before you pitch that extra tent! Why mess up a perfectly good weekend because a rule didn't fit your agenda and then the park in a no go for anther time!

[Jbrowland]

I love rules but I honestly didn't expect all the "stay off my lawn" comments given we are in the Family Camping forum. 😉 In this context, I suspect the OP's family will mostly not have an issue popping a tent next to their RV in a family camping setting.

[lgarcia]

I bring my 8x8 Coleman instant tent with me. I have only had small travel trailers - first a 14ft, and now an 18ft. I put the tent behind the trailer rear bumper. I usually take up less space with that combination than my neighbors big rigs.

[toedtoes]

garmp1 wrote:
We were told, in 2007 on a trip to Minnesota with another van camper couple that we could not occupy the same site with two "RV" units unless some one slept in a tent. We got two sites, no big deal to us, but a strange rule. We asked if we went to wally world and bought a tent and erected it on our site could we, the two couple in two vans, occupy the same site. The answer was "of course". I don't understand, nor pretend to know.
In MO State Parks the general rule is three roofs, not counting a kitchen fly/table canopy.

IMO, when you run into something like the above, it's because a camphost or employee has interpreted the rules to fit their own pre-determined opinion.

In all my time camping in NFS campgrounds, I have always been able to have my clipper and a friend's tiny chinook (the old dinky style) in one campsite as long as the pad could fit both vehicles. I was always able to have the chinook in my single campsite when I used the SUV & TT (only once I moved the SUV to an overflow parking area). However, at one campground, the camphost said it wasn't allowed and that you could only have one "sleeper" vehicle per campsite. Fortunately, we had already been there for two nights and had only one night left so he "let us get away with it". I have not been back to that campground as there are better ones nearby that don't interpret the "two vehicles" rules in that way.

[wannavolunteerF]

My son will not stay in the RV with me. He has the nerve to say I snore, so don't mind him sleeping outside. LOL..

Actually he just prefers his tent. He says he sleeps better than on the jackknife sofa. He has carried his tent and used in GA state parks, and SC state parks on the same site. That being said, I try to find sites that are not close together.

[garmp]

We were told, in 2007 on a trip to Minnesota with another van camper couple that we could not occupy the same site with two "RV" units unless some one slept in a tent. We got two sites, no big deal to us, but a strange rule. We asked if we went to wally world and bought a tent and erected it on our site could we, the two couple in two vans, occupy the same site. The answer was "of course". I don't understand, nor pretend to know.
In MO State Parks the general rule is three roofs, not counting a kitchen fly/table canopy.

[tatest]

The CoE campground I use allows one RV plus one tent or shelter, or two tents in each designated campsite; there is also a two vehicle maximum. In the tent camping areas, the rule is one tent per camping permit. We have similar rules in our state parks, but it varies. Some have separate tent camping areas, and some designated sites are RV only or tent only, and the tent has to go on the RV pad.

Many of the commercial campgrounds I've used do not allow mixing tent, cabin, and RV uses, these are separate areas of the campground. Most of the RV resorts I've been in do not permit tent camping, and not all allow erection of a screen room or shelter.

[westernrvparkow]

Ozlander wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
We do not allow tents, period, no exceptions ever. One reason is if you read these forums, a big complaint is sites are too close together. Putting a tent on your site is the equivalent to parking an rv between each site, cramming everyone even closer together. That is just one of many reasons we say NO.

Good to hear that your sites are too close together.
Another reason to avoid your unfriendly place.

If your definition of friendly is letting everyone do what ever they want, regardless of the impact on others, yes we are definitely unfriendly. It would be wonderful if everyone who thinks rules and policies are stupid would avoid us like the plague. That way we would never have to mention or enforce the rules we have in place, making my job a whole lot easier.

[lots2seeinmyrv]

Ozlander wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
We do not allow tents, period, no exceptions ever. One reason is if you read these forums, a big complaint is sites are too close together. Putting a tent on your site is the equivalent to parking an rv between each site, cramming everyone even closer together. That is just one of many reasons we say NO.

Good to hear that your sites are too close together.
Another reason to avoid your unfriendly place.

What I find "unfriendly" is people who think they do not have to obey the rules. Bring 4 or 5 dogs and lie...when the limit is 2. Bring 10 people, and their friends, when the limit is 6 people per site.

What I find "unfriendly" and irresponsible is if you have that many people and dogs...then why don't people rent two sites and put another RV on it. That would be the right thing to do.

What if everybody did this? There would be 30 people and 15 dogs on 3 sites.

No respect for others, the rules, or your neighbors.

[Ozlander]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
We do not allow tents, period, no exceptions ever. One reason is if you read these forums, a big complaint is sites are too close together. Putting a tent on your site is the equivalent to parking an rv between each site, cramming everyone even closer together. That is just one of many reasons we say NO.

Good to hear that your sites are too close together.
Another reason to avoid your unfriendly place.

[Quattro15]

I wouldn't want to impose on anyone else, that is not my agenda with bringing a tent. I do understand the issue of cramping in a tight RV Park. I'd have it with me, and if the sites are too close together or the Park I'm at says no, then the tent will stay in storage.

[lots2seeinmyrv]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
We do not allow tents, period, no exceptions ever. One reason is if you read these forums, a big complaint is sites are too close together. Putting a tent on your site is the equivalent to parking an rv between each site, cramming everyone even closer together. That is just one of many reasons we say NO.

X2

"This will also double as a spot for my 11 year old to camp out with her friends so as to not keep the rest of the family awake all night with their giggling and the like"

I am sure the RV next to you would not appreciate being kept awake all night listening to the giggling and like either with a tent right next to them. Sites too close together.

[Tvov]

Most of the campgrounds we've been to allow one tent in addition to the camper. Extra people over 6 usually costs extra, unless they are immediate family. One campground charged more for more than 2 people (that surprised me).

As kids get older is it really nice having them sleep out in a tent. As others have mentioned, some campsites simply don't have a lot of room - you should ask when making reservations, be ready to get an additional site if needed.