What Length Are They Really Referring To?

From Saturday's edition of RV travel newsletter:

Article about that.

I'm 47' long with my trailer and find the campsites typically measure the pad to determine length. I usually nose into a back-in spot so my trailer ramp faces outward making toy access easier. If all the long spots are gone, I can back the trailer into a 37' spot or some spots are double wide and I can fit in a 25' double wide site if I unhitch.

Based on the article in previous post and personal experience there really seems no consistant answers. If memory serves, and sometimes it does, Washington state gives driveway length and lets you do the math. I had a USFS camp host measure my 19 foot HTT as he was sure it was over 22 though it fit fine. Other places I bump trailer tires up to the wheel stop and drop the landing gear off the black top. Great question. No solid answers

The maximum length is the break-down length. What ever is the longest separated piece of RV. If a trailer or 5th wheel is within that maximum for the individual spot you are looking at, you'll be good to go.

I've sometimes have wondered about my truck-camper. You would think that it would be a no brainer; short compared to anything being towed out there. But I carry a small motorcycle on a front receiver hitch carrier and the steps into the camper come off the back end. Unless I unplug the the carrier, my truck-camper is over 28' long including the steps!!

However, I've never let that stop me from just taking any spot I can fit in without extending into the roadway.

Today with google earth, it's easy to look and see if your RV will fit. Chances are there's an RV in the photo and you can judge your RV compared to what's parked there in the photo.

I think it depends on the website or campground. If you can give examples, we can probably interpret or give our view.

When campgrounds ask how long my truck/camper is, I usually say 25 ft. Yes, it's a bit shorter, but that's pretty close. I've never had a problem fitting in any camping spot unless there are limbs in the way. Yeah, I still made it, but it was more work than it would have been otherwise.

This article is almost misleading too.... It could also mean that if your toyhauler is 34 feet long your going to scrap trees on the inside corners of the access road with your trailer.....ask me how I know.

Basically everyone does it differently..... Oregon state parks are pretty good about it....they measure each spots blacktop length and have pictures on the reservation system of each spot so its easy to know what your getting into.

BLM and Forest Service ones are usually the great unknown....the sites might be 75 feet long pull throughs but the access road might be very tight with tight turns from the 40s.....

For our truck camper only camping I always just look for 30 foot spots gives some nice room for the stairs to land on pavement as some sites the parking area end in a tree or shrubs.

Bottom line is there is no consistent standard around the country.

It is in fact the trailer. IF you can get the trailer on site. you can always park the TV somewhere else. The CG we have used on the Blue ridge Parkway. Have TV parking areas

When in doubt, call and ask the campground. As others stated, it varies between the following:
1. The length of the camper only
2. The combination length of all attached vehicles/trailers/extensions

It can be identified due to:
1. The length of the campsite pad;
2. The length and width of the campsite pad (no parking the toad next to the RV if it's a single 26ft pad);
3. The access roads getting into the campground;
4. The road/trees/rocks/etc., inside the campground;
5. An arbitrary limitation based on who knows what.

It's a lot of the reason I went small with no toad - if it fits 22ft, I can do it.

toedtoes wrote:
When in doubt, call and ask the campground.

Sometimes that's about all you can do - other than making a scouting visit yourself.

My 5er has a good 12' overhang from the tires to the rear, so for sites with concrete tire blocks, if they measure from the block to the road, I can add 12' - provided there isn't a bunch of vegetation back there.

And I agree about the access roads. CGs can make their sites bigger but not do anything about the roads or the overgrown trees alongside them. The Navajo Nat'l Monument in AZ is a nice campground, and free, with big sites, but the narrow road in was a nightmare. Put a lot of nasty scrapes on the side, and once you're in, there's no turning around.

Most of the campgrounds I stay at use boulders to define the end of the pad (and as tire blocks). Some of those boulders are sharp and can hit your underneath. I dented my gas tank from one (and split my intake hose). Now, I try not to overhang unless it's a cement or wood block of uniform height. Too much stuff to hit behind my back tires.