What size campground do you like?

[2010augusta]

What Makes a Good Campground for a Fulltimer?

I have been camping for a number of years now but just started fulltiming. I know many of the larger campgrounds have more activities such as game nights and potlucks, but these parks are also more expensive. Right now we are staying at a very small park (just 19 sites), most campers here are fulltiming/permanent. I like that the manager knows us by name and takes care of mail we have sent here and will fax paperwork every week for us. What are some of your thoughts on big and small campgrounds.

How many parks limit the length of stay? We travel in three month blocks and don't want to pack up and move about.

What makes one full hook up better than another?

 

[cjbearden]

We have learned that campgrounds which cater to seasonal crowds tend to have activities for the 'season' regardless of size; however, during off-season, the activities drop off extensively. As one manager said, why bother with planning activities when no one really wants to be in our park during the off-season. Websites for seasonal parks usually denote the dates of their in-season and the activities at that time. If in doubt, call and ask.

One of our upfront questions is to ask if the park does accept mail and packages as we tend to do a lot of online ordering. We usually only order when we are staying at a park for a month or know we will be visiting relatives and can have packages sent to them. We just email My Home Address in Emery, SD whenever we decide we want our mail. Usually takes 2-4 days to arrive (always sent priority flat rate). Took longer to get mail in Coastal Bend than other areas we have sayed.

We tend to stay in larger parks so don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[jmgratz]

There are several things which determine where we stay.
1. How long will we be staying there
2. What will be our arrival time
3. How far off of our travel route will it be
4. What type of facilities do they have
5. How secure is it
6. What is the ratings
7. What is the cost

If we know we will be arriving after dark (which we try to avoid at all costs) then we might stay at a KOA because we know the facility has to meet KOA standards. We prefer a pull through, 50 amp full hook-up with paved roads. A paved site is preferred but not mandatory. As a member of several membership camping organizations, (Thousand Trails, Coast to Coast, Western Horizons, RPI, ROD) we usually try to utilize one of those parks during our stay. Just for an overnight stay we look to Good Sam, Passport America or Camp Club USA parks. The activities are not a big issue with us as we normally don't participate too much in them. The condition of the park is the major issue. We would rather stay in a nice park with no activities than a dumpy park with many activities.

 

[rckc228]

Do the cheaper parks have decent hookups and adequate power supply. If your really don't care about the activities and you have decent utilities you are saving yourself allot of money.

 

[2010augusta]

We are in a unique position. With my DW being a travel nurse we we be staying in one park for 13 weeks then packing up and traveling a few days to get to a new job and repeat.

Are larger parks more or less likely to accept packages and mail than small parks? We have our regular mail sent to our parents' home which then forward it to us, but we also do some online ordering and have stuff sent to the campground.

If we almost exclusive stay at a park for three month periods are any of the discount clubs worth it for monthly rates? We also do not have a lot of say in the cities we go to. We are aiming to see specific regions of the country, but have to take contracts with hospitals where they have them. We can only start planning for the next job about a month in advance. Some of the areas we want to get to have very few campgrounds nearby, so we have to be able find a campground before we can accept a job.

I know these seem like basic questions, but I want our next assignment transition to go smoother. I have the Trailer Life Campground guide, but it seems to not cover a lot of campgrounds, so we have relied on google to find nearby campgrounds, but even that has errors. What are some other resources to plan/find good places to stay.

 

[Tom of Ypsi]

When choosing a park the first thing we do is look up Passport America to see what is in the area we want to go to. I then go to www.rvparkreviews.com to try and to find a review for that park. Size does not matter. We have found that the smaller parks are more personable but usually with less amenities, i.e. swimming pool, paved roads, cement patios etc.

 

[jmgratz]

The size of the park does not necessarily determine the quality of the facilities. We have found both large and small parks having good or bad facilities. We stayed in one park in Mitchell, SD that only had 25 sites and although the sites were gravel the water, electric and sewer were top notch.

As far as price vs length of stay. Many parks will give a discount for monthly or weekly discounts. Membership parks such as Coast to Coast, Western Horizons, and Thousand Trails limit the length of time you can stay depending on your level of you membership. The higher your level the longer you can stay. Most will have a 7 day 'out of park or out of system' time between uses. Our membership level allows us to stay 21 days for free then we can move to the next park and stay another 21 days for free. The 7 day out period only applies to the park we are currently in. Then depending on the park and space available you can sometime pay for the 7 day out time and not move at all. You really just have to shop around and see what fits you. Coast to Coast has a 120 mile rule where you cannot use another Coast to Coast park within 120 miles of your home park. But if your membership is Coast to Coast Deluxe the 120 mile rule does not apply.

 

[leftyf]

It's not so much the park as it is the people. You have to decide which is most important to you. I'm not a big joiner. I'm not interested in activities..and could give a hoot if they have a pool. I just want a decent, level spot. A clear shot at the southern sky and neighbors smart enough to leave me alone.

A camp store is nice. But, it is not a necessity. They cost too much...but, they do keep you from having to make a trip to town.

I've stayed in 500 space destination parks as well as the Mom & Pops. I like the smaller parks. You can make some good friends there. Many have been in the area a long time. They can tell you where all the cool stuff is at!

This is a list and review of parks I've stayed at over the years. Some are big destination parks. Some are places that USED to be destination parks, and because of the economy or neglect, or owner greed, aren't anymore. Some are little parks trying to be a decent sized family owned place. One is just an old park that the owner is s-l-o-w-l-y rebuilding. If you get to Lithopolis tell George that Lefty sent you. I'll be back next year.

Most are good. Some are ok. One or two are bad. One is a great park that I would drive 100 miles to the next rest area to keep from spending any money there. Two had a direct impact on and had a lot to do with my current physical condition. This is directly from my web page.

Lefty Approved Campgrounds

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I have stayed at these parks and can personally vouch for them.


RV Parks I have Known...​

 

[imchud]

It's not so much the park as it is the people. You have to decide which is most important to you. I'm not a big joiner. I'm not interested in activities..and could give a hoot if they have a pool. I just want a decent, level spot. A clear shot at the southern sky and neighbors smart enough to leave me alone.

A camp store is nice. But, it is not a necessity. They cost too much...but, they do keep you from having to make a trip to town.

I've stayed in 500 space destination parks as well as the Mom & Pops. I like the smaller parks. You can make some good friends there. Many have been in the area a long time. They can tell you where all the cool stuff is at!

This is a list and review of parks I've stayed at over the years. Some are big destination parks. Some are places that USED to be destination parks, and because of the economy or neglect, or owner greed, aren't anymore. Some are little parks trying to be a decent sized family owned place. One is just an old park that the owner is s-l-o-w-l-y rebuilding. If you get to Lithopolis tell George that Lefty sent you. I'll be back next year.

Most are good. Some are ok. One or two are bad. One is a great park that I would drive 100 miles to the next rest area to keep from spending any money there. Two had a direct impact on and had a lot to do with my current physical condition. This is directly from my web page.

Lefty Approved Campgrounds​

I have stayed at these parks and can personally vouch for them.​

RV Parks I have Known...​

Lefty,
A quick question? My wife and I have talked about full timing for some time now... Although we are not retired yet i was just woundering if you have a limited funds after you retire can you make it as a work camper? I have been reading on some forms and they talk about paying for the sites? if your working at a park don't you get the sites for free? Or is it worth doing the work camping thing???

Thomas