RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs. Has that changed campgrounds? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks?
Campgrounds are changing and evolving, some for the better and some for the worse. RVtravel.com readers discuss their experiences and offer tips to help other campers find that perfect spot.
Here are a few observations from our readers. These do not necessarily represent the views of RVtravel.com.
Thank you!
Thanks to all you wonderful readers who wrote in after I started up Campground Crowding again! (Read last week’s “we’re back!” edition here.) I received a number of emails about campground etiquette or, rather, the lack of campground etiquette. Let’s have another go-round at airing folks’ grievances about campground etiquette. About 90 percent of those comments were about dogs, and a couple were about protecting their dogs.
Now carries a taser
Debbie J. wrote about enforcing the rules. “I do not want dogs banned from camping, but rules should be enforced. If your dog is off-leash, you’re out of there!
“Just camped at a Forest Service campground. A guy had a huge, huge dog running loose, and, of course, its poo was not picked up. Our campsite had our dog on a leash, and we always pick up poo and other garbage. The classic rule breaker always has the macho dog breeds, it seems.
“I carry a taser now. Yes, my dog got attacked, and the pepper spray was not going to work in the situation because of the wind.”
Carries mace
Vicki F. protects her dog, too. “I started carrying mace after my dog got attacked by a loose dog. The vet bill was crazy!”
The good and the bad
Deborah E. mentions both the good and bad. “Good points to RVing with dogs: You meet new people and make new friends. This is with both temporary and seasonal campers.
Bad points: Dog owners are oblivious to their ever-yapping dogs; owners are not picking up their poop.
“At least quiet hours are respected where we’re at/where we go (Massachusetts).”
Reason they camp? Their dogs!
Dawn W. says they bring their dogs camping. “We camp with our dogs, and that is part of why we camp. So they can vacation with us.
“I always pick up after our dogs. I know people don’t always, but that goes back to etiquette.”
Too many dogs off-leash
Kathy K. echoed the feelings of many when she wrote. “Too many dogs are off-leash! They should always be on a leash. I have a dog who is always on leash when out of my RV.”
A few spoil it for many
Joanne B. (among others) mentions that a few spoil it for many. “We have been camping for many years. Most pet owners are good neighbors, but a few can spoil it for many. I feel that people in society today just are not very considerate or polite. A sign of the times, I guess. It is very sad. We still love to travel and camp, though!”
Less and less fun
Jennifer H. dislikes RVers leaving lights on all night, mentioning that it is becoming less fun. She shares, “Missouri state parks will only let you stay at a site for 15 calendar days in any park. I believe it’s to dissuade homeless people.
“My pet peeve is when people leave lights on all night and cause light pollution where it’s supposed to be dark. It seems to be becoming less and less fun and more and more hassle to find and secure a spot.”
Next week’s topic: Is it less and less fun?
I was thinking close to the same thing as Jennifer wrote above, as we moved RV spots in the same park for the fourth time in less than a week. We are now perched precariously on an incline with our jacks fully extended, boards under the jacks, and yet we are still not level. I cannot readily admit to how precarious, but can only say we are long-time RVers and know better…
As I climbed a stepstool to get to the RV steps, I thought, “I am not having fun anymore.” It is an awful thought! The love of my life, behind my husband and kids, of course, has been RVing!
How are you feeling about RVing?
So how do you feel? Has RVing gotten old, too expensive, too hard, or just not as much fun anymore? Please write in and, with enough comments, we’ll publish your thoughts next week.
Still looking for more emails from people who have or are considering a park model in an RV park.
Again, thanks for all the emails!
Now, some questions for you:
- Are you finding campgrounds booked up or is finding a site not a problem?
- What do you like best about RVing?
- What are your pet peeves?
- Are you seeing more permanent and seasonal RV parks?
- Are rising costs affecting your camping style?
- Do you have favorite campgrounds or RV parks?
- What is the most memorable experience you have had RVing?
- Do you have any tips or secrets you’d like to share?
Please use the form below to answer one or more of these questions, or tell us what you’ve experienced with campground crowding in general.
Read last week’s Crowded Campgrounds column: Campground Crowding is back! And we have etiquette to talk about!
RVT1222b
Right now we are on an extended vacation in the UK with our dogs but not our RV, and we miss it! It would be horrible driving the RV here, our little rental car is difficult enough. Dogs are everywhere here! Shops, pubs, stores, restaurants, etc. Mostly on leash and mostly well behaved. I believe that dogs who get practice traveling learn to behave. Maybe the difficult ones in campgrounds are the “weekend” dogs who don’t get out much and go crazy when they do. I see that at dog parks on the weekends, too. I’m in a cafe right now, having tea in a room full of dogs sitting quietly under the tables while their people chat and eat. I’m going to miss this at home!
This is all the result of the “Me generation” taking over and the “common decency” generation being pushed aside. Glad my parents are not around to see what “We” have allowed to happen.
The UK is lovely. Enjoy your stay.
I’ve spent years in Germany and it is the same with the dogs there: well behaved, quietly lying under restaurant tables, not reacting to noise. I believe Europeans socialize and train their dogs better than most Americans.
Yes, Nanci, the unlevel sites are an interesting challenge, once or twice. Then they just become a time-consuming burden to set up camp, especially if you have to travel out and re-do it when you return. And the real kicker is if the site is so narrow you take that last long step and your foot is half on asphalt, half on a sloping ravine.
After a while you realize thousands of people have spent hours and hours busting their knuckles and wasting their time, buying blocks and whatnot, even suffering falls to deal with these substandard sites. When the people who built the park could have paid a dozer operator a few more bucks to make the site level in the first place.
Thank you for the compilation, Nanci! Have a great weekend and safe travels!
I still find RV’ing fun but I think it’s because we boondock and energize from the independence and self reliance. We don’t stay more than 3 weeks in any given spot and as a rule, we also don’t stay anywhere less than three days.
Movement can generate logistics fatigue but parking can defeat the largest benefit (and joy) of RV’ing. Alternating between campgrounds, RV Parks and boondocking keeps things fresh for us. Ditto with changing geography. Views change emotions.
IMHO – There’s a difference between doing what’s easy, what’s necessary and what’s fun. If you participate too much in the first two, the fun suffers.
I am glad to see this column back. It is one of my favorite parts of the newsletter. Thank you so much Nanci for being willing to listen and post about campground related compliments and complaints. I hope that those who are not finding camping fun anymore can stop, take a deep breath and find their fun again.