When you go “camping” (or when you sit inside your multi-bathroom RV next to your fireplace and HD TV…) where do you most like to camp? Do you prefer a full-hookup RV park most? A state park? A Forest Service campground? Boondocking? Or do you prefer just pavement camping at a place like Walmart as you go from location to location?
Tell us in the poll below, and if you feel like being specific and sharing, please leave a comment!
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It really depends on the time of year, and the location and purpose of our trip. There are times I want everything, especially air conditioning, and times I want totally remote. There are times we use our RV as a rolling hotel room and times it is a hard-sided tent on wheels.
Most of the time, I want just water and electric. With my class c, I don’t think its much of a chore to dump every two or three days. I do prefer a site on the inside of the curve, and near the bathrooms.
We enjoy Boondockers Welcome, Harvest Host, etc. We’ve yet to stay at a Walmart, preferring to contact a local church to see if they would mind us using their parking lot for the night (or two). We’ve never been turned down and have had some interesting visits!
What I prefer and what I need are two different things. I need electricity after two days due to both of us requiring a CPAP machine I really love the forest service campgrounds and don’t need water or sewer if the campground has decent showers. We can easily go two weeks with our onboard water supply with no issues. If my generator ran on diesel instead of propane, it would be no issue to us.
My hubby purchased a battery to run his CPAP. Usually lasts for 4 nights.
All of the above. We have camped at all of them and have enjoyed all of them and continue to do so. They each offer their own benefits for us.
We will take any site anywhere but a parking lot, the site just has to be convenient to where we are exploring. Although our trailer is only 10’ x 6.5’ with 6’2” head room we can be self contained if we have sun for the solar panels.
So far, all of the above! As one year + newbies, we have tried most forms of RV’ing. Hopefully after our winter trip South for 5 months we will have better clarity!
I checked full hook up because that’s where DW wants to be, personally I prefer state parks and nature.
Love the Corps of Engineers parks the most. Always clean and most sites are spacious and in wooded areas usually on water. They have water and electricity but only a few have sewer. I camp in a fifth wheel and have gotten pretty good with using my poop buggy so no sewer has not been much problem.
Prefer moochdocking at my sons. When we visit we stay there and are able to visit family.
We actually enjoy primitive campground sites in BLM and National Forest and similar areas and also dispersed camping on BLM and National Forest properties. There is a beauty that can be found in dispersed and primitive sites that we do not experience in the more developed areas. That said, we also use the more developed sites from time to time on an as-needed or only ones available basis.
All of the above depending upon cost and length of stay and temperature.
We only need electricity and would forego that if we didn’t need it at night for my husband’s oxygen concentrator. But state and national parks are the best way to go because you are not packed in like sardines. (See picture with poll – beautiful place to park!)
Good old public lands for me. I’m at the south entrance to Joshua Tree right now. I’ll need to head to Palm Springs to dump in about another week (25 miles) but for now I have enough water, solar, propane and obviously a cell connection. Patton museum is nearby, and I collected about 25 pounds of fluorite from the old Orocopia mine dump. Good times.
Depends on where I am and what I want to do.
We are full timers and use all of the above depending on time of year and where we are in the USA & Canada. So many wonderful places to stay.
Corps of Engineers electric hookup campgrounds for $8-11/night! Then no-reservation, free city park cgs with hookups, then New Mexico State Park cgs, then dry camping. Since May, we have stayed in four COE cgs, one low-cost city park with hookups, and one free city park with hookups (where we were the only overnighters there!).
We are in our mid 70’s and don’t boon dock in the dirt. We want to have full hook-ups or at least power and water so we can enjoy our motorhome inside and outside.
Your motorhome comes with built in power and water, no need for external sources, at least for a few days at a time.
We enjoy staying at Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome sites. These sites provide opportunities to meet people and support businesses, while still camping without having to be at a campground.
I said other because it depends on what we have planned, if it is fishing, hiking or biking we would prefer to boondock or forest service park. If we plan to visit “city” sites we will want a convenient RV park.
For us, it depends on what we are looking to do. My spouse would prefer hook-ups all the time but we have made wonderful discoveries by boondocking so it really comes down to what is the goal of each trip (adventure).
Bought an acre of property in western North Carolina, put in septic sewer water well and electric. Two extra hook ups for guests and I stay there all summer.
The ideal situation for me is to stay at Corps of Engineers and state parks with water and electricity hookups for most of the time. Then, when it’s time to empty my tanks, I like to spend a night at a full-hookup site. I don’t mind boondocking in mild weather.
We prefer an ocean front County park with no hookups.
A combination of RV Park and BLM
I prefer state campgrounds with no hookups; i.e., “tent sites.” I do like to have a bathroom available, either flush toilets (really nice) or pit toilets (acceptable). Anything else, I can provide.
When we were younger we would do much more primitive camp sites and camp grounds. Now in our late 70’s we desire the full hookups and more amenities. Age eventually takes its toll. Stay safe, Stay well.
Amen you guys, amen!! This getting old business sucks but, I guess it’s better on this side of the dirt LOL!
Hi, Lindalee (and Dick and Sandy). I like to say that getting old sucks, but it’s better than the alternative. Have a good night. 🙂 –Diane
We love staying in our WA State Parks, and if they have FHU’s then that’s even better.
A state park that has only electric hook-up. No water.
I think the answer for us is dependent upon what our plans are and the location. If we’re in the sweltering heat of Texas, Arizona, Florida, or places like that, I want the full hook-up RV park with 50 amp electric. However, if we’re in the mountains or forest areas, we prefer state parks, as long as they have a dump station. We will do a Harvest Host but can’t tell you the last time we did a WalMart.
Full hook-ups are priority. We enjoy Travis day glamping with our dog, not camping.
If we weren’t 38ft and towing we would do state parks as well as private parks We’ve done a few in the past, always somewhat stressful because of size of sites (even when making reservation told we would fit). We like smaller private parks near small towns run by families. When just traveling, like our trip from CA to FL, we take 10 days. All but one travel day we just hook up electric. Would be nice to find more parks that have electric only & charge accordingly. Some do. Many times, though, they are difficult to get into without unhooking.
There aren’t many (decent?) dispersed or BLM sites east of the Mississippi… so, mostly state parks (various states). I don’t want clubhouses or “events” or any of that crud, and don’t want to pay more than $25. I don’t care about on-site septic or water — that’s why I have tanks. I don’t really care about power, with the exception of skirting “Generator Nannies”… if I can’t use my ultra-quiet genny, then sure I’ll take a plug. I may have a comfy mattress instead of a tent, but this is still “camping” to me — escape from TV and internet!
I entered ‘water/elec’ but mostly because we volunteer @ state parks – and the park host sites are almost always FHU. When we’re traveling to/from, or between gigs, we prefer FHU sites.
FHU. I must have my amenities. Still having issues with the hot water when taking showers but at least I can do the dishes. Some state parks have FHU but they are hard to find unless you are a camp host which I plan to do after next year.
I would do a little of each of the first four but now with persistent medical conditions it’s give me the hook ups in state parks and public lands an will do occasional RV park 55+.
Sometimes I’d rather do a Walmart stop, sometimes dispersed, sometimes I’d rather have at least an electric hookup. It varies depending on what I can find and the weather.