Campground cheaters

[Roger H]

I am sure many think we are guilty of dropping our trailer to save the space but in reality, we drop as early as posible so we can enjoy as full a day as posible of the local area. We usually come back after dark, tired and pleased with a full day.

I think the key is that you return to the site to sleep in the site at some point; you don't drop your trailer off on Tuesday afternoon so you can use it on Saturday. We all drop our trailers to sight-see, shop, whatever... but we come back and use the site. I don't even mind folks who park a car or put chairs in the site next to them for the afternoon to save it for their friends or relatives who come in later in the day so they can camp together, and frankly most parks have a rule that says you can't pay for a site without a camper in it. It's the folks who just drop a trailer or chairs or whatever, pay their fees and tie up the site, unused, for two or three days that annoy me.

Roger

[Jeremy Witt]

The new online reservation system for Iowa State Campgrounds has helped this tremendously. We like to camp at Clear Lake State Park over the 4th of July, so does everyone else!

We used to have to pull our camper over at least a week ahead of time to even get a spot. This year, we were able to reserve a spot well in advance and save a lot of money!

[Lisa Rynearson]

Gina-
It ain't cheating. Your money is as good as the next guys. I do agree with a 14 day time rule. But other than that, first one there, wins the race.

[Frederick L. Simson]

On the other hand, there are [b]5 bizzilion other folks that can say the same thing, right here.

The law of Supply and Demand...
The fact that you did sleep there on the 1st night is good enough to show that you followed the rules, and (legally) did not cheat.

What some Oregonians experience at Bullard's Beach on the 3rd weekend of July is standard operating procedure in Southern California on EVERY WEEKEND. The ReserveAmerica sites in San Diego County are booked [b]full a year in advance. There seems to be no "off season" here.

The private campground owners know that it is a "sellers market" and most have $40 - $60 per night rates, 10 year age restrictions, and "Vehicle Condition" inspections. Even under those conditions, they are full and still have to turn folks away who otherwise jump through all the hoops.

[Gina D.]

This morning, two young women came in, set up a teeny tiny childs tent (Pink no less!) and then took off.

I thought they were placeholding, but.. they came back this afternoon, and put all thier stuff in the thing! They are trying to put themselves in it now



Whats funny, is the have a pickup with canopy.. they could just sleep in that.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Indiana Dunes Natl Lakeshore was having the same problem -- Folks would come out from the metro areas a few days early, drop some stuf, register the site thru the holiday weekend and depart -- Tuff decision for the park because despite the letter of the law, the site was paid for in advance, so the rangers/camp host were reluctant to deal with it -- What they finally did was require that the sites be paid for one day at a time and registered daily -- More work for the host, but it put everything back to equitable.

[Dan I]

In some Nevada and Utah SPs we've used, DAILY fee payment was required - helping, but not entirely eliminating, the "problem" of a host or Ranger making a judgement call if "stuff" was being used for camping or not. Certainly not a foolproof method, but much more equitable than who has the largest checkbook and "wins the race" to claim a space.

Seemed to also have the apparently unintended benefit of "liberating" spaces by the posted checkout time (coincidentally, the SAME time the host or Ranger was checking for TODAY's paid stub) for those of us who naively believe YESTERDAY's payment entitled the user to plenty of time to either pay for another day OR break camp and leave the spot for the NEXT user to enjoy the better part of TODAY.

That all said, we've been disappointed on occassion (even in late Fall and early Winter) to find the same scenario depicted by others in this thread. When it has happened that we've found a number of "ghost" sites filling a campground to capacity, we ALWAYS find the host or Ranger to verify that all of the sites are paid for. Only seems reasonable to make the small effort after towing to a destination and be disappointed. Many of you might be surprised to learn that not only are some the "ghost" sites not occupied, but NOT PAID for either! We don't ASSUME anything, i.e., the site is occupied, the site is paid for, etc. - we let the site manager(s) do THEIR job. We came to camp, not administer the campground.

Finally, we've come to realize that there are PLENTY of places yet undiscovered (at least by us) then to return a second time to a poorly administered campground, perpetually filled to capacity by Casper and friends. Just our 2¢ worth.

[Steve L.]

Gina, I read your original post twice and decided you were dropping off on Friday and returning the next day. What you actually did I personally don't have a problem with. I'm an early riser and like others I'm often off and about all day.

The circumstances I described I am confident involved no attendance at all.

As always, the forum shows the wide range of opinions available. My nature is that rules are rules. Enforce them or change them.

At the time I type this the majority opinion supports you and I agree knowing what I know now.

However, to pay and not use the site (when the rules say this is not acceptable) hints at what I call "selective anarchy". The rules apply to everyone but them. I don't know how to enforce them except after the fact. To be clear, I'm talking about not sleeping on the site. To me, even without the rule, it seems wrong.

To each his/her own. We're all fortunate I'm not King of the World. One of my desires is to have the power to Dope Slap anyone I think deserves it. I'd have a sore hand (Not to mention self induced Dope Slaps. Doh!) You're not a candidate for what you describe.

[Joy A]

I understand the thought process that goes into taking your trailer to a campground, finding a site, dropping it and paying for the site. The problem I have is the people that do this mid-week so they'll have a site for the weekend, I've even seen it done for a week or more.

This procedure ties up the campsite which isn't being used, even though it's paid for. Then when people come in looking for a site, either they are all taken or the best ones are taken and not being used. I think this policy should be discontinued. I for one would never do it.

I don't have a problem with someone holding a site for a friend or relative so they can be next to one and other, as long as they pay for it and that party shows up that night.

With all the traveling I've down these last 5 years I've seen a lot of what I call RV storage in unused sites. What the heck are campground hosts for, just cleaning the toi-toi's.

[Lisa Rynearson]

First - I myself have never "ghost camped". Years back, when my kids were little, I took extra days off work so I could get a premium site before the weekend crowd arrived. Now days, I don't have to worry about trying to schedule camping around my kid's school schedule. I can pretty much go when I want. I like the idea of daily pay, and if park rules state "overnight occupation required" then by all means, live by the rules. But if there aren't any requirements, then I stand by the "first one to the spot wins". If a family with kids wants to "ghost camp" for a couple of days so the kids can grow up having good camping memories, as opposed to me not getting a premo spot, then so be it. The older I get, the less I worry about the trivial stuff. HOME IS WHERE YOU HANG YOUR HAT, CAMPING IS WHERE EVER YOU PARK YOUR EGG.

[don bowman]

Early bird gets the worm and camp site that they wish to have!

Cheating is not following the rules.

Gina, you are not cheating, you are following the rules. I managed motels for a number of years and I know the owner or managers of the camp ground would much rather have you in that spot than most of the other people that procrastinate and then cry and belly ache for not having a place to go.

Advance reservations: many time the person will give you a CC# that is off by one #. They do this for a purpose, so that you can not charge their CC. And if the change their mind they do not have to cancel.

Sorry Charlie! if you come into town during a major holiday and there is no place to stay. You should have arrived in town a few days in advance knowing the conditions. Take a blood pressure pill and go to another location.

Now if it is free and you want to dump some chairs and take up space before anyone else can. I will take a blood pressure pill and stay home till all of your type have gone home.

Again: Gina, you are not cheating, you are following the rules.
Good advance planning for an enjoyable weekend that is well deserved!

[Gina D.]

OK, What I did is strictly not cheating, no. It makes no difference if I dropped and went for a hike, to the store, or to work. I was back by dinner time and spent the nite there.

I guess, in my way of thinking, two things could be the scenerio..

I do it properly, take a vacation day and get there early, or do what I did.

I agree that the pay every day thing would make things easier. I know RV parks that do that.

I have paid for Freds site before, as he can rarely make it to anywhere from his locale within daylight hours. But I have his vehicle info and register under HIS name, not mine. I leave a chair in his site. (And he hasn't backed over it once! ) He has never shown up the next day either. It's always on the nite I reg him.

The campground hosts at Heartbar know and like me as I often help them with thier duties, keep an eye out for unsavory activity and I am right across from them. I don't make noise, get drunk or create trouble, so they would rather have me there than an unknown.

So they allow me to "Cheat" within reason.

Technically, they shouldn't.

[Gina D.]

oh yeah, who is the OTHER smarty pants here?

[Joe MacDonald]

would you consider it cheating if you were to park there for a week, while working in the daytime, then returning to sleep at night?

I don't think so, so I don't think you're a cheater.

What bugs me is all the people up here who will reserve a site, for a long weekend, then not show up.
In Ontario, the parks will not let you take a site that has been booked, even if it sits empty all weekend. That's just plain wrong. I say if You book a site, and don't show up or call by 4 hours after check in time you lose your rights.
But if you do show, drop your trailer, and take off to do something, no big deal.
I've had one too many while out visiting ( while camping close to family), and didn't feel comfortable with driving, so stayed the night, and went back to the trailer in the morning.

I don't see whats wrong with that, as long as you are staying at the site at some point each day.

[Palmer M]

I've camped in about eight of our NC state parks this summer, and until just now couldn't figure out what was meant by the signs saying, "campsites must be occupied overnight".
Maybe I shouldn't let on, but the lack of crowding here made me wonder what in the heck that meant!
I certainly would regard the placement of any item to "occupy" a space to be cheating, both by spirit and letter.
Maybe it happens here in N Carolina, but I haven't seen it. At every park I have visited, the rangers/hosts seem to be aware of who is registered and camping, and the rules and regulations are very clearly posted at the entrances, along with helpful maps and highlighted features of the properties.
There are plausible reasons for not returning (drinking too much to get back to the park...that's to be applauded for recognizance; or getting back too late for the gate closing), but leaving an RV in a paid spot, unoccupied, simply to hold the space for a later day is disgusting.
Switching to a reservations-based system might have merits, but would be unworkable for those of us who are so capricious that a two hour trip for most may take two or three days!
This reminds me of working at the Florida Disney park when I was a teenager (1987). The restaurant I worked in was precisely designed to seat the volume of people coming out of the buffet line. The amount of time each table would be occupied was so carefully calculated, the background music "looped" about every 40 minutes! If everyone came in and joined the buffet line, there was ALWAYS a table ready for them to proceed to. What we had to watch for were people who came in and decided they needed a table, and then to send others in the party through the buffet line. Then, the people who had legitimately gone through the line had nowhere to sit because of the people "saving a table"!
If the occupation rules of campsites and state parks are not being enforced in your state, perhaps the issue should be addressed through your state government.
Sensical rules are there for a reason...follow them!
P

[Palmer M]

To clarify,
Gina, it doesn't sound like you've "cheated", just because you've left during the day.
I didn't know that people were reserving campsites by dropping their RVs early until I read this thread.
P

[Jan Adams]

We are gypsy travelers moving every day. Most of the time we get into the campground at 6-7 PM and just stay for the night and then move on the next morning. We also have a VW Westfalia. One time, we paid for our site, put the tag on the post and then went into town to eat. When, we got back, it was dark and there was a tent on OUR spot but no one was home. They had even taken our tag off the post and put their tag on (self registering spot). So, we just pulled in the "drive way" of the camp spot, took off their tag and put ours back on (they were litter bugs to boot - just threw our tag on the ground). We set up our "camp" and went to bed.

About an hour later, our "neighbors" returned and I heard the woman telling the man - "I told you someone had this spot". They went to bed and the next morning while we were packing up to leave, they came over and apologized for "taking" our spot.

Some campgrounds have handicapped spots and if they aren't taken by 7 PM, they are open to anyone else to use for as long as they are registered.

In Ohio, you must occupy your campsite each night.

We have also been sent down to the boat docks to camp since we were out of town and just needed a sleeping place for the night. We have also been sent to the picnic area with the understanding that we had to be out early. No problem in either case, we just wanted a place to sleep.

[Gina D.]

at Bullards last year, a guy in a huge motor coach was overheard grumping about getting a cruddy spot.

He was a local and complained that because WE were everywhere, he wasn't able to get the ideal spot he wanted and he thought he should have preference because he was a local.



Didn't he know about making reservations?

There were a couple of eggs there that came in without ressies and got in C loop.

[Alf S.]

at Bullards last year, a guy in a huge motor coach was overheard grumping about getting a cruddy spot.

He was a local and complained that because WE were everywhere, he wasn't able to get the ideal spot he wanted and he thought he should have preference because he was a local.



Didn't he know about making reservations?

There were a couple of eggs there that came in without ressies and got in C loop.

Hi: "The bigger they are the harder they BAWL" They seem to think "Little People" don't "EGG cyst" Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Jan Adams]

Don't get me started on those people in those huge motor coaches. I don't even think they belong in a campground - they need to go to a RV park.

What part of "camping" don't they understand??? They come in, takes them 1 hour to back the thing up into the camp spot, then they get out, hook up the electric, the water, the sewerage, put up the TV antena and that is the last time you ever see them again.

And they put their outside lights on that seem to shine in our windows no matter where we are in the campground!!! LOL