Denied a tent site?

[Garycamper]

Ow! I was just denied a tent site at a campground. I told them I was a small self contained camper, and wanted to be away from all the rv's and their generators. I was told no. That they did not want to start a trend...

Anyone else ever denied a spot?

BTW they did offer me a water and electric spot, so it was not a case of being full.

[fusedlight]

As a tent camper who is going to be getting a Scamp in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS (woot!) I can see both sides. In this case, I fully agree with the campground. When you're "tenting" being around "just tents" is part of the experience. Yeh... it's not like you're camping up in the mountains a zillion miles from someplace, but it's the idea of it all. Having a trailer, even a cute little trailer, right next to you destroys a lot of that ambiance. I understand not wanting to be around The Behemoths and their 15 megawatt power plants. Ghu knows I'm going to have the same complaint. But... you pull the trailer and you have to deal with that.

[RogerDat]

I believe a lot of us think of our FGRV's as hard sided tents that we never have to set up or pack up in the rain. Appears not all campgrounds view them the same way.

Of course a 35 ft 5th wheel can be a valuable source of late afternoon shade.... if you can learn to ignore the hum of the AC unit.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I agree with both, as a tent camper I wouldn't want you in the neighborhood, just as you don't want to be around the mobile mansions with noisy generators. They need a small trailer and camper area and of course most campgrounds don't have that.

[FelixVW]

Depends on the tent..some of them are getting pretty huge these days- with their own generators and safari kitchens, etc.. think I'd rather have an egg for a neighbor. I was denied a few times but it wasn't crowded enough to bother me- just that the tents got the ocean-front spots

[Tina in AZ]

This is interesting...I was just wondering if we could reserve 'tent only' sights on our trip to California this summer.

We are like in between being tent campers and big old trailer campers. I always figured that if we wanted to dry camp we could use tent only sights as long as we would completely fit into the designated car area.

[Carol H]

I have found on a few occasions that if you arrive without reservations and all the rv sites are taken I have been allowed into a tent only site -as they can actually see how small the trailer is and confirm no generator use and in many cases no elec power either.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Tina in AZ

This is interesting...I was just wondering if we could reserve 'tent only' sights on our trip to California this summer.(

Check the fine print on the reservation system - it seems to be 50/50 - a number of parks do allow trailers under x so many feet into tent sites.

[Mr. W.]

Here in Indiana, we have Electric, Non-Electric and Primitive sites at many of our state parks. No real designator about what type of rig is allowed. They tend to be self-segregating.

However, in Illinois, they tend to have Electric and Tent-Only. We have a teardrop camper, which is much smaller than the eggs on this site, and we like to camp non-electric, where it is quieter and darker. We have reserved and used the Tent-Only sites several times without being challenged. But, I always wonder if this will be the first time...

[cpaharley2008]

I was under the impression that as rv owners, we could ask for tent sites ONLY if there were no rv sites available.

[Robin G]

Why would generators be an issue? If a campground offers electricty, rv'ers shouldn't be running their generators. Unless of coures you have some cheap a$$ 45'ter camping in a boondocking site. They want everything but don't want to pay for it.

Now if you don't like the large over the top rv's as neighbors I can understand, but would suggest you find a less established campground to stay in.


Having owned and operated a rv park, our tent area was not accessible to any vehicle. So it wouldn't have been an issue. And we didn't get a lot of tenters anyway because we were a rv park. But we did have sites with power only for those who wanted to be away from the big boys!

But had our tent sites been as you describe for the campground your staying at, I too would have deined you for the reasons given above......... Just for the comfort of a tenter had we ever had any.........

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I was under the impression that as rv owners, we could ask for tent sites ONLY if there were no rv sites available.

Nope some clearly have stated on their reservations systems that if you are under x so many feet you can use a tent site.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Robin G

Why would generators be an issue? If a campground offers electricty, rv'ers shouldn't be running their generators. Unless of coures you have some cheap a$$ 45'ter camping in a boondocking site. They want everything but don't want to pay for it.

Generators are a *BIG* issue in most of our Provincial parks as few of the parks have any electrical and someone in a tent site really does not want to hear a generator running next door ..... neither do I for that matter

[Byron Kinnaman]

1. Most of the problems with camping in a tent sites seem to be an east coast thing. I've never had a problem in the Pacific Northwest or in the Southwest.

2. More and more National Parks a limiting generator use and many have no generator areas or no generator campgrounds. At least that's the case in West. The places that do allow generators restrict the hours of use. Almost all non-federal places have electricity and prices to go along with the electricity and water.

[cpaharley2008]

another reason to "go west, young man, go west". It is getting too crowded here in the East. I remember camping in the Badlands and looking at the stars, it was better than watching tv!!! And stopping in Death Valley, getting out of the car and listening, the silence was deafening!! Someday that will all go away!!

[Roy in TO]

Some of the systems are set up that certain areas are considered tent accessable since you may not be able to fit or drive a trailer in. So I would say that this is campsite specific.

We do camp every year on a favourite campsite that is considered "tent only" with the online reservation system. We are able to reserve the site by calling the campground directly and speaking with them over the phone. One of the concerns is that problems might arise if you reserved a site and you could not get your trailer onto it. In peak season you might be out of luck and the site sits empty.

[Tim Wood]

Yep I was denied a tent site last Feb. down in Florida state campground so had to go to another campground, but it all worked out.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

another reason to "go west, young man, go west". It is getting too crowded here in the East. I remember camping in the Badlands and looking at the stars, it was better than watching tv!!! And stopping in Death Valley, getting out of the car and listening, the silence was deafening!! Someday that will all go away!!

Death Valley in the winter is a great place.

[melissab]

Tim, when do you pick up your Parkliner?? Got any plans for your trip?

[Raz]

We have no city water connection nor do we bring a power cord. So being forced into an RV site so they can make me pay a higher fee makes me grumpy. Of course registration fees, pet fees, premium site fees and all the other creative money makers that seem to be popping up makes me grumpy as well. I like the place where you pick your site, put the money in the envelope, and drop it in the tube, and wave to the host when we walk the dog after dinner. Raz