Ten Year Rule??

[Timber Wolf]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

The irony... although every site had individual water and power hook-ups, there were no drains......(clip). There was a dump station near the exit that was free to use.

That is the way the Florida State Parks I have been to were. I was a little surprised on our recent jaunt around Alabama to find full service campsites, including cable TV! Cost more though and it was wasted on us and we did not hook up any water let alone sewage and did not have a cable to take advantage of the cable TV (were not really there long enough to watch TV anyway). Give me 30 amps and a spigot and I am happy. Maybe a bath house for Saturday night.

[steve dunham]

I have seen RV parks/ campgrounds that do not allow trailers more than 10 years old, less than 25 ft ,children ,pets ,alcohol consumption ,anyone under 21 years of age ,firearms ,fireworks,etc etc They were all privatily owned and the owner of the property has a right to set his /her own rules, just as I have the right to stay somewhere else. I have driven into several private campgrounds that had seasonal trailers that were falling apart with trash littering their site and promptly left. We normally stay at public campgrounds due to cost ,plus they normally have all the amenities we need and meet some sort of minimum standard

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

The irony... although every site had individual water and power hook-ups, there were no drains or even bathrooms/showers in the RV area. There was a dump station near the exit that was free to use.

Thats pretty common at a number of state & regional parks I have stayed in as well, as it is here in BC Provincial parks - although water and power are not all that common in BC Provincial parks to start with.

One of the big reasons for not wanting people using open buckets for their grey water is that it attracts bugs and wild life. There also seems to be a tendency for some (not all) people using buckets for grey water holding systems to simple dump the bucket out near the campsite once it fills up .... again attracting bugs and wild life to any food bits or smelly water that may have been in them. I hate setting up at a nice spot to shortly after discover a serious fly problem and to see that it is caused by someone having dumped out dirty dish water close by.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by jazzjunkysue

I just returned from my very first stay at a small private campground. There are pro's and cons.

I've used the state parks and they also have pros and cons.

People are friendlier at the private places where people set up for years. But they're also sometimes a little too friendly. It's their place and you're in it so some of them sort of feel entitled to walk right into your space and give you advice. Of course, that depends on the person. Others were perfectly proper and were fun to talk with. They took a real interest in me and everyone liked the Casita. I agree that looking at all of their crap they've been accumulating for years also can be an eyesore: Maybe the newer camper rule is an attempt to address that. I don't know.

I really liked the full hookup, though.

The state parks have TONS of kids and they're all un-supervised, and pretty much screaming 8am-10 pm. One park had plastic noise making guns for sale in the store and the pops all around me never stopped. It was like the 4th of july. Drove me nuts. The private park had fewer kids and they didn't feel entitled to torture everyone because everyone already knew them. Their parents were so much more responsible for them.

No one was at the gate of the private park after 5 pm, but on the other hand, I felt very safe because the regulars got to know me the first day.

Then, again, it's not too hard for someone with bad intentions to get into any kind of park.

So, I guess it's like a restaurant: What do you feel like? With the comfort of the private parks comes the friendliness, but also, a very lived-in look.

I guess it pays to have a look, if possible, before booking. Of course, it goes without saying, that internet photos don't tell you anything.

Sometimes I feel like the rules at the state parks keep a lid on the negatives. Not very many rules at the private places. Although, this park keeps a black list of past undesirables, so, that's kind of good. The state parks have no such ban, and repeat offenders can keep trying.

Maybe the fun part of camping is the adventure: When you leave home, anything can happen!

The family camping trips are one of the reasons I avoid State Parks. Many years ago before I had children, the Oregon State Parks were great. Not many people, nice places, etc. As my children came along so did many other people's children, and the parks became much more crowded and much more noisy. All wildlife was scared away and I began to wonder what's the point. Then I discovered that I didn't need to camp in State Parks, National Forests were cheaper and a lot less crowded. As with anything good that soon changed. Summer week-ends in all campgrounds were crowded and noisy. My solution was not to camp in any campgrounds, in fact not even near a road. The nearest road was at least 1.5 miles away. Even then some places were crowded on week-ends with families including mine. Now that I'm retired middle of the week is the best summer, fall, winter, or spring. I try to leave the week-ends to families. The middle of the week is best anyplace.

[Bob Miller]

Middle of the week is a winner for retirees, especially with school back in session. In CA beach parks, weekend reservations for the entire spring, summer and fall are gone as soon as they open about 90 days before hand. But there are almost always weekdays open. I recently got two 3-4 day, week day reservations, at CA State Beaches, in the middle of August, with less than 2 weeks lead time.

[Thinh]

TEN YEAR OLD RULE????? Just let people who try to apply that ridiculous rule to know that not all 10 year old trailers are...trashes. Like what I had stated, even a brand new Trillium wouldn't offer more features, stability and safety as my 1980Trillium1300. How ab a glimpse FOR THOSE PEOPLE into my second Towing Vehicle: a Chevrolet Uplander LT 2006 was TORN apart for ...BETTER CAMPINGS WITH MY 1980TRILLIUM????

[Scouter Dave]

I'm doing the best I can with what I have and I could say that if it cost a nickel to go 'round the world, I couldn't get out of sight. I have camped beside people who could buy and sell me without batting an eye and beside people who were obviously just getting by, perhaps not even doing as well as me and they were all great people. You can't judge a book by its cover so perhaps we should remember that it's what's inside that counts.
Scouter Dave

[Alf S.]

Hi: Thinh... But all you needed to do was clean the carpet and shampoo the seats Eh!!! Lol.
In another Ten Yrs. I won't care what the rule is.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Thats pretty common at a number of state & regional parks I have stayed in as well, as it is here in BC Provincial parks - although water and power are not all that common in BC Provincial parks to start with.

One of the big reasons for not wanting people using open buckets for their grey water is that it attracts bugs and wild life. There also seems to be a tendency for some (not all) people using buckets for grey water holding systems to simple dump the bucket out near the campsite once it fills up .... again attracting bugs and wild life to any food bits or smelly water that may have been in them. I hate setting up at a nice spot to shortly after discover a serious fly problem and to see that it is caused by someone having dumped out dirty dish water close by.

Hi: Carol H... When we had our Boler I solved the open bucket issue by buying a cheap red CTC. gas can. You should have heard the commotion at the dump station!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[minke]

Many thanks for all your comments. Today we're going to look at a trailer that wouldn't pass the Fourteen Year Rule.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: Carol H... When we had our Boler I solved the open bucket issue by buying a cheap red CTC. gas can. You should have heard the commotion at the dump station!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

I bet it caught a few peoples attention Alf!