I Wonder Why ...

[Frank&Mike]

The WBCCI units in Texas have a majority of their events in RV Parks? Packed in like sardines ... or stuck in town next to the retail mall. I suppose it boils down to personal preference ... but I believe if the WBCCI units would be a little more open to the idea that some of us enjoy the experience of State Parks, Corp of Engineer Parks, boondocking, National Parks ... there may be a population group that WBCCI would start to appeal to.

Every year at this time I start reviewing their unit website(s) ... in hopes that I'll find some events in the coming year that would be of interest ... events that are not all RV Park events ... that would incentivize us to again join WBCCI.

But it looks like 2018 is yet another year of RV Park events. Are WBCCI units in other parts of the country the same ... just RV Park events? If not, how did these units influence the WBCCI experience to expand beyond the RV Park experience and bring members into the fold that truly enjoy the camping experience ... as opposed to the RV Park experience?

[SeeMore]

Not all units use the same format. An example of a variant is the the SECU (Southeastern Camping Unit (#12) in Region 3) with well over a hundred members. Rather than have a favorite spot for monthly or recurring events, they coordinate outings all over the southeast in a variety of settings. This coming February there is an outing planned on a Florida farm without hookups.

Last year events were held in Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia which included federal, state and commercial parks as well as private land. This group focuses events around happenings (pub crawl in Savannah, solar eclipse in the Smokies, distillery tours in Kentucky, rafting the New River, celebrating the K. Derby) and are a very active lot. Membership ranges across age, lifestyle and state boundaries to include a broad section of fun loving folks who also like to double up with other unit events for added diversity.

You are encouraged to search further.

[Protagonist]

Units vary.

SECU prefers state parks, national parks, and Corps of Engineers campgrounds, but will hold rallies in commercial campgrounds on occasion.

When I was in the New Orleans Unit, they wanted all of their rallies in commercial campgrounds with everyone jammed in cheek by jowl, with paved level sites, sewer hookups even for a short 3-day rally, a clubhouse to gather in so no one had to build a campfire, and every hour of every day planned in advance so no one had to make a decision about what to do.

The Louisiana Airstream Club is a mixed bag. Some commercial campgrounds, some State Parks, some "rolling rallies" that are like miniature caravans so the rally actually takes place at two sequential campgrounds.

The Pensacola Unit owns an Airstream-only campground at Mystic Springs Cove, and holds almost all their rallies on their home turf.

Every Unit has their own way of doing things, based on the preferences of the Unit, the campgrounds available in the areas where they hold rallies, and the organizational abilities of the people serving as rally hosts— who are not necessarily club officers and who are not necessarily the same people from one rally to the next.

[Airtandem]

would it be because the privates will cater to group camping where as the COE, state and local CG's do not? We had a rally several years ago and put up signs directing members to a certain area and the park ranger made us remove them. The ranger said it gave others the idea that that area of the CG was reserved.
mj

[m.hony]

In the case of the Mississippi Unit, there are sometimes rallies at state parks and sometimes rallies at privately owned RV parks and sometimes rallies in civic center parking lots.
The main priority is a meeting room or clubhouse near the trailers.
We have found all of the parks in the state that meet this criteria.
They are limited, so the rally parks repeat themselves every 5-7 years.
Only 3 of our state parks have meeting rooms.
None of our corps parks have meeting rooms.
There are different reasons or destinations for traveling in an RV.
If the destination is to camp, fish, hike, go boating, ride bicycles, build a fire, cook out then the clear choice is a corps of engineers park or a state park.
If the destination is a rally, then whatever park has the appropriate accommodations- meeting room/club house within walking distance of the trailers- then a state park, privately owned RV park, or a civic center parking lot will accomplish that.
If the destination is a wedding, visiting family, visiting a sick person in the hospital the choice is many times a privately owned RV park. Though some privately owned RV parks are very nice, they are generally more pricey than state parks and are in town so they don't have fire rings and bbq grills.
The reason for the trip determines what type of park you will stay in.
We use our trailer in all of the above scenarios- 3 different ways/uses- camping, rallies, and an alternative to a hotel. This allows plenty of use, generally 25 or more trips per year and 80-something nights per year in the trailer. We generally get 11 months use. So far we have only not camped in February, but opportunity could present itself at some point. My wife gets President's Day off and one year suggested camping on that 3 day weekend...

[chili4u2]

Greetings, and welcome. I would encourage you to check out the Heart of Texas Camping Unit (HOTC), http://hotc.wbcci.net/ While we do manage the occasional visit to an RV park, we prefer more open parks, such as COE, National Grasslands (boondocking), and a host of other locations. We try to manage a monthly campout, (last month had 21 rigs on the Mesa at LBJ National Grasslands).

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by chili4u2

Greetings, and welcome. I would encourage you to check out the Heart of Texas Camping Unit (HOTC), http://hotc.wbcci.net/ While we do manage the occasional visit to an RV park, we prefer more open parks, such as COE, National Grasslands (boondocking), and a host of other locations. We try to manage a monthly campout, (last month had 21 rigs on the Mesa at LBJ National Grasslands).

Thank you for your response. We actually were members of HOTC for one year ... unfortunately there weren't any campouts near us so we never got to participate. I wish we lived closer to the the HOTC events. Their events fit perfectly with what we enjoy.

[DaveMc]

Hey Frank&Mike! We’re planning on joining the HOTC Unit this year, even though we’re about an hour north of Houston. Not sure how many of the events we can get to, but that LBJ Grasslands trip looks awesome! Our trailer was in the shop for major surgery the first part of the year, so we never made a rally with our current unit. I get the sense that organizing rallies is like herding cats, so kudos to all that do the hard work of planning them!

[Bill M.]

WBCCI units do whatever kind of event one of their members is willing to setup and run. Our unit just finished last weekend a rally at a NP with all the trailers but one in the dry camping loop. New member set it up. Rally at a Core of Engineers campsite would be heaven for me. It is awful easy to "do it again like last year" in terms of setting something up.

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by DaveMc

Hey Frank&Mike! We’re planning on joining the HOTC Unit this year, even though we’re about an hour north of Houston. Not sure how many of the events we can get to, but that LBJ Grasslands trip looks awesome! Our trailer was in the shop for major surgery the first part of the year, so we never made a rally with our current unit. I get the sense that organizing rallies is like herding cats, so kudos to all that do the hard work of planning them!

Hey DaveMc ... we're probably an equal distance as you are from the HOTC events. Maybe we should just join and see if we get to attend more events this time. The LBJ Grasslands trip is definitely one that would be great to attend.

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by Airtandem

would it be because the privates will cater to group camping where as the COE, state and local CG's do not? We had a rally several years ago and put up signs directing members to a certain area and the park ranger made us remove them. The ranger said it gave others the idea that that area of the CG was reserved.
mj

I would agree ... that definitely was neither "inviting" nor "welcoming" on the part of the ranger.

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

WBCCI units do whatever kind of event one of their members is willing to setup and run. Our unit just finished last weekend a rally at a NP with all the trailers but one in the dry camping loop. New member set it up. Rally at a Core of Engineers campsite would be heaven for me. It is awful easy to "do it again like last year" in terms of setting something up.

You make a good point ... taking the initiative to set something up and participate through hosting is a key component.

So I guess the events that are posted for 2018 are simply the planned events and events are coordinated throughout the year in between those events? Maybe things have changed since we were previously members about 5 years ago.

[Air Apparent]

The Northern Illinois Airstream Club primarily goes to state parks. We have our beginning of season and end of season at a 4H fairgrounds because it is usually cold during these rallies and we have facilities available for us to use.

We indicate to our members what section of the campground in the state park that we will be in so they can try and book a site in that section. This has worked out fairly well. Our members book their own sites and we usually have "pot luck" meals where the member brings their an entree for themselves and a dish to pass. We usually have no or minimum rally fees.

We just want to go camping and have fun!!!

[Frank&Mike]

Originally Posted by Air Apparent

The Northern Illinois Airstream Club ... We just want to go camping and have fun!!!

I looked at your Unit's website and newsletters ... looks like a fun group of people camping at some beautiful locations!

[Airtandem]

Frank & Mike, I second what you said about Northern Illinois. I have to because
Dave signed me up in the unit. I might add, Dana and I are in charge of the second camp out at the Thomson Causeway (COE) Thomson Il.
We have already reserved our site overlooking the Mighty Mississippi.
"Try Us, You'll Like Us"
Mike

[eubank]

We've experienced all kinds. Our next two 4CU rallies are at state parks. (Don't know about the ones later because the schedule isn't out yet.) On the other hand, we used to host some DenCO rallies at our former RV park. It was, well, party central at the house. Never seen so much food!

So I guess the bottom line is that you can do either kind as long as the rally is organized so as to take advantage of what a given venue has to offer. Surely, though, you'd want some variety of some kind, whether involving camping spot or activity or whathaveyou.


Lynn

[Denis4x4]

Reservations for National Forest campgrounds and many state parks are handled by a third party reservation system. It is virtually impossible to block out specific sites for a group function. There are a lot of NFS group picnic areas, but only a few nearby campsites. When the San Juan National Forest holds their volunteer appreciation picnic, they actually go through the reservation system to book the group picnic site. There are first come sites at most NFS campgrounds and the Ranger was right to remove the signs.