Mingling with the 'permanents'....

[PKI]

Had a discussion with a RVer in Washington. He felt that the challenge for the RV industry was to balance the perms with the travelers. When the economy turned down there were lots of people who lost their homes. The RV use slowed as well and that meant RV parks needed cash flow to survive. The situation was a made fit and the RV parks offered good long term rates in exchange for consistent bill paying revenue. However, now that the economy has returned a bit those new baby boomer retirees with new RVs are looking for sites and find them filled with perms. It takes some time to rebuild one's finances, so the need for the permanently occupied sites does not shrink as fast as it was created. The problem is aggravated by workers traveling to where the jobs are who also needing housing - their RVs or Park installed units to meet the need.

The solution we have seen in the West is bigger new parks that address all three requirements. There are just not enough of them though. The solution we saw at a KOA in CO was a new dedicated area for perms at the back of the park. Nicely done and had gas meters to reduce tank clutter. That left the traditional shaded spots in the front for travelers - nice. The solution we saw in the East was the conversion of a large traditional park with PA pricing and a few perms. The failures we see are full parks in both the East and the West. The worst have poor maintenance due to limited funding.

As far as the people ..... most folks want to be decent and generally do what they can to be good neighbors. We don't find the people in perm parks to be problematic, but not so with some facilities. However, we are just there for a day or two and they usually are better than a Walmart parking lot. Glad to use what we can find, where we need it. Pat

[Boxite]

Regardless of who she meets or where she meets them, my wife's personal mantra is to greet and treat them as if she knew they already had a broken-heart.

I'm a bit more wary and not as nice as my wife, but she's a great partner who occasionally reminds me of how we should interact with others before we truly know them.

[Lily&Me]

That is one of the sweetest things I've ever read, Boxite, and what a kind approach to others.


Maggie

[Steamy1]

Campgrounds, whether private or public, offer an interesting social observation; where else can you find tents and modest camping vehicles (pop-ups, Casitas, etc.) at one end of the spectrum, Prevost, Newmar, Marathons, etc. at the other end, and everything in-between, all co-existing next to each other in harmony, including perms, seasonal, or overnight transients? It just does not seem to matter in a campground.

Maybe we should all live in campgrounds!

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by boxite

regardless of who she meets or where she meets them, my wife's personal mantra is to greet and treat them as if she knew they already had a broken-heart.

^^^^^^^^this^^^^^^^

[Larry C]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

and therein lies the problem; when was the last time you saw/heard/read of a new campground opening? where is everyone going to camp in the future? space is getting more difficult to find as demand increases and supply is stagnant, and may in fact be constricting as campgrounds transition to low income/affordable housing as house prices increase.

makes one consider the long term viability of rv'ing.

The really sad thing is, the RV industry, like the boating and general aviation industries, are pricing themselves out of the range of the ordinary guy, who is a blue collar, hard working guy, who buys what he can afford, pays mostly cash, is an honest individual, whom you could trust with the last dollar you have.

I'm one of those, and agreed, I'm an old grouchy SOB, who drinks beer out of a can.......on the other hand, I'm one of very few when y'all who have the latest and greatest RV and tow vehicle, and you have a problem, I can probably fix your problem.....
For what ever it's worth

Larry

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by Seemore2006

"you're pretty nice for an Airstreamer..,,". .

When I first hit the road traveling our first official RV stop was just outside of Big Bend National Park, The Stillwell place. Pretty cool first stop. An Airstream pulled up a bit down the way. My first love was an Airtream 25 although for travel we went with a fifth wheel. I passed the guy on the way to the store and commented about what a nice looking rig he had, or something to that effect. The guy gave me a quick glance with a sneer, a bit of a snort, otherwise failing to recognize me as a fellow human being. A lot of Airstreamers are not necessarily the best ambassadors. A white boxer does that, no matter the brand, and he's just another jerk. An Airstreamer does that and, well, there's an Airstreamer for ya! That lady may have run into the guy previously.

I see nothing particularly wrong with mentioning if a place caters to full timers. If full timers make you uncomfortable best to know about it and move on. We generally stay by ourselves somewhere but when we hit a park I've never had an issue with the full time crowd, motley as they may be. They've always been friendly enough to me but I tend to see everyone as equals and treat them that way. Truth be told I've got an aversion to "Resort" parks, Class As, toads, golf carts and the like. I avoid them like the plague. I'd rather slip in between two semis with generators running all night at a truck stop than slum it at a "Resort". My aversion to those folks is no better than others aversions to the "low enders" I suppose. We all like to hang with who we're comfortable with.

[ijustlee]

Welcome to life in a "mature economy". Most people are pretty decent once you get to know them, no matter their income level. The cost of living to income ratio has been unaddressed by our so called leaders for a long time. After my neighbors help me put my new tarp on for the winter we have a few beers and throw the empty's at the cats by the garbage can while listening to Todd Snider sing "Double-wide Blues", the anthem of the trailer park where I live! Actually the anthem for most of the county!

[moosetags]

Originally Posted by ijustlee

Welcome to life in a "mature economy". Most people are pretty decent once you get to know them, no matter their income level. The cost of living to income ratio has been unaddressed by our so called leaders for a long time. After my neighbors help me put my new tarp on for the winter we have a few beers and throw the empty's at the cats by the garbage can while listening to Todd Snider sing "Double-wide Blues", the anthem of the trailer park where I live! Actually the anthem for most of the county!

I love your descriptions. It sounds like a "wheels off" celebration to me.

Brian

[cwf]

From 'day one', my dear wife has tolerated me... I told her from the beginning, "Hanging with me is always going to be an adventure!" I haven't let her down.

Having been a motorcyclist who traveled with a bedroll at times, I am quite comfortable with that 'free' experience.

Because of this, my random travel plans don't make her comfortable... even tho I say.. "Honey, it is an ADVENTURE!"... That is how I win the T-shirt... "I married my wife for her looks... but not the ones she is giving me now."

The point being, since she likes to "have a place to land", we work together planning trips... and it is good... I have come to see the benefits... (see I might be able to be trained... in an adventurous sort of way.. )

So, we pick out various 'options' along our travel route... this does not usually allow great 'options'. One in particular stop in South Iowa last year, we pulled up to find a young couple who are NEW owners of a "mature" park. They were clearly struggling to build their dream. I admired that... The place they offered us was not our first choice.. it was out front, near the highway... we asked about parking further to the back.. and they explained.. "Those are our long term residents and the parking there is very tight..."

At first we felt 'put off'... why couldn't we park back in the trees where we have more possible protection from the impending storms? What was wrong? Was our Airstream too shiny? No sewer.. but once set up, we realized we had a field of nice grass almost the size of a football field... all to ourselves, right outside our door! It was a great spot. Our dog loved it... The price was great...

What we have noticed is the 'lack' of 'fancy stuff' like sewer hookup makes many RV'ers reject perfectly good spots, including us.. initially. Now it is no big deal, really, after all, we are usually just overnighting...so won't fill up the waste tanks before we leave.

Part of RV/Airstreaming is "adventure"... and you just never know where you will find your eyes opening to the goodness of others.. and folks who have been fortunate enough to survive this life long enough, even with only a few cents to their name, understand how to pick out the nice from the bad, or from the "snobs".

For us, COE (Corps of Engineer), State or Federal parks are our preferred. We even drove 50 miles "out of our way" for a COE park stay... the electricity was poor.. but we made do... and it is a funny memory... an "adventure"... We were not close to another camper.. had nice tree side coverage which worked out swell when the rain and hail came at 2AM... Had we been in a 'nice' park.. well, you never know.. we had another 'adventure'.. we were far from the 'busy' area... off the beaten path... PLUS we saw some nice scenery... which we never really planned to go to during our initial planning...

Yes, the 'availability' of commercial RV places like KOA's, Jellystone, or even the 'Mom and Pop' are in the midst of a time of transition... hopefully the result will be good... today, Airstreamers have been working a fill in solution.. Airstream parks... look them up... It would be great if we could get a bunch of folks to build more of them around the country... but that means a lot of commitment, like the struggling young couple running the Mature RV park...

When you see an old 34' Airstream with peeling decals, give us a wave.. I promise you will get a wave or one will be returned..

[TravlinMan]

Well this question sure took on a life of its own! I'm sorry I have a hard time keeping up. I've been boondocking several miles down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and I only get a little spec of 3g every so often when that satellite makes its way around. I appreciate​ these comments. I never really noticed airstream folks to be snobby. I think my point is basically ya can't judge a book by it's cover and I think that goes both ways!

I've been​ to many new campground lately. But all were either BLM or State Parks, not private ones. Also lots of state parks in California where I just came from have added new electric and water sites maybe within a year ago but they are expensive!

I can camp for two weeks without sewer. More if there's a public bathroom nearby. That outdoor shower on the airstream is perfect for boondocking.

Have a great one, y'all.

[Larry C]

Older Airstreams are like that favorite old chamois shirt, or that old worn out pair of work boots that are just two comfortable to get ride of.....just a small repair around the collar, or the cuffs, and maybe a new set of soles for the boots is all it takes to keep them going....

Sorta like us old geezers, it doesn't take much to keep us happy.....

Have a good day,

Larry

[Jan Tillman]

COE Defeated Creek at Carthage Tenn.is one of our favorites . We tend to shun the Airstream only parks as we camp with Friends who have sob.

[Mike1997]

Thought I would share my experience since I am now 11.5 months as a fulltimer in my Airstream Landyacht.

I have stayed in big and little rv parks due to my job as a remote virtual employee. Some of the parks, mostly larger, did have people living there year round in park models or some older trailer units. Specifically my longest experience in one place was 5 months at Yachthaven RV and Marina in Ft. Lauderdale. Its in the middle of the huge maritime industry and can be somewhat seasonal. Most there during summer season are working full time and using newer model units. All were friendly when spoken to and helpful if needed.
However, winter season is when the Canadians arrived in everything from popup campers to Prevosts. They refused to even make eye contact with the locals, complain about everything, and will never get out of the roadway when walking so vehicles can pass. Sometimes they even try to act like they can not speak English. One Canadian couple in a small trailer put out a sign near their palm tree and parking area that said "Please do not let your dog tinkle on our homestead". About 3 weeks later another Canadian (Prevost guy) got extremely intoxicated about 1pm and started having flashbacks of his dog that died 8 years earlier. He proceeded down to the dog sign and a very loud exchange started that ended with Ft Lauderdale PD issuing citations and warning to all for making hostel threats and being intoxicated. Needless to say the Prevost dude was given 24 hour eviction notice.

Moral to this story is that the full time permanat residents in RV parks are not always a problem. Every time police showed up it was usually a domestic problem with some RV'er who was only there short term.

Lastly I should say that every Airstreamer I have met on the road, no matter how old their rig was, showed great owner appreciation and care of their unit. I think that says volumns about our fellow owners.

[cwf]

Yeah... when we camp, the rule tends to be we act as if we are guests... and try to behave... mostly successfully so far.

There are plenty of "dynamics" in all relationships... and you really don't know another persons "story"... or their trigger(s).

We have seen a few "no comprende" situations... so I nod and speak in Klingon... Cajun dialect of course... it gets very interesting...