Campground Etiquette

[Excellaphant]

This may sound slightly strange, but I am about to embark on some
serious full timing and have no idea about campground etiquette.

I always camped in either tents or for limited stays, since now I will
need to stay on good terms with generally everyone I kind of want to
know ahead of time if things like these are bad, questionable or ghasly.

1. Leaving "stuff" outside. Chairs and grills are OK, but are things like
buckets, ladders, motorcycles OK too? Where is the line? A Canoe?

2. Is not having a tow vehicle downright suspicious? I have a beauty of
an Airstream but I rely on the kindness of other to move it. Will this
throw warning flags?

3. Can I overstay my welcome? If one follows the rules and leaves for
a weekend every 60-90 days is coming back again and again poor
manners even though no rules will be broken?

4. Is leaving a RV vacant for up to a week strange? Work likes to send
me on trips with very little notice.

This is a start, I still can think of plenty of other things that will probably
get me thrown out but this should get me pointed in the right direction.

thanks,

[norbert]

if you paid for the space imho its yours...obviously common sense applies....id ask at the office if they have any special conditions b4 dropping some sheckels..now when it comes to etiquette, it goes hand in hand with perserverance.....the ability to maintain, should one wind up next to an a** hole.....happy camping!.......
norby

[ALANSD]

every Campground has its own set of rules. If you read and abide you would be a welcome camper there. As for etiquette, its amazing the crap some people leave out at their site while off on a visit to the local tourist trap. If you use discretion, and keep your area looking like its been attended to and not a yard sale, no one will complain.
Taling trash as needed to the dumpsters, keeping dogs on the 6' or less tether, not making a huge smokey fire when someone is camped right next to you... all in good judgement.
We stayed at a campground in NC where th neigbors had smoke pouring out of a wood fire 24 hours a day...right into my vents. Made my AS smell just great. Why they needed a fire at 8 o'clock in the morning I don't know..they never cooked anything on it.
And they had an outside tv set going all day and into the night.

[Silvertwinkie]

I agree, check with the offices of the campgrounds you plan on staying at to see about special rules.

I will say that common sense and understanding that it is a shared community, certain behavior must be expected in a shared lot where others will be. I find that in most cases it is similar to living in an apartment complex or condo. Though there are folks from all walks and sometimes you'll come up to some folks that just are plain ignorant.

As for you leaving your Airstream and no tow vehicle, to most might seem strange until they get to know ya and realize that just cause there is no tow vehicle there, doesn't mean you aren't.

[RivetED]

There are many RV's used by full-time workers all around the U.S. Your situation is not unique. Just by asking these questions I think you are already ahead of the curve! Check with the parks ahead of time, weekly & monthly rates are usually very good.

[Tinsel Loaf]

Common sense always applies. If you can’t afford to lose don’t’ leave it outside while your away especially on BLM land and some parks during peak seasons. We have never had a problem in the off seasons, but then we make sure it looks like someone may be inside even when the tow vehicle is gone.

[plowboy]

We've stayed at RV parks where it was obivous they weren't using thier Corvette to tow thier 34' fifth wheel ! A good number of Rv's were vacant. Some looked like they were used as vacation homes, and some were used by workers. Some of the full timers had storage sheds.

Like the others have said follow the rules of the particular campground/RV park and you'll have an enjoyable stay.

[Excellaphant]

I'll just play it cool and try to fit in. I'm starting to think that if I
play my cards right I might pull this off.

I still say the fact that I look about 21, wear a tie to work and
stay in an airstream on a state park is a combination that is
bound to make the 65+ crowd give me a second look.

The bad thing about an AS is that they don't exactly blend in to
the scene. Or I guess it might be the good thing about them.

thanks for the tips though,

[ipso_facto]

>>>> 4. Is leaving a RV vacant for up to a week strange? Work likes to send me on trips with very little notice.

Yes. In terms of safety, not a good idea. Someone may steal it or do something evil. I would not leave your unit for that long. That's one of the liabilities of the RV lifestyle.

[Silvertwinky]

Let me say that we have never had any thing taken that we have left outside while we've been camping; although I don't believe a person should make it too tempting! We have left chairs bikes ornaments and things like that out without having any of them suddenly disappear. I do think it’s a good idea to lock up bikes and not leave expensive chairs out, etc..

We have found that most campers are a lot like us, they enjoy getting out with their RV and they don't bother other campers. Perhaps, there are a few places where things are not quite as nice as that but we have yet to have an incident where anything has been bothered or taken.

As a matter of fact the last time we were out with some other camping friends we came back to the camper and found some "PINK FLAMINGOS" standing on our spot; but that’s another story!

[fossil5775]

Like it or not an Airstream kinda sets a camper apart from the rest of the crowd. Everyone notices an airstream. A couple of nights ago a new airstream moved into the loop I'm currently staying in. It was pitch black out & I was walking my dog as a truck drove up the loop the wrong way & parked in front of the trailer. I asked them if they realized they had driven in the wrong way, & the woman answered yes, but they were only a little ways up from the exit (& actually they were almost at the half waypoint). I said so I guess you're above the rules? & she said no one is above the rules, have a nice evening lady! The following 2 nights since then as I have walked my dog this same couple's dog has been loose at their campsite & came out onto the road at my dog. Nothing happened, but again dogs are to be leashed at all times. I know I'm being a Karen, but like it or not this will be remembered as an air streamer thinking they are better than everyone else.

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by fossil5775

I was walking my dog as a truck drove up the loop the wrong way & parked in front of the trailer. I asked them if they realized they had driven in the wrong way, & the woman answered yes, but they were only a little ways up from the exit (& actually they were almost at the half waypoint). I said so I guess you're above the rules? & she said no one is above the rules, have a nice evening lady!

Let it go.
Don't allow someone else spoil your camping experience.

[Jinkers]

Back to the OP's questions... Many State Parks, BLM and Forest Service lands have two week stay limits. Make sure the area you stay in allows those long stays. State parks may be different but it is considered bad form to occupy a spot on BLM or Forest Service land if you are not actively using it.


If staying in an RV Park, some are solely for long stay, some have a long stay section. Make sure you talk to the powers that be about how long you intend to stay before you show up.


RV Parks will be more secure with less chance of being broken into or vandalized. Public lands are far more prone to those issues.

[nvestysly]

Until yesterday this thread was 19 years old. I was using Air Forums at the time - a relative newbee asking all sorts of questions about RVing, Airstreams in particular. While I am not the OP, I can imagine why the OP was inquiring about such topics.

I always find it interesting when old threads are revived. When I do the reviving I try to put things in context and let people know why I've chosen to provide CPR to a topic. Sometimes I hope the OP is still around and will fill us in on how the matter played out. In this case, Excellaphant has not been on Air Forums since 2009 - I'm guessing we won't hear from them.

Regardless, it's an interesting topic and may have use to somebody in the future. I'm not convinced the use of current vernacular will be of assistance but it too is interesting for lots of different reasons.

[kb0zke]

I, too, was surprised at the date on the original post. We host at State parks, and most have a rule about not leaving a rig for more than 24 hours. A polite request, though, will often get permission to leave it for a bit longer if necessary. The two-week limit, though, is an absolute limit.


I've not been at a State park that required you to have a tow vehicle for a trailer, but we did see someone who managed to "extend" their stay for a couple of days past the two-week limit because they had to depend on someone else to move the trailer. The park wasn't busy, and the superintendent was in a good mood, so they got away with it. Otherwise, the Ranger would have had the trailer towed away.


We rarely have anything outside that we aren't actually using then. Chairs are put away at night. Part of that is the way we were brought up (pick up your toys and put them away) and part of it is that we're always prepared to leave on short notice. That has happened to us once or twice.