Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

got a question..ive camped all of my life, but have never camped with a rv...

im contemplating a roadtrip out west in a month or 2...

anyway...question is..have you ever had problems with campgrounds allowing your rig?? some of the looking around on websites im doing, ive found a few parks that say in their rules, that rvs must be "self-contained with holding tanks" and one even specifically stated you have to have a flush toilet...if my rig has a porta potti, will this park not allow me to stay there??

i plan to have a grey water tank to catch my sink/shower water..was not planning to have a black tank, because i wont have a toilet..i will have a porta potti..

any comments?? i understand this topic probably doesnt concern many on this site(teardrops=no toilet), but im sure most of yall will have some kind of advice...

There are campgrounds out there that do indeed have weird rules. Some even have an "age limit" on the RVs - can't have an RV older than X years...

I'd call the campgrounds that you're looking into and ask the question directly.

the above is good advice. never accept rules without checking. some put them in there to keep out junk....

I'm often asked how old my t/d is, I tell them one year old.... some have a rule about nothing more than 10 years old, which would exclude all vintage trailers.... sometimes talking to them and explaining the situation will give you acceptance.

vintage does not men junk. but also, some campgrounds do not have any hookups.

Also, some campgrounds that allow tents and RVs will only allow trailers in certain camp sites. This is because of slanting ground and/or possible drop-off areas (even small slants and drop-offs). Because the sites that allow trailers also allow tents, those sites are sometimes already taken. It's best to check ahead and do that early in your planning.

...Know where you can go.

I've found a few "exclusive" campgrounds that the "Exclusive" meant just that, rules to exclude a certain segment of the camping element of which I am a member. I have found that I wouldn't be comfortable staying in a place like that anyway.

On the other hand, I've been to many campgrounds where the people running the check in came out to take a tour of my little trailers on the spot and often they would stop by later and bring a friend or co-worker. There are lots of nice folks in the camp ground business.

As far as finding camping facilities, now days it usually best to call ahead or book on the internet. The best places for our little rigs are not where our window or door is by the sewer connection of a big diesel pusher. At private campgrounds I have told them about my camper and ask if they have a tent spot next to an RV site so I can run my extension cord. This has worked out well several times when the RV sites were full.

thanks for the responses....so i need to do some planning...

once i hit the road, i will have little to no internet access....so...


kinda takes the spontaneity out of it...


i have been looking a lil more...i have found the "10 year rule" is somewhat common..i found a skoolie forum (converted schoolbusses), and while, they are not teardrops, they are a "uncommon" mode of camping....they had some of the same input as you all...if the "campground" is so exclusive that im not allowed, than i probably wouldnt want to be there anyway...

How far West are you coming?

cali eventually...cant say when...dont know when im leaving (gotta finish camper, tune up my suv, cash out my bank accounts...lol)and i dont know how long it will take me to get there...there should be lots of roses to stop and smell along the way...

Get yourself a campground directory. Woodalls for example... or even a KOA directory. You can always call ahead and find out if they have space available. And I've never been turned away from a KOA(knock on wood!).

Mike...

I was never a KOA fan until last year, not really sure why maybe it looked to much like a club, but anyway like Mike said KOA's are like going to Starbucks you always know what your going to get. We have never been disappointed at one, go to there web site you could plan an entire trip just staying at KOA's. However when you get to Cailfornia look up the locals on here we can tell you where some great spots are.

If there isn't a state park along the way (our preference), there's usually a KOA.

Another idea is to look for county recreation areas with camping facilities along your way. A few of the best campgrounds around Orlando are county facilities.

laoutdoorsman wrote:so i need to do some planning...

once i hit the road, i will have little to no internet access....so...

kinda takes the spontaneity out of it...

I'd say the planning won't restrict you too much. I usually scope out places to stay in towns along my route. I've never had to make a reservation, I just roll into town, find the place, and set up camp. If you like someplace and want to stay a few extra days then you can.

You'll get lucky, too, and find places along the way you wouldn't have known about.

One time we found a decent place unexpectedly that turned out be real nice. Imagine a west Texas windstorm... blowing us all over the road, when we see we're coming into a little town. We see one of those signs indicating an RV park at an exit and pull off. We find the place and pay like $8 for a site (with cable TV even), get set up and voila! Ten minutes after I tell Sarah I'm just gonna pull over and wait the storm out, I'm sitting cozy in our camper watching HBO and partaking of adult beverages...heck, we even had pizza delivered to our trailer...rockin' good times...

Man, if you get to the 'real' northern California(ie. Mckinleyville), look me up.
You're not getting all the way out here and not checking out the Redwoods are you?
We've got it all here in Humboldt County.
Good luck on the prep and have a great trip.

all great stuff..thank you...


ill put a note out when i get that way to look up anybody in the area....i will try to be "connected" while on the road...probably gonna end up doing like a blog type thing......

redwoods--yes...ive been to cali before(courtesy of the Marine Corps) but only southern cali....so...ive only ever heard nothing but good about northern cali...

Once you get to NM and west; stae parks are a good bet; many have full hook-ups and don't acre what yer towing. Showers available. I found Nevada to be among the best value. All state park system have websites with listings.