trouble making campground reservation

[48Rob]

I searched a bit and found this info on the Escapees club; the people who generally keep the campground in question, and several others full.

Members of their club who own a "camper" under 12' long account for 1.3% of their ranks/business/income.

We have "our" little world of campers, and they have "theirs".
No conspiracy, just reality.

Rob

http://www.escapees.com/CommercialMembe ... aphics.pdf

[48Rob]

Rob has a point and I did encounter a camp ground in California with an age restriction, RV no older than X. But when I looked up the police record for the location and found it had a record for a bunch of robberies in the park I lost interest and found Big Basin Redwoods.

It makes perfect sense...

The campground only caters to "new" (reads wealthy) RV'ers.
Pretty good pickins if you are a crook...

I have always found State or county campgrounds to be the best bet. They cater to all, and generally the people you share the camp with are decent.
Not so say that specialized camps aren't nice or good, but if they cater to a specialized group, all others will always feel out of place, thus the popularity of camping "groups" such as class A, pop ups, retirees, and of course teardops.
Like minded people tend to group together.

Rob

[Woodbutcher]

First, I would not stay anywhere that I was not wanted. But the rules stating their requirements , should be front and center. As Stacy said, if you get there and then find out they don't want you, that is a bad business practice and those places should be put on notice. Second, I doubt you could tell most of the home build's here were not manufactured trailers. Third, if your trailer passes DMV requirements to be on the road then you should not be turned away simply because it is home made.
There are many CG's that will not allow any trailers older then 10 years to camp there. If that is their rule, then so be it. But it should be well publicized. I have never heard of "RIVA" before, but will be on the look out to avoid those places. A list some where of those businesses that do not want our home built trailers could be useful. Traveling a great distance only to be turned away late at night can be a bumber.

[deleted]

I agree that a park is entitled to their policies, though they do seem discriminatory if your trailer is well built and well cared for.

And exactly Woodbutcher. I even called ahead to make sure there was availability and reserve a spot by phone and they never mentioned the RIVA requirement. They also insisted on seeing my insurance coverage on my car/trailer when I arrived which I did have so other than being unexpected that wasn't a big deal. But I know not everyone insures their trailer(s) so they would have been turned away as well. I found it irritating that they didn't list these things on their website or disclose them when you called in to reserve a spot. Just went back and looked at their website and they still don't list these requirements. Of all of the many places I've stayed at it is surprising to me that a dinky county fairground has the most stringent policies I've seen anywhere in all of my travels.

[DrCrash]

Of course the simple answer if you are offended by someones choice to exclude you is to not stay there.

However, getting all upset and spouting about how denying the campground your $25.00 fee will surely make them sorry...makes little sense.

Sorry, but you should step back and think this through...Rob

As far as the $25.00 Reference I hope I am wrong as to what I think you are refering to.

Campgrounds are a business, and like any business, exist to make a profit by selling goods or services.
If a campground turns away your home built, it likely has very good reason, as your money is just as green as the guy with the RVIA sticker on his camper.
There has to be a good reason, that fits their business and circumstances, or they would soon be bankrupt.Rob

You are correct . I also have the right to refuse patronizing them. Dosent mean you have to be an ass to them or snotty, it means if I know they have this rule it would be nice to know as to not travel twenty miles away to be told " you cant stay here ".

And as far as the " RIVA " code thing. Have you torn apart a RIVA trailer? I have and they arent code and some of them is just plain SHODDY workmanship, construction, engneering !

[48Rob]

As far as the $25.00 Reference I hope I am wrong as to what I think you are refering to.

Not sure where you are going with this?
$25.00 - $ 30.00 whatever the usual campground fee is for an overnight stay?

You are correct . I also have the right to refuse patronizing them. Dosent mean you have to be an ass to them or snotty, it means if I know they have this rule it would be nice to know as to not travel twenty miles away to be told " you cant stay here ".

And as far as the " RIVA " code thing. Have you torn apart a RIVA trailer? I have and they arent code and some of them is just plain SHODDY workmanship, construction, engneering !

I agree.

I am not suggesting that you or anyone doesn't have the right to choose where they stay or who they spend their money with.

Yes, it would be professional and courteous of any campground public or private to clearly publish their rules and regulations so that travelers can choose before being blindsided.

I have worked on many trailers over the last 37 years, but that they meet some code or not isn't the issue.

Please look back at my posts; I offered two opposing views for the reasoning behind a campground denying someone with a trailer that wasn't "mainstream". At no point did I suggest they should be rude or obnoxious, or that you or anyone must or should patronize them.

Rob

[LWW]

Problem solved. The manager called me to confirm my reservation this morning. They even gave me one of the lots I wanted across the street from the bathroom, important to keep the wife happy. She was very pleasant and wished us a happy visit. People will sometimes surprise you. It could be that the person taking the reservation was doing her due diligence.

I can't wait to get started. Larry

[Aaron Coffee]

What doesn't make sense to me is that the sticker only shows that the rv met certain standards at the time of manufacture, and since my state doesn't have annual inspections(don't even have annual car inspections anymore). That sticker doesn't mean that the gas and electrical systems haven't been modified after manufacture, thus making them possibly unsafe. At a state campground I once saw an old popup that had the canvas removed and was made into a potable kitchen, they had so many appliances that they had to hook into 3 power poles to keep from blowing the campgounds breakers.

[MtnDon]

I think it is simply a way to exclude older RV's and the home built and low budget travelers and please the hoity toity, upscale RV'ers. Similar to requiring large sq ft homes in some upscale residential areas. The RVIA name only dates from 1974, so that excludes anyone with older units. I wonder if the insurance thing is simply a way to deflect the irate potential camper. It's always easier to pass the buck than to have to try and explain some arbitrary rule.

Some RVIA history....
RVIA's roots extend back to August 30, 1963 when the American Institute of Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturers (AITTCM) was incorporated in the state of Indiana as a not-for-profit corporation under the IRS code section 501(c)(6) rules. The original address of the organization was 3738 West Indiana Street, Indianapolis, Indiana.
On July 8, 1968 the organization officially adopted the name the Recreational Vehicle Institute, Inc. (RVI) retaining its original charter. Offices were moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and a few years later to Plains, Illinois.
The last name change occurred on October 2, 1974 when the organization became known as the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, Inc. (RVIA) combining elements of RVI and the Travel Coach Association (TCA) of Riverside, California. The National Headquarters was moved to Chantilly, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Association moved to 1896 Preston White Drive, Reston, Virginia in January, 1985 where it is today.

[Gage]

Well here’s my take on it. The reason for age restrictions at some of your RV Parks is mainly to keep the trash and squatters out. I have gone to age restriction parks and never been refused. I have even camped in Los Vegas where most of the high dollar RV Parks have 10 year age limits. They just take one look at my trailer and let me in. If they don’t (but that has never happened), I just say thank you and go to another park. I have traveled all over the states with my home built teardrop which is a 1964 or my 1956 Dalton and have seen some real trash that the owners call nice trailers. All that does is run the park down. At least that’s the way it is here in the West.

[bdosborn]

I am not suggesting that you or anyone doesn't have the right to choose where they stay or who they spend their money with.

Yes, it would be professional and courteous of any campground public or private to clearly publish their rules and regulations so that travelers can choose before being blindsided.

I agree to a point. It sure seems to be slap in the face to many of us who chose to build a camper after seeing the shoddy workmanship present in many commercial RVs.

I've never been asked if my trailer had a RVIA sticker, thankfully. I think I would politely leave if it was a requirement and promptly post an honest review on Yelp or similar sites. That way other home-built trailer campers would know they're not welcome at that campground when they are planning trips.

Bruce

[Vedette]

I've never been asked if my trailer had a RVIA sticker, thankfully. I think I would politely leave if it was a requirement and promptly post an honest review on Yelp or similar sites.
Bruce

Bruce I think you have said "exactly" what I said in an earlier post on this thread!
I just used the word "Blacklist" instead of "honest review".
And I never leave "politely" if someone in the service industry has let me leave unsatisfied with my experience at their establishment.
You are too nice!
Good Roads
Brian

[Padilen]

I haven't camped since the 70's. But even back then some campground had rules against tents , pick-up campers and school bus conversions. That was the Hippie years.

[Bill n Robi]

I must say this is an eye opening thread. We are just converting from tent to TD camping and we had always stayed at County, State or Federal sites. I never thought about these issues, checking yelp, police logs, not things I ever thought about before. Since we are now 'no going and staying' but 'going, stopping, going, go sub 2', I guess it is a different thing and will need to plan more than just making one reservation.

I saw in a different thread that when making reservations that it was hard to explain that you wanted a trailer site but not a huge one and that you could fit in a tent site if necessary.

I know I have been bookmarking every gathering here and other forums, I may not make them but it gives me lots of places to add to the list of possible stops along the road.

Thanks again to all who post info here, it helps a lot.

[minstrel]

ShadowCatcher...
How do you look up the police records for a campground?
Liz