Ski RV's, who's sleeping in parking lots?

[toastybroski]

I have one. 89rb. It's great. I've had it for just over a year. Living in Alberta i use it all winter camping, been to Ontario last year with it. Just completed a road trip up to BC, Alaska and Yukon. Table is big enough for three adults. Bathroom makes a good storage and drying room.
Had several nights at minus 20 Celsius and yeah you get some condensation build up in spots but you will in anything.

Like any camper I've had to fiddle with the sail switch for the furnace. Water pump line was linked, installed a solar panel.

Probably have close to 90 nights in it since last February between road trips. Skiing, biking. Hunting. Etc.

Great family unit and convenient. Have a long box truck coming and skiing the short box since this thing gets used so much and it just lives on the truck.

Do you just run it dry in the winter and bring water jugs inside? This one didn’t have a bathroom but i didn’t think we would really need one. The old dude I bought it from was appalled by the idea of using it all winter long.

[crashidy]

Do you just run it dry in the winter and bring water jugs inside? This one didn’t have a bathroom but i didn’t think we would really need one. The old dude I bought it from was appalled by the idea of using it all winter long.

I just run dry in winter. Even my buddies with northern lites run dry in winter...just not worth the risk.

[toastybroski]

I have quite a bit of space above my wheel well and the side of the camper/bed of the truck. Almost perfect for ski storage. Does anyone else use this space? I am trying to think of some kind of door or net to prevent shit from sliding out. Also, it seems to be a pretty divisive questions, do you remove the jacks full time? I was thinking of removing them so I don't back into anything or someone doesnt bump into me and fuck the camper up and throwing those in the wheel well as well.

[El Chupacabra]

I have quite a bit of space above my wheel well and the side of the camper/bed of the truck. Almost perfect for ski storage. Does anyone else use this space? I am trying to think of some kind of door or net to prevent shit from sliding out. Also, it seems to be a pretty divisive questions, do you remove the jacks full time? I was thinking of removing them so I don't back into anything or someone doesnt bump into me and fuck the camper up and throwing those in the wheel well as well.

My camper has little hinged doors at the back, so I cram stuff in the area between the camper and the bed. Folding chairs and folding table go in above the wheel wells.

I remove all the jacks and leave them home while the camper is on. Once the camper goes on, it stays on for summer. Be sure you can access the spare tire crank down port if you do this - some campers wrap down around the license plate area and cover that port.

[Trackhead]

I remove all the jacks and leave them home while the camper is on. Once the camper goes on, it stays on for summer. Be sure you can access the spare tire crank down port if you do this - some campers wrap down around the license plate area and cover that port.

Excellent and often overlooked advice!

[Ver iz ze money LePowski?]

Probably a dumb question but here we go. In your experience, do most state parks/national parks allow truck campers, vans, etc. stay in tent sites?


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[jackattack]

Not at walk-in tent sites.

[powdork]

Probably a dumb question but here we go. In your experience, do most state parks/national parks allow truck campers, vans, etc. stay in tent sites?

Many tent sites have no parking allotted to them. Most have a small parking area where you leave your car and walk in. Very few have parking spots adjacent. The laws for National and State Parks are very different and the laws for each state are very different and the laws for each park may be very different. I don't know why any type of vehicle would be restricted as long as you are actually using the tent site rather than staying in your vehicle. The parking may come with size restrictions or physical limitations however.

[powdork]

In mammoth now (or was a few days ago)

[altasnob]

Probably a dumb question but here we go. In your experience, do most state parks/national parks allow truck campers, vans, etc. stay in tent sites?

Powdork's statement is correct. The only thing I will add, and bitch about, is at the state parks here in Washington they typically allow two vehicles at a camp spot. So you can have a full size truck, and a full size van, at the campsite, with everyone tent camping. But when you park a van that someone is sleeping in, and a full size truck with a truck camper on it, you will get yelled at because they think you should only be allowed to sleep in one vehicle per spot, not two vehicles. Makes no sense. I still do it, but just expect the campground host to give you shit about it.

I always have a tent in my truck camper just in case I need to make an uppity campground host happy by pitching an empty tent that no on is sleeping in.

[Trackhead]

I always have a tent in my truck camper just in case I need to make an uppity campground host happy by pitching an empty tent that no on is sleeping in.

Jump through the hoops.

[Ed el Loco]

That’s nuts. I’ve mostly gone to primitive camp grounds with no host. But never had any one look twice at sleeping in the van with out a tent.


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[byates1]

https://bozeman.craigslist.org/rvs/d...488191428.html

looks like a great deal?

[powdork]

That’s nuts. I’ve mostly gone to primitive camp grounds with no host. But never had any one look twice at sleeping in the van with out a tent.

That's a completely different situation. I think the question referred to campgrounds that have separate tent only sites. And to be fair in those situations you may be taking the spot of someone for whom a tent camping spot is more appropriate.

[byates1]

https://youtube.com/shorts/nBaXKPsg4F4?feature=share

A moss wall. Huh. That's a new one.

[m2711c]

why?

[powdork]

Because people like them? I like plants. And I like walls. It's new to me too, but it's not new. To be fair, they're building for a different crowd that travels with a cat and doesn't need storage for bikes, skis, or gear.

[muted reborn]

That's a completely different situation. I think the question referred to campgrounds that have separate tent only sites. And to be fair in those situations you may be taking the spot of someone for whom a tent camping spot is more appropriate.

Theoretically I'd be pissed if I showed up in a beater car with a tent and a $250k van was taking up a tent spot but sleeping in the van. And there were no spots left. Or there was a place for me to tent camp and then the van guy or camper guy was running a generator. If the camp host doesn't want to deal with all this and not bend the rules for certain people, good for him. If the host decides to bend the rules under certain circumstances, good for him. Saying "It makes no sense" is not true.

[altasnob]

Is there a campground in the US that has spots that are specifically tent only? I have never seen it. Not walk in sites, but a site that is made for a car to park and and then camp right there, that specifically says you must be sleeping in a tent. I've seen sites that are specifically not for RVs, or have other size limitations, and that makes sense. But why shouldn't someone in a van or truck who happens to be sleeping in their van or truck not be able to camp in the same spot as people who drive up in a van or truck and unload a tent? It's the type of vehicle that should be the limiting factor, not whether you are sleeping in that vehicle or next to it in a tent.

In my situation when I've been yelled at by campground host, I'm sleeping in my truck, my parents in their van. We have a few camp chairs out and that is it. We get told we are breaking the rules (not because we aren't in a tent, necessarily, but because we have two (not one) vehicles we are sleeping in). Right next to us is a group of 12 with three trucks and couple of those massive tents that you can walk into standing up and set a picnic table in. A bunch of other 10 x 10 standing tarps, generator, stereo, ect.

My point is, just because you are tent camping doesn't mean you aren't taking up a larger footprint, and being more obnoxious, than someone sleeping in their van. I am guessing these situations only occur in places like Washington State Parks, which tend to be close to large populations centers. Never had this problem in any federal campground. And it's a problem that is easily solved by bringing a tent, or just sleeping in a tent. But I think van/truck campers should be aware of it because I could see tent campers whining enough to the National Park Service about all the #vanlifers and get vans and truck campers banned from half the campgrounds (tesla with $20k of camping gear from REI-cool, beater van that you sleep in-not cool).

[Backward_Banana]

Is there a campground in the US that has spots that are specifically tent only?

Smith Rock climbers bivy

[~mikey b]

….

[powdork]

^There probably are some, but the vast majority involve a walk. There are some places where the tent sites are reserved for thru hikers/bikers and come with no parking at all.

[altasnob]

Smith Rock climbers bivy

That's a walk in tent site. I am talking about a car camping spot that you can only camp in a tent right in front of your car. Most places do it like Rainier, which has a tent only walk in campground (Mowich) and then the other campgrounds have restrictions on vehicle length, but don't care if you are sleeping in a tent or in your car.

https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm

[Hopeless Sinner]

Organ Pipe National Monument, which I was just at, has tent only camping on the 2 outer rings of the campground. Madison Campground in Yellowstone has segregated camp sites for tenters, I was there last fall. So there's 2 federal campgrounds that I have been to that segregate RV's and tent campers. We have reservations in the Grand Canyon in October and I noted a very few sites allocated to tents. I'm sure there are plenty more.


Campgrounds especially National Parks and Monuments, and State Park Campgrounds are overrun w campers of all types. You need a reservation to hike and camp in the backcountry in some places! Planning ahead to camp in these places is hard and competitive. People should respect all the rules, which they probably agree to when making their reservation, or go somewhere else. Making people that are generally volunteer camp hosts, not paid, and not LEO's hassle w enforcing rules is selfish and rude. They didn't make the rules and the people that did probably had a good reason to do so(even if you don't agree.)

[altasnob]

When you say RVs aren't allowed, does that that mean RVs aren't allowed but you can still camp in your van or truck? That's what it says at Alamo Canyon Campground, which is a primitive "tent only" campground at Organ Pipe National Monument, but you can still camp in your truck camper or van.

"Campers may use sleeping bags, tents, passenger cars, pick-ups with camper shells or small camper unties mounted in the bed of a pickup truck, or vans with pop-up sleeper units. RVs, motorhomes, and trailers are not allowed in Alamo Campground."

https://www.nps.gov/orpi/planyourvisit/alamo-canyon.htm

Anywhere I see "tent only" what they mean is no RVs, but vans and truck campers are ok.