Are RV Spaces becoming harder to get?

The Memorial Day weekend approaches as my wife and I, both retired, are hitting the road. We notice that at the commercial campgrounds, a growing percentage of the spaces are taken by long term stay folks. In park reviews, often reviewers will comment about parks where a few of these folks are keeping a lot of possessions in an untidy manner outside their rigs. We have no problem with people who are making the decision to save money by staying in an RV year round in one location. At the same time, when I've been calling ahead to reserve space, it seems that there is a shortage developing.

If I were a park owner, I'd have to think twice about turning down someone who wants to stay long term. I could rent that space all winter, at a time when otherwise it would be very difficult to make a buck. So I'm thinking more and more people will be choosing this alternative to the expensive housing market. That means it will be more difficult for people who want to travel to use RV parks. Today, I spent several hours on this website, trying to find our next campsite and the one after that.

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

 

There are numerous threads on this topic on this and other RV forums. Many people, including myself, agree with you that full-hookup sites at top-end RV parks are becoming harder and harder to get, especially on the major summer holidays. As for staying in national or state parts you better have made those reservations months ago.

OTOH there are RVers who don't things have changed all that much in the past few years. They tend to be people who don't necessarily insist on having full-hookups (or any at all for that matter) and who may not care if they stay at the nicest RV park in a particular area. If you like boondocking in the desert rather than RV parks, you may not have any problems finding space.

BTW IMO the majority of "long term occupants" at many parks are people who are in a location on temporary job assignments and who find RVing to be a more cost-effective housing option than a short term apartment rental or an extended stay hotel.

 

We just returned from a trip and stayed at two parks that had long term residents in them. In one the park has a designated long term area in the rear and the front area is open to the overnight or short term stay crowd. Thankfully this park is large enough to still accommodate both. In the other a strip of pull thrus is located in the middle of the park and is available for short stays. Permanents occupy basically the two outer perimeter back in rows with a few spaces available for overnight. We stayed at this park a couple of years ago and it seems there are more permanents now than our last visit. What Docj said about many parks catering to those on temporary job assignments, etc.is what we have been finding lately in our travels also. I think that also that since RVing has experienced a fairly significant interest in the past few years, RV parks and campgrounds are more in demand now due to more RVs on the road and parks not able to enlarge or expand to accept this growth. We try to make advance reservations in those parks we frequent on our various trips as we know they are going to be full up when we arrive if we don't. Several months advance is typical now in many of the more popular parks, especially during the peak seasons. We decided to wing it on our return this trip and called ahead just two hours before we decided to stay at one park we like. We lucked out and got the last space open. Had we waited another few minutes, it no doubt would have been taken..................

BankShot................(aka Terry)

 

Definitely YES! Tens of thousands of new RVs are being built and sold every year. Very few new RV parks are being built. I've been RVing for about ten years. Colorado has four very nice state parks on the "front range". When I started I could make reservations a couple of weeks ahead of time or sometimes just drive in. Now you need to make reservations by March if you want a weekend stay. Most good, reasonably priced parks will need reservations. Re: permanent residents - I recently talked to a park owner that is building an RV park just for oil/gas workers. I used to just "wing it", with no problems, but am now really planning my trips and stays, with longer stays, especially over holiday weekends.

 

I agree. We tent camped for twenty years and over the last five, staying in our Virginia state parks has been daunting. It is almost impossible to simply pull in and pick a site. Like someone said, reservations are a must unless you want no hookups. Even with tent camping, we always wanted water and electric for our fans.

Now that we have a trailer, I am finding sites difficult to impossible to book last minute. I know this was not the case when my parents began full time RVing twenty years ago. I have family members who are millennials working remotely and have decided to hit the road full time. They don't have to wait until they retire anymore, thanks to a job market that allows folks to either work from home or wherever they want.

I have no idea what this means for the future. Right now, it is the "in" thing for this generation (especially if they're renovating a vintage camper...thanks Pinterest!). However, it could be that the housing market stabilizes and prices begin to calm and cool. Then it would be more attractive for this younger generation to purchase a home and put down roots. It could also be that after a few years on the road, they burnout and decide to go back to permanent homes. I'm just not sure.

When one considers monthly site rates at $500 on the low end to $1500 or more on the high end, plus the cost of the RV and maintenance, they may find a brick and mortar home to actually be less expensive with proper financing.

 

As an addendum to my original post above, we just last week made reservations to stay at two parks on our way up to Washington. We are on a wait list to get a spot where we normally like to be in the first one. The reservations gal told us they have been booked for the river spaces since early April. So it's become very apparent that if you want to reserve a good space in the nice parks you really do have to reserve one several months in advance. And in some you have to make your reservations for the next year as much as a year in advance. So many more RVs traveling the roads now that here were 10 to 15 years ago. We learned early on that if we want a nice space in a park we want stay at, we need to make our reservations early................very early...............

BankShot................(aka Terry)

 

The reservation window for Florida's state parks opens at 8:00am 11 months prior to your preferred arrival date. For the more popular parks in the winter, most sites are taken by a few seconds after 8:00. Some people use multiple computers and multiple family/friends to try and grab a site. If they hit on more than one site at a given park, then they choose the one they like best and let the others go. But the system doesn't return those unreserved sites back into inventory for 15 minutes. For those that persevere, checking again starting at 8:15 will often give you a second chance at a site. We've gotten a few sites at "impossible" parks that way.

 

IMHO a large part of the problem is that many state and federal sites can be reserved with only a minimal penalty for cancellation. As a result people reserve sites on multiple weekends knowing full well that they won't use most of them. As long as they cancel more than ~48-72 hours out (depending on the jurisdiction) there is little or no penalty (usually ~$10). It's a selfish practice, but one that unfortunately is all too common today. As long as I have my reservation, why should I worry about anyone else?

 

Okay, here's what I think we all need to do. When a newbie joins RVPR, instead of us all welcoming them on board and telling them how much fun they will have and how everyone is here to assist when needed, etc., how about we all just tell them that RVing is for the birds and that trying to find or reserve a space in RV parks nowadays is near on impossible. We could also say that RV park rates are going to triple by the end of this summer. That along with RVs are a menace to others on the roads and that driving or towing one can be dangerous to one's health due to them being such a large target to sideswipe or run off the road. If we all stick to this practice for a while then perhaps there will be lesser RVs out there for us to compete with for spaces and campsites, etc. What do you folks think, good idea, eh..............

Next newbie that joins old BankShot will fire off the first volley over their bow and will start out this little charade to see if I can run a few of them off before the rest of you start shooting................

Damn the air brakes, full speed ahead, BankShot...............(aka Terry)

 

I thought perhaps I'd better let the newbies in on what I just stated above. I WAS JOKING........
They'll get use to me after they read a few of my other posts and realize I was........I HOPE....

Welcome aboard to all newbies, you'll love RVing and the gang that hangs out on this forum also..

Really, I was joking, BankShot.............(aka Terry)

 

Bankshot, I thought it was hilarious No worries!

 

But of course I was joking Mike. You don't for one minute think I would actually mean something like that do you......... Even hopefulone caught on to my shenanigans..............

Moving right along, BankShot...............(aka Terry)

 

Bankshot, if there is any doubt about your sense of humor, the newbies need to hear about your Ark. As you know I'm referring to your motorhome that has inflatable pontoons for wet weather, the menagerie that travels with you (including seven dogs, three cats, a small pygmy goat, one lone Iguana lizard, Little Stinky the skunk, a parrot, the Burmese python, four pet raccoons, Charlie the Chimp, a pot bellied pig, and the grandpigs), and your smart car that you carry on the roof of your MH.

You tales are oh so entertaining.

 

Yeah, I should probably back off a tad. One day while parked in a campground with those BankShot plagues (oops, meant to type plaques...) on the front and rear of the coach, some newbie might walk by, see them and throw eggs at us or worse yet, unhook the sewer hose... My significant other has told me repeatedly to be nice, polite, cordial, and refrain from being a wise arse on the forum lest we get set upon by someone who took offense, etc. Buy hey, what the heck, an old guy like me needs to have a little fun once in a while.........doesn't he....... I'll try to tone it down in future posts but it won't be easy................

Respectfully, BankShot..............(aka Terry)

 

I don't think that's such a good idea Terry. I look forward to your humor. I doubt anyone is offended by your posts. They are usually on topic. Keep em coming.

Darrell

 

Yahoo.......... !!! You talked me into it Darrell. And to think I was all set to back off and start doing boring posts with no 's or 's. You made my day, I will not change,I will not back off, full steam ahead..........

Let the fun and games begin once more, Terry............(aka BankShot)

 

Thank goodness I was about to lose my faith inn all humanity, My whole purpose in life now is to look for your posts . As I write they are installing the 4wd on top of my coach !

 

My wife and I couldn't agree on which model Smart car we wanted to haul on the motorhome roof, so we bought one for each of us!

Smart Models

 

Looks like Bankshot is getting some competition in the wise arse category. All of you just go ahead and have fun. Life is too short not to.