Hi, all- The good news: We bought a new RV at the Hershey Show last week. The not-quite-as-good news: We had our winter trip all planned out months ago with our smaller camper in mind. Some of the sites we have reserved are just not going to work for us and we'll cancel on those. But on two, the max vehicle length is only a couple feet shorter than our new camper-- even though the sites themselves actually measure 65' and 73' in length. Photos don't show any trees in the back or curves that would make it hard to back in or anything like that. So my question is this: Have you ever reserved a site listing a max vehicle length just a smidgeon smaller than your RV? Any horrible consequences? Did the park ranger come over with his tape measurer and toss you out? (These are gravel sites at FL state parks, btw) As always, any/all courteous replies and relevant insights are greatly appreciated. j-half
QUOTE(GandJ @ Sep 16 2013, 03:08 PM) [snapback]34801[/snapback] Hi, all- The good news: We bought a new RV at the Hershey Show last week. The not-quite-as-good news: We had our winter trip all planned out months ago with our smaller camper in mind. Some of the sites we have reserved are just not going to work for us and we'll cancel on those. But on two, the max vehicle length is only a couple feet shorter than our new camper-- even though the sites themselves actually measure 65' and 73' in length. Photos don't show any trees in the back or curves that would make it hard to back in or anything like that. So my question is this: Have you ever reserved a site listing a max vehicle length just a smidgeon smaller than your RV? Any horrible consequences? Did the park ranger come over with his tape measurer and toss you out? (These are gravel sites at FL state parks, btw) As always, any/all courteous replies and relevant insights are greatly appreciated. j-half We just left a State Park in Florida and had a similar situation. We have a 31' and the site was designated as a 24'. It was labor day weekend, and it was the only site left, so we decided to take a chance and we booked it knowing it was "too small". Lucky for us, our RV fit in just fine. It was a little snug, but nobody noticed. I would bet chances are high you will be okay. You may lose some BBQ space. Have fun!
QUOTE(ChickenFriedChicken @ Sep 16 2013, 04:31 PM) [snapback]34803[/snapback] We just left a State Park in Florida and had a similar situation...I would bet chances are high you will be okay. You may lose some BBQ space. Have fun! Thanks for the reply, CFC. Feeling a little better about it now. Probably happens all the time, right? Really makes me wonder why there are 32' to 34' limits on 50' - 60' long sites (as with site 43 at Koreshan, for example).
QUOTE(GandJ @ Sep 17 2013, 08:55 AM) [snapback]34808[/snapback] Thanks for the reply, CFC. Feeling a little better about it now. Probably happens all the time, right? Really makes me wonder why there are 32' to 34' limits on 50' - 60' long sites (as with site 43 at Koreshan, for example). We have done that a few times. I look at the site length and go from there. We are a38 foot 5er.
Just guessing here about the length limit is because many people have a truck and 5th wheel or a motorhome and a towed. The limit is probably the length of the RV itself so there is room to park.
My wife makes the reservations. when she calls she tells them what we have. A 25 ft semi truck, a 35 ft 5th wheel trailer and a small car. Then asks if they have a site big enough for all our stuff. This summer it was amazing on how many campground owners/managers/employees have no idea what a semi truck, a 35 ft 5th wheel trailer and a small car looks like on some of the sites they tried to put us in and ones we were able to get into. "Oh I didn't know you had a semi truck." "Wow that trailer is a lot taller then I thought it would be". "WOW!!! How long are you?" So all you can do is tell them what you have and hope for the best when you pull in.
QUOTE(Nolan @ Sep 19 2013, 03:39 PM) [snapback]34826[/snapback] So all you can do is tell them what you have and hope for the best when you pull in. Truly, words of wisdom. Thanks for that
I do the opposite, our RV is 35'7" but is listed and registered as a 34' - why I have no clue. When I make reservations I always request a site that can easily accommodate a 36' RV. I have had campgrounds remark to me about my rig being 34' but my reservation being for 36'. Now my question is - what size site would you request?
We live in Florida and many of the state parks have a 30 limit. We pretty much ignore it and have never had a problem with out 33 foot Class A. I think they have a little leeway to allow for poor drivers,
In all our travels we have not as yet encountered being assigned a space too short for our coach but we have had a couple of instances where an assigned non reserved site was not wide enough to accommodate our full length slide without slamming into a tree or large bush, etc. In both situations this was quickly and efficiently taken care of and we were assigned another wider space. We have been in parks that were older ones and were evidently built before the days of the slide out came into being, and a couple had made an effort to widen a bunch of spaces to now accommodate rigs with slide outs. Guess we've been lucky campers................so far........
It is advisable when reserving a site to add a few feet to the length of your unit especially if you have bikes attached to your rear ladder or bumper hitch. I had the misfortune of booking a 24 foot site at Malibu Beach RV Park for my 24 foot rig and it stuck out into the road due to the bikes (there was a fence at the back of site). They weren't kidding when they said that site was 24 feet. And no there wasn't another site available. Never made that mistake again.
