What Makes You A Happy Camper

What is it about camping or a campground that makes you a happy camper. Is it family time, activities, lack of activities etc. in the day it was the great memories of time with the family and we have some good ones. Currently it is my wife and I, sometimes the dog, sitting out relaxing under the awning with our coffee deciding what and when we will have breakfast. A quiet peaceful campground helps with that and a nice view makes it even better. It is just our special time that we started doing last fall and have continued this year. When we camp alone it is best but even when we are camping with a group we get this quiet time some. What makes you a happy camper.

 

Good question-made me think about a several hundred campgrounds in 6 years on the road.
The ones with the best memories for me all were on a river or lake, scenic spacious sites, hiking trails. Each year I travel I tend to find myself staying at less RV Parks and more campgrounds.
At least more of the RV parks used tend to be in a small town or secluded area rather than off a main highway.

 

We kind of side with Gary. I also appreciate enough peace and quiet for an afternoon snooze if I'm so inclined. Don't mind saying hello to people who come by, as long as it doesn't happen too frequently.
Some noise is OK, we both taught public school for 40 years, so we like children, just in smaller doses nowadays. We have found that most campground kids are well behaved and respectful although there can be the exception, usually caused by problem parents. We almost always manage to enjoy ourselves most any place we go. Pet peeve is, over zealous park management or employees. Unless there is a safety or property issue (or infringement of others enjoyment) best to leave people to themselves.

 

The minute we're off that road, cranked down and hooked up to the utilities, I'm a happy camper. Doesn't take much to make me happy.....extra points for a stream, mountains and shade.

 

What makes me a happy camper ??? Well that's a good question. All campgrounds have some sort of amenities..... usually we pick an area we want to visit then the campground with the amenities we prefer. With that said....the thing that makes me a happy camper is the truthfulness of the staff when you make the reservations. Many times they paint a beautiful picture of a sub standard park. I always ask if my assigned site is level and can handle a 45' M/H. .....the standard answer is " Oh yeah NO PROBLEM....we have big rigs in here all the time " ...unfortunately sometimes they can't. If they would just be honest at the time you make reservation it would make every ones life easier. Just last week we tried to level up 3X's in a " big rig " c/g and 3X's.... no matter where on the site I tried..... I got "excess slope " mode and my level system shut down.....we had to leave. I'm sure I'm not the first big rig that had the same problem and had to leave.... Why waste peoples time if they have done nothing to remedy the problems ? That is something I don't understand. If they would just said NO sorry......I'd go on to the next park....and the next person would get the reservation they want...and you would have 2 happy campers.

So honesty and truthfulness about the park is what make me a happy camper.

 

I've yet to find a site that I couldn't level up in, although I do have to use blocks under the jacks at times. The campground we're in right now in fact, in order to place the coach where I wanted it, I have blocks under the front jacks and both front wheels are off the ground. As long as I can get located the way I prefer, I'm a "happy camper".

 

I always use fiberglass blocks under my jacks regardless if we are on concrete or gravel It's more to isolate me from ground in the event of an electrical storm. What I can't do is lift the wheels off the ground because my leveling system will not allow it . Once I dump the air bags to level the coach...if a wheel comes off the ground it shuts down the system with a excess slope warning . I can not control that . I guess at over 40k lbs and 45 feet long....they want wheel contact on the ground to stop the coach from sliding down hill on the jacks.......YAHOOOOOO

 

If your wheels are coming off the ground you should have boards under them. Your frame will stress and start to bend. Unless you have auto leveling, the jacks are just to stabilize and not to lift.

 

I've never heard of a Spartan / Freightliner chassis bend due to jacks.....lol. How much wood am I expected to carry to place under 8 wheels and jacks ? I do expect the site to be somewhat level if they tell me so...where I don't have ride up on wood to be level. I just as soon move on to a real campground that can handle big rigs ! This way I can be a happy camper also

 

I'm also a coffee junkie.....I love to make it my old stainless steel percolator coffee pot.....on the outdoor propane stove.....next to the cast iron skillet with the bacon and eggs in it.

 

TO me when I travel it is just today and tomorrow. Kind of like being at sea that way. I do not care if I am in a rest area which I just spent the last three nights in different ones or in a state park on a wonderful lake that monday and tuesday was spent on in SD. To me I will have my computer and my iPad to read my books and to keep in touch with family and to just relax and let the stress melt away.

 

QUOTE(tiffinman @ Jun 29 2014, 09:11 AM) [snapback]37102[/snapback]

I've never heard of a Spartan / Freightliner chassis bend due to jacks.....lol. How much wood am I expected to carry to place under 8 wheels and jacks ? I do expect the site to be somewhat level if they tell me so...where I don't have ride up on wood to be level. I just as soon move on to a real campground that can handle big rigs ! This way I can be a happy camper also


I would guess you have some type of auto leveling or push button and that is why I said those without that should be careful.

Mike, coffee, good.

 

QUOTE(GaryWT @ Jun 29 2014, 06:04 PM) [snapback]37112[/snapback]

I would guess you have some type of auto leveling or push button and that is why I said those without that should be careful.

Mike, coffee, good.





Correct.....its a HWH hydraulic auto level system. Push one button and it dumps all the air bags......lifts the coach to computerized level. You can't override the excess slope feature. If your not careful you can pop tiles off the floor.

 

QUOTE(GaryWT @ Jun 29 2014, 12:41 PM) [snapback]37100[/snapback]

If your wheels are coming off the ground you should have boards under them. Your frame will stress and start to bend. Unless you have auto leveling, the jacks are just to stabilize and not to lift.


My dual acting jacks are rated at 12,000 lbs each on a coach that weighs 18,000 lbs, and about the only thing that happens to this old F53 frame with the front wheels hanging is maybe the springs get re-arched a bit. Which they can probably use anyway. I can level faster than most auto levelers with my manual pushbutton panel, and the jacks always work in pairs, eliminating any frame twisting when used correctly.

 

Question.....If the jacks are just to stabilize and not to lift.....how do you level your coach ? If you pull into a site and your not level ...do you just stabilize a un-level coach ? I don't understand.....

 

I have a travel trailer so we level side to side by putting lynx levelers down if needed, sometimes one or two. We then level front to back using the front jack. We then put down the stabilizer jacks. Takes about 10 minutes.

 

OK.....I guess the procedure is a lot different with a T/T.

Thanks.

 

My husband, son (8 yrs), daughter (6 yrs) and our dogs in our Class A travel all over as often as we can! We love clean swimming pools, lots of fun activities (crafts, movies, competitions, bands, dances with a dj, etc.), basketball courts, big playgrounds, and FRIENDLY office personnel- this makes us happy campers!


QUOTE(GaryWT @ Jun 28 2014, 11:06 AM) [snapback]37090[/snapback]

What is it about camping or a campground that makes you a happy camper. Is it family time, activities, lack of activities etc. in the day it was the great memories of time with the family and we have some good ones. Currently it is my wife and I, sometimes the dog, sitting out relaxing under the awning with our coffee deciding what and when we will have breakfast. A quiet peaceful campground helps with that and a nice view makes it even better. It is just our special time that we started doing last fall and have continued this year. When we camp alone it is best but even when we are camping with a group we get this quiet time some. What makes you a happy camper.