JBSummer
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Joined: 11/06/2004
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My wife and I have been checking out campgrounds today for accessability and one thing we are seeing are campgrounds in which some folks are permanent residents in travel trailers.
After we left to come home, we got to talking about RV slang and terminology. Would folks who put down deep roots in campgrounds be considered full-timers even though they're not mobile?
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winkyb
Florida
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Joined: 02/02/2008
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More like need a place to live.With the economy what it is some may not be by choice these days.We just bought a new trailer and is paid for.But God for bid if we fell on hard times and lost our house you bet I would live in it and would be a lot less money than living in our house.You do what you have to do these days.
Wink
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Gary Franks
Pacific Northwest
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Joined: 02/24/2008
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I call them "permanent transients". Oops, I probably offended somebody.
'05 Fleetwood Bounder Diesel 39Z | Datastorm F2 Satellite Internet | Toad1: '03 Lincoln Town Car | Toad2: '08 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 4WD
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Bob Vaughn
Seffner, Fl.
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Joined: 06/19/2007
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Some campgrounds let these get out of hand.....and it starts to look like a ghetto, with broken down cars and every conceivable piece of junk just laying around....then they let them take the choice sites.....If they are going to do that they should make the very back of the park for the non-mobiles.......
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rolnhome
Pacific Northwest Mexico
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Joined: 11/19/2007
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You'd be supprised at the number of people living in state parks.
We're in Arizona
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ladymc53
Canyon Lake, Texas
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Joined: 04/20/2007
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We are permanent residents by choice. We have a 5 bedroom/3 bath house in Arkansas that is for sale, and yet we took our 5'er to Texas and are living in it. We had to come back last week to the "house" and can't wait to leave and will be pulling out tomorrow. Our 5'er is more comfortable and easier to take care of than this big monstrosity. We have found that living in closer quarters has lead to more conversations and a closer relationship with one another...after 40 yrs. We have more amentities for a cheaper price than we would by living here - an indoor pool as an example. The campground is very neat and clean and has restrictions for their permanent residents that keep it from looking like a junkyard. Only 1 couple has been there 5 yrs. and they are extremely neat. Most are there waiting on a house to be built or working for a season. We have plans to build or buy at some point, but not sure when or where, so we wait and enjoy our lifestyle. "Having" to live in such a state is not a necessity for us financially, but it is a necessity for us emotionally. So you see, there are many reasons people do what they do.
Bill & Linda
Ladymc & Shuttlebird
2008 Silver Dodge Diesel Dually 3500 - "The Silver Bullet"
Towing 1998 35 ft. Newmar 5th wheel
20K Husky Hitch & Blue Ox Bedsaver
Handheld Garmin Nuvi 350 GPS AND Sat. in dash mounted GPS in the truck
READY TO ROLL!
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Wife'nHubby
Wisconsin
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Joined: 09/11/2008
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We have a TT parked at a 'permanent site' but still consider ourselves 'camping' even though the 'view' never changes. We do not live there on a permanent basis but do go there as often as possible. Even though our TT is a 1998 model it has only been on the road when it was delivered to the CG and then it was moved from one site to it's current site in the same campground. Because our TT has not been 'on the road' it is still in very good condition considering it's age. I believe we have slept in it more than either of the two previous owners. Hubby has a medical condition that does not allow him to be more than 1 hour from his hospital. So, you see, we are vastly limited as to where we can travel. The permanent site offers us the feeling that we can still enjoy 'camping'. We had a pop-up years ago when our sons were very young and then we had an MH for many years. So we have camped, love camping and our permanent site gives us the 'get away' we truly need. Hubby's brother stayed with us for almost a week this summer. His unsolicited comment: "Don't get no better than this!"
Wifey
Wisconsin - best place to be!
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winkyb
Florida
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Wife'nHubby wrote: "Don't get no better than this!"
Wifey
We said that every time we go camping but maybe my wife missed saying it the night we were sleeping under Fay as it came across Florida.I said that if it would stand going down the road at 65 MPH it would stand a storm of 65 MPH winds but I think she was beginning to rethink my logic at about three in the morning that night but we made it OK.
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wileecoyote
Tennessee, USA
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Joined: 09/02/2008
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My wife and I visited some CG in our home state a few months ago before deciding to buy our new TT recently. We initially found the same thing that JB mentioned: really old run down CG, rusted wrecks, trash and junk everywhere, poorly maintained commmon grounds, prime spaces taken up by people that appeared to be living there, only available spaces were all bad, etc. This really made us think twice about getting a TT and we almost dropped the idea altogether.
We were worried that many or all of the CG would look like this but then we visited some state parks and nicer CG that were excellent so it all seems to depend on the facility. Around here the cheaper CG are typically old farm land which the owner converted to a CG and/or trailer park to make a quick buck, then proceeded to do the bare minimum maintenance and allow just about anything as long as the residents continue to pay something each month. We don't have anything against this and we feel sorry for some of the people which are obviously living in poverty, often with a pack of kids crowded into an old camper which is smaller than our living room. We wouldn't want to vacation in such a CG, however, so we are doing a lot more research before deciding where to go.
The RV Park Reviews site is a great resource and many of the CG listed have tons of reviews from other guests. Most of the better CG have their own websites which typically contain photos and a lot more info so you should be able to plan ahead and avoid the low quality facilities.
In the end we decided to buy the TT and not worry about it. Research will help us avoid the tar pits and if we make a mistake or get surprised then we will just hitch up and move to the next site.
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JBSummer
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Joined: 11/06/2004
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Some of the ones we have seen have been immaculately maintained. Others have been in bad shape - people do what they have to do. I guess one of the things that amazed me also is that the trailers' construction has held up for permanent occupancy but like anything other home, I'm sure there is always a list of things that need to be done...
Another thing I wonder about is if campgrounds allow permanent residents to buy their site. I'll ask when we visit one...
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