Like so many, we started in a PUP - loved it too! Concur that www.rvparkreviews.com is a great source for real, reliable info on CG's. Real campers sharing their experiences.
Do take exception with one poas about setting up at midnight. Not just a pain in the butt for you, but your neighbors will remember how late it was when you came in, even if you're expert at setting up and think you are quiet as a church mouse!!
Another thing to be aware of with a PUP is the weather. It's a real pain to set up or tear down in the rain! We paid close attention to weather reports and set up camp earlier than planned if rain was forecast. We sometimes stayed an extra day if weather was a factor as well.
Everything has been made easier since DH got me a notebook computer. I can use it while we travel and find CG's on the fly - call them on the cell phone and we're set!!!
We NEVER drive more than 7 hours in any one day. Too stressful otherwise. When planning a trip, I always have ressies at our end destination - and anyplace in between we plan to spend more than 2 days. Otherwise, play it by ear and trust rvparkreviews.com for what you need to know.
Have a great time on the road!!
Two young retirees restless to GO!
Life is too short to wait too long to do all we want to do!!
Go and enjoy!!
So you are talking about a sort of "cross country" trip? I use RVParkreviews a lot. Also this forum! Ask questions here, and pay attention to the answers. On three long trips we took (Gettysburg Battlefield, Niagara Falls, and Fort Wilderness, Disney World) we got invaluable advice from Open Roads forum... and the advice that I chose to not pay attention to ended up being very true and accurate.
You have to figure out what kind of campground you prefer - Family campground, top-of-the-line RV resort, "party" campground, basic dry camping, boondocking, etc. Read reviews of campgrounds, keeping in mind what you want and what the people are describing. The post about clean bathrooms is very accurate - clean bathrooms usually means a clean and well run campground. There is always a "bad day" at a campground that you might run into while camping, keep that in mind.
Have fun, and keep us all updated!
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2008 F-250 CrewCab 5.4L,
2004 21' Forest River Surveyor
Although my PUP has a bathroom, that is something important to me for that entry night shower!
I will use the TL directory to find the campgrounds in the area I wish to stop or stay, then read the reviews at rvparkreviews.com to get a better picture.
I use rvparkreviews.com and the Campgrounds forum here. A caveat on rvparkreviews - if you see bad reviews then a string of good reviews it may be that the park owner got a bunch of his seasonal campers to write reviews for him. I've used Woodalls also to get an idea how the cg's are. I can't say we've had a bad campground, but we've had some mediocre ones.
"A bad day of camping is better than a good day at work."
'04 GMC Envoy & '05 Travel Star 21SSO
17' Wenonah Kevlar & 16' Dagger Royalex canoes http://community.webshots.com/user/mbopp0153
If you make it to California I highly recommend Tom Stienstra's California Camping, Foghorn press $21.95 with over 1,500 campgrounds. I have found it to be very accurate.
Internet -- rvparkreviews.com -- recommendations here and on other forums.
Normally all our destinations are 1-day affairs. My limit is 9 or 10 hour days. Not all of that is driving of course. We stop for lunch, gas stops, shopping @ farmer's markets, etc. And I start BY 8AM -- sometimes sooner.
I prefer state parks, COE's etc. for the natural feel. I'm not much for RV parks, even though we've stayed at some from time to time.
I don't belong to PA, Good Sam's or any other membership club so I don't bother searching their directories.
I believe we've only stayed at ONE place that I would NOT return to.
StreetRodderTom wrote: Trying to make plans for next summer (2010) & need input from you guys. We've done more then our share of traveling with Hotels/Motels BUT this is going to be our first camping venture.....
How you pick your campgrounds depends on what you consider "camping".
If you want asphalt or concrete pads, full hookups, planned activities, pools, jacuzzi spas, and meeting rooms, then you want a current Trailer Life or Woodall's guide book to show you RVParks and RVResorts.
If you want National Parks, State Parks, City Regional Parks, Army Corps of Engineers Campgrounds, and generally more rustic, but much more natural campsites then get some Camping maps and State Camping Guidebooks from your local AAA AutoClub office, a local library, or a good bookstore.
We prefer to stay in state parks or regional parks when we can. The searches I use are Reserve America and also RV net. We travel 5 to 7 hours a day and when we are in serious ground covering mode we will stay in a hotel for a night as a break. KOA cards can be a big savings. There are some really nice KOA's and there are some really bad ones. Go by the reviews on this site. Figure out your milage and route and then look for some spots. You would be surprised how many choices you have sometimes, without going too far off the road. '
Enjoy
It all depends on what you want to do and see, With a pop up you don't need AC all the time. The DW has a couple of requirements, the campground has to have flush toilets and showers and she needs to be able to fish. So far we have stayed in State Parks, a COunty park, and some US Forest Service parks. We have likes all of them for the most part. We haven't needed AC and have camped with and without electric. It is nice to have electric so I don't need to worry about battery life but I carry a second battery and have never even wore out the first battery even after 4 days. If it is hot we open all the windows and have the Awning out and with a shaded campsite it is fine. As for charging thinghs like cell phones and computers I bought an inverter that plugs into a power outlet in my TV and will charge up items when we sight see or head to the store or beach.
One suggestion for a car show if ytou haven't been to it is the Minnesota Street Rod Association meeting (Back to the 50's) I believe it is the 3rd weekend in june every year at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, usually over 10,000 cars on the fairgrounds, all are 1964 or older. I think the website is www.msra.com If it sounds like you would be interested, it is a great show and you can easliy spend 2 days and not see it all.
Wildcat63
07 Coachmen Clipper Classic 1070ST
02 Explorer 4.6 V8 TV
While not by any means complete, I often use this Campground Locator Map to get an idea of what is available. Just type in a town/state name and the map will zoom to that area.
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We've done more then our share of traveling with Hotels/Motels BUT this is going to be our first camping venture.....
