We are awaiting delivery of our new Pleasureway Excel class B camper. One of the discussion my DW and I are having is what do we do if we are going to stay in a campground for a few days yet use the camper to visit the area.
Options:
1. Leave chairs, bikes (locked to tree or table), grill etc at the site and leave for the day. I am a bit concerned about leaving $1000 worth of stuff unattended for several hours.
2. Pack everything up and take it with us. My concern here is that it may appear that we have left and somebody will take our site. Really don't want the hassle of running somebody out when we come back.
What do you do?
Thanks,
Ed
See you on the road, Ed, Brenda & Maggie Mae (Cocker Spaniel)
Toys:
2011 Pleasure-Way Excel, Triton V-10,
2003 Boston Whaler, 225 HP Mercury OB
2003 BMW Z-4 Convertible
Even though we own a fiver, when leaving for a day trip, we pick up the grill, coolers, ETC, anything that can be hauled off in a minuet. We lock the bikes up, using two locks, otherwise the chairs and anything else remains on site. We camp mostly in state and federal park, thus we display our camping permit on the provided post. We really do not leave anything of great value out when not in camp.
Contacting the camp host as to your travels might also help.
I've seen many motorhome campers either leave a chair in the parking area of the site or post a sign that says "Site Occupied", or both. I have a trailer so I usually just leave stuff at the site and lock up anything like bikes.
Personally, I would not leave anything behind that I wanted to be sure to find when I returned (then again, I am from NY and we are raised to be suspicious ) There have been several discussions about what to do when you leave your campsite with your B for the day and return later or at night in regard to someone taking your space. This would be more of a problem after the campground is closed and late arrivals are told to find their own space. What has been suggested is - a staked sign with your name and space occupied on it, an orange cone (there are collapsible cones that won't take up any room to store inside the B), or a small, cheap tent on the site. It has been stated that it can be a problem that someone will come in late and see the open space and think it is available.
Never had an A, B, or C, always a towable. But I have seen many A, B, C campers pitch a small tent at their site, stow away or secure bicycles and such next to trees (we do the same thing), and secure as much as possible. Then take off with their camper for "whatever". You might invest in a very, very cheap pup-tent. It's always good to secure your more valuable items, but some things are OK to leave out (depending upon how easy it is to replace them). A lot depends upon the campground you go to also. At state parks, it's always "put everything up" (in the camper). But at specific private campgrounds where we know the reoccuring and re-visiting campers week-after-week, we leave stuff out when gone. I think it's a judgment call you have to make based upon where you're camped, how comfortable you are with the potential of loosing something. FYI, we've NEVER had anything taken in over 26 years of camping during our married carrier. But did have a toy truck disappear once!
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
I guess things are different in different parts of the country but any place that I've ever been here in the NWest whether state, county, federal, a site is usually pretty clearly marked as occupied and I see stuff out all the time. I'm sure the day will come, but I hate to think I would have to pack my stuff up to leave the camp site. By the same token I'm not going to leave my watch or cell phone sitting out. I don't want to make an honest person a thief.
2008 Dodge Ram 6.7 Laramie SRW SB
2012 Keystone Passport 26BHWE
2009 Lance 830 with Tent foldout
20' North River Seahawk Boat
2005 Honda VTX1300
We have a 5'vr now but still leave everything (chairs/grills/tables etc.) out when we take off for the day.
Before the 5'vr we had a Class C and when we set up at our sight everything stayed out when we took off for the day......never had anything stolen. If that happened I would probably be ticked off and then write it off but wouldn't change the way I did things.
A thief is a thief, period....can't make an honest person one...either they are honest or they're not, period!
I have a "A" and found myself short of bread one day, park store was out and nearest store was 5 miles-I took the safe way and packed up. I too thought about someone taking my spot, on the way to town I saw one of those small A frame signs like realtors use, laying in the ditch, it looked lonesome and it looked like it had been there for a while, so I took it home and made a sign that said OCCUPIED. I haven't needed it in a year but still load it while I roam.
In answer to your question Yep I load Up.
I don’t need anger management-I just need people to stop pissing me off.
Vancouver, WA
2006 Holiday Rambler DP
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Ed, Brenda & Maggie Mae (Cocker Spaniel)
) There have been several discussions about what to do when you leave your campsite with your B for the day and return later or at night in regard to someone taking your space. This would be more of a problem after the campground is closed and late arrivals are told to find their own space. What has been suggested is - a staked sign with your name and space occupied on it, an orange cone (there are collapsible cones that won't take up any room to store inside the B), or a small, cheap tent on the site. It has been stated that it can be a problem that someone will come in late and see the open space and think it is available.
