It's been a long time since we've tried taking a truck camper into an RV park. Last time was years ago when we reviewed a new RV park, and the management--knowing who we were--was on their "best behavior." Most times we don't "do" RV parks, preferring boondocking or public parks.Not long ago we attended a convention in Glendale, just outside Phoenix. On arrival at the RV park our "hosts," on learning we were truck camping, told us we had to leave the camper on the truck. "You can't leave it up on stilts," said the registration clerk, "otherwise the wind can blow it over." Stilts? Wind blow over? We were a bit baffled, but since we had other transportation to the convention site, it wasn't a big problem.
Back on the road, we landed in the Las Vegas area at day's end. With the monsoon season in full blossom, the humidity would have made a Mississippian happy. Not wanting to run a generator all night to run the air conditioning, we drove on into the Sam's Town RV park. A familiar refrain hit the air as soon as we mentioned we had a truck camper. "Of course," said the clerk, "you can't take the camper off the truck."
Hello? Maybe our lack of experience with commercial RV parks leaves us in ignorance. Is this the common attitude of RV park owners? Are we--heaven forbid--"camper trash"? Are these excuses of "wind will blow you over" rooted in real experiences that park owners have dealt with, or just that, a flimsy excuse to somehow hide the real issue at hand? We may never know. Maybe some RV park owner lurking here will leave an anonymous comment and clue us in.
Over the years we've cut the camper loose from the truck dozens of times. And yes, we've actually left the camper sitting around in some pretty gusty winds--right on the edge of Washington's Snake River for example. We've got enough smarts not to leave the rig stuck up high on the jacks like some kind of "America's Got Talent" routine. In addition to keeping that center of gravity low, we also bolster the support of the corner jacks with additional supports under the camper "tub" area.
What's your experience?
11 comments:
The reason campground owners don't want to have a truck camper on stilts isn't the wind. It is the way it looks in the site. It's not a high dollar class A or a similar priced trailer. It just doesn't "LOOK" good!
Charlie
I totally disagree with rv park owners. I drive a motorhome; but I always enjoy meeting folks with different types of rigs. The truck camper's money is just a green as mine. I do understand not wanting rusted out or rundown rigs; but if you take care of it you should be able to park it anywhere you like.
Yes I have had my camper in the past fall over twice !!! Once from wind and yes it was down and again from heavy rains ,not funny . Chuck in Canada
Wow, as a single female truck camper I wasn't aware of campgrounds not allowing you to drop off the camper. That is one reason why I bought it.I did not want to tow anything as I would use the truck. Additionally I expect to buy a new one next year so the truck and camper come in at over $80K. While not a class A, to me that is nothing to sneeze about for a camper that meets my needs. I have off loaded my camper for the winter up here in New England and often thought it might tip, even though I have it at it's lowest point. I also had wider hinges made and installed for my dually wheel truck so the base dimensions are a bit wider. Maybe someone could sugggest additional supports I can transport with me for insurance against blowing over. Barb
We have our truck camper on "stilts" all year round when not on the truck for camping about 4 to 10 weeks a year. It has yet to blow over.
In fact when one of the jacks bent on us at a campground, I called the manufacturer and was told the camper is designed to stay up on just 3 of the jacks.
As they say "no problem, Mon!"
John
Owned a truck camper in the early 70`s,and as i can recall it was very wobbly when on the jacks.It never fell,but I was always on edge when It started to blow.
We have a 2005 Lance truck camper. We have found that when we try to make a reservation at a campground and tell them we have a truck camper, we are told they have no availability. If we call back later and say we have a 25 ft. motor home, we get a reservation. This just proves the point that they are discriminating against this type of camper. These truck campers are not inexpensive as well as the trucks they sit on. We have also been told not to take it off the truck, but people are amazed when we do. These truck campers look just as good as those big boys!
Lorraine
I agree with Charles, its all about how it "looks".
We traveled with a truck camper and cargo trailer for two solid years. We worked on the road all over the US and never had anyone ask us not to dismount the camper. We normally had to dismount at each stop and use the truck for our business. We changed to a 5er toyhauler one year ago so our experience is now from one year ago and before.
Ignorant ideas such as those held by some RV park owners are the primary reason many T/C owners boon dock. If they don't want my money, why would I want to stay there?
This is just hilarious!!! Campers off pick-ups are a bit like humans without shoes. A low center of gravity keeps you grounded. As for RV park owners, well you've done this for a while...you can not live with them and you can not live without them!
b
url: http://torristravel.blogspot.com
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