Campground living

I’m up visiting my aunt who has a 3 season camper in Richmond. Pretty fun! Nice big swimming pool for the kids, fun bar and restaurant, nice boat launch, weekly events…

Was just wondering how many IDO folks have seasonal campers and what are some of your favorite and least favorite aspects of it?

From my perspective the pros are

Cheap way to own a “cabin”
Family friendly
In my aunts case short commute
Fun events and bar atmosphere

My biggest concern was being so close to others. Not much privacy but so far we haven’t really been encroached upon or bothered by others this weekend…

Pro’s are you turn on the lights and haul in the groceries. No need to set-up in the dark, cold, rain.

Cons, if you are to close you have a never ending parade of relatives and friends “dropping” in.

#1 thing to check is what kind of neighbors will you have. Partiers that stay up all night? Kids? Pigs, who keep their place looking like crap? Old folks who need to know whats going on all the time.

Dutchboy wrote:

Pro’s are you turn on the lights and haul in the groceries. No need to set-up in the dark, cold, rain.

Cons, if you are to close you have a never ending parade of relatives and friends “dropping” in.

#1 thing to check is what kind of neighbors will you have. Partiers that stay up all night? Kids? Pigs, who keep their place looking like crap? Old folks who need to know whats going on all the time.

What category are you, Dutch?

I’m gonna go with “hey kids get off my lawn” guy.

Matt Moen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Pro’s are you turn on the lights and haul in the groceries. No need to set-up in the dark, cold, rain.

Cons, if you are to close you have a never ending parade of relatives and friends “dropping” in.

#1 thing to check is what kind of neighbors will you have. Partiers that stay up all night? Kids? Pigs, who keep their place looking like crap? Old folks who need to know whats going on all the time.

What category are you, Dutch?

I’m gonna go with “hey kids get off my lawn” guy.

You are correct, I’ve never met a kid i’ve liked.

My parents do the seasonal RV thing.

You nailed the Pros on the head. No landscaping, pressure washing, mowing, pruning, staining, etc etc. They used to own a cabin and got out of it due to the work and their deteriorating health. The lake they were on was becoming more and more of a developed area and was hardly remote like decades ago. They were extremely selective in choosing a place for an RV. They have sod grass, some shade trees, and tons of space compared to most places. Their lot/site is a 1/4 acre.

It is great to visit for a couple nights, but not really something I’m into with an RV. For us, the rise of the VRBO options make it much more feasible to try tons of different places. The problem with VRBO and some good RV resorts is that they’re already booked solid through all of 2022.

I’m getting to be in the same boat as you Dutchy,with alot of adults also.
Dogs get a pass leave the leash holder at home.

My wife and I have had a seasonal site for over 30 years in the same campgrounds. It’s nice we have a deck and shed when we get there just unlock the door and roll out the canopy and you’re camping. The fridge is cold already.

Did have a lady bang on the camper door at 8am to tell me I can’t park where I was parked. Then later another lady shouted at me to slow down while I was going 8 mph. Those types of things served as a reminder of why previously I never considered this type of situation appealing….

crappie55369 wrote:

Did have a lady bang on the camper door at 8am to tell me I can’t park where I was parked. Then later another lady shouted at me to slow down while I was going 8 mph. Those types of things served as a reminder of why previously I never considered this type of situation appealing….

Thats kind of how I pictured it. I have a couple friends that keep campers at a few different places. Besides my buddy up in voyagers on crane with his house boat, which is more or less his shore camper. I don’t care for neighbors or people for that matter. I get it though, my parents travel around and stay in different camp grounds and love it. Just not my thing

In this instance every situation is different. Check out the campground and see what kind of neighbor’s you have. Every lake and campground is gonna have it’s own flavor. Its not for everyone but it seems to be a stepping stone to buying on the lake for others.

The reason I’ve always preferred camping in State Parks and State and National Forests is for the privacy and peace and quiet. With private campgrounds, you can tend to get the all-night partiers and running generators and everything else. So this is my main concern with the seasonal campgrounds as well.

That said, there are plenty of smaller mom and pop resorts with a few seasonal sites that I think would be what I am looking for. You just have to take the time to find them.

When I go up north, my goal is to not alone and at peace. If I wanted the constant hub bub, I would stay in the city. But others like that — they go camping for the festive happy hour like atmosphere.

Crappie, what campground by Richmond?? I grew up in Richmond.

Wife and I had a seasonal site for about 15 years out between hawick and new London. They had bigger than average campground yards we were required to take care of ourlawns. They opened and closed based on when water lines would freeze

We gave it up 5 years ago. It took away from the cabin up north time, neighbors changed and I couldn’t trust or liked. Fun while it lasted.

Now since Mom turned the cabin over to my brother and myself, my portion of yearly expenses is less than seasonal lot rent. Yea cabin was closer so less gas money and road time but we don’t have neighbors at the cabin to the south and the guy to the north is a good city Bloch away with woods separating us

We were at cozys

crappie55369 wrote:

We were at cozys

Does Kenny still own it ?

big_g wrote:

Does Kenny still own it ?

I dont think so. I think it’s an old timer named George now

big_g wrote:

Does Kenny still own it ?

NO. Pretty sure that place is on at least there second owner sense Spohn owned it. I met the owner I while back but couldn’t tell you his name or what he looks like.

Had a seasonal on Mille Lacs for about 20 years. Two different resorts.

In my experience, you take what ever open spot you can get and go from there. Newbies get the crappiest spot at the resort for starters. You get on an upgrade list for better spots as they open up. The best/only way around this is buying a camper already set on a prime spot. Taking over the existing lease.

Bars are NOT a plus. Bars attract people who do not stay at the resort and could care less about your peaceful weekend. Drunks get sticky fingers at 2am….

The biggest problem I ran into was terrible owners/bad management. Otherwise, it was a great stepping stone towards owning property.

-J.

Taking over the existing lease.

Some campgrounds won’t allow this without prior management approval.

Jon Jordan wrote:

The biggest problem I ran into was terrible owners/bad management.

What he said.

Talk to the people that are in the campground to find out the flavor of management/owners. What kind of reputation do they have with the campers that have been there for several years.

I love Seasonal Camping! Our site is also seasonal campers only. No weekend campers. We have a few speedy drivers and an occasional loud fire once in awhile. Most things are taken care of with a conversation. I like it because you’re not married to your neighbor. If you don’t like them keep walking down the road and talk with the next person. If you don’t like what your living in, get a new one. Always festivities going on for the holidays. If you are coming to a campsite to sit in your camper and bitch, stay home.

Highly recommended to take advantage of a seasonal site. Small cooler and a small bag of clothes.

Shannon