RVing Etiquette

[traveldawg]

This should be tacked on a post at every campsite. It might help teach the newer folks about common courtesy while camping and serve as a reminder to those who consider themselves 'entitled'.

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[JM0397]

Had a funny incident this past weekend, pretty sure in hindsight our neighbor that got her panties in a bunch is a newbie.

We took the rig out for our spring opening trip, so a few things to work out and couple minor issues to deal with.
Rolled into the CG with a very light sprinkle of rain, but storm bearing down on us in the next hour or two.
With my configuration of '21 3500 long bed and the AUH, I need to get the nose pretty high to get off the hitch so I use the Anderson buckets and some extra boards. This presents a problem when we're on a nose-high sight. One of these days I need to figure out a way to tell for sure. So I start with 2 boards & the buckets, like at home.
Many of you know the auto-level will throw an error if it can't first drop the nose below level a bit.
Knowing this, I know how to rectify it, but still annoying to have to come off the hitch & back on a few times.
So I needed to not use the buckets this time, so that was 2x back on and 3x off the hitch.
Then I was low on propane, planning to fill at the KOA, but I forgot which tank was empty, so then I was worried about something else was maybe the problem...
Then I was retrieving the cat...
Just then, 3x level annoyance on my mind, worries about propane, and we're still in mid-setup process, having just gotten leveled, the slides out, and tried to fire up the heat.
And our neighbor comes over all bubbly "HEY!!! HOW'S IT GOING???!!!"
Gosh, she was just so earnest and sincere.

I grumbled a hey, paused about 15 seconds, and, thinking she would understand what I was saying, said (probably rather gruffly - I was annoyed. Not at her, mind you, but annoyed - y'all get it).
"It's always something, that's how it's going."

She looked like I slapped her in the face with a wet fish. For the next 3 days she refused to make eye contact with or speak to either me or DW.

After that first night, I then noticed the Ft Riley and 2nd ACR vet tags on her truck. I was wearing one of my old Army sweatshirts that first night, so I think she was excited to find a fellow vet... I dunno, whatever.
Don't talk to me when I'm setting up!!!



Otherwise, we haven't had much of any issues as we tend to stay away from the GCs that promote the family experience, and private CGs with lots of retirees.

[Hoopy Frood]

No offense, but it sounds like you were somewhat rude, and she, justifiably or not, had her feelings hurt, for what she felt was no reason other than neighborliness.

[kb0zke]

"I let them know that if it happened again, I would call the police myself." We host most summers at one place or another. Several times we've had campers tell us (well after the fact) about some issue that probably should have involved a Ranger or other law enforcement person. We always tell people that if they think the police ought to be called to call the police. If they knock on my door and tell me that the police ought to be called I'll call the police for them, but the time between when they could have called and when I call is on them.

We had a man and woman have a knockdown, drag out battle at 0130 that "entertained" several sites. The next morning, when we were making our rounds, we found the man sleeping on the grass next to the road. We weren't sure whether he was alive or dead at first. That's when one of the neighbors told us what had happened. We called the Ranger and told the other camper that he should have called it in at 0130 and he would have gotten more sleep. The Ranger came and evicted both the man and the woman.

[retired_engineer]

Hmm, everyone that has posted so far seem to live & travel in the east. Doesn't really make me want to travel there.
We do most of our camping in state parks in the west (Oregon, Washington, Az, Utah. etc.) State parks don't stack you in like cordwood-unless you're near a large city.
Yea, we get rude people, unruly kids, & it's a little worse than it was a few years ago. We're usually gone during the day on activities so maybe I don't notice it that much. But I also don't go camping with an "ain't going to take no crap mood"

Maybe putting up with my MIL for the past 40 years, I've learned to let things roll off me

For us where we stay is based on the type of trip. If we are camping or heading to a national park we stay at state or other government agency run campgrounds. When we are traveling to a destination that is a city we tend to stay at private or chain campgrounds because frequently that's all there is nearby. It wouldn't be any different for us if we still lived on the West Coast. The private campgrounds can get noisy and seem to have more rude people or uncontrolled kids. We try to mitigate some of that by staying at campgrounds that are more adult oriented or by requesting sites away from the playground and pool. On the rare occasion things are really bad we will notify the management and if the situation doesn't improve not return on future trips and leave an appropriate review.

[JM0397]

No offense, but it sounds like you were somewhat rude, and she, justifiably or not, had her feelings hurt, for what she felt was no reason other than neighborliness.

That's on her for not understanding the rules - shrug. I was dealing with crap weather, crap leveling, and a possible faulty furnace. It's understood to leave people alone when setting up/tearing down. Sorry, not sorry, but my safety is more important than someone's feelings.

I would have apologized, but, as I said, she couldn't even bother to make eye contact for the next 3 days, even after I cleaned up her trash that was blowing around and secured her tablecloth that was going to end up in the lake (as I said, it became apparent she's a newbie) We had gale-force winds last weekend in the mountains.

Perhaps that helps explain the humor of the whole thing. I'm not quite crusty, but I am an old NCO. Per her Cav bumper tags, TBH, I'd expect a little more resilience from a fellow Cav vet.
But ya never know what someone else has going on...
Which I suppose is kind of my point!

[bflooks]

For me, personally, I can tolerate a reasonable amount. That said, stay off my site, don't talk to my kids unless we (their parents) make first contact. My biggest issue really is the lack of pet etiquette. It's not campground specific, but campgrounds amplify the issue. I don't care how wonderful your dog is. I don't care how your dog walks on water. I have my dogs on a leash because of the rules. My dogs don't walk on water. My dogs aren't wonderful, especially when strangers approach their kids.

This doesn't mean we aren't friendly or social, but there used to be an unspoken rule. Say hi from the road and wait for an invite. Don't cut through sites. The list goes on. I do feel this is lost, especially in an age where every campground is almost always at capacity.

[SGT ROC]

Perhaps that helps explain the humor of the whole thing. I'm not quite crusty, but I am an old NCO. Per her Cav bumper tags, TBH, I'd expect a little more resilience from a fellow Cav vet.

I was 2nd ACR myself> I kind of feel your pain. I get easily annoyed when setting up. My wife and other family members and friends know to leave me alone when I'm setting up.

[kb0zke]

We were camping at one COE campground where we actually had to put up a sign telling people not to cut through our site. When we stopped one person, they actually said that it was too far to walk around, so they thought it would be okay to cut through occupied sites!

[lineman1234]

I full timed for the last 7 years. I am retired. I took a break this past year and will be going back to fulltiming in the spring. This normalish in one place living isnt for me yet, but i tried.
... That said. Over the past 7 years, it has been my own fault for going to some of the cheaper places, and or the cheaper spots, in said places.
... Going forward is going to be better places and better spots. Just need to throw money at it. Places that have a gate, rules and enforce said rules.
... New plan. If people are living there with kids fulltime, no. If most of the vehicles have the exhausts removed, no. If it has a let any one drive through at any time day or night, no.
... A place i was at last year, had a guy, that bought dumpy campers and moved his family in to the campground. The campground rules said NO leasing campers. My closest neighbor was one of his free/rentals. One day wile at the office, i mentioned how interesting the area was, that a 21 year old male, could live with his 16 year old girlfriends in said uncles camper. Neither worked, she didnt go to school. All i got, was it is OK as long as the parents of the girl dont mind. No mention on the not there camper part.
... I have found that picking up the dog poop and putting it back in the sight it should be in,,, makes me the bad person. I dont have a dog.
... Some of this is funny now, it wasnt then.