An insiders look at Campground Etiquette

rv life camping etiquette
Campground at Barnes Crossing, Tupelo, MS

5. Don’t make a mess with your sewage

Be sure to follow all rules and set up your sewer connection properly.  If your equipment is worn, or your hoses leak – replace them right away.

Your grey water (dish water, shower water) is considered waste too.  Dumping grey water into the environment has been found to be a significant risk to public health.

Dumping your grey or black water anywhere but in the proper places is a sure way to be evicted from a campground.

rv life camping etiquette

4. Be sure that your pets are good neighbors too!

One popular complaint among campers is dogs barking incessantly while their owners are away.  If your dog is not good with staying in the camper alone, then do not bring him.  It is not only hard on your camping neighbors, but your pet too!

When walking your pet, be sure to keep them on a short leash and pick up after them.   Keeping your pet from bothering other campers helps to ensure that campgrounds will not find the need to ban pets in the future.

sunrise on cadillac mountain

3. Noisy arrivals at night

Arriving late?  Try your best not to be intrusive with bright lights and lots of noise.  Do a minimum set up and finish up the next day when it is a lot easier to see what you are doing and you are less likely to disturb your neighbors.

Loudly revving your engines, yelling at each other while setting up and creating lots of extra noise is just rude.

We follow what we call the 3-3-3 Rule.  We plan our travels to be either 3 hours long, in by 3:00 PM, or 300 miles or less.  That way, we get in before dark, get set up, and are able to enjoy the campground.

traveling-sitcom-subscribe2

mount washington new hampshire
Twin Mountain/Mt. Washington KOA, Twin Mountain, NH

2. Respect your neighbor’s camping space!

Cutting through someone else’s space is the number one pet peeve of most campers.  You see, we each have our own little plot of land to call our own.  For the time a camper is on a site, it is their space and their privacy should be respected.

If you are taking a stroll around the campground, don’t cut through your neighbors’ turf.  And please teach your kids the same manners!

We opened our blinds one morning recently to two kids standing there looking in at us!  The dogs nearly lost their minds!

rv life camping etiquette
Circle Pines KOA, Williams, AZ

1. Do unto others as you would like done to you.

The golden rule is a great way to go about camping.  And you know what?  A great attitude and bit of courtesy goes a long way.

You will be surprised at how much more fun your camping trip can be!

What annoys you the most when camping?

traveling-sitcom-subscribe2

suzy signature

6 thoughts on “An insiders look at Campground Etiquette”

  1. LOVE you comments, so true! Drives us crazy when you are sitting eating, having a quiet moment, and someones kid flies through on a bike. Just want to take the bike, toss it in the trash, and knock some sense into the parents who don’t understand.
    THANKS for all your projects.
    what kind of vehicle do you have? Is it an automatic? My husband can’t drive because of medical problems, but we still want to camp. We have a stick shift pull car, and I need an automatic. Just wondering.

    1. Hi Dianne!

      We currently have a Kia Soul- Stick shift. It is only towable with a manual transmission. If you are looking for automatics that can be towed, google “dingy towing”, then click on motorhome magazine downloadable dingy guides. It will give you all the information that you need for automatic vehicles that can be towed. And it is free!

      Hope to see you on the road sometime!
      suzy

  2. Just wondering what kind of lift do you have for your M/C? Ours is big Electra Glide. How does it mount on rv? Can u still tow a car ? Thanks,looks like u all r having fun!!

    1. It is a Cruiser Lift and it is welded to the frame. Yes, we can tow a car. Cruiser Lift has lots to offer. This one is rated at 1000 pounds. We have an Ultra Classic that weighs nearly that much.

      Hope to see you on the road!

      suzy

  3. This camper’s pet peeve with commercial campgrounds : There are lights everywhere all night. When I go “camping”, I’m trying to get away from the city and its lights. In some cases, it’s impossible to darken the sleeping area in my RV. I was recently at a campground that had annoying lights all night at EVERY campsite. It was to be the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. My viewing experience was seriously minimized by my being surrounded by lights.

    1. Hi Julian!
      I do have to agree. Unfortunately, the campgrounds (at least the ones we have worked at) have to add lights to the pedestals for
      those that show up after hours. And you would be surprised at how many folks do that. Watching the stars is one of our favorite past times. I think everyone should look up now and then and stop and take in all that nature has to offer.

      Hope to see you on the road again. We really enjoyed meeting both you and your wife, both in Santa Fe and here in Williams.

      suzy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *