I knew campgrounds were crowded, but....

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Greg A

My guess is that the Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, Truck stops, etc. are going to get overrun with overnight stays with all the camping spaces full. That will lead to them having to shut down the overnight parking at those options.
It is really going to hurt when you're moving from one spot to another.

I know this doesn't apply to most people here. But, I'm posting this for people who stumble across it with a Google search.

The problem is so many seem to confuse overnight parking at Walmart (et al) while traveling with a campground.

You are parking overnight in a parking lot, not camping in a campsite.

Don't set up camp. Your rig should be ready to drive (no slides out, no awnings out, no leveling blocks, don't unhitch, no stabilizers down, etc.)

Don't spend more than one night.

Buy something from the store while you are there.

LEAVE NO TRACE!!!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by snas

No one knows what's around the corner. I say, follow your dreams, you've worked for them. If need be, you will adapt. And it will be worth it !

The only regret my father had when he got his first trailer was that he didn’t do it sooner!

[Mike G]

I would tell you what the future holds, but the dry cleaners lost my Carnak (a la Johnny Carson) turban.

[Telescopist]

Originally Posted by scottarue

My wife and I are about to pull the trigger and put a deposit down on an Escape... we are retiring and have dreamed of traveling around the country. Is it a pipedream or should we invest in a camper with the hopes of finding places to stay along the way?

I feel your concern. If I knew what I know now back in November of 2018 when I placed my order re: the huge problem of seeing and camping at places I only dreamed about...well I don't know what I would have done.

However, you used one word which may unlock an answer for you. "Invest". I feel pretty sure that if/when I'm ready to sell my Escape that I'll get around 90% of what I paid for it. It's pretty amusing to see one come up for sale and watch how quickly they do sell.

[EdColorado]

Yes, it’s busy out there but not if you avoid the places where the mobs congregate like the major national parks, Niagara Falls, and the like.

Two great trips that avoid the hoards.

Follow the Lewis and Clark Expedition from St. Louis, MO to Astoria, OR. Along the way you will traverse the heart of America. You will be surprised at how many fascinating small towns you pass through that have municipal campgrounds. Rarely crowded. And if the campground is full, just look for a city park or a grain silo (they have big parking areas), and settle in for the night. It would be rare if anyone bothered you. Small towns are like that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_...ark_Expedition


Follow the Oregon Trail/Mormon Trail/California Trail, now collectively called the Western Trails. Another fascinating piece of history. From Independence, MO to the Left Coast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westward_Expansion_Trails


You will find a comprehensive list of all of the municipal campgrounds in the Ultimate Public Campgrounds website.

US AND CANADA CAMPGROUNDS - FORMAL AND DISPERSED PUBLIC CAMPING LOCATIONS - Home


There are a limitless number of places that are far from the mobs. Seek them out.

[Ooshkaboo]

Nature will take it’s course-as gas prices rise travel will go back down to where it was before it came down.
Those that can afford it will be able to continue down the road.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

Nature will take it’s course-as gas prices rise travel will go back down to where it was before it came down.

What makes you think gas prices are going to rise significantly? There was so much oil on the market recently that producers had to pay to have it taken from the supply. And, vast reserves of oil have been found with new technology.

[Ooshkaboo]

I’ve got a list, but not here.
Just sayin the camping spots will become available and most on this site will be able to enjoy the trip.

The herd will thin.

[Nindy]

I enjoyed my own private campground in the Lower MO Ozarks as much as ever last year. I even had more friends camping with me than usual. Easy to social distance when you're mostly outdoors.

Eight trips, 56 days in 2020, less than usual, but lots of fun. The problem now is it's too cold and I haven't been there since Thanksgiving! I have two out of state trips planned for April and August this year so we'll see how that goes. Already have reservations for April in the Smokies. Yes, hopefully the crowds will thin.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

What makes you think gas prices are going to rise significantly?

There is one big reason.

Demand is going up! Gas is a commodity.

[Oldtimer]

That n the new policies that are going to take effect here in the US. It’s really the speculators that are causing the increase as usual ughhhhhh

David

[davidmurphy02]

It probably sounds daunting for prospective first time trailer buyers to hear about how crowded everything has become during the pandemic. But really things have been steadily getting more crowded in recent years anyway. Most of the national parks, which we love to visit, have converted their campgrounds to the reservation system. In some ways that probably makes more people inclined to go if they know they have a guaranteed spot, but if you are unable to make reservations six months ahead it can be very difficult to get a campsite.

However, there are still tons of wonderful places to visit and a lot of forest service and BLM campgrounds as well as dispersed camping areas that lend themselves to a flexible itinerary. One of the great things about our Escape, compared to our previous trailer, is that it is so self-sufficient that we are able to effortlessly camp in these kinds of places, where with our old trailer we spent the majority of our time in campgrounds with hookups.

We are especially appreciative of our Escape's boondocking capabilities given how expensive commercial RV parks have become - with our senior pass for national parks and forest service campgrounds the cost difference to spend a few nights at a commercial park is staggering, and on long trips now we find that we do that infrequently.

[kavm]

Our thoughts are along the lines of what David articulated. We expected a high proportion of boondocking in BLM and NF campgrounds or dispersed camping because of the kind of camping that motivated us to by Escape 5 in the first place. But, the increasing interest in RV travel and resultant difficulty in finding campground spots further support greater importance of boondocking readiness...

The recent development at ETI limiting Lithium battery option to 2 batteries is a disappointment, but we expect to add one or two more aftermarket to have sufficient battery capacity and further reduce the need for commercial hookup camping, which will likely be most constrained.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by kavm

The recent development at ETI limiting Lithium battery option to 2 batteries is a disappointment, but we expect to add one or two more aftermarket to have sufficient battery capacity and further reduce the need for commercial hookup camping, which will likely be most constrained.

You may wish to try running two Li batteries for a while first in any case and see. The answer may be to add additional portable solar if your problem is that you are camping in the shade vs. trying to brute force your way there with additional storage.


I think of it this way: Suppose you have enough battery capacity for a single day of normal use. This plus a solar array that can recharge you in one day = permanent solution. If not, you have to increase either the solar or the storage.


But doubling your storage only buys two days, quadrupling it gets you four.....


That's overly simple, but kind of gets to my way of thinking on it. You need enough storage to get through a day (or realistically, two) with some margin. And then you need enough recharge to replace that energy each day.


To me, 4 Li batteries is for a really heavy user. Someone actually living in their trailer full time, thus doing "indoor living" type things that will pull a lot of power.

[kavm]

Thank you! Fair point... We will have a compressor fridge (RFU9000), so will have a greater daily need. On the other hand, we will have solar panels and a 7.2kW gen in F150 that can provide some charge without even needing to start the truck.

But, I don't want to push this thread too far off topic. I simply meant to suggest that boondocking might come in handy if campground availability becomes a bigger problem.

PS: Could not agree more with TTMartin!

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by kavm

The recent development at ETI limiting Lithium battery option to 2 batteries is a disappointment, but we expect to add one or two more aftermarket to have sufficient battery capacity and further reduce the need for commercial hookup camping, which will likely be most constrained.

Limiting it to two batteries is likely related to the U.S. import restriction that Escape ran into regarding Canadian made LiFePO4 batteries. I'm guessing more than 2 aren't considered as being part of the trailer, and is seen as a way of trying to bypass the battery import restrictions.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Nindy

I enjoyed my own private campground in the Lower MO Ozarks as much as ever last year. I even had more friends camping with me than usual. Easy to social distance when you're mostly outdoors.

Eight trips, 56 days in 2020, less than usual, but lots of fun. The problem now is it's too cold and I haven't been there since Thanksgiving! I have two out of state trips planned for April and August this year so we'll see how that goes. Already have reservations for April in the Smokies. Yes, hopefully the crowds will thin.

Nindy,
Your site pictures are so pretty, Do you allow forum members to use your sites when they may be traveling?

[kavm]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

Limiting it to two batteries is likely related to the U.S. import restriction that Escape ran into regarding Canadian made LiFePO4 batteries. I'm guessing more than 2 aren't considered as being part of the trailer, and is seen as a way of trying to bypass the battery import restrictions.

What I heard from ETI seems to suggest the Canadian code not being revised to differentiate the (low/no) venting needs of the Lithium batteries from those of the lead-acid batteries the code is written for.

[snas]

Yes, "boondocking" and "dispersed camping" are alternatives to CGs but the question remains for me, how suitable is the Ecsape for travelling to those places. And how far from pavement are these places being referred to ?

I've read everything I could find on this site about rough road travel ranging from, "I'd never take mine off pavement" to the fellow who drove the hundreds on miles of gravel that is the Trans Lab. We've driven that road twice and many others like it with our truck and camper without issue - as expected. Of course regular cars drive everywhere, like the practical, old minivans we've seen commonly used in remote, unpaved communities that are far in from any hwy.

From what I gather the Escape has a strong shell that can "take it", less so the suspension design. Driving slowly is recommended. I guess being retired would help with the extra travel time needed. It's the amount of unpaved or rough road driving that I have trouble deciphering. 10x10 miles/year or 2x250 ? We've done week long trips with 500+ miles of gravel - less for camping and more for exploring. I'm thinking that would be too much.

Anyway, at this point we're going with the Escape, with the resale fall back already mentioned. But I can certainly understand the poster asking about campers vs Escape for camp spots, especially if they would be new to camping and back road travel.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by kavm

What I heard from ETI seems to suggest the Canadian code not being revised to differentiate the (low/no) venting needs of the Lithium batteries from those of the lead-acid batteries the code is written for.

Okay, I just got dual 6 volt flooded lead acid batteries in my 2020 Escape 19. I had only heard second hand tales that the issue was related to import restrictions.

So, the reason for the two battery limit may still be related to the delay in new trailers with lithium batteries, but, not for the reason I thought.

Thanks for the clarification.