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Recreation.gov

C

Carl U

Junior Ranger
Works great for not in demand sites.

Tried to book an electric site at Zion Nat Park and no luck!! Was on the site signed in and ready to go at 9am when the sites open up. Wife was counting down the seconds 3 2 1 and I hit enter.. Nope all reserved so we had to settle on a tent / rv no power site which were available.

Sure like the olden days when you just showed up early to a National Park and waited for someone to leave then just filled the vacant spot.
 
Finding spots is tough! When we started --- 2 weeks was plenty of notice! Some of the parks I visit are routinely booked 4-6 months in advance, and these are 400+ site campgrounds. Its amazing.

Have you looked at hip-camp? I've been looking in Florida, and there are some places that look really pretty impressive! Just read the fine print and look at the photos.

I'm not sure I want to say it, but Wandering Labs :: Reserve - wanderingLabs.com - Campsite reservation and cancellation notifications has at least given me a chance. It monitors the sites based on your search criteria...

I've got it looking for places in Florida right now....3 notifications for sites that met my needs in 2 weeks. Worth a shot.
 
Kevin S said:
Thanks Sweeney! Last time I looked at HipCamp it seemed they dont like if you have an outside pooper. Looking for the AirStream segment it seemed judging by pics...maybe its eased up after CovidCamping anf people went back to work...

Ya, The best spots in the warm south seem to be booked early, and even harder to get now...true?

I'd guess there is a hard core of Covid family campers who realized its way better to get kids outside vs on xbox...
plus the VanLife fad...is that growing or staying same?
and CheaperRVLiving@Quartsite demographic that endures, post Covid...
or is it a bigger generational shift of demographics at work, in nomadic life?

Very interesting data anecdotally here within the glamping teardroppers...are we the savviest of all?

What I REALLY like is the all around utility of this form factor- self contained enough to luxury sleep in a monocoque cocoon at a truckstop or expand out with side tent to boondock weeks on USFS and BLM land, and
best of all- sneak in late in the day into a tent site at otherwise full-up electrical site parks for much less than the doubled prices in last 5 years...$75/night in some places- yikes!

And away from the towering tin canyons of generator belching disco lights and music playing big rigs...

Am I a snob or what!
Click to expand...

I've got a big side room --- the pooper is easily out of sight. The only trouble then is moving it -- whatever you do, don't let that valve crack open in the tow vehicle :)

Hipcamp was around before covid -- they still have the virtue signaling language on their web page, but I suspect they are a "disruptor" of the type I generally find distasteful. But, when you need a spot --- some of theirs look really nice. Though I would be highly suspicious of hidden cameras at some of these places. More than 1 of the listings just gave me the "closet freak" vibe. There is a certain amount of personal responsibility towards safety here, much less than a state park.

I can't say if the covidcampers or vandwellers are up or down statistically. I see more converted vans than before --- but are they dwellers or just some one who bought a van for 1/2 the price of an RV? Not sure. I think the number of people who bought campers in 2020/2021 and regret it is higher. Just observationally...or they've become "seasoned" and are now just part of the normal rif-raf.

The prices of campgrounds tells me there are still too many campers out there...ah, the 2013 glory days :(
 
Back home, back to my plain ol' columbian medium roast. Back to warm living room, and the pellet stove (which is still lit). This last weekend, the days were sunny in 50/60's, and nights right at freezing. I was surprised that the loop was 80-90% full. Last weekend was in the mid/high 70s and 50s at night.

I suppose Striker from Airplane said it best...."I picked the wrong week...to restart camping"

For recharging my personal battery, it was sub-optimal. Too cold to simply sit and synthesize vitamin D, which is what I really wanted.

This coming weekend I get to do it again --- this is a pure utility trip, into worse conditions. I'm not sure how Bear does it! 27 at night, 47 during the day, and a good chance of rain. I think this time, I'll set up my CLAM and make the best of it. Better than a hotel or sofa-surfing.

Today, my goal today is to re-pack, and reset. I did a bad job this trip.
 
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