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Most KOAs in our area run around 50 to 60 a night. Which is fine because we have full hook ups, which may not benefit the OP much.
Some enforce rules, others are more lax. Most DO have clean showers which is nice, and it is safe.
The post that talked about a fire pit, etc in a Walmart parking lot cracked me up because I saw a Walmart in South Carolina during covid that had a tidy parking lot (by chance possibly) but allowed that scenario (chairs, fire pit, etc..but next to a tidy RV)....but that Walmart was lax overall as there was a little forest going from the Walmart towards a church next door and homeless people were living in tents near the Walmart edge of the forest, and that was allowed. About a month or more later (right before coming back to Texas) I came back to that city for a couple of days and, in the interim, that Walmart had closed permanently.
Last edited by RMESMH; 04-07-2024 at 09:14 PM..
Reason: corrected auto correct that incorrectly changed a word
Some people do it because they like their own particular brand of freedom...nothing to do with saving money.
Some have spent quite a bit having someone design and execute the interior of their vehicles, or have self designed and paid others to execute the design.
I'm aware of that; my reply was in the context of the OP's admission that the primary motivator was to save money on hotel rooms.
I'm aware of that; my reply was in the context of the OP's admission that the primary motivator was to save money on hotel rooms.
That IS one of the reasons I camp in my car - I can camp 2 nights for the price of one night in a hotel. But in my case, I'm sleeping in my car in a campground. Yes I have a stove, but no tent.
The other times I do it is because I'm at an event and it's just easier to sleep there in the car vs off-site in a room.
For my entire life I've used the phrase "car camping" to describe staying overnight outside in close proximity to a vehicle. The choice of sleeping in a tent, a vehicle, or just on a ground cloth is merely a detail.
In contrast, "backpacking" means staying overnight after walking a long distance, typically miles, carrying everything on one's back. Again, whether or not a tent is being used is a detail.
It's not just a couple of us here who think of "car camping" in this way. Consider this article on the REI website:
Because of your choice of words, you are going to have a lot of people who are confused by your poll. It took me a little while to understand the premise.
Perhaps it's a generational thing. I've been camping/hiking/etc for 45 years, and nobody I've ever interacted with in person thinks of "car camping" in the way you've described it. Ultimately it just comes down to semantics, but if you continue to use a common phrase in a manner that's foreign to a large percentage of the population you will be frustrated with some of the comments you receive. It's your choice.
It's a phrase that means something to you and a large number of people who have your interests and perspective/POV, but I would argue that the way the OP's POV (people who have that POV) has exploded in the last 10 years or so is such that that group is now much larger than the way you are looking at it/your POV.
As I read some of the threads in this forum, and the strange poll on this thread (car camping at Walmart? What?), it seems like this entire forum has very little to do with actual camping at all. It's either RVing or homeless boondocking.
I see the term camping is an outdoor recreation activity, not a substitute for homelessness, not a mobile exhaust spewing hotel room used for traveling. Very rarely do I see backpacking mentioned here. Car camping is fine too, many campgrounds are set up for car camping with a pad for a tent and to park a car. But the key is to exist with nature - leave no traces. The purpose is not really to find a cheap place to stay for free (although you can do that to). That's all my opinion of course, but you people driving your monster RV around, or living in your car, while it may be a great way to travel, you are not camping.
Maybe we need to change the forum title, and then create another subforum dedicated to the true concept of camping.
Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore a thread where one doesn't agree with the verbiage/nomenclature/semantics/mindset/etc. of the OP ?
I think we're all aware of a recentish trend toward van/car living, but to be fair, the OP was talking about sleeping in parking lots and rest stops just to save money. Those who do it as a lifestyle or even a part-time lifestyle seem to have other motivators. The long thread here (Meo, I think) is a good example of that.
...the OP was talking about camping in parking lots and rest stops just to save money. Those who do it as a lifestyle or even a part-time lifestyle seem to have other motivators.
I happen to have several "motivators," only one of which is saving money.
Again, you put words in my mouth.
"Idiocy on the internet": people obsessed with posts that don't apply to them.
I got through night school by learning to sleep in my car in between work and school. Does that count? Basically leaned the driver's seat back, locked the doors, covered my eyes, and power nap! I still have that 'skill.'
I happen to have several "motivators," only one of which is saving money.
Again, you put words in my mouth.
"Idiocy on the internet": people obsessed with posts that don't apply to them.
Just going by what you've posted; wouldn't presume to try to read your mind. Your own words:
Quote:
Above all, I'm frugal, and as I've been traveling more lately, I find myself frustrated at spending over $100 just to basically sleep at night, so have been exploring alternatives, and this is one of them. I used to dream of buying an RV; now I realize all I really need is my back seat!
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