About 2 weekends in to life in the camper, we could immediately tell there was a clear difference between people who only camp on the weekends, vs. people who are either long term or full time campers.
We’ll call them weekenders just to keep it simple. We’ve found that a lot of weekenders don’t clean up after their pets, let their kids run wild, are noisy, don’t clean up after themselves, and generally don’t respect privacy.
My first trip to the big house to shower on a Saturday morning was shocking. Water everywhere, towels forgotten, trash not in the trash can, toilets not flushed. I had not seen the bath house in this shape on any weekday. Thankfully, parks have clean up crews that come through at least once per day to straighten up. Needless to say, I quickly learned the schedule of the clean up crew and would go immediately after they were done on Saturdays.
Non weekenders have a great deal of respect for space, privacy, and cleanliness for the most part which depends greatly on the campground owners/rules.
Some parks allow long term and full time. Some long term folks and full time folks that stay in one spot tend to collect more stuff than they need. So they add a shed. When that fills up, they stack stuff outside of the shed and around the RV. In my opinion, it makes the campground look a bit messy. My idea of living in a camper full time is to keep to minimums and so far, after an initial adjustment, it’s been relatively easy. I don’t see myself needing a shed or a bigger RV just to hold my stuff.
I know a weekender is going to read this at some point and disagree. Just remember, I didn’t say ‘ALL’ weekenders. : )
I also know that a full timer is going to read this and think I’m bashing them for having a shed. For some, sheds are necessary and I’ve seen many that keep it looking nice…again, I didn’t say ‘ALL’. : ) It’s actually the campground that lets some full timers get away with a messy campsite. So far we’ve been very fortunate to have chosen campgrounds that have better rules in place to keep the trash out. Sure, these campgrounds cost a little more in some cases, but I’d rather spend a few extra bucks and live where people respect their stuff and others.
Don’t let this scare you. Just know that people are people no matter where you go. It’s the same at apartment complexes, it’s the same with neighborhoods, it’s the same in RV parks. So, you make the best of it. You lead by example. If you keep your place clean, smile at folks, say hello, that attitude is contagious and will get through to others.
