Why you should skip the RV park and campground as soon as you can…
The camping/outdoors community is getting swept up in this concept of “Overlanding”. The idea behind Overlanding is the focus on the journey, not the destination. Overlanding can take you through cities, over washboard roads, and even rock-crawling. While there is nothing inherently wrong or bad about RV parks or campgrounds, they take the adventure out of your hands. You go there because its the safe option. You know they have showers, unlimited water, and electricity for you, but if those were the requirements for your adventure, why not stay in a hotel? If your goal is to be with nature, to experience exploration the way it felt when we were young, or just get away from your normal life your best option is to go with an Off-Road Camper Trailer.
Are Campgrounds really that great?
Break out of the KOA. You won’t regret it, I promise. Your first night away from the campground will make you question why you ever went to a campground in the first place. Are you really going to miss the sound of generators, your neighbors 2 air-conditioners, or the power surges? I’ll admit that I’m biased. This is a negative view of KOA’s and campgrounds, but once you’ve experienced camping off-road.. your worldview shifts.
After spending some time in a camper trailer off-road, I don’t know why I would want to own an RV in the future if I didn’t plan to take it anywhere but the RV park. That being said, what you shoud purchase depends on your goals and intended usage. My goal here is to reflect my experience and opinions. If you relate, great! If not, I’m sure you have valid reasons.
Don’t pay for a campsite for your Camper trailer ever again.
In addition to the noise, RV parks are expensive. One reason that many folks purchase an RV is to save money on lodging in a hotel. However, with interest rates and prices increasing, it may not be the case anymore unless you plan to camp very often. Depending on your credit, the amount borrowed and your interest rate, you might expect to pay anywhere from $450 to $1,000 every month for your RV. Now add onto that the RV insurance (averaging around $125/month) and the $30-100/night for a reservation at an RV park. In contrast, A reasonable hotel will go for around $120-150/night.
This means that with a $500 montly payment, $125/month RV insurance, and an average of $40/night RV park fee, you need to spend more than 6 nights/month at an RV park for it to start to be more affordable than getting a hotel at an average of $150/night, and that doesn’t even factor in fuel costs and how towing affects your MPG or how hotels will discount rates for longer stays. All of these factors make it so that you need to spend even more nights away from home for it to start to become more affordable.
With an Off-Road Camper, the cost of entry is still high, it doesn’t magically get a pass on this, but not only do you save on the cost for a campsite, but the views and experience you have are altogether better. There is no sense of exploration when you stay at an RV park. With an Off-Road Camper, you can forge your own path and find your own campsite away from civilization. You can camp in those quiet places away from everything but the quiet solitude of nature. To read an amen to my opinion, read 10 Reasons to Avoid RV Campgrounds.
Can an Off-Road Camper get you closer to Nature?
Let’s make this one easy:
If you can look at the pictures above and you prefer the pictures on the left, then we just need to part ways and agree to disagree.
For the rest of us sane people, this is what an off-road camper trailer offers over a traditional RV. Can you imagine how different it would feel to take a deep breath in the pictures on the right vs the pictures on the left? On the Off-Road Camper side, you can breath in one of those “leaving your worries behind” breaths with the long, calm exhale and a satisfied smile on your face.
Let me clarify between an Off-Road Camper and a traditional trailer. An Off-Road Camper has the means to get you into nature where a traditional camper can’t compare. By Off-Road Camper, I mean something with independent suspension and gaurded water/holding tanks. Something with a battery bank that can power the fridge and other electronics without dying for more than a few days. Usually an Off-Road Camper has solar on the roof, but not necessarily.
To see one of my favorite trailers click on this link to learn more about the Pause XC16.4.
Freedom
Camping in an RV park can be restful and relaxing, but you aren’t truly free. You’re on someone elses land and you need to abide by their rules. An Off-Road Camper allows you to really be free. There aren’t many rules aside from staying safe. Ater all, the land is usually public. No Quiet-Time Rules, no any kind of rules in fact, except to simply respect nature. No check-out or check-in time, just restful relaxing.
The best part about the freedom that Off-Grid camping allows is the freedom to disconnect. Unless you have star-link, you will likely have very poor reception, which allows you to disconnect with the world and connect with the ones that came on your journey with you. If you’re adventuring alone, then you can focus on yourself. If you are traveling with a few loved ones, then focus on them.
Have a True Adventure Off-Road
The Spirit of Adventure just isn’t at the RV campground. If you’re like me, you get excited at the thought of discovering some new secret place that’s just for you. Even though there’s no chance that the campsite you find really wasn’t discovered by you, it doesn’t take away from that pure childlike feeling of adventure. It’s only in discovery that you can find yourself reconnecting with the child in you, who wants to run around the campsite, looking for lizards or finding the best walking stick while plotting to build a killer campfire later. To me, this is what focusing on the journey and overlanding really feel like.
Get Off-Grid! Break out of the Campsite!