> 30' limitations

When we were doing a 'bucket' trip Memory Trip, we noticed a number of places that had 30' and under RV restrictions. Is this common?

If we purchase a 32 - 35' RV would we be limited in places we can go, spend the night? We are considering traveling for a year or so, very limited walking, mostly enjoy finding nice, scenic forest campsites w/ or w/out electricity.

We went from a 28' to a 33' and there are definitely places we used to go that we can no longer fit. However, the extra interior space sure is nice. And just because a state or federal park says a certain length limit, doesn't mean you won't fit. Check google earth and RV reviews. We're in a state park right now that lists 31' max...we're 33+ and fit and there are quite a few units in here that are bigger than we are. BUT if staying IN state and federal parks is important, size does matter.

Thanks for the response Wendy. So the lengths restrictions aren't always strictly enforced? We found that to be a reality on height restriction claims too.

Is there a place to get an honest heads up on length and height restrictions that NEED to be seriously considered?

Another couple of follow-up questions to Wendy:

How much difference is there between driving a 28' and a 32+'? Are you happy w/ the upgrade?

willh2o said:

Thanks for the response Wendy. So the lengths restrictions aren't always strictly enforced? We found that to be a reality on height restriction claims too.

Is there a place to get an honest heads up on length and height restrictions that NEED to be seriously considered?

Click to expand...

Those "restrictions" are usually because the space is not large, and rarely is anything to do with "enforcement." They may fudge a little on what will fit (perhaps they know folks will try something a few feet longer), or it may be that a longer rig overhangs something (a curb, maybe) so that it's using more length than the official numbers measured. But those published lengths NEED to be seriously considered.

Careful about overdoing height restrictions, because they can often be self-enforcing (in other words, you risk damage).

As to the "heads up" I'd check on what the official size is, then when I get there drive in with the toad to make your own judgement. Or you can look at Google Earth (often they catch rigs parked) and see if there's anything you can determine from the pictures.

But in any case, I seriously doubt that a 45 footer will fit in any space advertised as 35 feet, but a 39 footer might, in some cases. And note, too, that sometimes it's not the actual site that is restricted as much as it is the road(s) leading to the site, with tight turns, low tree limbs and such. We actually went in to a campground in Arizona that had plenty of room for our coach when it was IN THE SITE (if we could have gotten there), but the trees planted very close to the site entrance (one on each side, another pair at the other end; weird) kept us from actually getting in to the site -- couldn't go in without scraping the side of the coach on a tree.

State and national parks are random in the accuracy of their advertised lengths.  It seems that RVs were an afterthought for many campgrounds.  Shorter RVs are safer with state and national campgrounds. The campground roads can be as much of the limiting factor as the sites.  We tow a 26' and have had sites where we could just barely make the turn backing into the site because the roads were so narrow and there were trees or drop offs. 

willh2o said:

How much difference is there between driving a 28' and a 32+'? Are you happy w/ the upgrade?

Click to expand...

Absolutely none. Not too much difference between a 28' and a 39' once you get used to it. They are all very easy to drive. You just accelerate slower, brake sooner and turn wider. Piece of cake.

What the others said about it not always being the size of the site itself. We spend a lot of time in California state parks and if they're full, it can be difficult to maneuver into or out of a site. And once in Indiana, we had to "remove" a post and put it back to make a turn in a state park campground with a 35' 5th wheel. Trees, tight turns, other RVs, can all pose problems. We once had a park ranger tell us that their max size limit was for the smallest campsite so that if it was the only one left, no one could complain. Google Earth can help and paying attention to the size limits may be the best choice if you have't been to the campground and checked it out in person.


As for driving, I don't. But my pilot says that the 33' is easier to drive than the 28' was.

Howdy Will,

willh2o said:

When we were doing a 'bucket' trip Memory Trip, we noticed a number of places that had 30' and under RV restrictions. Is this common?

If we purchase a 32 - 35' RV would we be limited in places we can go, spend the night? We are considering traveling for a year or so, very limited walking, mostly enjoy finding nice, scenic forest campsites w/ or w/out electricity.

Click to expand...

This concerns me too. I was trying at first to remain under 30' as all reports I've seen point that over this limit it starts to get difficult to find sites in older campgrounds.

But wife requires me to get a unit with a separate space for my "man cave" so as not to make too much of a mess in the rest of the RV... And one simply can't be found under this limit, so we're now contemplating units in the 33-36ft range.

One floorplan that particularly interested us is the Grand Designs Reflections 30BH: it has a "rear slide" in the bunkhouse so it would be significantly shorter with that slide retracted and the rest of the RV is unaffected; in case you're interested, here's a thread I opened at the Grand Designs owner's forum about this and other matters: http://www.granddesignowners.com/forum/showthread.php/8037-Questions-on-the-Reflection-30BH

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

There are thousands of RV parks and campgrounds in the US. Most can handle larger rigs. I would not buy an RV under 30 feet because of fears of not finding a spot. And any campground that limits you to 30 feet is sending up a huge warning flag that the campground is very small overall and you will be camping right next to you with very little privacy.

We switched from a 29' coach to a 38' some 12 years ago, and only once have we had an issue; That was when a campground host tried to do us a favor and put us in a 30' site so we could have a lakeside site. The campground had numerous larger lots.

The driver never complains about driving the larger coach with a Suburban in tow; I see her navigate in/around places that I'd be wary of going. "Honey, you don't have room for a U-turn"; I'm usually wrong.

I've noticed that some 'older' campgrounds in our area have recently created several larger sites, presumably in response to RVer requests.

VallAndMo said:

Howdy Will,



One floorplan that particularly interested us is the Grand Designs Reflections 30BH: it has a "rear slide" in the bunkhouse so it would be significantly shorter with that slide retracted and the rest of the RV is unaffected; in case you're interested, here's a thread I opened at the Grand Designs owner's forum about this and other matters: http://www.granddesignowners.com/forum/showthread.php/8037-Questions-on-the-Reflection-30BH

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

Click to expand...

The link above requires membership to view the thread. 

Tom said:

We switched from a 29' coach to a 38' some 12 years ago, and only once have we had an issue; That was when a campground host tried to do us a favor and put us in a 30' site so we could have a lakeside site. The campground had numerous larger lots.

Click to expand...

I had the same experience. I went from a 32 foot class C to a 39 foot class A and only had one site that was tight and that was in Yosemite Lower Pines. The campground was built in the 30s by the CCC and the roads were tight. Other than that never had an issue. Newer campgrounds are all fairly well done.

AStravelers said:

The link above requires membership to view the thread. 

Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing it out. I just printed both pages of the topic, and posted them here:
http://imgur.com/5kikw8M (page 1)
http://imgur.com/WAltfVh (page 2)

I have the PDFs but can't find a good place to easily upload them to right now; if the images linked above aren't good to read or you'd like the PDFs, just PM me with your email and I will email them to you.

--
  Vall.

Hi Tom, Seilerbird,

Tom said:

We switched from a 29' coach to a 38' some 12 years ago, and only once have we had an issue; That was when a campground host tried to do us a favor and put us in a 30' site so we could have a lakeside site. The campground had numerous larger lots.

The driver never complains about driving the larger coach with a Suburban in tow; I see her navigate in/around places that I'd be wary of going. "Honey, you don't have room for a U-turn"; I'm usually wrong.

I've noticed that some 'older' campgrounds in our area have recently created several larger sites, presumably in response to RVer requests.

Click to expand...

SeilerBird said:

I had the same experience. I went from a 32 foot class C to a 39 foot class A and only had one site that was tight and that was in Yosemite Lower Pines. The campground was built in the 30s by the CCC and the roads were tight. Other than that never had an issue. Newer campgrounds are all fairly well done.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear established campgrounds are much less likely to be a problem than I was thinking... But what about boondocking? Have you any experiences with it in smaller vs larger RVs to share with us?

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

VallAndMo said:

Hi Tom, Seilerbird,

Glad to hear established campgrounds are much less likely to be a problem than I was thinking... But what about boondocking? Have you any experiences with it in smaller vs larger RVs to share with us?

Click to expand...

I never had a problem finding a boondocking site and I have spent hundreds of nights boondocking. Guaranteed you will not have a problem finding space boondocking in a Walmart parking lot.  :

Will, like you we really prefer Forest Service sites. If you get a unit that is over 30' there definitely will be established FS campgrounds you can't get in. Then again, there are campgrounds you can't use if you are 24'! That doesn't mean you can't find a campground you can fit in since bigger sites definitely exist. We live in Utah and travel mostly in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.  We have a 30' travel trailer (tongue to bumper). We find about half the FS campgrounds in those areas won't hold us. In fact there are a number that are tents only! But half of the campgrounds do hold us, and most of the ones that hold our 30' would hold a 32 or 34'. For boondocking on FS or BLM land outside of established campgrounds, you will have no problem finding a spot no matter what your size.

The biggest problem we have is in NPS campgrounds. Big sites do exist but they are fewer in number. Many of the NPS campgrounds were built by the CCC in the 30s! Get reservations early or show up very early in the day to get a first come/first serve campsite if you are big and travel during prime season. We have a tendency to go to the popular places early or late in the season then head to the forests and mountains away from the crowd during the summer vacation time. Also remember that there are private RV parks outside all the national parks that are very convenient and still let you see the beautiful places.

If you want to dry camp or boondock, get a unit with the biggest tanks you can - fresh, gray, and black. We have 80/80/40 and the two of us can easily go without dumping for a week while still taking short showers daily and washing dishes. Also you will need a lot of solar or a generator plus good batteries. I love heading into the forest and relaxing for a full week, taking time to sightsee, fish, walk, and just enjoy the area.