Beach camping: Sand in the RV?

And since you can't keep ALL of the sand out, get a Roomba or Neato type robotic vacuum and have it run every so often. You can start it running as you leave, and come back to a clean floor (and track more sand on it ).
Used ones can be found fairly inexpensive or eBay or Craigslist.

At Bird Island, the sand isn't much of a problem because everywhere you'd walk, it's caliche and not deep sand.  You'll still have a little sand, but a shallow pan of water by the door to step in is usually good enough.  But do bring the baby powder because it really does help make you more comfortable in the oppressive humidity. 

The real problem there is the damp, corrosive salt air blown into every crevice by the omnipresent wind.  I've ended up with salt formations that look like rock candy n the corners of my windows.

Also, the RV sites there are I think 12 feet wide and lined up in a parking lot, so your neighbor is just a couple of feet from you.  Almost all the windsurfers who go there use solar (there's not a lick of shade anywhere), and maybe a generator for a couple of minutes for the microwave to cook dinner.  People who run them for longer than that, like to charge up their batteries, don't win any friends at all, and it's real tight quarters and can be very crowded especially in the spring, so good relations can be pretty important.

drewtk said:

I was mainly planning on Bird Island Basin, which is right next to a beach area but above the tide line.  I'm a windsurfer.  But I was also hoping to camp on the Gulf Side.  Your comment is definitely giving me pause though.  How far down the beach did you set up?

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I drove through the entrance, made a sharp right hand turn and parked right there as far from the water as possible. It was less than 100 yards to the water when I parked.

For tide info I use Magicseaweed.com or the MSW phone app. It will let you know when high tide is, and if it's gonna be higher than normal due to weather.

Look closely for signs of where high tide gets to before you park for the night.

Here is a trick many truck drivers use that is inexpensive and may be of use...

Buy a full size scrub brush from any hardware store and attach it bristle side up onto the steps into the RV with zip ties. When entering the RV, a couple of passes of each foot over the brush should knock off debris off the shoes. I use this method, along with an interior mat just inside the door that is easily removed to be taken outside to shake the sand and debris out of.

Along with the DW and I, we also have 2 cats and a dog who haven't figured out how to wipe their paws before entering out TT. We are in a sandy area. Been there and done that.
You're still going to bring some sand inside. No way around that fact. But you can keep it to a minimum.

I agree with Brad in reply #4... Wife and I where literally between the dunes at a state park in South Carolina for a week. We had picked up these mats at a Kroger for cheap. I was skeptical however we both where amazed at how well it took off the sand from our shoes.

kdbgoat said:

As a side note here, OSHA regulations state compressed air for blow down must be regulated to 30 psi at the tip, and can't be used to blow down personnel.  I know OSHA doesn't apply here, but the dangers of compressed air for blowing down are widely known.

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OSHA is our governments attempt to protect people that don't have any common sense.

Darwin's theory actually works.

drewtk said:

I'm planning to boondock at Padre National Seashore in a few months, which is a nice stretch of beach in southern Texas.  I've boondocked several times before, so I'm comfortable with that part.  But I was wondering how to minimize getting sand inside the RV, mainly from your feet?  I realize it's unavoidable to some extent, but I'd like to minimize it.  The RV has an outdoor shower but I'd like to minimize running the water. 

I was thinking a shallow pan of water outside to rinse off, then use a towel to dry off and remove as much as possible before stepping inside.  I keep a small piece of carpet just inside the door, so that should catch some sand as well. 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.  I figure I'll have to vacuum once a day to catch as much sand as possible.

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Sand what sand?

No time to vacuum now,  we have to track more sand back to the beach!

Maybe we'll vacuum next week... maybe not.

We hate beaches.  Nothing worse than getting sand in your Schlitz.

Molaker said:

We hate beaches.  Nothing worse than getting sand in your Schlitz.

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It's not bad in "Old Milwaukee".  ;D

TonyDtorch said:

OSHA is our governments attempt to protect people that don't have any common sense.

Darwin's theory actually works.

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Until <you> go in the hole. Maybe you never did dangerous work? When I was a kid we went up on the iron with little or no protection (an American Bridge belt and a lanyard at best) and I sure as Hell liked it when useful fall protection was mandated. We used to ride the ball too, and ride the catwalks up when dressing out new refinery towers. Lots of people were hurt and and many less are hurt now.

If you can convince me fewer people getting hurt and killed on the job is a bad thing I'll call you Aristotle.

irishtom29 said:

Until <you> go in the hole. Maybe you never did dangerous work? When I was a kid we went up on the iron with little or no protection (an American Bridge belt and a lanyard at best) and I sure as Hell liked it when useful fall protection was mandated. We used to ride the ball too, and ride the catwalks up when dressing out new refinery towers. Lots of people were hurt and and many less are hurt now.

If you can convince me fewer people getting hurt and killed on the job is a bad thing I'll call you Aristotle.

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(maybe I never did dangerous work... okay  )

I got out of the Army in the early 1970's I spent the next 35 years hanging over the walls of the tallest buildings and the biggest stadiums all over the world all over the world using everything from helicopters to the tallest cranes made installing all those huge electric signs you see way up there at the top.

I worked for the largest/oldest sign company in Las Vegas. as well as other large union companies.

we very often had to remove our fall gear when we knew thought the inspectors were not looking in order to climb up stuff just to unhook or just get the job done the only way you can....( and yes, I have been cited/fined twice by Ohsa.. in 1978 & 1993..each time it cost about the company about $14k in fines, and it was always viewed as just a cost of doing the job  )

I typically enjoyed working in many of the smaller foreign countries ( I.E. Kuwait, Mexico, etc..)  because they had no governing construction safety agencies.... they're safety policy is.... "If you die on this job, you will not be paid for the day".

I believe......even with all of OHSA mandatory compliance safety rules in force,... stupid people ..many people will continue to be injured on job sites.

From the years I've been out on the job sites, many guys just viewed the safety gear as ...
" make sure you always wear your gear,  if you get hurt, it may determine if you can retire or not "....

most safety gear is just used as an attorneys  "lawsuit value" tool.

over the years,  the 2 or 3 injury accidents I was involved in,  they were equipment/cable failures and safety gear would have never made any difference.

I'm sure you also have a lot of experience in the trades too, ....This is the way I see things... and is just my opinion.

I just spent a month camping at the beach.

The best thing I found for keeping sand out of the coach, was I bought a white super fluffy rubber backed bathroom rug about 2 by 3 feet.

This is at the front door inside. We wiped our feet and paws on it generously. It trapped the sand beautifully.

Now technically this is bringing sand inside...

But the beauty of it was we could shake the rug out once or twice a day. Amazing the amount of sand it trapped for us. We didn't seem to have a problem with sand inside otherwise and we were at the beach at least once a day and most days multiple times. Also most of the campground was pretty sandy too, so sand was everywhere.

Just shake it away from the front door.

We boondocked at Malaquite National Seashore (Padre Island) in 2013.  We were not on the beach but in the campground. The sand was not the problem for us it was the salt.  I'm still cleaning sea salt out of the window wells.

I tend to choose the camp sites further back from the beach. Much quieter and not near as much salt, if any.

I use Blue Beacon Truck and RV wash $28 to clean my RV outside after the beach trip anyhow.  8)

Sand, salt, bring it on! I LOVE being at the beach. I was there 4 weeks in the spring and I am counting down the 11 weeks when I  go back for a month. They make me move every 2 weeks, but this time I managed to get 2 sites side by side so moving will be a snap.

DearMissMermaid said:

They make me move every 2 weeks, but this time I managed to get 2 sites side by side so moving will be a snap.

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Is the practice of making a camper move sites every couple of weeks common? News to me.

denmarc said:

Is the practice of making a camper move sites every couple of weeks common? News to me.

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Some places do, and it doesn't make a lick of sense to me why they do that.

Why? What practical purpose does this practice serve? If one pays for 3-4 weeks, why make them move to another site beyond two weeks? Makes no sense.

it's because campers can easily become permanent tenants,  so they keep them moving every two weeks ....

even BLM land is that way.

We use the old bathroom rug mat trick, one outside one inside, they catch most of the sand. For the dog, before he comes in we run a 18 volt leaf blower set on low and blow air over his feet and lower legs- he loves it.




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