The ten year rule

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Just that such 10 year rule parks seem to be spreading since Covid, and it seems to be starting to show up in more no frills sorts of RV parks, not just upper end resorts.
 
We don't travel around much and the parks we have stayed in have 20 year rules and not 10. Our motorhome is 26 years old and we just send them pictures and they have all been fine for long term stay of at least a year at a time. Our neighbor is also long term and his coach is 24 years old.
Just avoid the snob parks as most with these rules just want to keep the real rundown stuff out like plywood windows and duct tapped "sealant". If you take care of your vehicle most just wave that rule.
The ones that don't I would just avoid.
 
IMO the driving force behind 10 year rules is it's one of the few ways a park can legally keep less desirable people out without running afoul of anti-discrimination laws. It's OK to discriminate based on the age or appearance of the rig, but not the people inside it.

As far as long term stays, the longer someone is in a park, the more rights they gain and it becomes harder to evict troublemakers. Again, 10 year rules give the park some level of control over who they let in.
 
Lou Schneider said:
IMO the driving force behind 10 year rules is it's one of the few ways a park can legally keep less desirable people out without running afoul of anti-discrimination laws. It's OK to discriminate based on the age or appearance of the rig, but not the people inside it.

As far as long term stays, the longer someone is in a park, the more rights they gain and it becomes harder to evict troublemakers. Again, 10 year rules give the park some level of control over who they let in.
Click to expand...
That's similar in spirit to how our town solved the problem with homeless people sleeping on the park benches along the walking trails. They couldn't legally keep them away so they installed arm rests in the center of the park benches.
 
I'm not sure I understand the angst against "snob" parks even if they have a hard rule. Is there something wrong with people who keep newer coaches and like a little bit more decorum in their RV experience?
 
Our RV is a woman and turns 10 every year. We have been asked how old she is and we always say 10. No one examines your registration to prove otherwise. They might take a glance at it upon arrival, I guess we pass every time.
 
As much as you hear about the ten year rule, in many miles and time traveling, I have only run into it a few times. Passed the test twice, found another place twice. and one of those I knew I would pass,, it was the daily rate that got me. The other one I would likely have passed, but there was another CG a mile away and further from the main road that was less$ we had stayed at before and liked.
I really think it is a non-issue unless you have a 20 year old faded rig and want to stay at the posh resort.
 
Another factor is how you handle it... If you call, handle them nicely, have a story to tell like I've heard here "it's x years old, but I keep it like new... Can I send a pic?"

In 2020 I bought a 2000 model year pontoon boat. No trailer, no means to store. I had a dock, but no marina on Walled lake (Metro Detroit). I went to the local big Marine vendor, they had a similar rule. Had a talk with the service manger got to know her, showed pics. She "typo'd " it in the service system as a 2020.
Parts desk visits, annual put in / take out's would get a "wait, what?"... Followed by "Ohhhhh"
Point is, we are a factor in this in how we do things.
 
PaulBates said:
Another factor is how you handle it... If you call, handle them nicely, have a story to tell like I've heard here "it's x years old, but I keep it like new... Can I send a pic?"

In 2020 I bought a 2000 model year pontoon boat. No trailer, no means to store. I had a dock, but no marina on Walled lake (Metro Detroit). I went to the local big Marine vendor, they had a similar rule. Had a talk with the service manger got to know her, showed pics. She "typo'd " it in the service system as a 2020.
Parts desk visits, annual put in / take out's would get a "wait, what?"... Followed by "Ohhhhh"
Point is, we are a factor in this in how we do things.
Click to expand...
I had something similar, although on smaller scale happen yesterday. I took (2) 10 year old propane tanks down to our local fuel distributor to be re-certified. Price was $9 per tank plus fuel if they topped them off, $18 each without the fill-up.

They were about 3/4 full and I said I really didn't want them filled all the way in this heat. The attendant smiled and said, "well let's just say I tried to fill them and they wouldn't take any propane" and gave me the $9 price.
 
One thing is, at least to my knowledge, I am glad the ten year rule only exist in mostly upscale privately owned rv parks and no such rule exists in National Parks, State Parks, KOAs, and public campgrounds and that you can still camp out at Big Bend, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, etc regardless of how old your rig is if it is in good condition.
 
Isaac-1 said:
Gary what amazes me is that so few new coach owners seem to care about this issue, as it will result in lowering the resale value of their coaches.
Click to expand...
  1. Seems doubtful to me, but it's strictly guesswork anyway.
  2. Hardly anybody worries about what may come 10 years down the road.
How many "10 year rule" parks have you actually encountered?
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
  1. Seems doubtful to me, but it's strictly guesswork anyway.
  2. Hardly anybody worries about what may come 10 years down the road.
How many "10 year rule" parks have you actually encountered?
Click to expand...
Until this year not many, and only in research for potential places to stop while doing trip planning, what worries me is this year in planning only a couple of potential trips I ran across 4 or 5 of them, in one case near a popular tourist town where there were only 4 or 5 RV parks 3 of them had 10 year rules. (thanks to weather issues our trip was rerouted at the last minute and we did not go near there). This was not restricted to tourist destinations either, one park along the side of I-30 in Texas that I looked at as a potential overnight stop also had a 10 year rule.
 
So what if you look at the 10 year rule from a different perspective?

According to a growing number of RV parks, an RV is only good for 10 years and then it's pretty much worthless. Now think about what that RV is costing new. Makes you think at least twice about buying new. Well, it makes me think twice.

I don't stay in 10 year places.
I don't stay in 55+ parks (I am currently 62).
It's their parks and their rules but it's my money and my choice. I'm not big on begging people to take my money.

I build my own campground poi spreadsheets. I read the rules on the park/campground websites before I decide if I want to add them to my spreadsheet. To be honest, I have dumped far more 55+ parks than I have 10 year parks. I have noticed that the parks with 10 year rules also tend to be parks that, after reading their rules and regulations, I'm not much interested in. I have run across a few public parks with 10 year rules and RVIA emblem requirements. They get dumped too. The parks that are so popular that you can't get into them, those get dumped too. Life is too short to play those types of games. All I need is a fairly level place with water, electric and a dump station that is moderately safe. Sometimes, I don't even need water or the dump. I even carry my own little picnic table with me.

I have also noticed that I have found various little public and private parks that simply do not exist on any of the campground/rv park review sites. I find that interesting. I have them in my poi spreadsheet. One day, I figure I will visit them. Perhaps I will even leave a review.
 
LMHS said:
I don't stay in 10 year places.
I don't stay in 55+ parks (I am currently 62).
Click to expand...
What is the issue you have with the 55+ parks?

FWIW, I will stay anywhere that I find convenient. I am not picky at all.

My hangup is making reservations. I normally travel with none at all and I just take my chances.

I hate to need to be at a place on a certain day or certain time. I get there when I get there. If I ever get there. I have been known to change directions in the middle of a trip.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
I agree about liking the flexibility to make changes in direction based on whatever factors, we did it on our trip in may to the Badlands, and then over to Hannibal, Missouri, When we left home we were heading to Colorado, but changed route after day 1, due to the weather forecast changing and calling for rain in Colorado daily for the next 6-8 days.
 
Great story about the 10 year rule.
We had arranged a rally at a particular park. The wagonmaster was passing by a week prior on his back-haul. It would have been a very convenient stop for him. He went in to arrange for the night and the counter person asked about the age of his coach (two years newer than mine). When he told them, they flat-out refused to have him for the night. He asked to talk to the owner/manager and got a same answer. He told them that they had accepted reservations for about 30 coaches that old and the manager told him that they would be refused if they arrived at the gate. Our wagon master was a very organized person and a good lawyer. He returned from his coach with the entire list of those reservations and informed the owner that he would collect any and all fees from said while he stood there.
He took the cash (it was all in cash) down the road about six miles to a park he knew well. We all got our money back and the difference and it was a great rally.
Matt_C
 
In our younger days after retiring, we too liked to do the flip a coin at intersections to decide where we were going. Now at 78 and 80, we like two week stays at state and national parks, and as popular as RV'ing has become, that requires making reservations well in advance. Most of the time, that means being logged in and ready to hit a key to get a site the instant the reservation window opens. We currently have reservations in southern GA and FL through the winter, and a NY state park booked for the two weeks around Memorial Day next year. I don't know how it's going to be trying to book Florida parks for the 24/25 winter with Florida's new rule giving FL residents a 1 month head start over us out of staters. I may end up giving all of our winter camping money to GA state parks that still want our money. I don't think the FL powers that be have considered how much outside money FL businesses will lose by keeping us out.
 
DonTom said:
What is the issue you have with the 55+ parks?
Click to expand...
I grew up in FL. The old farts didn't like the local kids (or adults). As a 15-17yo teen, my then boyfriend had a grandmother who lived in a couple of those gated "Adult communities" while we were dating. Those were the most childish adults I have run across. My boy friend would stop and drop things off or pick thing up from his grandmother. I would wait in the truck because his grandmother didn't like me. I refused to convert to Catholism simply because I was dating her grandson... who went to a Baptist church since the Catholic church didn't recognize his mother's marriage.. a fact that I DID point out to her and another reason why she didn't like me. So there I would be sitting in the truck, minding my own business and usually reading a book ignoring the local wildlife (mean Grandma got a kick out of me sitting in the truck), getting screamed at by total strangers for being a drug dealing slut and whore (and some other gibberish involving sailors - I have always had trouble deciphering Yankees when they start screaming, spitting and using language that would make a sailor blush). The security would always end up stopping by to see what the yelling was about, to which I would have to tell them I was just sitting in the truck while my boyfriend was in with his grandmother. I got treated like a criminal. Not at one but most of those places since I later ended up installing cabinets in far too many of those places when I still lived in FL. At 19-20yo, I still looked like I was 15-16 yo. I was always getting chased down by security or resident loonies and being treated like a criminal (or a hooker). I wasn't welcome then, I avoid now. My money, my choice.

In my experience "55+" and "Adult community" means mean, nasty, hateful, crazy people with equally mean, nasty, hateful, crazy yappy little dogs who reflect their owners attitude towards life. With a few pervs tossed into the mix which is why their spouses probably had them locked up in a gated "Adult community". Not anyplace I want to go.

We once accidently stopped at an "Adult" RV park on the "wrong" end of Flour Bluff in Corpus Christi (nowhere did I find anything about them being an adult park). They were quite happy to let my "old enough" husband stay but my over 21yo daughter and I (under 55yo) were not welcome. The phrase they used was "unacceptable" and we could "stay someplace else". It was soooo funny although I don't think they found being laughed at too funny. We laughed about it for years. It still makes me smile.
 
I've found most 55+ RV parks to be pretty laid back. They usually don't have a problem with grandkids visiting for a couple days, they just don't want full-time children running all over the place, around and through other people's sites, and messing up the laundry and shower facilities and whatnot...as we all know little kids can do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 431 (members: 18, guests: 413)

Forum statistics

Threads
132,190
Posts
1,391,772
Members
137,900
Latest member
RVMan78
Back
Top Bottom