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We camp in a small tent trailer. I go camping at state parks to get away from city lights and to get out with nature. What really annoys me is rvs that have too many of their exterior lights on at night. Sometimes they shine brightly towards our campsite. I'll be sitting there trying to enjoy the camp fire, the silhouette of the pine trees against the star filled sky and a neighboring rv will have their rv and campsite all lit up like it's a Christmas display. To me common courtesy would be use low light or minimal exterior lights at night. If rvs aren't willing to do that, quit claiming you are camping. Instead own up that you are occupying a huge electrical machine and forcing light pollution on people who are trying to camp.
To add to the first rules you mentioned about talking to folks when pulling/backing in, I'd extend that to setup and teardown. Don't bug them until they are done with those tasks. Many people have a set routine they go through and you don't want to interrupt that! People can get hurt and thing get broken if something in that routine gets forgotten or overlooked
Thanks for this video - I love learning from y'all. One thing I think should be on the list is for campers to be courteous with their lights at night. We have been life long tent campers and we noticed that many RVers like to light up their camp site with floods, LED strips, decorative light strings and such. The problem comes in when they retire for the evening, they leave all of those lights on all night. Light from these things will go right through a tent wall and makes it pretty difficult to sleep. It also makes it hard to stargaze. A good rule of thumb is lights out during quiet hours. Regards, John
Great advice. Maybe all the newbies and some oldies in the camping realm will learn from this. I never knock on anyone’s door unless I see a serious issue. Like sewer home leaking! Always wait to be friendly after their all setup and just say hi! Do not approach their site it’s like inviting yourself into their home! I have never met mean people camping! Some a little rude but never out right mean. Kids are kids. Once or twice I have had to talk to the kids and ask them not to run around my sewer hose hookup. I explained to them the poop runs thru that hose and if they trip on it they will get poop on them! It works! Parents noticed me talking to their kids and came over and apologized and said thank you and that it will not happen again and that was that! No one wants poop all over them. Again great advice thank you.
I totally agree but I have to say that a lady stepped up and completely was my hero while pulling a boat with my class A. I watched her guide her husband into the gas pumps, Motorhome and Toad, and she did a great job. I thought nothing more of it until I went to leave the gas station. I had just bought a 23' boat, was taking it home behind my 32' class A and there was not enough room at the pumps to get out. I really couldn't figure it out, even with decades of trailer pulling experience, of course they are quite a bit longer than a semi, but still. This lady didn't hesitate, jumped behind me and did an excellent job of backing me into the parking lot then out. So maybe offer? And thanks hero lady!
Being considerate seems to becoming a lost art (sadly). Sweetie loves her owners so much. I'll bet she is the best safeguard anyone could ask for. This vlog was well done, thanks.
I've seen several videos on this topic and I've always thought that the things covered in these types of videos was common sense to the viewers. Some of the comments on this video have proved me WRONG...lol. Great videos guys, thanks for sharing.
I sure agree with #1 but it should extend to camp setup AND breakdown. Breaking down camp and getting ready for the road is a critical phase. Most of us have a written or mental checklist that must be strictly followed in sequence and double checked. (just like a airplane pilot preparing for a landing). Leave them totally alone during this phase. (like the sterile cockpit rule). If an interruption causes them to miss a step it can have serious safety considerations.
We generally wait until people are relaxing and sitting outside their camper or RV before approaching them. I learned a long time ago that if someone looks busy they probably are.
Sadly, I think the people that are guilty of these behaviors are not watching ANYTHING about campground etiquette. They are so certain of their importance and privilege they don’t even realize their behavior is selfish and off-putting. Just last night, two couples camped next to me with big mouths dropping F bombs left and right, as well as starting a campfire despite the prominently displayed “burn ban” signage. Some people are just jerks. 🤷🏻♀️
Thank you for leading by example! I would also add to please keep your fur babies leashed. Even the most well trained dog can get excited when they see another dog. We have had our dog bitten (more than once) by unleashed dogs while camping.
Five times last summer I had unleashed dogs come at my leashed dogs during our walk. Twice, I ended up injured. Size doesn’t matter. Small dogs need leashes, too.
You are absolutely right on the "don't walk through someone else's campsite". I get very upset when people have walked through mine. 1 time I'll give the dirty look. 2nd time I speak up and try to ask nicely and point out the access area for the public to access the beach area. Pay attention Emerald Cove/CRA people. 😊👍.
Agree with what you mentioned, good rules! Especially appreciate the “don’t knock on the door” rule. Since we don’t know people at campgrounds, it’s always shocking when someone knocks on the door. Also agree, if knocking then stand back and don’t peer into the camper. It feels like an invasion of privacy somehow.
If I knock on the door of someone’s RV then it is an emergency (fire, tornado warning, etc.). Communication can happen when things are calm and relaxed. I still use what I learned in the Scouts, you call out “permission to enter the camp.”
Nailed it. Unfortunately it should not be necessary to discuss the things you covered. But more and more these days people just don’t care about others. Thanks for sharing. I hope people listen
Thanks Jeb! And yeah, some people can be completely oblivious to social conventions. And then others think they can do whatever they want just because it isn't strictly prohibited and to hell with everyone else's enjoyment. -David
One. Ore to add. When someone wants your campsite & parks their camper right by you lurking, watching, hours before checkout. Makes me nervous in the whole breakdown process. Happened in valley of fire. Made me really slow down the process on purpose.
There is a very easy and simple way to state a lot of what you've said - respect their space the same as you'd like yours to be respected. Also, everyone has a little bit different way of backing in, setting up, etc, and while it may seem totally unusual or out of the blue to you, to them it may be the normal that they are comfortable with and used to, and they may not appreciate what you feel is constructive comments or observations. Sometimes it's better to phrase it as a question - "have you ever tried" and see if they are receptive. Sharing knowledge can be great, but it can also be intrusive and not taken well by others.
Thanks! Books have been written about etiquette. My biggest complaint is BARKING DOGS and their ignorant, unqualified owners not correcting the bad behavior. We recently stayed at the Grand Canyon and shortly after we set up people just came walking through our site. After that I parked the truck diagonally to block it... but some stupid people still tried. Don't be those inconsiderate losers. "Non" quiet time doesn't mean NOISY time! Keep your crappy music to yourself please! We leave early because we generally have 7-9 hour drives home. Sorry, I dump my tanks out of necessity, not someone else's convenience; however, I dump before 7am the day we're leaving. I also use an impact driver to raise and lower the landing gear. If we are leaving very early in the morning I will raise them all the night before... nobody wants to listen to the rat-tat-tat of an impact wrench at 5am... oh, and car doors slamming repeatedly while loading at 5am...
Bottom line, just be courteous and respectful. I personally don’t agree with everything you said, but you’re pretty spot on. If someone is new to RVing and has little experience parking, they would probably appreciate some help if you offer it. Again, just be nice and mindful of others.
Amen! All of these are great reminders if nothing else. Some people just don't care anymore and it's sad. I miss y'all. It's like I have not seen y'all in forever! lol I miss the lives so much. Can y'all do one tonight? lol I hope yall are having a great time getting ready for the wedding. HUGS!!
First time watching your channel - awesome message. I am going to disagree with ONE thing that was mentioned in this video though (all the rest 100% agree) and maybe my perspective is different because I host in parks most of the year. That one point is the yelling/talking loudly from outside instead of knocking (the "hello neighbor" part). There are three reasons I disagree with this: Reason one: let's say you are inside your camper and you just got out of the shower or you are changing and suddenly you hear someone right outside your window say "hello neighbor"....most people in this situation are going to think 'oh no...did they just see me' for those who thought they were in private and left their blinds open or 'were they waiting until they saw my silhouette to say something'. Or just in general feel like their privacy was intruded upon. Reason two: the person inside just may not hear you - they could have their AC on which greatly drowns out noise, they could have headphones on for a meeting or phone call (a lot more people work from their campers post covid), they could be watching TV, or they simply could be hard of hearing. Reason three: Someone who has Anxiety/Fear/PTSD - I have had people that were outside when someone walks up to greet them scream the second the person says "hello" (my spouse fits this category) . Now imagine that same person who is inside and has a greater sense that they are safe from a mystery vocal intrusion. I have never had someone scream from a knock on the door. All that being said what is best is to knock gently - not so soft that it could be mistaken for something falling on the floor (we often get knocks so soft that we think one of our kids dropped a small toy in their carpeted loft) and also not so hard that it sounds like you are trying to punch a hole through the door/wake the dead - one knuckle hard enough that it does not feel uncomfortable tap tap tap is just about perfect. Then, right after you knock, step back 6 to 10 feet straight back from the door and then step to the side just a bit. When you step to the side you should go the hinge direction, not the handle direction, as this allows the person to open the door as much as they feel comfortable and allow them the opportunity to open it without allowing you a view in if that is their preference. Some will open it enough to talk through but not enough that you can see in, some will stick their heads out, and others will fling the door wide open.
Great vid! I’m new to this and I was wondering what you do when people DO walk through my campsite. Last time we were camping, the people across the street used our campsite as a walkway to get to the ‘flush toilets’.
The last time someone knocked on the door of my RV, it was a sheriff's deputy looking for the owner of a lost dog. I told the deputy what I knew regarding the owner of the dog. You are absolutely right about assisting neighbors in set up. If you don't know them, don't assume you know how they how they want to set up. You focused your comments on morning noise on generators. Yes, years ago, it was common for someone to fire up an RV generator at 5-6AM an let it run for about half an hour. I guess they needed to make coffee or toast. These days, It's more more likely some moron with a diesel truck who thinks he needs to let it run for 10-15 minutes before he actually drives it.
I agree with all of these unwritten rules. Were are all out here for the same reason and is to get away and enjoy ourselves. I have had people ask me to help them back in (they were new at it) but I would never go up and tell someone how. I have had someone knock on my door a couple times once when my dog snuck out and I didn't see her and another when I had a leak on my water storage tank. Otherwise people tend to mind other people ive noticed. Otherwise if im outside and you want to come up and chat im all for it and most people do a lot of people were interested in my propane fire pit.
Sadly, the folks watching your vid, aren’t the ones that need to learn these things. Folks out there are mostly weekenders and probably don’t really get rv life. Full timers, unfortunately, just have to deal with it.
You mentioned good hand signals for backing into spots. The wife and I use our cell phones on speaker cause especially at night it is hard to see even with lights. Cheap walkie talkies work too.
There's another reason why Rangers back off after knocking. Officer Safety. Doors are referred to as "fatal funnels". You never know what might come out of the door you just knocked on. Fortunately, it is also perceived as being courteous. It's also a safe thing to do for anyone, as well as the safe thing to do.
We had a neighbor who would go outside to take late night phone calls. Courteous for HIS guests... but standing right next to our bedroom slide, arguing with someone on the phone... not so courteous to us. We celebrated when they left.
We've been to campgrounds where people were wasted and partying well into the night, or showing up at their campsite 2 hours after quiet time and making a ton of noise setting up, or having their dog on leash, but a long enough leash that it sits at the opening between our sites and just stares at us.
Good points! Something that can be a problem is people playing their music too loud. Even if you're having a party, keep the volume way down. Not everyone likes or wants to hear your music blasting through the campground.
I can't believe that grown adults need to be told to be courteous 🤦♂️ All of this was common sense. In many states, hotel room rules apply to paid campsites. If you walk through someone's campsite, you are actually trespassing.
I've seen several other campsite-courtesy vids but watched yours anyway and happily learned new ones and, valuably, more of the good reasons for them I'd not thought of. Thank you!
I'd NEVER knock on someone's camper door. I would even go so far as to not even going inside the persons campsite boundaries, when first initiating a conversation! Also, very important is picking up all trash, big and small...especially micro trash! Nice shades BTW! :-)
I don't like any kind of company when I am getting set up in my campsite..... We are tired from driving , hungry , need a shower , etc...... Most people I have seen are not ready to socialize till the next day ( like us )..... Some people don't want to socialize ( like us sometimes )...... If we are INVITED over then okay but we never invite ourselvrs..... I agree with a lot of things you said as I was raised in the exact manner..... It's people who were never taught respect for others that are the campsite nightmare or even next door in a neighborhood..... I have experienced my share of rude people so it is hard for me to socialize.... I am always the polite neighbor but not much of a socializer.... Usually I am working and my relaxing time is the best time to work.... So that always has to be considered with some people in camp sites.... Have a safe trip and I love your pets lol
If your kid comes over to say HI I AM GOING TO BE KIND and friendly. That kindness isn't an invitation to have your kid hang out with us all day, all weekend. Come get your kid, lol.
Yes....just about every place we camp is on public waterways. That's how people get to the banks to fish. Almost everyone will hug the boarder of our site to politely pass through. Relax people, lol.
One more - don't spill over on the your neighbor's space. Can't believe how often people think it's OK to park over the line or let their stuff spread out to on to your space.
alittle of topic but im very curious how your business model is going. facebook page links to youtube and your promoting your patreon along with amazon. looks like your spread out well. care to share how its all working?
I dont understand why campers (specifically pop-ups, trailers, hybrids, or the big boys need a generator in the morning when it is cool or cold. It sure would be nice to figure out why as everyone I know carry's a battery to keep their fridge, medical equipment, and even for some the heater, running.
Sometimes your battery runs low over night. I try to run it as late as possible. I apologize to the people near us for doing so. Most say they didn't even hear it.
You guys have the same hair style how cute:) unfortunately people just don't give a rats butt for picking up trash. Those same people need to stop camping period. Love the channel guys.
Do campgrounds prohibit generators during "quiet time"? I'm not sure that will work with a lot of people, since, viewing several new RV videos, many new and late model RV's have electric-only fridges with compressors just like home. And fridges only stay cold for so many hours if not running. Plus they'll probably deplete the batteries via the inverter real quick. Furthermore, I think my advice to campers would be don't be a "Karen" or a "Ken". Don't look for reasons to call, email, or text campground management or the rangers complaining about this neighbor or that neighbor. I understand the need to keep noise down during certain periods, but people need to understand you need to be flexible too. When you're in campgrounds staying in toilet paper wall dwellings, you need to set a generous tolerance threshold. You're going to hear some things. A white noise device such as a fan may help.
What about G or PG language especially with younger children. We always knock, announce our name and step back. Our friends do the same. When parents don't keep an eye on their kids
And for noise: Close-rather than slam-your storage bay doors. Just because they are called slam latch doors doesn’t mean you have to slam them shut every time, especially if you are disorganized and have to look through them all six times. Ask me how annoying this is.
If someone comes over and offers to “help” me back my trailer in and they back me into a tree, destroying the whole back end of my trailer, they are in no way liable for that. They’re not a professional, they haven’t taken on any liability and most importantly, I allowed it. They can simply walk away. ALL the damages are on me at that point. That’s the best reason to say, “No thank you” if anyone ever offers to “help”.
@JP D You’re probably right, I don’t know. I asked my attorney friend and those were his words so I just repeated it figuring it was right. My intention was more towards common sense rather than pretending to be an attorney.
Don't put plastic bottles or trash on the fire ring. Don't just drop your full trash bag out your door thinking there's a service going to pick it up. Walk it to the dumpster.
I think you took a bit long to make your points (would have made a nice 5 minute video). For me, the #1 rule of camping etiquette is controlling kids and pets.
I have only been out a couple of times and had the sites to myself, so have not experienced any issues. The only thing that I have found annoying is when the locals came into the campground (free site) and used the trash dumpster. This was just after Christmas and one truck came in full of boxes and wrapping and overflowed the dumpster. There was also a large flat screen tv in there.
Did I hear you say "Big stretch" when your kitty stretched? That's what I always say when one of our kitties stretch! I love the fact that you include your pets in your videos! Keep it up! 😺😺🐶
Remember, don't walk between my class A lg front window and my tow car. My 3 dogs hate that and so do I! Walk around my Honda please. I know it's long drive way I just don't want you between my car and RV please.
I had to knock on someones RV door......but it was because they were parked in our site. Guy answers in his underwear and was NOT happy about this. Probably the only time you can knock on someones door.
