Voices

 A Camper's View of Freedom of Choice

by Bill Farlow

It's always interesting to see how an outsider views an activity. The person who isn't interested in swimming can't understand why anyone would spend thousands of dollars for a big hole full of water in his backyard. A person who has never fired a rifle can't see why his neighbor wants to shoot holes in a target. And a guy who isn't an RVer won't even try to understand why anyone would want to spend the night parked in a rest area or spend two weeks in the quiet shade of a state park campground. Surely anyone with an RV would be perfectly willing, even excited at the possibility, to spend every night of his vacation in a private campground with his door six feet from his neighbor. Mr. Gorin in his article on "Where The Campground Industry Stands" on free camping in the July 1997 issue of this magazine is a perfect example of this lack of understanding. At the end of his article he invited comments and criticisms. Here are a few from an RVer with over 35 years experience traveling in every state except Hawaii and in every Canadian province. Let's take Mr. Gorin's comments in the order with which he discussed them.

Public Lands:

Mr. Gorin has frequently stated in print that he is opposed to the various states and the federal government operating campgrounds because he sees these as being in competition with private campgrounds. He states "The problem is that government should govern - not operate businesses for the benefit of a portion of its population". I will agree that many public campgrounds have been developed to a greater extent than I would like. But public campgrounds are no more in competition with private campgrounds than is a Mercedes dealer in competition with a Harley dealer. Both vehicles offer transportation but they are totally different experiences. Campers go to public campgrounds for a totally different reason than they go to a state or national park campground. Try and find elk or deer or bear or mountain goats in the immediate environs of a public campground. Wildlife watching is only one of the reasons people enjoy the state or national park campground experience.

Mr. Gorin overlooks the fact that almost without exception such business ventures as camp stores, lodges, and service stations inside state and national parks are operated as private businesses by concessionaires, not the various governments.

As an aside, Mr. Gorin has already got his congressional friends to introduce bills in Congress that would make it illegal for governments to operate a business in competition with private industry. Guess what industry he is targeting. Guess what would happen to your business if he is successful in closing public campgrounds.

Shopping Centers and Store Parking Lots: Rest Areas:

Truckstops: Fairgrounds:

Since when does one industry have the right to tell another industry how it can operate? There is only one reason why a store owner or truckstop owner is willing to let an RVer spend the night on his property. He knows we spend money there and it costs him virtually nothing to let the RVer park for the night or a few hours. Incidentally, is it any different for an RVer to park for a few hours during the daytime while he shops than for a few hours at night after or before shopping? Truckers are encouraged to spend a few hours in a truckstop because they buy fuel, food, merchandise, and other services from the business. Does the $50 to $100 I spend for diesel fuel mean nothing to the owner? Is there any reason why my expenditure should not get me the same perks as it does a truck driver? And why is it acceptable for a truck driver to spend a few hours in a highway rest area but not acceptable for me as an RVer to do the same? Don't the taxes an RVer pays for the construction of the rest area count for anything? And do you suppose that local merchants are unaware that RVers who spend a night of two in the local park or fairgrounds campground will spend money for food, fuel, and entertainment while in the area? Why does Mr. Gorin think those local businesses are willing to spend the money to develop these facilities?

But why should I even want to spend the night in a parking lot, truckstop, or rest area? Lots of reasons. I'm making a quick trip across the country on business or to a distant vacation area. I need to buy groceries or other merchandise but arrived too late and will have to wait until morning to spend my money. I don't want to stop traveling at 5 o'clock and look for a private campground. I need to make miles. Mr. Gorin's campgrounds are closed for the night or full by the time I'm ready to stop. And even if I should be willing to waste time by stopping early in one of his campgrounds, why should I have to pay for a swimming pool, youth activity center, and a fancy clubhouse that I will not use? I can't dump my holding tanks every night and keep them healthy. I don't need to fill my fresh water tank every night. I've spent a lot of money buying a self-contained RV that does not need all the amenities of a private campground every night. Why should I be forced to inconvenience myself and pay for services I can't use just because Mr. Gorin wants me to do business with one of his association members?

Mr. Gorin's final section with "comments from campground owners" does represent some valid concerns, or at least a couple do. I've heard reports of trash being left on parking lots but in over 35 years of active RVing I've never seen or talked with anyone who has seen RV sewage dumped in a parking lot. I'm sure it has happened. Any industry or activity will have its share of pigs, but the huge majority of RVers are responsible citizens who want to maintain their perks. I have heard of campground owners quietly pulling the dump valve on an RV parked in a store parking lot. But, of course, Mr. Gorin's members would never do anything like that.

I've also seen a lot of trash left in store parking lots by customers who arrived in cars, not RVs. Does Mr. Gorin want us to close parking lots just because an occasional customer leaves an oil can or candy wrapper on the pavement? Somehow I don't think he is willing to go quite that far. After all, he's only after RVers.

I sympathize with campground owners. Theirs is a frustrating business with many customers frequently littering service areas and campsites, leaving dirt in showers, running over shrubbery and signs, and sometimes screaming for more services. Some of this frustration is the result of uninformed and misguided people buying into the campground business at inflated prices. Many campground owners and managers have never had any experience RVing and don't have a clue as to what RVers really want. (I once had an interesting conversation with the manager of a very large and very plush RV park who didn't even know that all RVs manufactured in the last 20 years are self-contained. Her only RV experience was in management of an enterprise she knew nothing about.) Campground competition can be fierce. That's one reason why owners/managers keep adding such enticements as swimming pools and clubhouses and youth centers. If they were to count the actual use of these additions they would find that only a small portion of their customers use them but all are required to pay for them.

I'm sure that it must be frustrating to a campground owner to see an RV parked at the local Walmart parking lot when he is having difficulty making the mortgage payment with an average of 60% nightly fill. It is probably equally frustrating for the local Chevy dealer when he sees an old customer buy a new Ford. Legislation reducing the presumed competition is not the answer in either case.

In closing, I would like to remind RV dealers and manufacturers what will happen if Mr. Gorin has his way and eliminates all non-private campgrounds and other parking possibilities. Can you imagine what would happen to the price of automobiles if there could be only one brand of RV sold and only one dealer in each town or city? Without alternative buying options the price of a motorhome or trailer would go out of sight, there would be no market, and the business would greatly decrease. Before you climb on Mr. Gorin's bandwagon--and make no mistake, that's the reason for his article--ask yourself what would happen to your business if he has his way.

Our country is still one of choices for its citizens. Few of us are willing to give up those choices without an excellent reason. By its very nature, RVing offers a degree of freedom that is unique. Let's be very careful before we willingly give up even a small piece of that freedom for the benefit of a few.

RVN