The word “affordable” means different things to different people. For the older couple who owns a brand-new Class A RV, $1,000 per month for a full hookup that includes WiFi so they can continue to work remotely might be considered affordable. For the young kids living out of an old camper van who work part-time jobs wherever they land to pay for enough gas to get to the next location, next to nothing might be their definition of affordable.
So, for the purpose of this blog post, RV Trader is covering the full spectrum of campsite affordability. From there, you can decide which options could potentially work for you and which options would remain outside of your budget. Let’s get into it!
Free Campsites
You can’t do much better than free, unless someone is paying you to live somewhere. Believe it or not, that’s actually an option. You don’t actually get paid, but there are some places that are willing to barter space and hookups for manual labor. We don’t have a resource that tells you where to go for that, but some of our RV friends have done it.
As for places where you can actually camp for free, if you’re up for some boondocking, you can park for nothing at designated Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forestry Service areas.
The BLM offers both managed campsites (which cost money) and what they call “dispersed” camping (boondocking), which is absolutely free. You can find yourself a nice site just about anywhere that isn’t a developed recreational facility, that doesn’t conflict with other authorized uses, and isn’t posted as “closed to camping.” The only caveat is that you can’t stay in a single space for more than 14 days within a 28-day period. But all you really need to do is just roll down the road a bit.
Camping on National Forest Service land allows you to stay in one spot for up to 21 days, as long as there are no closures. Similar to the BLM, you are not allowed to camp for free in developed recreational areas such as campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads. They also ask that if it’s possible, to pick a site that has been used previously to minimize your impact in the forest.
Can’t find a place to camp? There are some great boondocking apps that will help you find the perfect spot. Freecampsites.net is one great resource. It’s free and community driven, so you’ll be able to benefit from other peoples’ experiences.
Quartzite, Arizona
For those who need hookups and don’t want to have to move around every two to three weeks, Quartzite, Arizona has some of the best free and low-cost parks available for RVers. According to multiple sources, $180 will secure you a campsite permit for seven months, from September through April. Quartzite is an ideal spot for RVers to hunker down because the winter climate is mild, campsites are cheap, there’s a great community of RVers that congregate during the cooler months, and there are plenty of amenities for temporary residents that live in their rigs.
There are also some other online resources that can tell you where to find free RV camping spots across the nation. However, many of those are for overnight camping and not for extended stays. On the other hand, there are some RV parks that offer discounts for long-term campers. The longer you stay, the less you pay.
Campsite Memberships
Many of our RV friends tell us that RV resort memberships and clubs are also a great way to save on camping costs, in addition to other discounts on things like propane. A few good ones that were recommended to us are Thousand Trails, Boondockers Welcome, Escapees RV Club, Passport America, Good Sam/Camping World, KOA Rewards, and Harvest Hosts. These all have good reviews by people who have joined.
Just keep in mind that each club has different usage rules, ranging from how many consecutive days you may use the pass to how many people are included in the discounted rate. Before joining a membership program or club, check where their discounted sites are. If what you see isn’t where you want to go, joining may not be for you.
No matter what style of camping you enjoy, RV Trader has everything you need to get the vehicle you want to spend extended time in. Offering new and used vehicles, including Class A RVs, Class B RVs, and Class C RVs, we have something available at just about any price point. We can also connect you with dealers or independent sellers so you can get the best price on the RV you pick. Check us out, and then enjoy exploring America.
By Barrett Baker
