10-Year Rule Is Rare At RV Parks, But Watch Out

Above, this RV is likely to be over ten years old. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, I've heard of the 10-year rule of some private campgrounds, but never seen it for myself (my motorhome is now seven years old).

I've heard that some campgrounds employ this rule to keep out eyesore "Cousin Eddie" recreational vehicles as seen in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. There may be more to it than that.

RV Travel says this rule is rare, but with the boom in RV sales, they also say "stay tuned".

They begin an article on this with:

The “10-Year Rule” in the camping business is something that experienced RVers love to debate but likely have seldom, if ever, experienced in their own travels.

Rules that ban RVs with more than 10 or 15 years of “experience” are the Bigfoot of camping. You likely haven’t run into a park that enforces those rules, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.

Most RVers assume the reason for the 10-Year Rule at any park has to do with a big dose of snobbery. Park owners assume those folks in the brand-new $500,000 rig won’t want to rub shoulders with the common folks rolling in with their “vintage” Winnebagos and Shasta trailers.

To read more, go here. 

Sh*tter's Full: What To Do When Dump Stations Are Closed?

Above, believe it or not, some Cabela's sporting goods stores have dump stations. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Usually, when people camp at RV parks, they have a handy sewer dump hookup at their campsite. But people who dry camp (or boondock) with no sewer facilities need to find an open dump station to empty their tanks. This is more difficult now since many national and state parks are closed due to the pandemic.

One thing not to do is to empty the tanks into the curbside gutter storm drain like Cousin Eddie did when his "sh*tter's full" in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Fortunately, Do It Yourself RV has some tips on places to check out for dump stations.

They begin with:

Dumping your black and gray tanks is an important part of RV life. After all, you need to be able to shower and use your toilet, and if your tanks are full, there’s nowhere for your wastewater to go. On top of that, driving long distances with full tanks is not a good idea. 

Luckily for some RVers, many campsites come equipped with a sewer hookup, meaning these folks can dump without ever leaving their site. However, not all campsites include a sewer hookup, and those who choose boondocking will never have such a hookup. These people must instead seek out dump stations. 

Usually, this is fine. There are plenty of dump stations to use in the many state and national parks scattered across our country. However, the current pandemic has led many of these parks to close, meaning a good number of full-time RVers cannot dump in the places they usually do. What are these people to do? 

Fortunately, there are plenty of other places to dump your tanks while the state and national parks are closed. In this article, we will discuss some of your other options and provide you with resources for finding even more dump stations across the US.

To read more, go here. 

Cousin Eddie's Brother?