Parking the bus - long term camping

Buster · 05-27-2008, 02:06 PM

I don't put that many miles on mine anyway. This year is a little special because we plan to go to camp Zoe. I built mine to hunt out of and have a portable "cabin" to take way out in the woods. My deer camp is about 50 miles from my house. I take it there at the beginning of deer season and leave it until it is over and drive my pickup back and forth. Same with turkey season. These trips are on 2 lane state and county roads at about 50 mph. We will occasionally go to a state park and that’s about it. I still wish gas was .85 cents a gallon like it should be.
Dave

timbuk · 06-08-2008, 09:40 PM

old skool that sucks and they suck too you problably would not want to hang there anyways if that bus thing is a issue with them what would be next the 4 man hot tub?

timbuk

phillbus914 · 06-08-2008, 09:44 PM

What a bummer...

Hope you find another place soon.

timbuk · 06-09-2008, 07:52 PM

so you have to show a pic of the bus to these guys? what a mug shot? of yer bus? maybe there should be a list compiled of these places for us skoolies so we can ask them for a pic of their campground so we can be the judges or maybe we should buy our own campground.....a skoolground!

phillbus914 · 06-09-2008, 09:29 PM

Yeah that really sucks. Seems if they're concerned about how your bus looks they could have stuck you back in the corner or something.

lapeer20m · 06-15-2008, 12:14 PM

it's funny how things work out for the better. sometimes we're dissapointed that a deal didn't work out, only to find something better. I'm buying a house and need to come up with a downpayment, so i decided to sell my motorcycle. it's a 1985 yamaha vmax. My brother in law said he was interested, and i offered it to him for $1K. A few days later he called and said that he just can't afford it right now. dissapointed that the easy sale didn't go through, i listed it on craigslist yesterday for $2500. The bike sold today for my asking price CASH...whoo hoo

GoneCamping · 06-15-2008, 02:27 PM

The Campground I had been at for the last 2.5 years in my 2004 Travel Trailer also seemed to have big hesitation about my bringing the bus in there. The wanted pictures, and asked if I could bring it over to have their people 'inspect' it. I knew who the person was that would do the inspection (their security guy who lived 2 sites away from me) so I asked him what they would be looking at. He basically would be checking to make sure the waste system had at least 2 tanks (1 black & 1 gray), that the sewer valves didn't leak or drip, and that the electrical was properly done. They also said it pretty much had to look like an RV, they didn't want something in there with the windows painted over etc.

They supposedly have the 10 year rule too, but that is there for THEIR convenience as plenty of people show up with mid 70's clunkers that they allow in, and my bus looks better than most of them. The one thing that made me decide to go else where was a strict rule they have about working on the unit at the campsite, they want the place to stay quiet & peaceful, and I couldn't blame them on that. So I wound up here in a Mobil Home Park, they too questioned me about the bus not looking like a bus, and rented me a site based on my assurance that it not only looked like an RV, but looked better than most of the RV's they currently had in there!!

I may still go to the campground one day, but right now I've got more to do with this bus even though I'm living aboard it now, it is still not done yet!

Buster · 06-18-2008, 04:24 PM

I went to a resort in Hot Springs this weekend. it is about 60 miles from my house and burned about a half a tank of fuel to get there. While you are camping it is $30.00 a night. That may sound high but you are right on the lake with your own boat dock and there is a pool, hottub ect. so it's worth it to me. Anyhow, when you are not camping you can store your bus at the resort for a mere $15.00 a month. This is gonna be great for me, I can leave buster on the lake for the summer and drive him to the hunting lease in the fall, winter and spring, perfect I hope.
Dave

Griff · 06-23-2008, 05:42 PM

Hey OldSkool!

Glad to hear you made it safe & sound, if not uneventfully! Also glad to hear your bus was kindly accepted at the site. Good comments and interest from the local community will help bring a more positive acceptance of the "Skoolie Community" at large. Of course, a tastefully done bus like yours definitely helps!

Enjoy your site, sounds like it should be a pretty good time!

Griff

SeanF · 07-31-2008, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldSkool

...we get alot of comments and looks.

I had some business cards made up that show before & after photos of the bus, along with a bunch of specs. I hand them out to the rubberneckers who have the decency to stop & say hi rather than just stare open-mouthed as they walk or drive by.
I think it was about $20 for 100 cards, made through www.Zazzle.com.

Roasting8 · 09-03-2008, 08:25 PM

Has anybody tried to buy a piece of land and park their bus on it?

I was thinking of purchasing a piece of land, installing a septic system, and living in the bus full time.

What do you guys think?

phillbus914 · 09-03-2008, 10:44 PM

I think that sounds like a great idea... then later on you could use the electric/water/ect. on the site for a future home or cabin or whatever. If Michigan's economy doesn't get any better soon, I may have to do the same thing.

phillbus914 · 09-04-2008, 08:05 PM

I bet there's places in northern Michigan (even about an hour north of Grand Rapids) that you could do something like that. Up around Baldwin, MI there's a lot of real old shady places people call cabins.

Roasting8 · 09-07-2008, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smitty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roasting8

Has anybody tried to buy a piece of land and park their bus on it?

I was thinking of purchasing a piece of land, installing a septic system, and living in the bus full time.

What do you guys think?

I doubt it'd fly (be allowed) unless you bought in Alaska. Better check with zoning board prior to buying, and get it in writing, lol. Why buy? Heck, that's one of the pluses of living in a bus....no ties.

Smitty

Hi Smitty,

The reason I mentioned that was because, at the time, it seemed like a good idea. Just think, you could buy a few acres, out in the sticks where nobody would bother you. The problem, as you mentioned, would be zoning laws and finding employment.

I remember reading an article in Mother's magazine, about one person that bought a piece of land, built a garage and parked his trailer in it. The trailer became part of the living space, using the rest of the garage as a living room (he even had a wood burning stove in the living room). The only problem with his design was that he didn't have a sewer hookup.

I thought that by using that idea, and installing a sewer system, you could actually set up a nice little camp.

Roasting8 · 09-07-2008, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillbus914

I think that sounds like a great idea... then later on you could use the electric/water/ect. on the site for a future home or cabin or whatever. If Michigan's economy doesn't get any better soon, I may have to do the same thing.

Don't worry Phil, the economy always goes in cycles. Hopefully, we have seen the worse and things will be getting better.

If not, as you said, we can head for the hills and live in our buses. Just remember to stock up on toilet paper. You can use it to barter, as a napkin, as a rag, or for the purpose it was intended for.

timbuk · 09-07-2008, 08:56 PM

now this is interesting we own a half acre on lake cowichan van isle.it is zoined resedential but has a fishing cabin on it the cabin was there when we bought the place as soon as we bought it and put our stik and staple there the bylaw occifer came and began to raise hell over the land use issue since most of the lots in the area have cabins or rvs we had to fight the regional district because they were threataning to buldoze and "clean up" .had to get a lawyer and go with the grandfather clause.that was the end of that.next year our bus will be there next to the neibors bus! he has a mci that is pretty much rusted in half and cannot move on its own keep on bussin,campin,cabinin! timbuk

retrogeek42 · 09-26-2008, 06:40 PM

Actually, the "skoolground" idea isn't a bad one. If anyone's looking to invest, I live in the TX Panhandle, and land's cheap around here. I just saw three acres in Mobeetie, TX (great place for a campground) posted for $12,000.

If anyone looks at starting up that idea, I bet they could make some of their startup money back pretty quickly with memberships.

CAMO-MONSTER · 11-15-2008, 07:08 AM

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH CAMPGROUNDS HERE IN WA. AND OR. NOT WANTING SKOOLIES IN THARE CAMP IT IS EATHER THE 10 YEAR THING THE BUS THING OR THE FACT THAT I CAMOED MY SKOOLIE BUT I'M THINKNG OF THE SKOOLIEGROUND IDEA THAT I READ IN HERE
THE CAMO-MONSTER

Redbear · 11-15-2008, 08:38 AM

Hey camo-monster, how about some pictures of the paint? I've been thinking about planning a low-key bus. Maybe desert camo, navy blue, or battleship grey with black trim.

I've seen a full-height International short bus parked in the woods up by Lake Champlain painted all brown primer (probably a hunting camp) that disappears among the tree trunks. I like the idea, but would probably do SOME trim. BTW, last month it had a "For Sale - $950" sign in the window with a local phone number. I haven't been up that way lately to see if it's still there. If anyone is interested, I'll try to check (3 hours round trip, though).

These buses probably wouldn't get into snob parks, but I wouldn't want to stay in those places, anyway.

TikiBus · 11-15-2008, 12:45 PM

I might be interested in the skoolgrounds. We have 30-40 acres, 20 that can be used souly for parking. We have approx. 2 acres in organic herbs and vegetables, greenhouse, a large ampitheater and stage, a 20 acre (full grown)landscaped arboretum with a couple ponds and a50x75 rec barn (pool table,ping pong, ect.) with bar and seating. We are remodling a carriage house into an art/music studio. We also have two large sheds that house all our tools and a couple vehicles. I have even been planning a Bus Bash one summer. We are in WA, in the country about 1/2 hr. from the nearest city. But centrally located about an hour-1 1/2 hrs. from 6 major cities. Spokane-CDA, Pullman-moscow, Lewiston-Clarkston. We've got fun little towns all around us and a lot of fishing and hunting and outdoor trips. We are even forming a tour company to take people to the remote locations: Lakes, parks, scablands, waterfalls, abandoned railroads w/trestles, bridges, hard to accces lakes. Because we already own the land it wouldnt be a huge investment, but albeit, an investment I'm sure! What do you guys think it would take? Any ideas?

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