I don't understand??

jby5010 · 07-14-2022, 06:27 AM

I'm new to Skoolies, Only had Gertrude for about a month so far and still in demo stage. But What I don't get is, I see references to "skoolie friendly" camp grounds. Why would any camp ground not like a skoolie? Most buses are smaller in external dimensions than some of those sticks and staples motor homes. My money is just as green as there's. Could some one tell me why?

Tejon7 · 07-14-2022, 07:51 AM

Reputation.

There's a sketchy, barely-running shorty "conversion" with several busted out windows that regularly breaks down in my alley on their way to the well-known meth house a block away. When they finally get it running again, they inevitably leave a pile of trash behind. That's the kind of skoolie that some people imagine and that RV parks want to avoid.

What really blows my mind is that RV parks seem to assume that anything with an RVIA tag on the side is owned by respectable upstanding citizens. Personally, I think we should stop being judged by the vehicle we drive and come up with a different system instead. Maybe individual, personality-based Yelp reviews? I would get a lot of 1-stars, but at least campgrounds would refuse me based on my horrible temperament and not blame my bus

cadillackid · 07-14-2022, 09:32 AM

there are also campgrounds that only allow RVs 10 years old or less which excludes 99.5% of the skoolies out there...

BarnYardCamp · 07-14-2022, 09:36 AM

some people's self worth is based strictly upon their ability to look down their noses
and pass judgement on others. No interactions with or facts about these "lower" life forms is required.

Albatross · 07-14-2022, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jby5010

My money is just as green as there's. Could some one tell me why?

Because there are campgrounds that attempt to only attract/tolerate people with $250K+ brand-new, Class A RV's and the kind of people that can afford them.

And there are attitudes out there that think that any skoolie looks cheap, no matter how much you put into it.

And there are quite a lot of people driving 'Skoolies' that do everything on the cheap, because they're either low-class people, or they spend all their money on drugs. There are quite a lot of campgrounds that have 8-10 year-limits on how old the RVs can be, or have 'approval required' so unless you've got some kind of fully-professionally-restored <1960s Class A thing, they won't let you in.

This was something I was unaware of when I got mine, and I've gotten plenty of nasty looks, and a friend got a letter from the HOA once when I spent the night. I even got a dirty look from a campground owner/manager once when traveling I rolled in after 10 PM and was up getting out prior to 7/8 AM; didn't even dump, just charged batteries, and emptied the driver's 3-5 gallon trash can--but the manager was plenty pissed that I had been "allowed" to stop there.

dbsoundman · 07-14-2022, 10:01 AM

In general, the best advice is to plan your trip and call ahead if you're not sure. Government-owned parks are almost never a problem (state, county, federal campgrounds), so those are usually my go-to. If a privately owned place is the only option, just call them first and make sure they're cool.

ol trunt · 07-14-2022, 10:24 AM

Pretty hard to blame an RV park owner for not allowing skoolies especially ones who have had a rag tag old school bus left behind in their park when the bus died there. The legalities of removing abandoned vehicles from private property involve paying for the removal and loss of rental income while paperwork clears. I always e-mail private RV parks asking for specific rental dates, provide an explanation of the nature of my rig and of course a glamorous picture of my bus. I have yet to be turned down.
Jack

jby5010 · 07-14-2022, 11:08 AM

wow, I had no Idea. I understand the perspectives you guys all mentioned, don't agree, but I at least see their point of view. Ever since I saw a pic of a skoolie I was hooked. My wife was even hooked and she's been against a motor home since we got married.

Well for me, I'm proud to be a Skoolie. There is a lot of work in money that goes into building one. It's their loss.

Thanks guys for educating me!

TheHubbardBus · 07-14-2022, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejon7

I would get a lot of 1-stars, but at least campgrounds would refuse me based on my horrible temperament and not blame my bus

If I had the $$ I'd build an RV park just for the single-stars.

Tejon7 · 07-14-2022, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

If I had the $$ I'd build an RV park just for the single-stars.

That would be a very considerate thing to do, earning you a 5-star Yelp review from me and thereby precluding you from visiting your own RV park. You've brought my whole review-based social framework crashing down with one hypothetical good deed. Back to the 'ol drawing board!

TheHubbardBus · 07-14-2022, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tejon7

That would be a very considerate thing to do, earning you a 5-star Yelp review from me and thereby precluding you from visiting your own RV park. You've brought my whole review-based social framework crashing down with one hypothetical good deed. Back to the 'ol drawing board!

The very act of leaving a 5-star review would escalate you right out of that 1-star status. Looks like we're both on the ban list!

Man, speaking of bad skoolie impressions...

Me, at South Llanno River State Park in TX, 2 hours after leaving Austin on my way home from picking up the bus. Same clothes on for 3 days, TIRED, post-migraine, and on the tail-end of a overheating-transmission-induced panic attack. Watched a mom literally pull her child back from the curbside and assume a defensive posture as I pulled up to the ranger station. I didn't understand it at the time, but looking in the mirror later I realized the only thing missing was a pentagram carved into my forehead and "helter skelter" playing on the radio. The "BEEP BEEP BEEP" as I backed into my camping spot for the evening was the icing on the cake.

And that's why you might not be welcome in Texas, jby5010

cadillackid · 07-14-2022, 04:38 PM

theres got to be a reason for these parks to have these rules.. otherwise they would want the revenue to keep theior park full every night..

just like wealmarts and home depots starting to actually enforce their no trucks / No RV signs when they never did before.... most notably when I go walking early in the morning are the piles of trash on the ground where truckers parked... or if there are trashcans then they are overflowing even though emptied daily because people treat the walmart like its their personal dumpster and empty out days worth of trash.... that takes resources to clean up and $$... some can say " walmart is rich" but after all their parking lot is theirs.. they own it...

the reality is that the skoolies coming here to do builds are most likely looking to build nicer rigs than the average.. there are some pretty skanky busses in my area. or that I see in rest areas or such.. the RV park owners probably are trying to keep that crowd out... and yes some are probably glamping parks and charge a high price to purposely attract $250k motorhomes..

I have no idea what the Park looks like after a skooliepalooza or swarm so i cant say whether anyone abuses the courtesy trash bins or not...

Ronnie · 07-14-2022, 05:37 PM

After a Swarm, the grounds are spotlessly clean. The Swarm family sees to that.

Skooliepaloosa I can not speak for as I have not gone.

Mekanic · 07-20-2022, 03:30 PM

The campgrounds that have age limits, no Skokie’s,….. and other nonsense really bug me. Ones like that are getting easy to spot. Many use the word “RESORT” in their name. Many KOAs ( looks like HOA to me) fall prey to this.

HamSkoolie · 07-20-2022, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbsoundman

In general, the best advice is to plan your trip and call ahead if you're not sure. Government-owned parks are almost never a problem (state, county, federal campgrounds), so those are usually my go-to. If a privately owned place is the only option, just call them first and make sure they're cool.

NEVER call and ask "do you allow skoolies?"
MAKE THEM refuse you face to face.
Better yet, just boondock. You'll meet two other cohorts of RVers besides teh nose in the airs at teh RV park.
You'll meet the hippie/doper cohort that can run the gamut from great to thieves and worse.
And you'll meet the nicest bunch of freedom loving folks that will generally bend over backwards to help you out.

But NEVER call ahead and ask if they will accept a skoolie or an X years old rig. The answer will almost always be NO. It's a lot harder to say NO when you're standing in front of them and a few good experiences later they may lose the bias.

HamSkoolie · 07-20-2022, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

theres got to be a reason for these parks to have these rules.. otherwise they would want the revenue to keep theior park full every night..

A number of factors could be at play, some more likely than others.
1) If you have a high income level clientele with quarter million and up motor homes and the 100 thousand and up 5th wheels towed by 80 thousand plus pickups, you can charge premium prices for the appearance of an upper scale "resort". Allow a rust bucket, dolphin, or skoolie in that brings down the appearance and you might get a reputation among the nose high types thus losing your premium appearance right along with your ability to charge premium rates. You see this in many hospitality niches.
2) Bad past experiences. As mentioned earlier, an abandoned junker can really be a pain for the proprietor. You have to pay to move it, pay to store it unless you have a place, take reasonable precautions to keep it and it's contents safe, and the list goes on. It only takes once for a proprietor to get burned like that to leave a permanent nasty taste.
3) Lobbying by the RVIA. The RVIA lobbies on behalf of it's members for the benefit of its members. They oppose any legislation that would impose more costs, higher standards, etc. At teh same time, they propose (hand already drafted legislation to their bought congress critters) legislation to keep out the competition. They also lobby other industries to the benefit of their members. One such industry is the insurance industry.
For instance, if a park owner is offered two policy prices. One for only allowing RVIA units (the vast majority out there) for just $1,000 a month or the alternate that doesn't exclude non RVIA units but costs $1,500 or $2,000 a month....which one do you think the park owner will take?
And now you're not allowed.
4) Without being lobbied by anyone, the insurance actuaries that are causing insurance companies to stop insuring skoolies are putting the screws to park owners who allow them (and there are other categories I'm sure).