Advice Needed From Those More Experienced

[Adam9999]

Hi everyone. I recently left New York State and I am now in California. I have a Honda pilot and a springbar tent and all of the camping supplies that would make camping comfortable.  I am interested in upgrading my situation so that I have less exposure to the weather.  I’m thinking about getting a very small travel trailer. 

 My question is, for those of you who have small travel trailers, are you able to visit cities, beach towns and places where these kind of trailers would not necessarily be allowed?  Or does having a travel trailer limit your ability to travel? 

 I am most interested in the towns along the Pacific Highway 1 from SoCal all the way up to Washington.  I am also not really interested in paying for RV parks every time I want to park. Some of the Walmarts don’t allow this anymore either. I know that some casinos do but they’re not really places I want to be. So I was wondering if anyone has experience with travel trailers and can  give me some advice as to whether or not this would be suitable for what I want to do.  Id also like to go into the mountains and to national parks and national forests here and there. I pretty much want to be able to go everywhere. Thanks for anyone who can respond.

 

[MrNoodly]

The biggest limiting factor is parking space.

Regarding legal places to stay along the coast, there are state and county campgrounds (which are pricey) in the three states, and private campgrounds/RV parks, but the rest is developed or agricultural land. You'd need to go inland to find public land for camping.

 

[PECVD2]

Or you could do this with your pilot.
I would be inclined to completely remove the back seat and use all that space for additional living area and build a collapsing/retracting sleep platform

 

[VanForNow]

Coastal areas usually frown on free camping. But the suggestion to go inland to find free campsites is excellent.

And IMHO it would be a mistake to ignore the free camping which is often, but not always, available at casinos. Many of the casinos provide excellent free parking lots, sometimes for multiple nights. The casinos also feature clean restrooms and sometimes have very good and inexpensive snack bars and buffets. A good place to find frequently updated info is the Casino Camper website. One of the complexities of casino camping is that casinos often revise their rules on camping in response to market conditions. Once again, in this respect the Casino Camper website is your friend.

 

[WanderingRose]

You are not going to be able to do any stealth camping with even a small travel trailer, particularly in picturesque towns along the west coast, if that’s what you are asking.

They will prohibit overnight parking/camping, also may be a little difficult to maneuver in town with a trailer in tow.

You will find federal sites accessible for small anything, be that vehicle, van, or trailer.

I would stick with your original van plan, if what you want is stealth camping, tho high tourist areas are wise to the ways of those that want to stay for free and you may find few areas where you can get away with it.

With a van, you have the “small” advantage, and the ability to carry your house on your back, which is a big draw for many of us.

 

[lenny flank]

Trailers are not very good for stealth camping. It won't matter in those Walmarts that allow overnighting, but it will stand out like the proverbial sore thumb if you try to overnight on a city street somewhere.

 

[Adam9999]

Thank you for the replies everyone. I would love to get a camper van but have not been able to find a good one yet. The trailer seems the easiest option (just buy one and go - and there are plenty to choose from) but from what I gather I will have to stay inland.

 

[Honeys Park]

Base camp. Day trips or weekend from a good base. Honeys is always available. I keep thinking of buying. Second camp. Just a thought so no one can tell me what to do. Always welxoming to a friend

 

[RoamerRV428]

think small class B rv. best bet for being on the move with a lot of luxury. fits into small parking areas and is not a 'big rv trailer' behind your tow vehicle and doesn't stand out as much. a lot more options with small class B.

 

[Adam9999]

Thank you again for the continued replies. Tight now I am doing the Basecamp thing, but it gets difficult being exposed to the elements nearly 100% of the time with only my front SUV seat to sit in.

I like the idea of the class B a lot. I don’t like the gas consumption. I guess everything is a trade-off. The ones that get good mpg (sprinter, etc) are havoc with repairs. The ones with a V8 guzzle gas.

I also like the pick up truck camper combo. Some of those pick up campers are super nice, almost with a boat-style kind of feel on the inside.

 

[Cammalu]

Yes, I’ve seen some very nice truck campers. Lance comes to mind.

You could go anywhere


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