Camping With Bill

Little Known Deals

September 28, 2008 By Bill 1 Comment

So, you’ve purchased all of your camping gear and now you’re ready to make reservations! Do you know how to get deals on sites? Most campgrounds won’t ask if you qualify for deals, you need to ask them!

Do you have AAA? If you do, many campgrounds offer a 10% discount. Many won’t make this offer on holiday weekends, but some will. Some didn’t used to, and now they do, so ask every time you go!

If you camp regularly at a KOA, consider getting the value card they offer. Not only do you get a discount on your stay, but after you collect enough points, you can get free nights. A lot of KOAs also offer a free night Mother’s Day weekend- but they limit the number and type of sites, so you need to get your reservation early.

Consider also getting on a waiting list for a full campground if you can afford to make last minute plans. You never know when someone will cancel, and a campground may offer a discount to fill that site at the last minute!

Other ideas for discounts? Post them to the comments section!

Filed Under: Everything Else Tagged With: campground rates, camping discounts, camping prices

Write For Us

September 28, 2008 By Bill Leave a Comment

Campingwithbill.com was created because of a passion of camping. However, there is no way two writers can keep up with wrting all the articles. Besides, you would get very bored reading about just us!

Please consider submitting an article, or becoming a regular writer for campingwithbill.com. We welcome all submissions. Please check our “submit an article” page for more information on rules and guidelines.

Filed Under: Everything Else, Featured Tagged With: camping articles, write camping articles

Mercer County, PA

September 27, 2008 By Bill Leave a Comment

If you plan to visit Mercer County, PA – just north of Pittsburgh, we recommend this campground.

We take at least one trip every year to Kozy Rest. They have lots of fun activities for families and kids, a great pool, and lots of space. Nice roads for riding bikes, too. It’s close to fishing, hiking, and shopping. It’s family owned and I’ve always received very personalized attention from the staff – calling me back off season, trying to squeeze us in – helping us when we forget things like a LEVEL (yes, we did).

I have a video of us singing karaoke this past 4th of July weekend – I’ll post it as soon as I get it converted. It was a blast!

Filed Under: Campgrounds Tagged With: Kozy Rest Kampground, Mercer County, PA campgrounds

Pop-Up Campers – The Best Option For Camp Lovers

September 25, 2008 By Bill 1 Comment

By M. Xavier

If you want to purchase a recreational vehicle, you must purchase a pop-up camper. It is one of the most affordable recreational vehicles available for the consumers on the market. These are light weight and can be easily towed by a full size car. These campers can also be towed by a small pick-up truck. A pop-up camper can be considered as the perfect recreational vehicle for those who have a limited budget. Pop-up campers can be purchased new for an amount between five to ten thousand dollars.

Pop-up campers are ideal for a family of four. The family can easily sleep comfortably in the trailer, especially if the kids are small enough to sleep in the same bed. The basic unit of a pop-up camper consists of two fold outs. These can be utilized for sleeping quarters. The main unit consists of a small dinette, a tiny refrigerator, a storage area and a cooking area. There is also an outdoor shower and a grilling area. Don’t expect a toilet in the low end pop-up trailers. Most people prefer using portable toilets for emergencies and utilize the campground facilities.

If you opt for a high priced pop-up camper, you can benefit from cassette toilets and a shower. It will also provide you better cooking facilities. Some of these pop-up trailers also have an option to slide out extra room to provide you extra living space. This extra living space can serve as a boon especially if you are stuck inside due to weather problems. It would be wise to pack some games and toys for the kids and a nice book for yourself to enjoy the travel.

The pop-up campers promise to provide the best of security with its elements such as heavy duty canvas and a metal rook.

Pop-up campers will prove to be a boon for you if you go out frequently for camping. It may create some problems with backing in to your campsites but overall it is a great deal. To overcome backing problem, you need to take it slow and have someone guide you to choose a pull through campsite.

You may have to bear the expense of the hitch. However, it is not a big deal because it is less than five hundred dollars.

If you want to avail exciting discounts on pop-up campers, you can make some most exciting deals online. Visit some of the reputed websites that provide you the best and affordable deals on pop-up campers.

Camping is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. You can enhance this fun by using a pop-up camper. It is any day much better than using tents. You can also rent pop-up campers for one-time trips. If you want to buy your own, it will be still inexpensive. Believe it, this will prove to be a great investment on your side. Check with local dealers online. However, it would not be wise to make a decision without doing comparison shopping. Doing comparison shopping will let you purchase a pop-up camper at a lower cost.

Visit at least five to six online local dealers that sell pop-up campers and you would be able to compare the prices and services they provide on pop-up campers. This will let you decide on the best and most affordable pop-up camper.

A pop-up camper will enhance your camping experience.

For more information on campers, try visiting http://www.typesofcampers.com/ – a website that specializes in providing camper related tips, advice and resources to include information on pop up campers.

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Filed Under: Camping Tagged With: campers, pop-up campers

Our Numbers are Growing

September 25, 2008 By Bill 1 Comment

Like country music, campers are a little known gang, but we’re becoming quite popular lately!

This summer, our local camper dealer’s lot was completely empty – they were selling pop up campers so fast, they looked like they were having a going-out-of-business sale. While getting our camper inspected and winterized, I spoke to the owner and asked him how business was. Needless to say, he’s not feeling the pain from the failing economy!

No, the camping industry is one that is booming because of the high prices of gas and other economical squeezes on Americans. No longer can people afford to take a vacation and pay for a hotel, it’s gotten just way too expensive. So they have been turning to camping.

Popup campers seem to have had the biggest surge in popularity this year. With the high cost of gas, people aren’t interested in the big trailers or fifth wheels. We ourselves have a 2007 Fleetwood Niagara. We started out small, but I wanted a bathroom, but I didn’t want a huge trailer. At 3,000 pounds, my Jeep Liberty can actually pull this tent trailer, but we tow with a Dodge Durango.

We got into camping about four years ago – this is our third popup. We kept trading up until we found the best fit. Instead of taking a $2,000-$3,000 vacation every year, our family of four hooks up the trailer and heads out somewhere rather local – within a 3 hour drive – for a 3 or 4 day weekend. We’ve been to some very neat places, and met some very interesting people. A long weekend will run us about $400 all told. Full hookup sites (some with cable TV!), gas, and spending money all included. Can’t beat that.

My personal delight? It’s my own dirt. Yes, I have an issue with disgusting hotel rooms and bathrooms. At least I know who’s been in my traveling hotel! And with this popup, we gained a stove, microwave, bathroom and even air conditioning!

So, we go camping and have a GREAT time. Usually we’ll go with family and a couple of campers. Campfire time is the best – we stay up sometimes til 2AM around the fire. And we have a LOT of crazy, funny stories from our adventures. So I decided I needed to start sharing!

We also want to hear your stories. If you have an article you want to see here, please send it to us!

Filed Under: Camping Tagged With: camping statistics, camping trends

Will the Camping Industry Feel Gas Prices?

September 24, 2008 By Bill 2 Comments

Will the Camping Industry Feel Gas Prices?
By Brenda Williams

One of the hot topics being discussed as summer approaches is whether or not the camping industry is going to feel the wrath of the rising gas prices. I feel that it will affect the industry to a certain degree, because I know many people will still go camping regardless of gas prices. Many people though will most likely stay a lot closer to home this summer though and by the end of the summer it should be interesting to see the numbers from the cottage country regions.

Even in my region in Ontario there is a lot of cottage country and with gas prices so high here many people won’t even consider going out camping. It use to be a fun affordable vacation that you could take but with gas prices higher then ever it’s quickly becoming out of the average persons price range. Now there isn’t much the camping industry can do either except to try and entice people to come out to their campgrounds, but do this costs money and then profit margins begin to fall.

It’s a lose – lose situation and without gas prices dropping it will most likely continue throughout the rest of the summer. I frankly believe that gas prices aren’t going to drop and many people will just forfeit camping for good. A dilemma for cottage owners comes into play though because with high gas prices they may not be able to go to their cottage and the market is also down for cottage sales. The prices for cottages out in cottage country are dropping due to people not wanting to travel that far. People would rather stay closer to home to reserve gas than to go to the better areas.

The sacrifices are being made on both the campers and the camping industry but I don’t know if it will be enough to compare with previous years numbers. The industry is definitely going to take a hit this summer due to the gas prices and we’ll just need to wait to find out how bad the hit actually is. If you enjoy camping then I would recommend to you that you try and stay close to home but still get out and enjoy the camping life. Gas prices are uncontrollable and that means we can’t be forced to sacrifice are summer life due to the rising prices.

We will need to make adjustments and possible camp closer to home or use a more efficient vehicle but there are definitely ways to still enjoy the sun and camping atmosphere. More and more vehicles offer either good mileage or alternative means of fuel which means if gas continues to rise, it might be a good idea to start thinking about buying an alternative fuel vehicle. This way no sacrifices need to be made at all, but if you’re still driving a gas guzzling vehicle then you might need to reconsider where you camp and find a location close to home. Most areas have at least a few great areas close to them for camping so it shouldn’t be difficult, but you’ll need to become familiar with the people and new campground which could be a pain.

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Filed Under: Camping, Featured Tagged With: auto transport, boat transport, car transporting, vehicle moving

Information You Need About Camping

September 21, 2008 By Bill Leave a Comment

Information You Need About Camping
By Jerry A. Blackburn

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most beautiful places to camp, hike, fish, or just watch nature. Each year, hundreds of families and others visit the park in order to see some of the beautiful sites.

When planning your next trip to Yellowstone, you need to be aware of some challenges you may face. One of the biggest concerns for those traveling to the park during the summertime is the availability of campsites. While you can make reservations, you will have to do so months in advance. This is because of the growing number of people who want to visit the park each year. While there are spots that are available to those who show up first, these spots fill up very quickly. Contact the park for more information especially if you are traveling a long distance to get there.

Another concern that people have when visiting the park are the bears. While there are bears that will roam into campsites, most shy away from people and do not want to become part of the crowd. If a bear does wander into your campsite it is usually an accident. Don’t approach the bear and try to leave it alone until it is gone. Most bears are just looking for leftover food and will not attack unless provoked.

Since Yellowstone is so large, it is very easy to become lost while hiking if you aren’t familiar with the territory. In your backpack, you should include a few days worth of fresh water, packaged food items, a blanket, GPS navigational device, and a change of clothing. In case you have to stay outside overnight, you will have enough supplies until you are rescued or you find your way out of the woods. The park police are trained to find people quickly if they become lost, but being prepared is important in a park this large.

Being safe and practicing good camping methods will help you and you family have a great time camping. Obeying the rules will prevent forest fires, injury, and allow you to see the land in all its beauty. My family took a trip from Malaga, Spain last summer and loved it.

Being very excited about map of malaga spain, Jerry Blackburn is writing large numbers of news stories in the area. You might come across his abstracts on places to visit in malaga Spain at various other sources for places to visit in malaga Spain knowledge.

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Filed Under: Camping Tagged With: activities, backpack, information

New York State Campgrounds For Leisure

September 20, 2008 By Bill Leave a Comment

By Ian Pennington

Camping is a growing aspect of American culture in terms of spending pastime. It’s not only during summer or fall when people go for camping and fishing. It’s any given season of the year. Overnight staying at parks and campgrounds are common to groups of individual who seek for optimum relaxation. Stargazing and a campfire burning nearby can be enjoyed while drinking a couple of drinks with family and friends. In the United States, New York State campgrounds are a popular scene for campers and vacationing friends.

Venues like Lake George, Oakland Valley Campground, Lake George Escape, Yogi Bear Jelly Stone, Paradise Pines, Adirondack Mountain Range, Seaway Island Resort, Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park are among the well-visited New York State campgrounds. Whether it’s in a recreational vehicle or a tent, camping is naturally the best way for nature lovers to spend the night out. There are campsites that are open to the public, and with the visionary missions of camping associations, the field of camping is advanced and facilities are made adequate enough to suffice the demands of the campers. RV parks are situated around the state of New York to accommodate those who travel with their own recreational or who camp via RV rentals.

True, there won’t be any dull moment in New York. The busy streets and lively amusement areas are assured to give one an eventful visit. Besides the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Ellis Island and Guggenheim Art Museum, New York State campgrounds are also the state’s valued possessions and celebrated venues. The beautiful bays and scenic spots can be captured from an elevated camping ground. When you are seeking for places to go camping, you can refer to the above-mentioned campgrounds or perhaps consult directory listing for a wider array of choices. Well-equipped RV areas, spacious tent spots and convenient cabins are afforded by campground operators for the campers to experience camping momentously. Some campgrounds and parks offer special privileges, exclusive deals and valued reward cards for the campers to take advantage.

If you are creating your itinerary for your next vocational escapade, why not try doing a weekend getaway at New York State campgrounds? You can enjoy the feeling of installing your own tents on the grounds by the lakes and rivers, or perhaps greeting a great morning upon waking up in your comfy recreational vehicle. If you eyeing on camping near the Grand Canyon of the East, you will savor a night camping in the woods and savor breakfast in a cabin a day after. When in New York for camping, you don’t have to worry where to go as there are more than 8,000 campsites to choose from. They are all ready to serve in all seasons of the year.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about New York camping, please visit Camping Info Online for current articles and discussions.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?New-York-State-Campgrounds-For-Leisure&id=1479154

Filed Under: Campgrounds Tagged With: Campgrounds, new york state