The 10 Unwritten Rules for Campers

With so many newcomers embracing the RV Lifestyle, this is a good time to go over 10 Unwritten Rules for Campers.
For the fact is, there are too many inconsiderate campers these days, people who think it is all about them and that because they rented a space in a campground, they can do as they please with no regard to those who also rented their spaces and are camped nearby.

They also need some etiquette suggestions about driving their campers and parking it in parking lots.

I know this post will stir up some angry reactions.

Whenever you suggest that people adjust their behavior in consideration of others, there are a few who will loudly push back.

But in the interest of making it better for everyone, I'm going to share them anyway. We talked about this a lot in Episode 343 of our RV Podcast

You can listen to the podcast in the player below. And scroll down this page for shownotes and a transcript of the interview, plus links and resources about all the things we talk about.

We did a video version of the rules for our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. Click below to see:

Our 10 Unwritten Rules for Campers
The reason these rules are unwritten is that there once was a time when people were polite and considerate. Some things didn't need to be said.

Unfortunately, those days are gone and the same rudeness and incivility that we see in social media becomes evident in all aspects of life, including camping.

Jennifer and I have been RVing for almost 10 years,

We've covered at least 250,000 and crisscrossed the country numerous times staying in all sorts of campgrounds.

And we know, there already are lots of rules you'll see posted along the way. Rules like:

Don't burn trash in your fire pit.
Clean up after your dog
Make sure your TV antenna is down and the steps are in before you take off
Don't drive fast in campgrounds
Don't overload your RV

You know all about those kinds of rules, or if you are a newbie, you'll soon find about them.

But, there are also some unwritten rules we want to pass on, some things that we've learned probably through trial and error. A lot of error. On our part and the part of others. 

Ready? Take 'em or leave 'em, here they are:
#1 - Try not to park right next to another camper

Now, there are times you're going to have to break the first of our unwritten rules for camping if there is just no other room except next to somebody. 

People will understand that.

But if you're in a campground and there are two empty spots on both sides of somebody who is already there, and there are other empty spots down the way, take one of those other empty spots. Let them enjoy that space, and you'll get some extra space too.

Just because they have a good spot, don't think have to get right next to them. It's kind of like when somebody is in a fishing hole and you've come into your boat right next to them, it's just not good manners. 

That especially is true for when you're boondocking. I remember we were boondocking somewhere in Arizona, and we're in the middle of nowhere and when we woke up in the morning, we had somebody right next to us. 

It was crazy. There was room. It was a huge national forest, and they set up right next to us.
#2 - Don't leave your porch and outside awning lights on all night long
This makes our unwritten rules for campers list because, well, shining your lights all night long is just plain rude.  People want to be in the dark and quiet and see the stars. They don't want to see your porch light.

No matter how cute the little flamingos or lanterns or whatever may be, all that illumination ruins the camping experience.

If you want to leave them on right after dark for a little bit when everybody's still up, that's great. But at 2 AM it just causes light pollution 
BONUS: Lots of RVers have Pet Peeves and suggest different Rules for Campers. CLICK HERE to read a similar post from one of our friends on the b...