Advice with first visit to a Caravan Park with a Soft Floor Camper Trailer.

[Beachman]

Howdee

This is going to sound like a really silly question, but I’ve never stayed in a Caravan Park before and after some advice on how it all works. Up until now all our camping is remote style in National Parks etc.

Later in the year we are booked into the Big 4 at Airlie Beach for 7 nights which will also mean 2 stops at different Caravan Parks each way while driving from Brisbane.

With all the parks we have booked, we have asked for access to Power to run fridges.

So my questions are

•   Do camper Trailers set up on Grass areas or Van sites with a concrete slab?
•   If grass, do they make you use a ground sheet to help protect there grass? If so do they insist on shade cloth or a Tarp?
•   If Van sites with slabs, does the Trailer or Tent area go on the Slab? (Our tent area is 10ft)
•   Do you drive or reverse the trailer in?

Yes I can hear you laughing at my questions now, but would prefer to look silly here than face to face with the Park owner or everyone else in the park looking at me make a goose of myself.

Thanks

Brett

[Pipeliner]

Nothing silly about your questions at all.  The answers may vary from caravan park to caravan park

Do camper Trailers set up on Grass areas or Van sites with a concrete slab?

Can vary from site to site, depending on what they have available.  Many Big 4 sites will prefer camper trailers (especially soft floor ones) to set up in designated areas so as not to damage the grass by keeping the light and air off it for extended periods.

Also a lot of concreted sites are the wrong size and shape for campers.

If grass, do they make you use a ground sheet to help protect there grass? If so do they insist on shade cloth or a Tarp?

If you are on a general tent/camper area they don't usually have restrictions - but again, it can vary from park to park.

If Van sites with slabs, does the Trailer or Tent area go on the Slab? (Our tent area is 10ft)

Up to you, but in general, if the slab is smaller than your tent area I'd put the trailer on the slab - otherwise you will constantly be stubbing your toes on the edge of the slab!

Do you drive or reverse the trailer in?

Some sites will be 'drive through' which you can enter from either end, but most sites it will depend on how you want your tent/kitchen/annexe aligned on the site.  You may find that you have to reverse the trailer in, uncouple, then swing it round by hand to get the correct setup.

Hope this helps.  We stayed at one site at Airlie Beach (not Big 4) where the first site they offered us we just couldn't fit the camper on and we had to swap it for another one - so check the site out thoroughly before setting up as the same may happen to you.

[funnyfarm]

So my questions are

•   Do camper Trailers set up on Grass areas or Van sites with a concrete slab?
•   If grass, do they make you use a ground sheet to help protect there grass? If so do they insist on shade cloth or a Tarp?
•   If Van sites with slabs, does the Trailer or Tent area go on the Slab? (Our tent area is 10ft)
•   Do you drive or reverse the trailer in?

Not silly questions at all.

We used to have a softfloor and would always ask for grassed sites (not slab ones). Now we have a hard floor it doesn't matter as much, we have either.

We never used a ground sheet under the camper before folding it out, but do have a shadecloth type material to put down on the floor under the awning area for long stays. I know most caravan parks don't like tarps layed down for long periods of time as the grass dies.

As for which way to put the camper,some caravan parks state that drawbar must face the road but if not, it really depends on where you want your living area to face, eg, rear of camper and kitchen to have some privacy etc. Most times, we reverse our trailer in.

Hope that helps, and remember, have a blast.

[Blue Bravo]

Make sure you practice at home before setting off on your journey. You don't want to the the entertainment for the other campers

[2 Brutal]

 Some parks are easy going, others are not, just give the park a ring and ask them so you know in advance, nothing worng with that.
I nearly got into an argument with the park owner in Hughenden when we went through there, because he got into a flap, as our Jayco was not a camper and it wasn't a caravan and he didn't know where he should put us.
So I told him I'd set up where we thought was a good spot.

[Beachman]

We have had the trailer for a couple of years now, so reversing and setting up is the easy part, but very valid point about making sure the site is big enough for us.

Next time we go camping going to take the tape measure and find out how much room the trailer actually takes up when fully set up.  It would be annoying being half unloaded only to find out we don’t fit.

Seeing we do a lot of remote beach camping I’ve never had to worry about tight spots etc. 

[Burnsy]

I nearly got into an argument with the park owner in Hughenden when we went through there, because he got into a flap, as our Jayco was not a camper and it wasn't a caravan and he didn't know where he should put us.

You have to be kidding me, Jayco campers only make up about 25% of the caravan population and a park owner did not know how to deal with one

[chunk]

Most caravan parks frown on poly tarps under tents, and if they don't the other campers will. I got chipped half a dozen times last year at Port Macquarie by other campers for having a tarp under my tent. If you put the tent up on concrete you will need a tarp or shade cloth under it otherwise you will rub a hole in the floor. Now we have the camper I have shade cloth for under the tent part, which stops any rocks or sticks damaging the floor and one of those GG mats I think there called for under the annex to keep all the dirt and dust out of the tent.

[Pete the Pirate]

Most caravan parks frown on poly tarps under tents, and if they don't the other campers will. I got chipped half a dozen times last year at Port Macquarie by other campers for having a tarp under my tent. If you put the tent up on concrete you will need a tarp or shade cloth under it otherwise you will rub a hole in the floor. Now we have the camper I have shade cloth for under the tent part, which stops any rocks or sticks damaging the floor and one of those GG mats I think there called for under the annex to keep all the dirt and dust out of the tent.

Like the original poster I try to avoid caravan parks and bush camp. But, on the handful of occasions I have used them there was always a request that we use shadecloth under the tent of out soft floor camper......even if there wasn't any grass as we encountered in Bordertown SA (not complaints though great little park but I could turn my hearing aids off to miss the passing traffic).

[cancan]

We have used our CT once on a slab site.
I had the Ct sideways on the slab with the tent folded out also on the slab and annex on the grass side.
worked for us ok but hoping to stay away from slab sites if possible

[jimsiron]

Howdee

This is going to sound like a really silly question, but I’ve never stayed in a Caravan Park before and after some advice on how it all works. Up until now all our camping is remote style in National Parks etc.

Later in the year we are booked into the Big 4 at Airlie Beach for 7 nights which will also mean 2 stops at different Caravan Parks each way while driving from Brisbane.

With all the parks we have booked, we have asked for access to Power to run fridges.

So my questions are

•   Do camper Trailers set up on Grass areas or Van sites with a concrete slab?
•   If grass, do they make you use a ground sheet to help protect there grass? If so do they insist on shade cloth or a Tarp?
•   If Van sites with slabs, does the Trailer or Tent area go on the Slab? (Our tent area is 10ft)
•   Do you drive or reverse the trailer in?

Yes I can hear you laughing at my questions now, but would prefer to look silly here than face to face with the Park owner or everyone else in the park looking at me make a goose of myself.

Thanks

Brett

Brett

We stayed at the Airlie Beach park through the town on the RHS about 2 years ago with out softfloor trailer, power site but as stated elsewhere in this thread the slabs maybe wrong size. We had the floor on the slab with the sheet under it for protection. The site we had was not a drive through, I think most at this park are back in unless you get a grass one up the back but power maybe an issue
regards
Jimsiron

[Paul and Bern]

  Hi Beachman, we've stayed a few times in c/parks now.  I even ask for a particular slabbed site if we ever go to the Coconut village, but I setup the tent on the grass one side, main annex on concrete (helps keep things cleaner and drier) and then the extra annex on the grass on the other side.  Normally have to swing it by hand. Yuppie style for special birthdays for no1 son   ensuite etc
Have stayed at another park and they only let you stay 4 days? before you have to move or air the site.  I have always used shade cloth under the tent floor as the grass seems not to sweat as much and seems to recover quicker.

You should have less problems with a 9 footer than our 12 foot.  When you book just mention it's a soft floor and ask what type of sites they have and are there any special rules / problems ie. have to shift or air the site.  If you like the idea or setting up on concrete you probably won't have to shift.  It looked funny the floor on a CT held up in the air by extra tent poles to get air to the grass, wish I'd got a photo...
best of luck
Paul
You can just see the slab  other places are normally just grassed

[morgue]

I've stayed at the Big 4 at Arlie beach, there are nice big sites and the ammenties are good as well, you will find the caravan parks pretty easy, for you have been in the national parks camping, so it should not be a real problem.
But and this a a big but...Being Arlie Beach, take the Bushmans, the midgies are bloody murder..the more bushmans  the better.

[Kit_e_kat9]

Don't do it!      Sorry, I really dislike CVP's ...

Kit_e

[NewcastleKnight]

We stayed at B4 at Airlie in a soft floor a few years back.  We were on a grassed site and had plenty of room.  Just make sure you tell them u have a soft floor and if you have a big tent size ask for a suitable sized site.

[Tracey family]

I've found the big ? when using caravan parks is which side your allocated parking area is. You have to watch that your drawbar is not sticking into the neighbours parking area. At the last caravan park we were at, we ended up on a grass site and to get in the postion we wanted we backed in then turned the trailer sideways. We have a side fold tent.

[2 Brutal]

You have to be kidding me, Jayco campers only make up about 25% of the caravan population and a park owner did not know how to deal with one

I kid you not mate, I will never stay in that park again, i'll camp outside his front gate rather than go in there again. Can't remember the name but it is beside the public swimming pool in ?Hughenden. My mate travelling with us nearly punched him in the head when he went to set his soft floor up out of everybodies way under a tree, and got told he couldn't set it up there, there was about 5 other campers/ vanners in the park, not like it was bursting at the seams.
My Dad went through there about 6 months ago towing his 25' Roadstar and the bloke had a big dummy spit about the size of his van. I really think the owner needs a change of profession.

[spargo]

My tips from my one single stay in a CVP in our side-opening 10ft Lifestyle softfloor CT:

-Measure your trailer and annex setup, write them down, and keep 'em in the glovebox of the tow vehicle. When we arrived at our first CVP stay, they asked how big the CT was, and I just had to shrug my shoulders and blush 

-Apparently some places have a rule that on their one-way sites, you have to have the drawbar to the road for emergency reasons (place catches on fire, people can haul arse out of there without turning trailers around and whacking into each other in the calamity.. fair reason I guess). So you can't just reverser it in then swing it around to suit. Again, check site first before accepting/setting up.

-Check the site, if possible, before accepting. Some grassed sites have trees in the middle of them which might work for a few tents, but doesn't work for CT's. We found the site we were offered had two big trees dead centre, and I borked at it - the owner was a top bloke and walked to the site with me, and with some rough measurements we worked out it would just fit and he actually reverse it in for me.. awesome!!

-See the 2 points above.. if they offer to do the reversing, hand them the keys!

-As others have said, be concious of which side/way your tent flips out - would be awful to reverse it, get it right, drop then legs, then flip it out into old-mate next-doors bbq area!..

-Remember that its not just the tent/trailer footprint you have to factor in when positioning it for setup - you've got ropes and other stuff that extend the area. Suggest that you do two sets of measurements so you know for sure. The place we went to (as I'm sure many do) had lines marked on the grass (like say a school sports oval running track) which you had to keep inside, including your pegs/ropes. Something to consider when positioning. We went over the line because of the trees in the middle of the site forcing me to one side of our patch of grass, but my good neighbour for 3 days kindly told me he was doing me a massive favour by allowing me to cross the line. I thanked him immensely for his kind nature. What a dick.

Have fun!

[GGV8Cruza]

After reading the comments in this thread I know remember why I like bush camping so much

GG

[spargo]

After reading the comments in this thread I know remember why I like bush camping so much

GG

Ditto. Writing my comments reminded me why.