As professional full-time campers, Workampers have seen it all when it comes to poor campground etiquette. If you ask them about examples of the worst behaviors they’ve encountered, be prepared for a long list.
By Greg Gerber
After gathering insights from readers and RV enthusiasts, here are the top 20 most common campground complaints. If you’re guilty of any of these, it’s time to change your ways. And if you see others doing them, kindly offer some guidance. Better etiquette makes RVing more enjoyable for everyone.
1. Cutting Through Campsites
This is, by far, the top annoyance among campers. It includes walking, biking, or driving golf carts or ATVs through someone else’s site. Respect boundaries and take the extra steps to walk around—it’s good exercise.
2. Unattended Dogs
Close behind is the issue of dogs roaming off-leash, barking endlessly, or being left alone for long periods. Tie up your pets or leave them at home to avoid disturbing others. Simply attaching a leash and letting the dog drag it everywhere it goes is not complying with campground rules. And, please, if you leave your dog in your RV while you are away, be sure the heat or A/C is working and set to a comfortable temperature for your four-legged friends!
3. Late-Night Noise
Everyone loves a good time, but parties shouldn’t extend past quiet hours. Don’t ruin your neighbors camping experience with loud conversations, TVs, music or other noise. Respect campground rules and keep noise levels low, even during the day.
4. Not Picking Up After Pets
Leaving pet waste behind, or even worse, discarding it at someone else’s site, is gross and irresponsible. Clean up after your pets to keep the campground pleasant for everyone.
5. Barking Dogs
A constantly barking dog can be as irritating as nails on a chalkboard. If you can’t control your pet, consider using a bark collar, muzzle, or even leaving them at home.
6. Kids Running Wild
While kids naturally have energy, it’s essential for parents to set boundaries. Encourage children to keep their voices down and avoid running through other campsites.
7. Smoking in Public Areas
Cigarette or cigar smoke can be irritating or even harmful to others. Be mindful of where the smoke is drifting, especially near open windows.
8. Leaving Trash in Fire Rings
Don’t use fire rings as trash bins. It’s not the campground staff’s job to remove your waste—take it to the proper disposal area.
9. Daytime Noise
Excessive noise isn’t just a nighttime problem. Keep music, outside TVs, and loud conversations within reasonable limits. Take a short walk, maybe 40 feet away from your RV – if you can still hear the noise, turn it down to ensure you aren’t annoying your neighbors.
10. Unsolicited Advice
Refrain from giving unwanted tips or comments, especially when it comes to someone else’s RV setup. If advice isn’t requested, it’s best to keep your thoughts to yourself.
11. Burning Trash
Burning trash in the campfire, especially items like Styrofoam, food, dead leaves, or diapers, creates unpleasant odors. The smell and smoke will drift to nearby campsites and through open windows. Be courteous and dispose of waste properly.
12. Asking to Tour Other RVs
It drives some people nuts when complete strangers come up and say, “I saw that RV model on TV! Can I look inside?” Some people are even bold enough to open the door and start walking in to a stranger’s RV. Remember, friendship first. Build a relationship. Develop some trust. Use common courtesy. Would you let a stranger come into your home as they walked by the house?
13. Choosing a Campsite Too Close
This generally doesn’t apply to campgrounds where the sites are assigned, but is more applicable to open area camping on public land. If there are 80 acres of camping space available and two other campers in the same area, is it essential that you park your rig right next door to someone else’s? Campground managers, if you have room to leave adequate space between two families, please do so. They’ll appreciate the extra privacy.
14. Littering Cigarette Butts
Anyone who has camped has come onto a new site and found it littered with cigarette butts. Smokers, please exercise some common sense and stop making the world your ash tray. If you must toss the butts on the ground, then spend five minutes picking them up before you leave.
15. Public Family Disputes
Most people who go camping do so to escape the stress of life and to have a good time. The absolute last thing they want to do is listen to your family argument so keep your disputes private.
Trust me on this, if you yell at a child in an abusive manner by calling him or her all sorts of nasty names or wallop a child repeatedly, you’re likely to receive a visit from a police officer or child protective services worker.
16. Improper Parking
A common complaint is that people park cars next to their RV in a way that prevents other RVers from entering their site. Most campgrounds limit vehicles to one, maybe two, cars for a reason. There is likely an overflow parking area so don’t block access to other campsites with your vehicle and follow the campground’s rules on vehicle limits.
17. Cluttered Campsites
It’s amazing how much stuff people can cram into their RV. It’s even more amazing when they leave it scattered all around their campsites. Keep your campsite tidy to avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes about RVers. Put away toys, equipment, and personal items when not in use.
18. Campfires Near RVs
Some people have a real life-or-death aversion to smoke. They may be asthmatic or have a lung disease. It’s also hard to sleep with smoke billowing into a bedroom window. Once inside, the smoke smell can linger for weeks. So, keep fires a safe distance from other RVs to avoid irritating your neighbors.
19. Peeking in Windows
Peering into someone’s RV is invasive and rude. A casual glance as you walk by is one thing, but staring into the windows, or worse, pressing your hands and face against the windows to stare in is an obvious invasion of privacy. Respect others’ privacy and don’t do this creepy behavior.
20. Leaving Lights On Overnight
This is easy to forget. Many RVs have porch lights or awning lights that use bright LEDs to illuminate their patio area. Some RVs have lights over the utility compartments to aid in night hookups. Please remember to turn them off when going to bed. The bright lights can be annoying to people who are trying to sleep. Even when their shades are down a bright light can find its way into a bedroom or living area.
Additional Etiquette Tips:
Here are a few runners up for poor campground etiquette. Although they didn’t make our Top 20 List, they are good to keep in the back of your mind as well to ensure that you’re a good neighbor.
- Dogs rushing people and strangers rushing towards other peoples’ dogs
- Drunken, disorderly conduct
- Stealing food or property
- Leaving laundry unattended
- Speeding through the campground
- Leaving campfires unattended
- Biking with no regard to traffic
- Laying sewer hoses on picnic tables
- Making messes in the public bathrooms
- Leaving generators running all day, or worse, all night
- Pulling someone else’s laundry out of a machine
- Leaving a vehicle idling for a long time
- Swearing and other coarse language
- Spilling sewage at dump stations and not making an effort to clean it up
- Sitting on neighbors furniture
- Talking to RVers during setup/take down
- Leaving bikes or other toys in common areas
The list could go on and on as I have collected many more complaints from fellow RVers over the years, but I digress…
Why Does Campground Etiquette Matter?
Campground etiquette is about respect, safety, and creating a pleasant environment for everyone. While RVing is a great way to escape and enjoy the outdoors, following these simple guidelines ensures everyone can have a good time. If you prefer complete solitude, consider boondocking in a more remote area.
Using a little common sense, being patient with others and extending grace will help everyone get along and enjoy a memorable experience.
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