Ted Samuels’ setup means he is not welcome at many campsites.
While the proliferation of free or cut-price camping areas for ‘self-contained’ RVs has been warmly welcomed my many grey nomads, not all have greeted the phenomenon with enthusiasm.
Indeed, those travelling in rigs without an ensuite or without capacity to store black water or grey water commonly feel excluded and ‘discriminated’ against. Rather than finding more places to camp, they are finding less … and they are finding themselves ‘segregated’ from their fellow travellers.
Full-time traveller Ted Samuels says his heart sinks when he pulls up at a campsite in his Cub Brumby Camper trailer and reads the dreaded words: ‘Self-contained RVs only’.
“Everything seems to be focused on the big, well-equipped motorhomes and caravans but they forget how many of us are out there,” he said. “We don’t even try to go into self-contained areas any more as we don’t want to be told to go away, but how much would it cost for them to put a long drop or toilet in … and think of the financial gains.”
Ted resents the implication that because he doesn’t have a ‘self-contained’ rig, he is somehow a lesser traveller and less respectful of the environment in which he travels.
Sometimes, he says, the exact opposite is true with people in big rigs ‘behaving badly’ while those in more modest units do the right thing.
“We free camp where we can and leave nothing but footprints,” he said. “And then I see other travellers leave rubbish at overflowing garbage cans and it annoys me … if you can bring it, in you can take it out.”
Ted’s bewilderment is shared by Stuart Lamont, CEO of the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
“It would be a tragedy if we allow a constructed definition of ‘self-containment’ to disadvantage the majority of caravanning and camping consumers for the benefit of a few,” he said. “The discussion should not be about the product specifications and instead should be more about consumer behaviour while caravanning and camping.”
He says water and waste carrying capacity is largely determined by towing capacities, axle ratings, desired payload and weight distribution. This tends to be more of an issue in towed vehicles than in motorised units.
New ABS data shows 67% of registered caravans are under 1.5 tonnes and have very little holding capacity for waste water. And Mr Lamont disputes that many RVs truly are self-contained.
“A quick look to the dictionary notes that ‘self-contained’ is defined as ‘not requiring help or support from anyone or anything else’, which would indicate that very few RVs could qualify under the common definition,” he said. “It is largely being used within the RV industry by self-interest groups to serve advocacy for their own members’ needs.”
In the meantime though, grey nomads like Ted Samuels say they are finding fewer and fewer budget camping areas where they are welcome to join their fellow travellers for Happy Hour.
Another grey nomad, Doug Eklom, has seen first-hand what can happen when ‘underequipped’ travellers try to gatecrash the ‘self-contained only’ party.
“I stayed at Waverley Creek rest area near St Lawrence, Queensland, when a uniformed ranger in a marked Ute and presenting ID came around and checked everyone out,” he said. “He told three vans to move on and threatened another with a fine for allowing water from under their van to go onto the hard driveway … and one bloke got quite upset.”
• Do you think non self-contained travellers are getting a rough deal? Email us here to share your thoughts.
