KOA Memberships: Are they worth it?

Answer: It depends.

This summer we stayed in several KOA Kampgrounds and had a wide range of experiences and amenities. Whether or not you decide to get and keep a KOA membership will depend on the places you end up staying.

KOA Kampgrounds are privately held campgrounds in the U.S. and Canada. There are over 500 of them scattered around North America and they typically cater to larger RVs with dump stations, water, power and cable hookups. They also offer showers, laundry facilities, breakfast and coffee, and other amenities like lounges and playgrounds for children. KOA Kampgrounds also have some beautiful deluxe "kabins." These little wood cabins cater to people who don't have a camper and don't want to sleep in a tent.

We decided to try out a KOA membership for the year and see how they ranked. We purchased a $30 Value Kard to save 10 percent every time we camped at a KOA. You can also earn redeemable points for each stay. Depending on the location, it would still cost us about $40-$75 per night, so the 10 percent didn't really do anything for us. I don't think we will re-purchase the card, but I think we will still stay at a KOA while on the road. This is why:

The five best things KOAs have going are:

1. They are conveniently located

Those little red and yellow signs on the side of the road mean that a KOA is within just a few hundred yards of a highway exit. This is great when you are tired and don't want to drive to a state or National Park for a camp site. Also, many KOA Kampgrounds are within just a few miles of many National Parks and scenic areas. Our St. Mary KOA, while not the best place to camp, was five minutes from the park entrance.

2. They have a great KOA directory

Both the online and print KOA directory is very helpful when looking for a place to stay. I planned my "western state" trip around the availability of KOA Kampgrounds. The paper book came in real handy when cell service was unavailable.

3. Members get priority

From both the KOA App and via phone, you can make a campsite reservation at any location. If you are a member, you get priority if the campground is filling up. This is useful in more popular areas.

4. Showers and laundry

At each KOA we stayed at, the showers and laundry facilities were clean and convenient. The Great Falls KOA in Montana was hands-down one of the most beautiful campgrounds I've ever been in and had amazing showers in an atrium full of plants.

5. Other amenities

It was a blessing to swim in the Green River, Utah KOA swimming pool when the temperatures hovered around 100 degrees. It was also great to have fast WiFi in other parks. These amenities (if they are consistent and useful) will keep me coming back to a KOA.

However, teardroppers might not get as much bang for their buck at a KOA. We do have a choice to stay in a tent spot with no hookups or in a convenient pull-through spot with power and water. However, the price difference is negligible. I stayed in tent sites that were around $35 and a pull-through spot that was $45 per night.

When you stay at a KOA, you are paying for the amenities. So when searching around for a place to stay, check on those and weigh whether or not the extra cost is worth it to you.

Teardrop Camping: Plan It or Wing It?

Tiny Yellow Teardrop reader ML recently asked this question:

"I'd be interested in discussing how much itinerary planning goes into your travels with your teardrop. I'd like to venture out with no particular route in mind, but I feel the need for reservations so I can drive along with confidence. Kind of keeps me from using the camper to the full extent that I should during good camping weather."

I'm also curious how often teardroppers plan out their camping trips or if they just wing it. We have done it both ways and I think it comes down to both timing and where you will be camping. A little bit of luck can be thrown in for good measure.

Our "lucky" campsite at Twin Lakes in California.

We recently got back from a teardrop camping trip down to the Mount Whitney area (trip post coming soon) and left on a Wednesday afternoon with about 300 miles to go. We had our reserved campsite for the Whitney area, but knew we would need to stop for the night somewhere along the way. Many of the campgrounds in the area along the Eastern Sierra can be reserved, but we were not sure where we would be at around sunset. We were planning on heading to our favorite campground at Convict Lake, but were so tired after a long day, we didn't make it. So we winged it and headed into a campground 10 miles off Highway 395, Twin Lakes. Luck must have been on our side because we pulled into the campground way after dark and got the very last spot next to a bubbling creek.

Our long-term reserved spot at Madison Campground in Yellowstone NP.

This doesn't always happen. There have been times when we've tried to wing it on a Thursday or Friday afternoon and have had to drive around to different campgrounds to find a space. This happened to us on the Oregon Coast. We went to four different campgrounds before we were able to squeeze into a space at Humbug Mountain State Park.

Our spot at the Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton.
In fact, I don't think the campground ever filled up over the weekend.

Some locations just don't warrant the "wing it" option. Some very popular areas like Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and areas with amazing views like the Gulf Coast or the Pacific Ocean require reservations way in advance. When we went to Yellowstone National Park, we had our spot reserved about seven months ahead. However, when we went to nearby Grand Teton National Park on our way to Yellowstone, we winged it and arrived at the Gros Ventre Campground around 11:00 on a Friday morning and got a great spot just before the weekend groups showed up.

Another "lucky" site we got on Friday before Memorial Day at Silver Lake near Lake Tahoe.

Teardrop cuteness and the "tribe" factor has also gotten us into very last minute camping spots. We wanted to take a quick weekend trip up to the Blue Lakes near our home and left on a Friday after work. We drove through the campground and could not find any open sites. However, just as we turned a corner, a couple was just starting to pack up their own teardrop trailer. We stopped and chatted with them about our darling trailers and they offered to give us their site when they left in about an hour.

So I think my advice to ML would be to first look into where you would like to go and then look up the available campgrounds in the area. Check out Reserve America and Recreation.gov to see if these campgrounds are very popular or can be reserved. Sometimes having a site reserved ahead of time can take a lot of stress off your trip. If they are not popular or cannot be reserved, then just head out and try your luck. Sometimes the hunt for a great campsite is part of the fun of teardrop camping.