Thoughts on Thousand Trails?

[NJCamperDude]

I will be full-timing in my trailer starting in July, mostly at campgrounds in NJ & PA. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a Thousand Trails membership, but for every few people who says they love it, I also hear from 10 others saying it's a nightmare.

Please feel free to share your experiences, whether good, bad or ugly, as I'm trying to get as broad a base of opinions as possible.

I learned in life that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. On that note, I still can't figure out how Thousand Trails makes money...especially with full-timers. After your initial investment of a few thousand dollars, you can literally camp 365 days per year nationwide, just by paying the yearly dues of about $600. To me, that is ASTOUNDINGLY fantastic, but I simply don't see how they make money, unless I'm missing something. I'm sure they make some revenue from those buying the expensive plans and then not using them heavily, but I just can't understand how they don't lose their shirts with the full-timers.

People have told me that they bounce between 3 or 4 campgrounds (because you have to leave after 21 days), and this seems unreal to me.

I've done a LOT of research on TT, but hearing your opinions/experiences would be greatly appreciated before I make this costly investment.

[Cosmo]

There are many reviews on Youtube.
How much people like it depends on camping needs and style.
It seems to be a personal fit decision.

[jandmz]

I have received a number of solicitations to visit Thousand Trails for a "free introductory stay", and did some research on them.

Originally, they were a pretty reputable and service oriented company. More recently, the company has been sold 4 times in the past 16 years, to a series of time share operators and holding companies. From what I have read, the properties are currently suffering from deferred maintenance. The most common complaint seems to be filthy restrooms and closed, or unusable pools. There are a lot of complaints about the good locations never having sites available. Also, after the last sale, a lot of locations dropped off their list (apparently not all the locations were included in the sale). There are also complaints of extra charges for such things as "upgraded" electrical service($32 per day) and use of dump stations ($25).

So, based upon what I have found, I have gotten the impression that Thousand Trails is in a downward spiral, and I would not even consider it.

I can do a lot of camping in state parks for $9k.

[NJCamperDude]

There are many reviews on Youtube.
How much people like it depends on camping needs and style.
It seems to be a personal fit decision.

I've been researching for the past year or so. The problem is, for every few good reviews out there, there's another few bad one's, and it's tough to decipher the reality from the bullcrap. Further...

Many of the positive reviews (blogs, youtube, etc.) are simply made for affiliate purposes, ie; the people doing the reviews are getting kickbacks on everyone that signs up through them.

Not everything is as it seems online

[NJCamperDude]

I have received a number of solicitations to visit Thousand Trails for a "free introductory stay", and did some research on them.

Originally, they were a pretty reputable and service oriented company. More recently, the company has been sold 4 times in the past 16 years, to a series of time share operators and holding companies. From what I have read, the properties are currently suffering from deferred maintenance. The most common complaint seems to be filthy restrooms and closed, or unusable pools. There are a lot of complaints about the good locations never having sites available. Also, after the last sale, a lot of locations dropped off their list (apparently not all the locations were included in the sale). There are also complaints of extra charges for such things as "upgraded" electrical service($32 per day) and use of dump stations ($25).

So, based upon what I have found, I have gotten the impression that Thousand Trails is in a downward spiral, and I would not even consider it.

I can do a lot of camping in state parks for $9k.

I agree with every single thing you said, and have also heard the same. But the conundrum I'm facing is this...

Here in the Northeast, there is no BLM land or cheap indian reservations to camp at. Yes, we do have some state forests and the like, but even those go for $25 or $30 per night. As I'll be full-timing with extremely limited income, this is WAY too expensive an option for me. Further complicating matters is...

Due to our very hot/humid summers & cold winters, I will definitely need a hookup for an a/c & heater in the appropriate months. All of which essentially forces my hand to staying at campgrounds. Even the run-down more rustic places start at around $40 or so per night.

The only way to make it work for me and my needs would be via Thousand Trails. You can actually buy a used membership on the second-hand market for about $3,500, which is a one-time cost, and gives you the most premium package. This allows you to camp totally free 365 days per year, with the only catch being that you must move to a different campground every 21 days. Also, because it's a used membership, you cannot re-sell it like you would when buying a new one at retail.

Let's take an average campground cost of $50 per night. After 70 nights of camping, my entire investment is paid for. After that - aside from yearly dues of $600 - I literally never have to go into my pocket again to pay for a campground, and all that comes with it, including; full hook-ups, dump stations, showers, etc. However...

While all of this sounds terrific, the reason for my post here was to hopefully hear from those who are actually members, and to see where the golden sales pitch might differ from reality.

If Thousand Trails offered the same packages/deals for even a discounted rate of $10 or $15 per night, that would still be an INCREDIBLE deal, and one which I could understand. But they're offering FREE camping, which to me doesn't make sense, and I can't comprehend how they would make any money on full-timers. That's what concerns me. The old "too good to be true" thing.

As for pools, activities & resort-style amenities, while they would be nice to have, all I'm basically interested in is having access to safe, clean places with hook-ups. That's it. But I'm guessing there's a lot of negative stuff having to do with Thousand Trails, like; places being overbooked, rundown facilities, hidden charges, etc. that I'm not privy to, and that's what I'm most interested in hearing about.

[larryl]

NJ,

Why don't you just begin with a Zone Pass and if you want add the Trails Collection (Encore CG). No long term commitment. We are at the same decision making process you are at. Also, we are Passport America members and many of the Encore CG are available at 1/2 price. Believe the fees for Passport are $40.00. Got are money back the first week we purchased.