Community Forums

User1011 · 11-22-2010, 04:13 PM

Any advice or comments on the different associations and clubs to join? We've been away from RV'ing for about 6 years and now are trying to decide which clubs (if any) to join! Good Sam, FMCA, etc.

Any comments or recommendations would be helpful. Thanks....

Rick&Cheryl · 11-22-2010, 04:24 PM

First on my list is Passport America,,inexpensive to join, and every year we have saved money.

UFO Pilot · 11-22-2010, 04:30 PM

FMCA is limited to Motor Home's, Good Sam is for all RV's. We belong to FMCA and a local Chapter, would probably also join Good Sam if we found a local Chapter.

Larry & Rita · 11-22-2010, 04:43 PM

Best advice I can give is do not join a membership club that has the type of meetings where you have to lay out money.
We did that with KM Resorts, and after 4 years of paying monthly payments (WE could not cancel or get out of) plus paying yearly maint. fees, we are close to paying it off. ($6,000)
I did not have anyone to help or guide me and it sure sounded great, we ended up with 9 places to stay just in Washington.
Best advise I can give is research-research, DON'T SIGN ANY LONG TERM CONTRACTS, AND ONLY BELIEVE HALF OF WHAT YOUR TOLD.

RickO · 11-22-2010, 04:50 PM

It really depends on your individual needs. Almost any club or membership you can name will have supporters and detractors because it does or does not meet their needs.

However, I'll second the advice about NOT joining a membership club which requires monthly maint fees, a large cash outlay up front, or financing... at least until you are really sure what you want.

Passport America is a no brainer and Good Sam is close behind. We also belong to Campclub USA (although won't be renewing it) and Escapees but we full time so our needs may be different.

Good luck...

rick

Pairajays · 11-22-2010, 05:44 PM

4Fun,

Hope I don't hurt anyones feelings and please don't jump on me, I'm just expressing my opinion.

You will not save money by joining any club. Nor will you have any more pleasure in your RV experience. When you first join a club you will probably think it is the best thing since peanut butter. After you have "gone out of your way" and gone to places you never heard of to use all their facilities available and can't get reservations at some of the places you want to go at the time you want, the euphoria wears off. At this point you are stuck with the monthly dues or pay off of joining fees. I've been there, done that. Avoid these things like the plague, go where you want to and when you want to you will find it cheaper in the long run.

I'm sure you will her different opinions.

Jim

Al, Michigan · 11-22-2010, 06:10 PM

Go for Passport America. It is mostly a club that 50% off the regular rates. There are some nice campgrounds and some we will never go to again. (Dumps) Good Sam is only 10% off the regular rate, I like 50%. They are the only 2 we belong to. But we don't use Good Sam except in a punch. Camp Club is supposed to be another 50% rate, but we had that 1 year, and got tired of getting to campground and they tell us, Oh we aren't with them anymore. SO WE DROPPED IT.
Al, Michigan.

DennisZ · 11-22-2010, 06:11 PM

We joined FMCA, and joined a couple of their local chapters.Our experience is that the members are all a real nice group of folks. The membership isn't expensive, and our local chapters have an outing almost every month, so far they've been a lot of fun, and it give you a reason to go places you might not otherwise go.

Dennis

Gary RVRoamer · 11-22-2010, 06:14 PM

The FMCA magazine alone is worth the annual dues. And so is there medevac insurance, which is included in the $40/year dues (first year is $50). And there are many chapters, some regional, some by motorhome or chassis brand, and several other groupings.

historyljc · 11-22-2010, 06:19 PM

The ones I have found useful have been FMCA (for the above stated reasons & I like to go to their national rallies), Passport America, and Good Sam. You might want to look into Coach Net for roadside service.

Alan_Hepburn · 11-22-2010, 08:02 PM

Most of the responses have involved joining membership campgrounds rather than clubs, at least in my mind. I think the original question was asking about "camping clubs" - a group of RV owners who get together on a regular basis at a local campground. If so, the FMCA, Good Sam, SMART, and others are viable options - all have local chapters pretty much everywhere. It can be a chore to find a local chapter that fits your own particular wants, needs, and such but they can be fun once you find the right group.

We belong to two such clubs - one is a Good Sam chapter, and the other is just a group of people who have been together for decades. In both cases we go out to a local campground one weekend per month and basically eat, chat, eat, sit around, eat, etc...

But, if the question was indeed about membership campgrounds then please ignore this response!

UFO Pilot · 11-22-2010, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan_Hepburn

Most of the responses have involved joining membership campgrounds rather than clubs, at least in my mind. I think the original question was asking about "camping clubs" - a group of RV owners who get together on a regular basis at a local campground.

That is the way I took the OP's question, that is why I answered about FMCA and Good Sam.

We belong to a FMCA chapter that gets together 6 times a year. We don't make it to all 6 but we really enjoy the ones we do attend. A great group of people with diverse backgrounds and interests.

UFO Pilot · 11-22-2010, 08:35 PM

Forgot to mention that we also belong to the Workhorse Chassis Club (FMCA) and they meet once a year on the West Coast and once a year in the East. Another great club with great members.

read & learn · 11-23-2010, 05:44 AM

I agree that the best group or Club is FMCA if you have a Motor Home and than join the HR chapter. The other group is a HR National Club. When you get together with a group that has the same brand you can really get the best hands on help possible.
Now being a member of iRV2 you have the HR thread to answer your questions, but hands on is still the best.