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Topic: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.) (Read 1057 times) previous topic - next topic

Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Being that I am brand new to the ownership of any type of RV. I see there are all kinds of Associations, Organizations, Clubs, etc out there that offer campsite discounts and services, towing and roadside assistance, etc. What would recommend I look into.
91 GV U300 Unihome 40' Build 3811
6V92TA Detroit

Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Reply #1 –
Guess I will start it out.

Many of us belong to FMCA  (Family Motor Coach Association).  The oval emblem on the back of coaches.

Here is an introduction to FMCA: Why Join FMCA? | Family Motor Coach Association

Then, depending on how you use the coach, various camping groups/clubs such as Passport America make financial sense.

Brett Wolfe
EX: 1993 U240
Moderator, ForeForum 2001-
Moderator Diesel RV Club 2002-
Moderator, FMCA Forum 2009-2020
Chairman FMCA Technical Advisory Committee 2011-2020

Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Reply #2 –
We were members of Thousand Trails the last 2 years, but have not renewed.  Joined when we were full time and had 2 zones. Basically, we broke even on the cost.  A few positives, but negatives outweighed them.  JMHO.. PM if you would like specifics.

Also, with regards to roadside assistant, I would not pull out of my driveway without having coverage.  Many posts on different associations. 

We are only strangers until we meet; however, some of us are stranger than others

Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Reply #3 –
First, join Motorcade. That's the Foretravel club. Second, join FMCA. Both of these are pretty much "must do" items, as the benefits far outweigh the costs.

If you are thinking about long-timing or full-timing joining Escapees is also a good idea.

As for the various discount camping organizations (Thousand Trails, Coast to Coast, etc.) how you camp will determine whether or not they are of value to you. You may want to just join Good Sams for the discounts at Camping World and many parks.

We prefer the various government-run parks, so the only "discount" program that applies there is the "geezer" pass that saves some on entrance fees. Unfortunately, most government-run parks have pretty short time limits, so we're starting to rethink that aspect of things. We're going to do some experimenting during the next year or so and see what we want to do.

Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Reply #4 –
Depends on what you are looking to use, campgrounds, mail service, rallies, discounts. Some offer small 10% discounts, some offer half price discounts and other discounts in between, and some you pay a big price upfront and then stay at associated campgrounds for little price (with several restrictions).

Some have reputations that you cannot stop paying annual dues, that you can only sell the membership, but nobody wants to buy them so you can be stuck forever including your estate, after you are gone.

A few:

Escapees (now running a special)  Escapees RV Club Passport America
Good Sam

FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association, must have motorhome to join as family member))

Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

Reply #5 –
I recommend these must haves

    • Foretravel Motorcade
    • Passport america
    • Coach Net
    • Good Sam/Camping World
    [/list]

    Optional

    Escapees RV - Club (they are running a good special now) I am a member but don't feel like I get a lot out of it. We did use their mail service for a while but changed to Americas Way in Rapid City, SD. When we registered our coach there. May drop Escapees eventually but renewed again this year due to the special price.

    Thousand Trails - Don't buy from TT. Find an individual to buy from for about a 10th of the price. Barry is right about lock in but there lots of contracts with lots of options. PM me if you have questions. I won't have all the answers but will try to help.

    FMCA - This is another one I don't get a lot out of. I may be using it wrong (to quote Steve Jobs). They do have lots of events and a special buy program for tires but have never taken advantage of either.

    see ya
    ken
    The selected media item is not currently available.ken & dori hathaway & Big Agnes
    🍺1992 U300 GrandVilla WTBI #4150 FOT FBP 2011
    ✨6V-92TA DDEC Parlor Coach 350HP Series 92
    🏁2011 Nissan XTerra Pro-4X

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #6 –
    All good advice,

    My favorites are Motorcade and FMCA.

    I have a Motorcade membership in order to participate in Motorcade events.  I'll be going to the Christmas Rally in Paso Robles next month.  It is also good for discounts at FOT.

    I have a membership in FMCA for the rallies and conventions, again planning on attending the ones in Indio and Pomona early next year.  These attract a good number of Foretravel friends, and have lots of fun, educational sessions, and vendor displays with show discounts.  They have also reinstated their better coverage to get you and your coach moved when needed for medical reasons, plus admittance into the Michelin Advantage program for unbeatable tire discounts.

    I am an Escapee member.  Escapees have co-op parks, and we found one near Yosemite that we liked so much, we are on the waiting list to become park members. Any Escapee can use the parks, and they are a bargain.  Escapees also gets you some commercial park discounts and admittance to non co-op Escapee parks, plus rallies.

    I am a member of Good Sam, but only by chance.  It is not so much an RV activity club anymore as much a buying club now.  If I find a good price on something at Camping World, often the Good Sam member price will be low enough to buy a year of membership with the price difference and leave me with some pocket change.

    I once used Good Sam for roadside assistance, but they sent an incompetent towing company to tow my SOB, doing many things wrong, and broke it on both ends and one side, plus interior damage (all kinda fixed through their insurance).  I now use Coach Net.

    I once bought a Thousand Trails / NACO membership from someone, and used it a few times.  This was years ago, and they took away my NACO park privileges and shrunk the number of TT parks to the point it wasn't worth the yearly cost to me.  Fortunately, this was one of the contracts that could be terminated by the member, so I terminated it.  However, this did not stop them from harassing me for two years to make payments, and threatening me with a collections agency.  Not a good company to deal with (at that time).
    Tom Lang K6PG (originally  KC6UEC)
    and Diane Lang
    2003 38 U295 build 6209
    2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Ecodiesel
    still have tow-ready 2006 Acura MDX 
    Temple City, California
    Motorcade 16681 California Chapter President
    SKP 16663 member of SKP Park of the Sierra, Coarsegold California
    FMCA F071251
    Retired electrical and electronic engineer

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #7 –
    For us, living in the Pacific Northwest and not planning to go east of the Rockies we did not renew our Motorcade free 1-year membership; mostly because we could find no rallies that fit our timetable (we are only free during the week when school is not in session).

    We like FMCA and the magazine is well worth the price of the membership.

    We are members of Escapees (SKP) and feel that they really most closely match our idea of RVing. For $29.95 for your first year (or a renewal) it's worth the money. SKP has their own RV parks, are associated with SKP-members-only co-op parks, and there are quite a few regular RV parks that offer big discounts to SKP members. In addition, as a member you can get their "Days End" ebook which documents many free (or very cheap) overnight spots.

    Not big fans of Good Sam.

    We have not tried Passport America.

    Craig
    1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
    Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

    "No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #8 –
    We have been FMCS members for many years and feel the benefits are worth the cost. We are also Motorcade members and hope to someday participate in their activities. We will also likely join the Escapees at some point, but we haven't yet done so. We are also Good Sam members, but that's primarily because of the Pilot/Flying J fuel discount program.
    David and Carolyn Osborn
    1995 U320C SE 40' Build 4726 Feb 1995
    FMCA 147762
    Motorcade 17186

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #9 –
    RE: We are also Good Sam members, but that's primarily because of the Pilot/Flying J fuel discount program.

    We are Good Sam members, but it is not needed for Pilot-FlyingJ discount as the Pilot-FlyingJ free Frequent Fueler card gives us the same discount, which is credit card at cash price + (I think) 3 cents/gal.

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #10 –
    Well today we went to Camping world for a brass replacement cabinet door latch and picked up some other stuff . They had a 2 year Good Sam deal / 25.00 rebate etc,so we joined and saved some on our purchase.So now we're Camping World /Good Sam'ers I guess LOL
    91 GV U300 Unihome 40' Build 3811
    6V92TA Detroit

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #11 –
    Quote from: stump –
    Well today we went to Camping world for a brass replacement cabinet door latch and picked up some other stuff . They had a 2 year Good Sam deal / 25.00 rebate etc,so we joined and saved some on our purchase.So now we're Camping World /Good Sam'ers I guess LOL

    You nibbled on the bait, they set the hook.  Reel 'em in.
    Tom Lang K6PG (originally  KC6UEC)
    and Diane Lang
    2003 38 U295 build 6209
    2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Ecodiesel
    still have tow-ready 2006 Acura MDX 
    Temple City, California
    Motorcade 16681 California Chapter President
    SKP 16663 member of SKP Park of the Sierra, Coarsegold California
    FMCA F071251
    Retired electrical and electronic engineer

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #12 –
    We are Good Sam club members because we joined back in 2000 with our first motorhome (before they were associated with Affinity Group and Camping World and all that) and shortly thereafter they offered lifetime memberships for an extremely reasonable price considering our ages.  We took advantage.  We occasionally take advantage of the camping discount, but we usually stay at a location for a week or more and most places that have a weekly or monthly rate don't give you the additional 10% on top of those discounted rates.  We pretty much only use Camping World for potty chem (Odorlos) and ADC water filter cartridges (which they usually have the best price on).

    We are Escapees as well, and were offered (and took) a lifetime membership early in our RVing life as well.  We use them year 'round for their mail service and appreciate their RV advocacy efforts when it comes to things like domicile, Texas vehicle inspections, parking regulations, etc.  There is one park we stay at twice a year that gives a 15% discount to Escapees vs. 10% to everyone else. 

    We have lifetime Passport America.  We've used it a handful of times and are close to the break-even point.  Our travel doesn't put us in areas that have many PA parks, so this is one of our least-used memberships.

    We are FMCA members primarily for the magazine and its technical how-to articles.  The Michelin Advantage tire program is nice, although we also get that through the Prevost Community.

    We are Motorcade members for the 10% FOT discount.  If that weren't offered, I don't think we would be members since we aren't the group travel type.

    We are Cummins Power Club members for the 10% discount on parts and service at Cummins-owned locations.

    We are Prevost Community fuel card holders for the ease in fueling at EFS stations, the cash price, and the 10% discount at Loves.

    Our emergency road service is through Coach Net.  Haven't had to use them.  Did have Good Sam before, used them once for my car, wasn't impressed.

    Dang, for a couple of fairly private people, we sure do belong to a lot of organizations :P

    ETA - I completely forgot about the one with the highest membership "fees" - the Nacogdoches Economic Stimulus Club ;)
    Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

    2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
    2003 U320

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #13 –
    We have been Good Sam members since just before we purchased our first coach.  We also use their Emergency Road Service ... DO NOT leave your driveway without SOME kind of road service in place!!  We are also Escapees and have had some great stays in their locations.  Passport America is good ... Thousand Trails was not bad, but many of their parks seem to be in real need of updating and attention.  We have also been members of the Foretravel Motorcade Club, and keep that one going.  FMCA has some good benefits and some good gatherings. 
    Carol & Jeff Savournin
    Usta have a '93 U225 36', Usta have a '95 U320 40', Usta have a '02 U320 40'
    Usta have a 2006 Born Free, Usta have a 2011 Phoenix Cruiser
    Usta have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4dr
    "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."  Steve Jobs

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #14 –
    Quote from: Tom Lang –
    You nibbled on the bait, they set the hook.  Reel 'em in.

    My lip dosn't hurt this morning!!LOL, Trust me in my past I have blown $50.00 bucks on worst things than a Good Sam Membership!! ^.^d
    91 GV U300 Unihome 40' Build 3811
    6V92TA Detroit

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #15 –
    For us it's FMCA, CoachNet, Passport America, Escapees, Cummins Power Club if you have a Cummins engine and National Park System senior pass.

    Will re-join Motorcade when we get on the road full time.

    Will never use Good Sam (Camping World) for service ever again.  Buy stuff online from smaller guys and cheaper too.

    Keith
    Keith, Joyce & Smokey the Australian Cattle Dog
    1995 U320 SE Extreme 40' WTBI Build # 4780, with a Honda CR-V hopefully still following behind.
    Motorcade # 17030
    FMCA # F422159

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #16 –
    We have:  Escapees (we're full timers), Coach-Net (never had to use them...), FMCA , Passport America (we use it a lot), Motorcade - 10% on FT parts and service adds up in a hurry), Cummins Power Club (10% discount on parts and service), and, of course, the Old Fart's Card (America the Beautiful Senior Pass) - best $10 you'll ever spend!

    Good Sam (accidental membership when buying stuff at Camping World).  Would never never never have Camping world do any service work, even in an emergency!  Too many horror stories.
    Dave and Nancy
    1999/2013 U270 36' Xtreme
    Motorcade # 16774
    2013 Subaru Outback
    KD0NIM
     

    Re: Joing RV'ing Associations?(Which one's are the best to join.)

    Reply #17 –
    "Good Sam (accidental membership when buying stuff at Camping World)." We have a Good Sam's membership, but don't have the road service. I thought that that Good Sam's and Camping World memberships are now the same.