Homesteaders...don't we just love them...

Yep homesteaders. Most of them mind their own business. But we have seen a few who seem to think since they have been in the Fam Camp for years they were somehow promoted to being he base commander, base fire chief, security, over rule anything put out by MWR, know it and and knows everyone. In short, a pain in the &*#$.

Biggest complaints about homesteaders:

1. you can not get a space because the place is full! Well if they got rid of some of the homesteaders there would be room from folks who use a Fam Camp as a camp ground. NOT a mobile home park.
2. Some of the homesteaders think there are two sets of rules. One for them and one for all others.
3. Homesteaders that are retired mil and working as contractors. Living on base for dimes. Having one or more retirement checks coming in and making big bucks as a contractor. Problem with this type is some of them go to work before sunrise. Warm up their trucks, motor cycles, etc at 0500 am. Could care less about others. One guy would start his motor cycle up and let it idle while he had his last cup of coffee. Then rev the engine up a few times. Making sure everyone hears him.
4. Homesteaders want to "expand" life beyond their paid space. We have seen many of them who fill the office/guest house/lodge/game room fridge up with their monthly supply of food. To bad if you are traveling and having problems with your fridge. They "expand" their space to include putting up fences (Crane NWS), so much furniture outside it looks like a huge yard sale.
5. Think they own the laundry room (i.e. JAX NAS). They wash and wash. Don't dare think you are going to get a load in when they have taken over the laundry room. One guy told us "but, we live here." Hey, who cares?
6. Of all the smokers in the bathrooms I believe everyone I told please no smoking in the rest rooms were homesteaders.
7. You are at a Fam Camp and told by the office you have to rotate to another space. Hey wait a minute Jack! Did we see the homesteaders move? NOPE.
8. Active duty military using the Fam Camp as their base housing. I thought base mobile home parks were done away with? Wrong they are back as Fam Campers. These people are bringing in big bucks. Paying low monthly rental for a space. Keeping BAQ and other forms of payments for their geo area. I read somewhere that this practice was illegal.
9. They own the lodge/game room/community center. They take over with their card games, ball game watching, BS hour, etc. Look at you like you are bothering them.
10. Most become PACK RATS. Junk around their trailers/rigs. When we read the rules "nothing stored outside or under your RV." Well here we go again with the exception to policy. Applies to us but not to homesteaders.
11. The best spaces are taken over by the homesteaders. Idiots in the office seem to favor their long term buddies in the Fam Camp. Those nice spots by the trees for shade? forget it. Those nice water view spaces? forget those too. The best paved/level spaces? Well you are getting it...forget those too.
12. Sure there are many more things that rub people wrong about homesteaders. Love to hear them.

And what really gets us is some of these homesteaders are contractors on base! Some of them have never served a day in uniform. They should be the last to be able to camp in the FamCamps. Much less long term there.

There should be a time LIMIT on how long a homesteader can stay. i.e. 30 to 45 days and move on for 30 days. Well, don't try to remind JAX NAS Fam Camp mgr about their own rule of 45 days in a 12 month period. Wrong. Only enforced when they want to enforce it. Selective enforcement.

i was recently at nas jax and was OMG surprised at the number of WORKERS that are living there.

active duty...i think they should be able to stay until they get a place or offered base housing.

as far as contractors, be it retirees or other they should made to move every what ever the rule is at that park.imo

What exactly is a "homesteader" ? Is it someone who has a nice big motorhome and parks it in a space and doesn't leave ? Granted I'm new here and have never been to any of these campgrounds but it seems to me that staying would be impossible by reading the rules.

Those of us who use our RV's as a means of travel to see this great country of ours might say a homesteader is someone who finds a spot in a campground and stays for months at a time and puts all kinds of STUFF outside to make it look like it is a trailer park not a campground. As for rules regarding homesteading they vary from campground to campground for military and private so be aware when you chose a military famcamp what you will find when you arrive by asking when you make a reservation if they allow homesteading/extended stays meaning to us more than a month. Some of the most popular Famcamps in the Southeast allow homesteading/extended stays so it can be difficult to get a reservation for short term stays. Funny thing about it is most of these folks who stay for months at a time and then head back to their homes up North do not think of themselves as homesteaders.

skinstains wrote: What exactly is a "homesteader" ? Is it someone who has a nice big motorhome and parks it in a space and doesn't leave ? Granted I'm new here and have never been to any of these campgrounds but it seems to me that staying would be impossible by reading the rules.

Good question, as everyone will have their own definition. To me, a "homesteader" is someone who is living in a campground or RV Park longer than 6 months (and that is stretching it). As LamSan said, it's the JUNK that they have all over the place that really bothers me, and the fact that short-term visitors who want to use the park for recreation might not be able to get it. Basically, homesteaders are turning recreational facilities into housing facilities.

I may get some flak, but I think a maximum length of stay of 6 months (3 months is better) should be enforced for everyone, even for active duty (except for rare exceptions). I've seen too many active duty living in the base RV Park for years, and still collect all of their housing allowance. I've seen retired O6's and above living in a base campground for over 3 years. And I couldn't get a RV site for one night.

What bothers me the most, is ALL branches of the military have "no homesteading" in their regulations for utilizing MWR facilities. But the local installation commander can make exceptions and does, or doesn't enforce the regulations.

Then should we as traveling RV'ers send these concerns up the chain of command ? Let it become a major complaint to a higher concern? Let the guilty FamCamp know that this will be the course of action?