I've been checking the campground list for awhile

But new to the forums. We have been looking at campgrounds for about a year but just now planning our first trip so I thought I'd create an account and start chatting.

My husband is Pete - USAF Veteran and Desert Storm Veteran
He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997 and in 2009 it was service connected in 2010 he was bumped to 100% permanent and total

I am Tricia - we met in 1997 and married in 2000, back then his MS was a minor inconvenience but now it consumes our entire life. I had to give up my career to be more available for him.

In 2011 we went to a camper dealer just to look around and made an impulse purchase (bad idea) of our first camper. It was a KZ Coyote Light 21 feet of living space with no slides. It seemed like it would be perfect for us. At the time we had one dog. Shortly after we got the camper we decided to get a puppy. Now we have a small camper and 2 big dogs. Rainy days at camp were not much fun with all of us crowded in and no room to walk through. We kept the KZ for 2 years and last June we took it to Syracuse NY to the Good Sam Rally with no intentions of buying a new camper BUT... well we found one that had all our requirements and if you've ever been to a Rally you know they are DEALING!!!!!

So in June 2013 we traded our 2 year old camper in for a 2014 Heartland Prowler 28 feet of living space and a super slide in living room dining room that gives us a great deal of floor space. Now dealing with new issues. We only took the new camper out 3X last summer and I realized that I need a better hitch system for it before we start out this summer. Hoping to get a reconditioned Hensley Arrow but have not gotten a price yet. My second choice is the Equalizer Hitch which I know will run me about $1000. I hear the Hensley is the best and I do like that it stays with the camper and that there is no heavy piece to haul to the back of the truck to hitch, as I do this part all on my own and my current hitch weighs somewhere around 60lbs I think.

We are planning to take some longer trips now and will use the MWR campgrounds as much as possible to keep our costs as low as possible. My husband's disease is progressing and we may be looking at adding a lift to the camper OR again going for an accessible RV in the future. Or giving up on the camping life all together. But for now we will travel and enjoy while we can.

Welcome the site and the forums! I hope you have many years of enjoyable RV'ing. While we prefer staying at military campgrounds, they are not always the lowest price. You'll just need to compare prices with other locations and keep military campgrounds open as an option. If you haven't already, also look into "Passport America" for some good camping deals.

Thanks for the reply - so far the campgrounds along our route range from $17-35 a day and the 35 is in high tourist areas where private campgrounds are much pricier but I will remember that sometimes they are not cheaper.

We are Good Sam Lifetime members and get discounts at many parks that way too.

Wondering if anyone has stayed at Manatee Cove in Cocoa Beach - looks very cool but wondering if it is probably full most of the time.

I will check out Passport America - I think they had a booth at the Good Sam Rally last year. Been waiting to see where the Rally will be this fall - last year it was in Atlanta and 2 years ago in Daytona - would love to go again if it's somewhere on our route.

We really like Manatee Cove. It does get busy in the winter with the snowbirds. But so do most other RV Parks in Florida. They have a fair rotation policy, if you get in. January is when it gets full. They don't take reservations.

We'll be there in October so before the snowbirds arrive - hoping we can get in as it looks very nice.

My husband is 100% DAV also and just a quick tip, when you do stay at a private campground always ask if they give any type of military affiliation (retiree, DAV, etc.) discount as we find if you ask you may get a discount that they do not advertise. If by chance you are a Florida resident you get a good discount at State Parks for 100% DAV, it could be as much as 50% so be sure to ask when you call or make a reservation on line. We find that many restaurants that are near bases give a military discount also if you ask and stores do also. Hubby always aks no matter where we are even if not near a base and I would say 7 times out of 10 we get a discount. Steak and Shake actually gave us $5.00 off a bill that was $12.00 when hubby asked for discount, WOW, now that is a discount. This website really is a wealth of information and know when you are in a military campground and you need help do not hesitate to ask your neighbor or the host. Good luck and have fun and hope to meet you somewhere during our travels.