Camping vs Hotel

Hotels are much cheaper than paying for a camper, paying to insure it and haul it so I don't get that argument. I leave the trailer at the track with everything in it. I've never worried about track folks getting into a locked trailer. 

Downside is I can't sleep in hotels. But that's just my thing. 

I bought a toy hauler so the wife and kids would be comfortable at the track. It can turn into a lot of work and unexpected issues also. Each has its pros and cons, like staying at dumpy hotels 

If you have kids camping at the track is the way to go. That’s 90% of the reason I spend the time and money. Kids are having the time of their lives from dawn till dusk whether they are racing their motos or roaming in packs on bikes or 110’s before and after. It is allot of work though.
 

We started with a 21ft bumper tow and are in a 40ft 5th wheel now. Aside from the normal unpacking and cleaning when you are beat after a long weekend there is the unexpected tire blowout at 11pm on the fwy when you are 100miles from home and have to be at work in 6hrs or like what I’ve been dealing with the last few weeks. Frame on the trailer broke. Spent the last couple weeks after work disassembling the front of the trailer and grinding and welding only to have it break in a different spot (or in a spot that was cracked before and you missed) halfway home after a long 4day weekend. Your kids are only young once though and the good times are worth it. 

I generally stay in hotels for outdoors races.There is one exception, which is the MXDN. The MXDN is the woodstock of motocross So camping to get the full experience is completely worth it.  Half of the experience with the MXCN is the race. The other half is all the cool stuff that goes on like the live shows, pitbike racing, the crowd partying, etc... I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is. 

Camping is as expensive or as cheap as you make it.

I have gone to the races with a 4x8 open trailer and set up a tent for the weekend plenty of times.

Some of the best times at the track happen after the sun goes down.

I got a toyhauler in 2018 and haven’t stayed at a hotel for riding once since then. My public tracks are 4 hours away so my weekend riding trips are always two nights away from home. Way more fun to stay at track, 9 am is early for me so I get to sleep in longer, mid Moto showers if it’s over 90 are game changers, my own mattress, traeger and ac etc and I’ll never go back!

This was my morning view last Saturday!

I remember racing down in Los Banos or Oatfield in the mid 2000's and I'd make my chick go sleep in my race trailer in the hotel parking lot to make sure I didn't get my jive stolen. Our son, our dogs, and I would stay in the hotel room because I had to have a good rest for my 125 and 250B races the following day. We let her come into the room to eat some pizza and drink a couple of Coors Lights. But then we sent her back to the trailer for guard duty. She manned that shit though! A couple of tall cans, the new McGrath autobiography, a picture of me, and a pimp sleeping bag and she was golden. Oh the good ol days. 

This visual better? 

It just popped up on FB this morning where my wife and I had gone to a bicycle ride weekend by the ocean in the Fun Mover RV for the1st time 4 years ago. My Wife LOVED it so much it changed our retirement plans into full time RVing …… with a garage for the toys of course!

Our retirement home on wheels.

That's a fair point. I was assuming these guys with 30ft haulers, a f350 and a picky wife. 

Growing up we camped in a tent and hauled the bikes on rail trailers. In 1986 we camped out at Lorettas in a tent. Didnt think anything of it. The whole week probably cost my Dad $300. 

I had an awesome time camping at the track and trail rides as a kid.  We haven't gotten into it as much yet with my kids but they are little and ski racing has been the dominant sport so far.  I expect we will be in moto camp mode in a year or two.  

Also fb popped up and add for this just now.

https://www.rvt.com/Jayco-Seneca-35-TM-2009-Nebo-NC-ID11071586-UX125686

 Van life 🤙🤙

I purchased a toy hauler several years ago. I had the idea that being at the track all day and night would be fun and entertaining. It is not, at least for me. I feel more stressed with my toy hauler. Between packing and unpacking, cooking, fueling the inverter generator several times so my wife doesn't lose her precious AC, hauling it, Illinois' high registration each year, taking care of black water when I get home, making sure everything in the trailer isn't leaking or breaking, and then having to purchase a 3/4-1 Ton truck to pull it. I think I'll keep the 2500 and buy a large enclosed trailer and stay at the local hotels this year or next. I see a lot of people leave their trailers at the track and head out to a hotel. That is a lot of trust, but I'm taking a chance and everything is insured well over its valued price. Just my two cents from a vet rider. 

Toy Hauler is the only way to go! We get to the track the night before, get a great spot in the pits, set up, go walk the track, hang with all the homies, have some dinner/drinks then sleep in the next morning. I find it far more relaxing than packing up, leaving and driving to a hotel then doing it all over again while I could be relaxing at the track and sleeping in instead of waiting in line to get back in the track. Especially when you race at Washougal, that place is like a national park it's so beautiful there. My wife even loves camping there.  You do have to have a good set up to make it comfortable though. I have memory foam mattresses that are more comfortable than being home. We have a 31' Outlaw Class C and it's the perfect mix between a sprinter and a motorhome. It's small enough to drive just about anywhere a sprinter would fit but big enough to have a real shitter, shower and kitchen with big comfy beds. All my tools, parts and gear live in there full time. As well lots of food/condiments stay in the fridge so prepping is much easier. Sometimes when the boys get loud I just have a set of noise cancelling ear buds and sleep like a baby. One guy above in the thread said he hates dumping the shitter. It's easy! After years of doing this I finally built a shop with sewer and water hook ups inside. I back in after the race plug her back in and if I feel like it that night I'll dump the shitter right there in the shop drain. Easy Peasy!    

I saw a stealth camping video wherein the guy stayed at a resort in Mexico for a week, but out in his truck in the parking lot. He used the pool shower facilities to clean up and everything. Hahaha. 

Two types of camping but I prefer these over hotel. I know what I’ve done in hotel rooms in the past and nobody’s cleaning that mess good enough for me to want to go back!