Campgrounds near the Pier

The CFO (wife) has given me the okay to shop around for a sm.camper for my fishing trips, as long as I fund it by getting rid of some of my other toys.

But anyway what's your favorite campgrounds if you use them, or know folks who have and what was there experience, good, bad, etc.

I'd like to find one that has storage so I don't have to drag it back and forth. I'm going to have to store it someplace, Our HOA won't let me have it in the yard over 5 days

I've gotten all the information I could from online searching, just looking for good old human Intel.

X2. Always camp at Gulf State Park, but open to other suggestions.

Gulf State Park if you want to be right at the beach, pier, etc
If you don't mind driving back and forth (and fighting traffic, especially headed south), Anchor's Aweigh on Cty Rd 20 in Foley (Anchors Aweigh RV Resort | Drop Anchor at Anchors Aweigh!)

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Originally Posted by hammerhead

Gulf State Park if you want to be right at the beach, pier, etc
If you don't mind driving back and forth (and fighting traffic, especially headed south), Anchor's Aweigh on Cty Rd 20 in Foley (Anchors Aweigh RV Resort | Drop Anchor at Anchors Aweigh!)

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The prices I am seeing there, for not alot more you could get a condo.....maybe not right on the beach, but across the road....although we got one a few years ago the month of oct. For 1400 small 2 bedroom in gulf shore right on the beach
But have heard of monthly rentals in the fall / winter for 700 -900 2 bedroom

I've looked at the Park and it looks nice but it's huge, I'm looking for some of the smaller places.
Like Doc's RV park or Southport, I may have to plan my trip in advance to get a spot but that's fine.
It will be only myself or maybe one of my son's if there wife's will let them, poor fells.
So all I need is elc.and h2o hook up, I'll us to campgrounds showers and rest room.,I'm coming to fish not be a vacation tourist ,just fish ,nothing wrong with vacation tourists it's just not what I'm doing.
I appreciate the input.

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Originally Posted by ironman172

The prices I am seeing there, for not alot more you could get a condo.....maybe not right on the beach, but across the road....although we got one a few years ago the month of oct. For 1400 small 2 bedroom in gulf shore right on the beach
But have heard of monthly rentals in the fall / winter for 700 -900 2 bedroom

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I never looked at the rates...we have friends that pretty much spend the whole summer there. The wife and kids go down and visit them several times over the summer (my girls spent the week of July 4th with them down there). I never realized the rates were as high as they are.:eek:

Growing up as a kid spending every summer over there, my grandparents kept their camper over at Beech's on Orange Beach Rd. I know Mr. Beech passed away when I was a teenager, but from what I understand his son still runs it. I had heard that things went downhill for a bit, but I rolled through there this March for some memories and it looked nice enough. Maybe someone else can comment on this.

Wow, this thread is bringing back memories. Back in the 1970s, we stayed at Sea Side Trailer Park in Romar Beach. Now its a condo. I'm not aware of any trailer park that is directly on the beach.

I've always used the state park, nice bath house faciltys, close to the pier, rates arent bad, while it is big, by booking in advance you can pick your spot, i always choose the main road so i have a straight shot in and out of the park

i have kept my camper at GSP for 10 or so years. Now I live down here and trying to decide about selling my camper. I have put in storage for 45.00 month. I have moved from GSP due to the fact that prices went way up. Now we stay off canal rd across from the toll bridge. love camping.

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Originally Posted by daniel9829

i have kept my camper at GSP for 10 or so years. Now I live down here and trying to decide about selling my camper. I have put in storage for 45.00 month. I have moved from GSP due to the fact that prices went way up. Now we stay off canal rd across from the toll bridge. love camping.

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Is your storage at a campground or one of storage unit type places.?

I'm not sure if you're home owners association has any regulations on cargo trailers like campers, but if you're handy, it may be cheaper to build your camper like I did. It is built from a 6x12 cargo trailer. We removed the panels from the inside and insulated the walls with a/c duck board. A standard camper a/c unit fit in the vent hole that was already in the roof. Replaced the walls with a nicer 1/8 inch panel and stained it. A full bed fits perfect with just a few inches on each side so a 2x4 frame is built from wall to wall with storage shelves on each side of the bed. Mini fridge, tv, toaster oven, and microwave in the front. The back has a fold down door that we left probably 18 inches in between it and the back wall. That's enough to store our things and slide stuff under the bed. There's a rod storage so I can run all my rods under the bed. It's light too. I pull it about 4 hours to GS with my frontier.

Wow, that is really sweet.

I am looking for similar rod holders to what you have. Where did you find those.

Sorry to highjack the thread.

Those are eagle claw rod holders from tackle warehouse. They come in a pack of two. One for the rod butts and one for the rod tips
Eagle Claw Horizontal Rod Rack

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Originally Posted by bassbuster

I'm not sure if you're home owners association has any regulations on cargo trailers like campers, but if you're handy, it may be cheaper to build your camper like I did. It is built from a 6x12 cargo trailer. We removed the panels from the inside and insulated the walls with a/c duck board. A standard camper a/c unit fit in the vent hole that was already in the roof. Replaced the walls with a nicer 1/8 inch panel and stained it. A full bed fits perfect with just a few inches on each side so a 2x4 frame is built from wall to wall with storage shelves on each side of the bed. Mini fridge, tv, toaster oven, and microwave in the front. The back has a fold down door that we left probably 18 inches in between it and the back wall. That's enough to store our things and slide stuff under the bed. There's a rod storage so I can run all my rods under the bed. It's light too. I pull it about 4 hours to GS with my frontier.

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That's a sweet set up, but won't fly with the HOA. Funny thing is that if I had a camper on the back of a truck, that would be fine, and it's written in rules to cover that issue, I guess someone on the original committee had a truck camper, Ran that past my CFO, all I got was "The Look" .so I'll keep looking.

We stayed at the state park,$50 a month to store it I think is what I read,would love to store mine but not enuff vacation time to warrant it,the park has good facility's imo,

We were paying $41/mo at Uncle Bob's Storage (now Storage USA I think) just south of County Road 8 on Highway 59. That was for paved parking with perimeter security fencing. Only changed because we sold the old camper and haven't moved back with the new one. Great folks to work with in the local office.

GSP told me when I inquired that they had a long waiting list for spaces, but that was some time ago.

If you're looking for an economical place that also has onsite storage there is a place off County Road 6 on Old Plash Road that is not very fancy, but has all the basics including storage and is about as low cost as you will find. I can't remember the name, I stayed there once in a friend's camper, but the coordinates off Google Earth are:

30.309438°
by
-87.700557°

Thanks for all the input, I'm shopping for one now, Looking into storage places.

This

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Originally Posted by jollymon

Thanks for all the input, I'm shopping for one now, Looking into storage places.

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Sure would appreciate any updates on this.

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Originally Posted by HobieKen

This
Sure would appreciate any updates on this.

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Will do , You in the market too?

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Originally Posted by jollymon

Will do , You in the market too?

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Yes, since I figured out the other day that my wife has just been blowin smoke, when she stated that it was a vacation destination, not for living.

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Originally Posted by HobieKen

Yes, since I figured out the other day that my wife has just been blowin smoke, when she stated that it was a vacation destination, not for living.

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We had PCB as a target once but that went away , we ended up back in Georgia , I'll keep you in the loop .
I'm not in a rush shopping for a camper , still not sure what kind of camper , Kind of leaning toward the larger pop-up or Hybrid
Just have to find a good one , at a good price

I have a few issues with a camper, first I'll have to bring the Hobie, so most likely some sort of pop up. Will have to carry kayak on top of it and not sure if I can get it up that high, it's not light. Second, I have a Nissan Frontier, limited towing capacity, and really don't want another truck just yet. Been looking at A frames on line, not sure on those yet.

I have seen a cross bar type rack used on tops of Pop-ups, kind of like SUV roof racks , to carry Yaks , I'm leaning Pop-up myself for the lower drag towing and Lt.wight , with A/C , campground Bath house, cooler and sm.grill I'm good to go

Any thing with canvas is bad in real hot or real cold weather,my Ac ran buckets of water off the roof at the end of July down there and would have been better with 2 units temps were not bad but humidity was

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Originally Posted by mike243

Any thing with canvas is bad in real hot or real cold weather,my Ac ran buckets of water off the roof at the end of July down there and would have been better with 2 units temps were not bad but humidity was

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Didn't think about that aspect , Good to know, I probably won't do the mid-summer months I don't do humidity well anymore.
Hows it in March, April, May,early June ' ........ Mid September, October, November??

Update-I picked a Older (so I'm I) Pop-up in need of some "Love" but she'll make a fine "Fish Camp" , has all the basic needs, Bed, Stove, A/C (a bit on limp side a/c) I'll have to upgrade A/C later , so I hope to make myself a regular about Late September or October, threw to mid November , Then in the spring we'll hit it again , Hope to pry my Grandson away from from those video games to learn the manly art of Fishing .(Kids on tablets,laptops,phones , just push me over the edge,GetOutside)

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Originally Posted by jollymon

Didn't think about that aspect , Good to know, I probably won't do the mid-summer months I don't do humidity well anymore.
Hows it in March, April, May,early June ' ........ Mid September, October, November??

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Jolly, That's good strategy, we were at GS 3rd week last July, I don't think the heat index dropped below 105 during the day for the entire week. Totally unbearable for me during daily peak temps, swimming in my own body fluids, couldn't drink enough fast enough to stay hydrated.