Workampers

[Me.Bikes.Dogs]

Any workampers out there? I full-time and work camp. My experience has been great. How about yours?

[cumminsdad08]

i am not, but i was upstate last spring, and the campsites were loaded with guys that set up shop for a few weeks at a shot. they are drilling for gas all over the place up there. i ran into guys from all over, seemed like they were all on their own contracts or something, just working for a same company. they would set up for a few weeks, work like 16 hrs a day for 6 days a week, and then head home for a few weeks and then come back.

[gbsb]

We fulltime also and are workkamping in North East Texas for the winter. It has been a good experience so for. Would like to be off on week ends but that is the busy time so that is when needed. We work 30 hours aweek between the 2 of us 15 for site and 15 for pay, not much but buys groceries and pays for the movies every week. We have a Fuzion toyhauler and a Harley Tri Glide for fun. George

[antiqfreq]

Our best friends are fulltimers who work kamp and have 2 kids they 'trailer' school. They have been doing it 3 years now.

When we left So. FL in Feb 2009, we hooked up with them a few times when they were and weren't working.

Boy they do have stories to tell.

Once they wanted so bad to quit this campground and they said they had to pull "The Big Lebowski" and at 6AM loaded up and on the way out, saw the owners and they asked them what was wrong & they replied "Sick relative in Florida, gotta go". (They were in California at the time). They said they kept trying to quit but kept getting talked into staying so they just bailed !!

A pretty funny story or two, they kept us entertained with some of them. Lucky for us we traveled with them for 3 months before they had to get to working again.

Jo

[slewis95407]

We been fulltiming for seven years and for the last six years we have workamped for the California State Parks in Mendocino County. MacKerricher SP, Hendy Woods SP, Van Damme SP, Russian Gulch SP and the Ford House Museum in the village of Mendocino.

This has been a wounderful experience and have met a lot of really nice people. Also have made some wonderful friendships with other camp hosts.

[jje1960]

Sounds so cool when full timers do it for something to do.... While still needing to make a living, sounds like a regular job is better...... Just what I've observed while reading the many posts about work camping.

[Me.Bikes.Dogs]

Sounds so cool when full timers do it for something to do.... While still needing to make a living, sounds like a regular job is better...... Just what I've observed while reading the many posts about work camping.

I owned my own business for 15 years and worked my a++ off every day. Then I got a divorce and sold the house, business, cars, etc. and bought a 5th wheel. Now I workkamp to pay for my spot and do Internet consulting out of my 5th wheel to make a living (making payments on the truck and RV). My stress levels are waaaaay lower than before and for me at least, life is better.

Of course I have the luxury of working out of my trailer. I don't have to deal with traffic, I take my Harley out for a ride in the middle of a weekday, and I meet a lot of great people. Last but not least, I can find a new park to work at if I get bored with the place I'm at.

Full-timing and workkamping have been the right choice for me.

[kevin46]

I don't think you'd consider us workampers but we've been travelling 4-6 months for the last few winters. This year I've taken my karaoke show on the road with us. It gives us something to do, lots of fun, and a few bucks to put gas in our 07 Harley Road King.

[mikell]

We had workcampers for a time in our park last year mostly good but one seem to have stolen a bunch of stuff. Got a lot of work done I do have to admit. We have the Senior PGA in town in May and hope to have a few helpers being were only a mile away form the clubhouse.

[RGF911]

I have been workcamping for two years now. Working in East Liberty Ohio and my family is in SW Michigan. I go home on the weekends. Its a good time you get to meet all kinds trust me on that one!!

[alrfetting77]

What do you "workampers" do out there for a living? I'm a pipe fitter and am looking to take my career on the road. What rigs work the best for a construction worker? Thanks.

[mikell]

Our campground gets a lot of traveling workers for the local nuke plants. Everybody has different needs and requirements for how they want to live. The nuke workers usually work long hours 80+ hours a week is normal so they only eat , sleep and work for their time in the area. Everything from trailers used for storage to 45' 5th wheels. It's all up to you

[RossNSally4Montanas]

This March we will be traveling to Upper Idaho to be work kampers for seven months. We see this as an opportunity to travel the country and have our spot paid for. Work will be four days on and four days off. My only concern is traveling across Wyoming in the wind. Anyone have suggestions on how to handle the wind? We believe work kamping will be fun and if not will find a place to settle down. Have sold the stick and bricks house and put what little we have left in storage!

[hankaye]

RossNSally4Montanas, Howdy;

If you plan on using I-80 to cross (E-W or W-E), you can use US 30 as a go around for that section West of Laramie. That's only good for the N-S or S-N
winds. Can't help with the E-W or W-E . Haven't done the I-15 that far North yet.

hankaye

PS. If it's windy ... this must be Wyoming :wave:

[haffcke]

have been work/camping nearly 20 years now, love it, construction worker sub contractor, use to spend most of the year running from one job to another wife in tow first 15 years but as we get older she stays home a lot more now, grand kids and her health not as good as once was, now i take much smaller jobs instead of 6 weeks most are done in 2,. I'm 70 and consider myself semi retired, still way to young to totally quite and actually really enjoy working still, I'm able to pick and chose my jobs now so i only take the easy ones, my TV is a work van and pull a TT. life is sooooo good!:bdance:

[ht99vpi]

@RossNSally4Montana

What type of work will you be doing that affords a schedule like that? Any pay other than site?

[trucker LOU]

FYI- at Quartzsite RV show in Jan. Amazon had a booth to recruit holiday season workcampers for their warehouses 3 I Think . they provide hook ups,wages etc for about 3 mo period. might be good to help pay snowbird costs. I misplaced the paper but info is probaly online.

[crash]

Thanks for the info.I will have to check into that.

[Comptech]

How does one go about finding places to workamp at? Is it just word of mouth...?

[KJcachers]

Www.workcamper.com

[antiqfreq]

Our friends (husband and wife) did Amazon over Xmas holidays a few years back. Started end of October and finished up right after New Years.

They give you crazy work shifts. But they do provide the space for you to camp at a nearby campground. They usually give you 2-3 choices.

Jo

[buzzard67]

We have workamped for the last 7 years. We hosted campgrounds just to get out of Texas in the summers. The pay was sickly, so we started volunteering for our campsite. We were able to choose where we wanted to summer. www.volunteer.gov is a site that has COE, state parks, BLM, NFs and others. Some pay a stipend, which is about what we were paid for hosting a small FS campground. We have just picked where we wanted to spend the summer and e-mailed that National Forest to inquire about working/volunteering. Either they would direct us to an application, or to the contractor that managed their campgrounds. We have workamped in CO, WY, OR, and WA. Some of the state parks, like in WA and OR, only require a one month commitment. You could volunteer in different parts of the state and see most of it in one season. We took off this summer due to my Dad's death, but hope to get back at it soon....maybe even full-time for a while.

[Lost]

buzzard67 I looked at the site you listed and it's closed due to the goverment shutdown :eek: