Expert Campground Etiquette You Need To Know

If you’ve ever searched social media for a camping hack, an easy Blackstone recipe or a funny take on the realities of RV life, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Campin’ Erin. Erin Graves has built a community around something we love at Girl Camper: making camping feel fun, approachable and worth the effort. In this episode of the **Girl Camper Podcast**, Janine sits down with Erin to talk about family camping, campground etiquette, easy camp cooking, favorite camping gadgets and Erin’s book, How Not to Be That Camper. And yes, they get into some of those campground habits that can make otherwise perfectly nice campers a little crazy! **🎧 Listen to the Girl Camper Podcast or ▶️ watch the full conversation on YouTube.** https://youtu.be/z7oQ8PfeVBc ## Are You THAT Camper? What started as a popular topic with Erin’s social media followers eventually became a book. Whenever Erin asked people about **campground etiquette**, the opinions came pouring in. And many of the same complaints kept appearing. People cutting through occupied campsites. Outdoor lights left blazing all night. Barking dogs. Pet owners who don’t clean up after their animals. Noise. Kids wandering through someone else’s site. That inspired Erin to write How Not to Be That Camper, a lighthearted look at some of the written and unwritten rules that help all of us become better campground neighbors. Janine and Erin have a great conversation about one rule in particular: **don’t cut through someone else’s campsite.** It may technically be campground property, but when someone has rented that campsite for the weekend, it becomes their little home away from home. Walking around takes a few extra seconds and can make camping more enjoyable for everyone. Of course, campground etiquette isn’t always black and white. Erin and Janine also talk about situations where reasonable campers may see things differently, which is part of what makes this conversation so much fun. ## From Tent Camper to Family RV Adventures Erin didn’t grow up camping. She started tent camping with friends as a young adult and later camped with her husband. Once their son was in preschool, Erin and her husband decided it might be time for an RV. They went to the dealership intending to look. They came home as RV owners. Sound familiar? Today, their **Keystone Bullet travel trailer** has become the family’s home on wheels and a reason to take trips they might otherwise keep putting off. That’s one of the things Erin loves about RVing. Instead of talking about taking a weekend trip someday, having the camper gives their family a reason to actually go. ## Why Women Should Know How Their RV Works Erin and her husband divide many of their campground jobs. She typically handles setting up the inside and their campsite while he handles much of the towing, hitching and exterior setup. But Erin has also pulled their camper and wants more practice backing it up. That led to an important conversation between Erin and Janine. You don’t necessarily have to be the person who normally tows, backs or hitches the RV. But **knowing how to do those things in an emergency can be incredibly valuable.** What happens if your partner gets hurt or becomes sick during a camping trip? Even if couples choose to divide the work, understanding the basics can give both people more confidence when they travel. ## Campin’ Erin’s Other Specialty: Campground Food! Then the conversation turns delicious. Erin loves camping gadgets and easy campground cooking, especially on her **Blackstone griddle**. After seeing other campers rave about Blackstones, Erin and her husband bought a 22-inch griddle. Pancakes and bacon eventually turned into more creative meals, which Erin began sharing with her followers. Blackstone eventually invited her to become part of its **Blackstone Griddle Crew**. Erin’s cooking philosophy is refreshingly uncomplicated. Camping food doesn’t have to be fancy. She focuses on easy meals that families can make quickly and actually want to eat. Erin also plans her camping meals before leaving home, including what she needs to buy and what ingredients she already has that can simply be packed in the camper. Of course, even the best meal plan occasionally loses to leftovers, a nearby restaurant or a food truck that happens to pull into the campground! ## The Camping Tradition Erin’s Son May Treasure Someday One of our favorite parts of the conversation has nothing to do with RV gear or cooking. Erin has kept a **journal of every camping trip her family has taken in their RV**. She records where they went, what they did and who they met, and adds a small photo from the trip. Someday, her son will be able to look back through those journals and see the adventures his parents created for him. It’s such a simple idea and such a wonderful way to preserve those camping memories. ## Watch or Listen to the Full Conversation with Campin’ Erin There’s much more in Janine and Erin’s conversation, including favorite camping gadgets, peaceful campground mornings, evenings around the campfire, traveling with kids and why all the work involved in getting the RV ready is ultimately worth it. So rather than tell you everything here, **come join the conversation!** ▶️ **Watch the full Campin’ Erin interview on the Girl Camper YouTube channel.** 🎧 **Prefer to listen? Find this episode of the Girl Camper Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.** And then tell us: **What’s the one campground etiquette rule you wish every camper would follow?** ## Thank You to Progressive Insurance A special thank you to **Progressive Insurance for sponsoring this episode of the Girl Camper Podcast** and supporting the Girl Camper community. Your RV takes you to some pretty wonderful places, and having the right insurance is part of preparing for those adventures. We encourage Girl Campers to check out Progressive when considering insurance for their RV. Thanks, Progressive, for helping us continue sharing stories, information and inspiration that encourage more women to **go places and do things!**