Camping in paddocks.

Making a decision by tomorrow to buy a used toy hauler to take to the races. Can someone give me an updated list of camping/electric fees on the south east tracks? Just making sure this will be a beneficial purchase over motels. Thanks guys.

 

No doubt that for tracks that allow camping it is a major convenience to already be in the paddock when you wake up in the morning. You're less rushed and less stressed for sure. Playing devil's advocate if you take the cost of the toy hauler vs. what you would spend on hotels for the season you'll probably be in the negative.

I'm not dissing the idea, just saying if you look at it from a financial perspective it will take some time to get ROI. But as the classic saying goes, you can't put a price on peace of mind. If you can afford it I say go for it!

I know the costs have gone up since the last time I raced, so others can provide the latest info. When I first started I stayed in hotels vs. camping at the track. Then I upgraded my trailer into a hotel on wheels and definitely saved money and had some of my best memories camping at the track.

I will never forget Saturday nights in the paddock at Summit Point after the endurance races back in the heyday. It was like Vegas. What happens at Summit stays at Summit.

 

You won't save a lot of money, but you will save time.

 

We have been riding with N2 as well and there don't seem to be any camping fee's with them so that helps too. We're not looking at getting an expensive one. It will be less thank 10k.

 

I'd like to see the costs and 'savings' fully projected out over 1-10 years. Resale value on the hauler is probably the only way it makes sense.

then again, I have seen people purchase $70,000 trucks to pull their hauler and "save money on hotels."

 

Also don't forget to add in the maintenance costs on the toy hauler and time spent filling water tanks, emptying the shitter tank, etc. Plus storage and winter maintenance on the toy hauler during the off season. That will take more time and money than checking out of the hotel on Sunday morning and not having to do anything other than race and then go home.

It really all boils down to comfort and convenience at the track. Again, if you can afford it I say go for it. Wish I could have had one when I was racing.

 

I think the economical move is always going to be a nicely configured 6x12 (or similar) with heat, AC, and some good cots, or a used RV pulling a small trailer, if you really want the toilet and shower.

the resale market on RVs seems to be bigger than toy haulers.

 

from a financial standpoint... hotels will be cheaper BUT you will be getting up at 6am and commuting. (which makes the Sunday night drive seem even longer)

Upside with a toyhauler is you know your bed will be clean and as comfortable as you make it. The luxury of having your own shitter is nice as well especially with any lady guests coming with you.

 

The best part is sitting there drinking your coffee all done and set up watching everyone else pull in and run around like mad men... And of course bitching about no Power being available... Even when I didn't have a trailer I camped at every track at every event I did the last 16 Years with the exception of Putnam.....(No Camping allaowed) And I still say WTF about that place...LOL... Every Track has a shitter and most have ok Showers... I recommend a Race traile for your budget... I got my Pace from here just over 10K OTD..... www.trailernation.com Go under Inventory and hit RACE CAR TRAILERS

 

If you are not overly picky on the bathroom thing, you can just get a decent sized trailer, add electric, A/C + heat, a fridge (that runs on LP or electric) and a comfy bed setup (lots of options). Then you don't have to mess with the whole winterization, emptying and filling water tanks, etc. Bring a grill / camp stove if you want to cook. The whole thing will still probably be lighter, cheaper and better built than most toy haulers. You can even add an interior wall to keep the "garage" out of your "bedroom". Summit, Pitt Race, VIR , NCBike all have pretty decent bath facilities. Yeah, you might have to wait for the shower at the end of the day, but you will probably still get done sooner than if you had to drive to a hotel.

Some places you don't have to pay for camping, but you do have to pay for electric. So you can either get a nice big quiet generator or pay to plug in. Since I just do track days (and mostly with N2), not sure on the rates for camping on race weekends.

 

Hmmmmm. For me its the pick-up, a tent, and a thermarest. Plus the cook-kit, and I was enjoying some of the best food in the paddock.
When you grow up camping and sleeping on the ground, it resonates "vacation".
I do understand this doesn't work everywhere. Thunderhill in June was a tad warm at night, and the bugs gnarly. Still, good times.

 

I really like ramp-door tent extensions for enclosed trailers.

Adds another 30+ square feet of "interior" space. This was the first picture I could find.



velcro, some PVC, and some canvas, and you could make your own for cheap. And canvas is durable as hell. Holds in heat and AC better than you'd think too.

 

It all depends on how much you pay for the RV, how long you keep it, how good you take care of it, and what kind of resale value it will have.

That's something I haven't seen mentioned is resale. A good RV can hold value and you can get some money back when you sell it; you can't go back to the hotels and ask for a refund.

But you can't beat the comfort. It is awesome waking up and being in the pit. It sucked having to drive back/forth to the hotel and then you are stuck outside all day. That is another big difference. It was immediately noticeable how much better I felt later in the afternoons when I could go relax and cool off in the RV during the day.

So regardless of camping costs, it is worth it IMO.

 

To directly answer your question, 2 of the most expensive tracks (in the SE) are Barber, and (believe it or not), Talladega. Tally has raised their fees over the last couple of years. But in fairness, they have been putting it back into the track and making improvements.

If I had to guess, I'd say you'll spend about $30-50/day for camping and power in average, depending on the track.

 

That's the route I took and the ROI was very quick as I did all the work myself. Also had the fridge, coffee maker and grill as others mentioned. The only variable was showers and bathrooms, which have been greatly improved at most facilities in the SE from what I understand. CMP, VIR and Barber have always had good facilities.

Laughing now remembering many a cold shower or nasty shower stall at some tracks but I was a lot younger and a lot less picky than I am now.

One of the funniest memories was standing in line at tech at Roebling Road with bed head, wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts with a cup of coffee in my hand. Stickboy walks up and asks "Are you wearing boxers?" I said yes and he just shook his head and walked away. Awww man, the good old days!

 

"yeah. do i have to take them off for tech inspection?"

 

I started with just a pickup, then a landscape trailer, followed by a 6x12 heat/AC trailer and moved to a 5th wheel toy hauler 3 years ago. For me convenience is everything and being able to pull in and choose to not unload and still have living quarters was a big factor. Many stormy Friday nights or 8 plus hour drives it’s nice to just pull in and sleep without having to unload bikes. I can leave the grey and black water until I have free time to drain them into my horse pasture on the farm. So from pull in to disconnect I am about 15 minuets, winterizing takes me 30 minutes and I store it on my farm constantly connected to shore power.

 

Thanks for all the replies. First we done motels then we just stuck a a/c in the 6X12 a few months ago and slept on air mattresses and then I found out if I wanted my family to come again I had to go back to motels or buy a toy hauler. I'm going to go for it and hope the camping fee's aren't to bad. I really am thinking like chaoti. AC between rounds racing sounds amazing during July and August lol.

 

Going off strictly numbers (financially), it can be very hard/impossible to justify a toy hauler. A toy hauler earns its value by all the intangibles the guys are talking about. Waking up track side in your own bed washed with your fav detergent, not some hotel sheets that may have been used for a porn shoot. Not having to drive 30 min to get to the track. Jumping in some A/C during the summer between races. Cold fridge to keep all the beer/water, etc.

They are the most convenient pain in the ass you'll ever own.