Escapees [SKPs - read the letters fast to get the sense of this - ] was the original "fulltimer" club. As their original members started to get too old to full-time, the club began to welcome all RVers. This is a smaller club; serious about supporting those who living aboard for long periods of time. The feeling is "family" rather than "commercial" and SKPs are hard-nosed defenders of the Faith, fighting for the rights of all RVers. Escapees' parks offer better rates than just about anyone else [although there are few of them in the north and east.] Escapees' Discussion Forums are a wonderful source of guidance and assistance; the value of this resource is hard to exaggerate - check it out! Escapees' chapters and common-interest groups cater to regional and specific hobby or life interests, and their "CARE" facility provides help and support to members recovering from illnesses. Now, where else do you find a club like that?

The Family Motor Coach Association [FMCA] is an upright if somewhat stodgy, extremely organized, and politically savvy group. Their magazine might leave you feeling that you are in the wrong church if you do not own a $300,000 "Coach," but don't let that put you off. They are really a nice bunch of folks, very dedicated to running around in Motorhomes, and helping others enjoy the lifestyle. Politically they are eager watchdogs over regulators at every level who would impose fees, limitations, or controls on those who want to be free to own and operate a Motorhome without the help of government. To give you an idea of FMCA's size: their big conventions draw about 6,000 members' motorcoaches to some huge fairground for a week's hoopla. A core element of the FMCA is the "Chapter" which is a group of members who have some special interest. One of these is The Dodge Chassis Chapter, all of whom are owners of RV's built on the venerable Dodge-Chassis, like our own Bye Way!

Good Sam Club is the largest RV CLub and is irritatingly commercial. Their political clout is probably greater than FMCA and Escapees' combined, and they do offer a few $$ advantages to members, but be prepared to tolerate a continual stream of mailings trying to sell you something. After several years of paying their dues while they try to sell me insurance or atlases or ... something ... I've decided that it is worth it, although only barely so.

You should review and investigate each of these 3 groups (links also in Appendix 1) and decide how much you care to become involved in the "Spirit" of motorhome life. This is not an all-or-nothing decision, and it will certainly change and evolve as you gain experience. The key point is that while many RVers use their vehicle just a few hours a year, nearly everyone agrees that the RV, especially the motorhome, opens a door to an entirely new way of life.

Scary, huh?