Does anyone have first hand knowledge of Hipcamp?

rc51stierhoff

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My understanding of Harvesthosts is that they cater to self contained RV's and many of the spots available for booking will bring you to a location , for example, a winery , with the goal of getting the camper to visit, take the tour, buy product from the winery outlet store. Hipcamp offers a wide range of camping experiences from primitive single campsites with no amenities to glamping tents to cabins and anything in-between .




My plan is to have my tent and campsite available for booking from the 1st of May of this year. I will report back if I get any booking, and give honest feedback, the good and the ugly. Might be the dumbest thing I have jumped into but I hope it ends up being a rewarding way of being able to share the work I have accomplished on my property.
Thanks…I am interested…in my mind it seems like a great way to make some walking around cash / offset some property taxes…but I can also imagine a scenario where I drive up on a Thursday evening so I can get up at zero dark thirty the next morning to slip into the woods under cover of darkness for a turkey hunt, go to park myself against a tree in my overpriced hunting pants to find someone’s ‘compliments to the chef’. I wonder catering to folks with motorhomes/5th wheel campers maybe not a better option…I suspect they have facilities and regular use and clean up. I am not sure that is true or not, but they should be able to contain a bit more waste.
 
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ken erickson

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When you set your listing up as a host you can stipulate what is required from the campers such as they provide a means of containing their waste (Luggable loo, etc) and that they pack it out. In my case I will offer a outhouse style with waterless composting toilet. Of course no guarantees that the campers follow the rules.

Hipcamp allows for pre-vetting the campers and will step in with the insurance policy that is provided to the host covering liability, theft or damage. Of course we all know about insurance policies and collecting.
 
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Siesta Sundance

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I'm looking to expand, I have 2 RV spots, I'm wanting 2 more. I pre-screen the RVers, cause it's a farm stay, I seek retirees, they are truly the best. One of my guests this year is solo, in his 50's and he works remote, he has been a great guest as well. I cant have anyone that has outside dogs or they plan keeping them in some sort of cage/kennel outside, its gotta be an inside dog and on a leash. Im very firm, upfront and personal. I tell folks I have to and/or my neighbors occasionally dispatch dogs(usually dumped dogs) that are loose and chase livestock.
Check with your state to see if they have liability built in for your situation. Then check with your insurance.
You might also want to create a LLC, to seperate your assets/liabilities from the goals of making money. I have mine set up as a farm stay, to umbrella with Tx agritourism laws already provided.

But I also would like to have a couple tent camping spots in the woods/brush, the fire issue worries me too.. but I think I would provide the fire pits, and the wood should not be exposed above the top of the rim. Not sure if just having camp tent sites alone is worth it.
 
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GeoHorn

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Thanks…I am interested…in my mind it seems like a great way to make some walking around cash / offset some property taxes…but I can also imagine a scenario where I drive up on a Thursday evening so I can get up at zero dark thirty the next morning to slip into the woods under cover of darkness for a turkey hunt, go to park myself against a tree in my overpriced hunting pants to find someone’s ‘compliments to the chef’. I wonder catering to folks with motorhomes/5th wheel campers maybe not a better option…I suspect they have facilities and regular use and clean up. I am not sure that is true or not, but they should be able to contain a bit more waste.
”…offset some property taxes…” …?? property taxes are likely a deduction anyway…but income from camping-rentals is likely reportable.…. off-set by any “improvement costs” necessary to meet the needs of the campers.

RVs/Motorhomes may or may not need water/elect/sewer hookups…. depending on Your Policies.

We have 3 elect and water hookups for friends who visit…(no charge, of course)….but no dump/sewer. I recommend to them as they leave to visit a nearby state-park which allows sewer/dump for $5.

As for turkey hunting….. this is yesterday….ten feet off my back porch…. Since we live “out in the country”…we throw table scraps out for the wildlife rather than the garbage or sink/septic…..(but I quit hunting years ago when I realized after a dove-hunt that dove meat costs $1200/lb.)

IMG_2578.jpeg
 
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Siesta Sundance

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”…offset some property taxes…” …?? property taxes are likely a deduction anyway…but income from camping-rentals is likely reportable.…. off-set by any “improvement costs” necessary to meet the needs of the campers.

RVs/Motorhomes may or may not need water/elect/sewer hookups…. depending on Your Policies.

We have 3 elect and water hookups for friends who visit…(no charge, of course)….but no dump/sewer. I recommend to them as they leave to visit a nearby state-park which allows sewer/dump for $5.

We are hosting a solar-eclipse fly-in/camp-out for our “flying-club-friends” Only…. and runway lighting improvements are deductible.

As for turkey hunting….. this is yesterday….ten feet off my back porch…. Since we live “out in the country”…we throw table scraps out for the wildlife rather than the garbage or sink/septic…..(but I quit hunting years ago when I realized after a dove-hunt that dove meat costs $1200/lb.)

View attachment 124925
I have full hook ups which allows me to have monthly to seasonal rentors.
I have one spot for family or friends that has 30amp elect and water only. Haha I might some family that doesn't need to stay to long....

Funny about the dove hunting costs.. $1200lb!! lol I know the shells keep going up every year too. Love the turkeys, I'm 2 hours south of ya, and the turkeys are going crazy this time of the year, the flocks look real healthy too, I have daily turkey visitors as well.
 

4R Rancher

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I am new to Orange Tractor Talks and just discovered this thread. While I realize that I am a little late to the discussion, I thought I could offer some insight that might be of some use to folks that have questions regarding HipCamp. We have an 1,100 acre ranch in North Texas on which we operate a destination winery and 10 mile mountain bike loop. We have been doing Hipcamp since 2020. We have a bunch of tent campsites and two RV sites with electricity and power (no dump). Overall, we have been very happy with Hipcamp and it has been pretty lucrative for us. During prime camping weekends in the spring and fall, we make upwards of $1,200 per weekend in camping fees (and, of course, since most campers have a fair amount of disposable income, they spend money on wine and food with us as well). We have had very few problems with Hipcampers, and in fact have met some great folks of all camping types -- tent campers, rooftop tent campers, RVers, hammock campers, etc. The vast majority of Hipcampers are respectful of our property. In fact, we decided to add free camping nights and mountain bike trail passes to our wine club memberships and have had a good number of people join the club primarily for those reasons. Luckily we have had no injuries from Hogs, Rattlesnakes, Copperheads or mountain lions. Our ranch is in the top ten of Hipcamp sites in Texas. We decided to simply provide firewood for free except for during special events because campers arrive at all times of day and night and it would be difficult to accommodate their schedules (and we have no shortage of dead trees that can be harvested for firewood).

Our campsites can be seen here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/...n=0&srid=4e6ad421-5c9b-439f-8feb-1f97cdec37a7

Our winery website is here: www.4rwines.com

If you are considering HipCamp and have questions about it, feel free to contact me.

Ken, your place looks nice -- I hope HipCamp is working out well for you.
 
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Siesta Sundance

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I am new to Orange Tractor Talks and just discovered this thread. While I realize that I am a little late to the discussion, I thought I could offer some insight that might be of some use to folks that have questions regarding HipCamp. We have an 1,100 acre ranch in North Texas on which we operate a destination winery and 10 mile mountain bike loop. We have been doing Hipcamp since 2020. We have a bunch of tent campsites and two RV sites with electricity and power (no dump). Overall, we have been very happy with Hipcamp and it has been pretty lucrative for us. During prime camping weekends in the spring and fall, we make upwards of $1,200 per weekend in camping fees (and, of course, since most campers have a fair amount of disposable income, they spend money on wine and food with us as well). We have had very few problems with Hipcampers, and in fact have met some great folks of all camping types -- tent campers, rooftop tent campers, RVers, hammock campers, etc. The vast majority of Hipcampers are respectful of our property. In fact, we decided to add free camping nights and mountain bike trail passes to our wine club memberships and have had a good number of people join the club primarily for those reasons. Luckily we have had no injuries from Hogs, Rattlesnakes, Copperheads or mountain lions. Our ranch is in the top ten of Hipcamp sites in Texas. We decided to simply provide firewood for free except for during special events because campers arrive at all times of day and night and it would be difficult to accommodate their schedules (and we have no shortage of dead trees that can be harvested for firewood).

Our campsites can be seen here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/...n=0&srid=4e6ad421-5c9b-439f-8feb-1f97cdec37a7

Our winery website is here: www.4rwines.com

If you are considering HipCamp and have questions about it, feel free to contact me.

Ken, your place looks nice -- I hope HipCamp is working out well for you.
Welcome Sir to OTT, from Bee Co. TX.
THANKS for that information.
Much appreciated.
 

ken erickson

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Nov 21, 2010
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I am new to Orange Tractor Talks and just discovered this thread. While I realize that I am a little late to the discussion, I thought I could offer some insight that might be of some use to folks that have questions regarding HipCamp. We have an 1,100 acre ranch in North Texas on which we operate a destination winery and 10 mile mountain bike loop. We have been doing Hipcamp since 2020. We have a bunch of tent campsites and two RV sites with electricity and power (no dump). Overall, we have been very happy with Hipcamp and it has been pretty lucrative for us. During prime camping weekends in the spring and fall, we make upwards of $1,200 per weekend in camping fees (and, of course, since most campers have a fair amount of disposable income, they spend money on wine and food with us as well). We have had very few problems with Hipcampers, and in fact have met some great folks of all camping types -- tent campers, rooftop tent campers, RVers, hammock campers, etc. The vast majority of Hipcampers are respectful of our property. In fact, we decided to add free camping nights and mountain bike trail passes to our wine club memberships and have had a good number of people join the club primarily for those reasons. Luckily we have had no injuries from Hogs, Rattlesnakes, Copperheads or mountain lions. Our ranch is in the top ten of Hipcamp sites in Texas. We decided to simply provide firewood for free except for during special events because campers arrive at all times of day and night and it would be difficult to accommodate their schedules (and we have no shortage of dead trees that can be harvested for firewood).

Our campsites can be seen here: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/...n=0&srid=4e6ad421-5c9b-439f-8feb-1f97cdec37a7

Our winery website is here: www.4rwines.com

If you are considering HipCamp and have questions about it, feel free to contact me.

Ken, your place looks nice -- I hope HipCamp is working out well for you.
Thanks for sharing insight and experience with Hipcamp!

I must admit I am having a hard time getting the ball rolling on bookings for my campsite. Perhaps I am priced too high for my site. As of right now, does not have a toilet, something I am working on. Currently it is listed to bring a lug a loo etc.
 
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Siesta Sundance

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Thanks for sharing insight and experience with Hipcamp!

I must admit I am having a hard time getting the ball rolling on bookings for my campsite. Perhaps I am priced too high for my site. As of right now, does not have a toilet, something I am working on. Currently it is listed to bring a lug a loo etc.
Lower rates and ask for reviews, can always increase later down the road.

Not signed up yet with HC. But I plan on making 2 outhouses, movable by pallet forks. I need to add sewer to another RV spot. I been happy with monthly snowbird rv rentors, just been using Craigslist for them.
 
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