Author Topic: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?  (Read 2395 times)

JanetJackson

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Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« on: November 05, 2018, 01:23:50 PM »
Hi!
Just a question of general curiosity. :)

I searched to forum and did not see any other postings, but am curious if anyone has experience using HipCamp.com or something similar as a Host or camper?
The idea is very very interesting and potentially more attainable than Air BnB for some people.

I spent my lunch break digging through their site and I have to admit that it sounds almost too good to be true.

Anyone have experience with Hip Camp or hosting people on their land/an rv/a small cabin/etc vs. their home?

FallenTimber

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Re: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2018, 03:16:36 PM »
We’ve considered it on our ranch, but ended up going the AirBnB route and renting out our cabin instead. My reservations with HipCamp were mostly related to liability. If someone were to break their leg on our land, I couldn’t determine if it would be covered by our property insurance. I paid to add a clause covering us for renting our home, but renting raw land was a gray area that they were too unsure about to inspire any confidence in me. Your home insurance company may have clearer answers for you.

I also wasn’t keen on the idea of people using the bathroom on our land, building campfires and going to bed drunk without dousing the embers, etc.

And aside from those concerns, it was also illegal according to our county zoning (despite the fact that we live in cattle country, with a population density of 5 people per square mile). Unlikely that we’d ever get caught, of course, but your county may or may not be more strict.

JoJo

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Re: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2018, 05:04:54 PM »
I've looked at it for staying, but find the prices to be way too high.  I use the freecampsites site to find free or cheap places to park my van for the night.

katscratch

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Re: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2018, 08:55:29 AM »
I've used it to find campsites and LOVE it!! There are a lot of beautiful spots in my area though, that are waaaay more private than anywhere else I can find within biking distance, including state forests, and the prices are a lot cheaper than groomed campgrounds (which aren't my preference anyway).

As far as I remember, you are required to offer a toilet. My favorite sites are more wild (I haven't stayed at one yet where the owner lives on the property) so they've all been composting toilets and have been ridiculously clean. I typically have a lot of communication with the owners (most stays have been at new listings) and they've had larger groups with no problems. A lot of them have restrictions - my favorite place is something like 50 acres on a private bend in the river, with 4 fully groomed campsites w/fire rings, and they restrict to 6 adults total.

I'm also pretty sure Hipcamp has an insurance policy; I think it was to $1M.

The site itself is REALLY responsive to questions, and so far all the owners I've interacted with have had a lot of fun sharing their land. When it's not deer season anyway ;)


Edited - looked up on the hipcamp site, thought I'd share in case others are curious:

Insurance: https://www.hipcamp.com/protection

General questions: https://hipcamp.helpscoutdocs.com/
« Last Edit: November 06, 2018, 08:59:43 AM by katscratch »

SnackDog

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Re: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2018, 08:31:01 AM »
In addition to the good suggestion about insurance, be sure you know the regulations in your jurisdiction.  Make sure it is legal for a camper to occupy the intended space and for you to collect fees. Will you owe hotel tax?

Poeirenta

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Re: Has anyone used HipCamp or hosted campers on their land?
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2018, 10:53:26 AM »
We are pondering hipcamp too. I think we'd either restrict people to using our propane fire pit or just not rent at the height of fire season. We also have rattlesnakes, unlike the other side of the state where most potential campers come from, so I really need to learn more about the insurance piece.

The biggest hurdle for us is the question of do we want to have total strangers on our property, impacting our privacy and having to be responsible for them when they are here? We go back and forth on this a lot.