Escapees RV Club: Unlocking Value, Variety, and Venues

If you RV, chances are you’ve heard of the Escapees RV Club, but you don’t know much about what it offers its members.

Escapees is an RV club with a comprehensive array of services for its members, such as short-term or long-term recreational vehicle parking, RV boot camps, mail forwarding services, discounts on camping and RV-related products, and so much more.

To learn about the Escapees RV Club, what it costs to join, and all the membership benefits, I put all the details below in this guide.

If you are a full-time RVer or love having more options for affordable camping locations, becoming an Escapees member may be just what you’re looking for!

Escapees RV Club History

Escapees RV Club is possibly the largest, oldest, and most well-rated RV membership organization in North America.

The Escapees Club began in 1978 when Kay and Joe Peterson had an idea to form an alliance with other RV travelers like themselves and create a supportive network.

Kay and Joe were already traveling with their two youngest children as full-time RVers for six years when they fell into starting the company that would bring fellow RV enthusiasts together.

It was Kay who, in 1977, wrote the RV how-to book called “Home Is Where You Park It,” which helped bring awareness and a sense of family to the nomadic and camping lifestyle of the recreational vehicle community.

Kay was also writing very well-received RV-related articles for Woodall’s Trailer Travel magazine. After doing a Q&A article for the magazine, readers were asked if there was any national club for full-time RVers they could join.

As no one was aware of such a club at that time, Kay and Joe asked readers if they would be interested if they started one, and the answer was, “Yes!”

The Escapees RV Club began spreading information to its early members via newsletters. Placing your Escapees sticker on the back of your camper was one of the early ways to communicate you were a member and connect with fellow full-timers.

The premise of having a built-in “family” across the country of like-minded individuals brought more and more members to Escapees, even before the advent of the internet, making learning about and joining the club much more accessible. By the 1980s, Escapees had a membership of 10,000 families.

What is unique about the Escapees RV Club is that it’s still family-owned, with the third generation of Kay and Joe’s family keeping the company thriving.

Along the way, the Escapees RV Club keeps expanding its offerings for members while keeping yearly dues very affordable for its current 60,000+ members.

Cost and Benefits of Escapees RV Club

New members pay $49.95 in the US and $59.95 in Canada and Mexico for annual membership to Escapees. “SKPs” is the acronym for Escapees, which you will often see across the community concerning members or member parks.

The annual fee also provides access to the Xscapers community, which is a niche group within the Escapees Club that focuses on enjoying a more minimalistic RVing lifestyle and putting more value on travel experiences and personal connections.

Other benefits of joining Escapees include:

• Discounts at Escapees RV Parks
• Escapees Mail Forwarding service
• Exclusive discounts from Escapees partners
• Escapees Member News Updates
• Escapees Magazine
• 24/7 Roadside Assistance
• Escapees community events
• RV Boot Camps
• RVers Online University
• RV Advocacy
• RVer Job Exchange

Escapees RV Park Discounts

All Escapees members will receive an exclusive map that details the 8 Escapees RV parks and 11 SKP Co-ops where you can stay. You also get a directory of over 800 partner campgrounds across the country that discount RV campsites 15-50% for Escapees members.

Escapees Mail Forwarding

RV travel, especially for full-timers, means receiving mail in a traditional manner is impossible. The yearly fee for the service ranges from $95-$135, which is on par with other RV mail-forwarding companies.

The Escapees Mail Forwarding is a private service for members, with a unique address assigned to collect incoming mail and packages and may also be used to establish a state of residency.

Once the mail reaches the facility, you get a notification of delivery through email or text. You can choose between having letters opened, scanned, and emailed for immediate viewing or having the letters and parcels forwarded to any RV park or local post office of your choosing.

Escapees Partner Member Discounts

Escapees offer members-only discounts at over 20 retail or commercial companies on products or services that range from RV tires to insurance to repair shops, internet support equipment, and more.

Escapees Member News Emails and Escapees Magazine

To give members the latest RVing news, the company sends out emails detailing club events, advocacy efforts, and any other information that impacts the RVing lifestyle.

The Escapees Magazine is available in paper and digital formats, where you can find RV and travel-related stories, tips, product reviews, and postings of upcoming events.

Escapees 24/7 Roadside assistance

Escapees offers U.S. and Canadian members an affordable and reliable roadside assistance program for $109 yearly through the Saferide Motor Club partnership. In addition, the program provides a comprehensive RV package that includes:

• Towing and winching
• On-site mobile repair and battery jump-starts
• Fuel delivery
• Trip interruption coverage
• Lockout service
• Personal and Concierge services
• Tire changes

The unlimited 24/7 roadside assistance gives RVers peace of mind they will have help when they need it, no matter where they travel.

Escapees Community Events

Escapees is always hosting member-community events and rallies that bring small and large groups together to learn new things and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow travelers with like-minded interests or hobbies. Xscapers, BOFs (Birds of a Feather), Chapters, and CARE put on events year-round for members.

Escapees RV Boot Camp and Online University

New RVers have a lot to learn. Escapees provide new and experienced recreational vehicle owners with hands-on and digital learning experiences to keep their RVs and travel running smoothly.

With segments on RV operation, maintenance, and safety, the courses cover everything you need to know with curriculum updates as new products and technology emerge.

RVers Online University (Video)

Escapees RV Advocacy

Escapees have taken the lead in putting the rights and needs of RVers at the forefront of local and national laws in regard to the recreational vehicle industry.

With many RVers hitting snags in some communities over legal parking status or other issues, the Escapees Advocacy group brings awareness to local authorities about what the RV lifestyle is about before they pass laws on the subject.

Escapees RVer Job Exchange

The RVer Job Exchange is a forum that brings employers and traveling RVers seeking a job together so that members can work from the road. The program helps match traveling workers with full or part-time contract job opportunities.

What Is the Difference between Escapees RV Parks?

Escapees offers three types of RV parks exclusively for members: Rainbow Parks, Rainbow Parks Unlimited, and SKP Co-ops.

Escapees Rainbow Parks

Rainbow Parks are run privately by the Escapees Corporation. The campgrounds have common areas, amenities, and facilities for all guests but also sell individual campsites within the park to interested members who want to camp full-time or regularly in the area.

There will also be a secondary, overnight campground section of Rainbow Parks, where Escapees traveling through can stay short-term for a very low nightly fee.

The income from the overnight campground covers most operational costs of the whole Rainbow Park, so lot owners do not have to pay any annual dues or fees.

When you purchase a lot in Rainbow Park, you take on full responsibility and have rights as you would with any other real estate purchase, even if you want to sell in the future.

You can develop your lot in any way you choose, as long as it fits within the local/park zoning codes, and you’re also responsible for paying property taxes to the county and keeping up the maintenance.

Escapees Rainbow Parks Unlimited

Changes in more recent real estate laws forced Escapees to change their format for developing new Rainbow Parks, which means new member parks are now called Rainbow Parks Unlimited.

The main change is that any overnight campgrounds specific for traveling Escapees members will remain separate from the Rainbow parks with lots for long-term stays.

The long-term lots will also not be sold outright to members but, instead, be controlled by the member through a five-year renewable lease. After you pay for the initial lease term, each successive lease term renews for only $1.

When you decide to end your lease agreement, the co-op returns any money you put down during the contract, but Escapees, Inc. will retain any interest made on your money.

Escapees Skp Co-op Parks

Co-op Escapees Parks bear the company name but are independent cooperatives of members who pool money to develop and run the RV park.

Legally, Escapees, Inc. has no legal tie to the property or decision-making for rules or amenities on the property. Still, the origins of the park’s format are the ideas Joe and Kay originally put out for their member campgrounds.

You “buy” your lot within a co-op park, but you do not own the land.

For example, I have one RVing friend who bought a lifetime lot in a Nevada Escapees co-op park for $10,000, with annual dues of $1,200, which go to maintain the property.

If they choose to sell, they will recoup their initial investment, cost of dues, and value of any lot improvements when they sell the site back to the co-op. The park will then have the opportunity to “resell” the lot to a new member, which quickly happens as there’s usually a years-long waiting list at all the parks.

Any open RV slots within a co-op park, either from owners traveling or lots that haven’t been sold, are available for any Escapees member to rent on a nightly basis.

Owners who travel can give the co-op managers permission to rent out their site as a goodwill gesture. Still, it’s not mandatory, especially since many install a destination or park model trailer on the lot that cannot be easily moved.

When you buy into a co-op Escapees park, you must follow the rules of membership for that specific entity, which can be drastically different from other co-op parks.

The co-op pays all property taxes and handles all park maintenance through the annual dues but also expects members to volunteer hours at the clubhouse or office to keep activities and general operations running smoothly.

Escapees RV Park Locations

You can find Escapees RV parks across the US, with locations in Mexico and Canada as well.

Next is a listing of Escapees RV parks and Escapees Co-op locations so you can see if they fit into your RV travel plans.

Escapees RV Parks:

• North Ranch – Congress, Arizona
• Dream Catcher – Deming, New Mexico
• TRA-Park, Pecos, Texas
• Rainbow’s End – Livingston, Texas
• Turkey Creek – Hollister, Missouri
• Rainbow Plantation – Summerdale, Alabama
• Raccoon Valley – Heiskell, Tennessee
• Sumter Oaks – Bushnell, Florida

SKP Co-Op Locations:

• SKP Saguaro – Benson, Arizona
• Rover’s Roost – Casa Grande, Arizona
• KOFA Ko-op – Yuma, Arizona
• Jojoba Hills – Aguanga, California
• Park Sierra – Coarsegold, California
• Florida SKP Resort – Wauchula, Florida
• SKP Pair-A-Dice – Pahrump, Nevada
• The Ranch – Lakewood, New Mexico
• Evergreen Coho – Chimacum, Washington
• Alamo Area SKP Co-op – Hondo, Texas
• Timber Valley – Sutherlin, Oregon

Again, please don’t forget that these are only the Escapees RV parks and do not include the hundreds of partner campground locations across the US that offer discount rates for members.

Is Joining Escapees RV Club a Good Value?

As a full-time RVer, I find being a member of Escapees is an excellent value for many reasons.

Along with having access to Rainbow and Co-op parks and the option to buy into a lot if I choose, the rate discounts are more reliable and easier to use at partner campgrounds.

What I also find valuable are the resources for RV-related living, from how to repair an appliance to what’s a great local restaurant to try to where the latest rallies or events are taking place.

From online educational material to community forums, I can always find exactly what I need quickly, a stress reliever when traveling constantly.

With the low annual fee of just under $50, you can quickly recoup it on savings at campgrounds or off products or services from commercial and retail Escapees partners.

I did initially join to gain access to the RV roadside assistance service, which has better coverage and customer ratings than other companies. However, I found all the additional support and services Escapees offers very impressive.

I renew my membership every year because I can count on Escapees to be there for me when I need them, and why I recommend membership to other recreational vehicle owners.

For RVers outside of North America who may not have easy access to in-person events or classes, the value of an Escapees membership is still worth it, especially if you are new to the full-time RV lifestyle.

The resources available through Escapees are concise, easy to locate and navigate, and it updates continually to remain current for members. Being able to network with fellow RVers across the globe is another invaluable experience Escapees membership provides.

Escapees RV Club Review (Video)

Should I Attend an Escapees RVers Boot Camp?

I highly recommend taking part in an Escapees RV boot camp if you can, no matter how much RVing experience you have.

Newcomers to the RV lifestyle will get hands-on training from experienced instructors who ensure all students understand the covered information.

The group classes run for three days. The courses provide:

• Learning proper weight capacity and load distribution for your RV
• Camper propane/electrical/water system basics
• Driving and parking tips
• Towing techniques
• Tire and RV maintenance
• Many more topics

Classes are held every month or two in different locations across the country, so check out their Escapees Bootcamp website for more details or to sign up.

Final Thoughts

When you join Escapees, it’s more than a discount camping program. Membership creates an instant RV family with people and commercial partners across the country who are ready to offer support, friendship, and learning experiences that only enhance your RV lifestyle.

Escapees is an affordable RV club that I suggest you check out. You may find all they offer very surprising, and sign up to enjoy the benefits like thousands of other happy members.