Whats the appeal?

[Susan Premo]

I've seen campgrounds where people set up tents but no one is there, they've set it up for a friend, and one time a big rig got brought in parked next to our site, no one occupied it for days, it was sort of scary, like did they hold captives in there? Nope, they eventually turned up and were lousy neighbors. Came over introduced themselves made themselves seem nice, quiet, hah! We left shortly thereafter.

 

[kitphantom]

problems can arise in campgrounds or boondocking. We even almost got smoked out while backpacking because someone set up down the hill from us and had a fire they didn't know how to build. They weren't actually in a legal area, being too close to the trail. We also encountered a group once camping across a trail while backpacking.
At least in most campgrounds there is the hope of camp hosts or ranger who can enforce quiet hours, etc. I'm sure there are many conscientious boondockers, just as there are conscientious campers in campgrounds.
We spent last week in a KOA Resort campground, while visiting friends. I've been there before, over several years, in the trailer and in the cabins. It has always been friendly and quiet. I don't count having sirens in the distance nor the air traffic from being between the airport and the air base. It has tent sites (with covered cooking/sitting area) and we saw popups, as well as the huge RVs that probably cost 2 or 3 times the price of our house. Far preferable, and more affordable, than staying in a hotel while visiting.