Tentrr is your private camping experience. We connect adventurers like you with private landowners who want to share their land so you can experience new places.
“This detailed review reflects my family’s personal experience in early October 2023. TL/DR: It was nice to get outside, but I am hesitant to rent from Tentrr again. The site was very remote, with locked gates that caused problems. Customer service failed us in supplying enough poop disposal bags. And many dead trees now threaten to fall on the tent, or burn.
I had initially envisioned the site as sort of a “home base” from which we could casually explore the trails, lakes, and playgrounds in the park, and occasionally venture out to nearby towns and historical sites. This turned out not to be so realistic: The Tentrr sites in Cacapon all lie along a fire road on the ridge of the local mountain. Getting to them from the main park area is a 6+ mile drive along dirt roads through two gates that you may need to unlock, so each venture out needs to be a well-planned day trip.
On arrival the first night, we met a locked gate we were not expecting on the road at the base of the mountain. It was raining hard when we discovered the problem, and we were frustrated, since the combination for the mountain TOP gate did not seem to work. We called Tentrr support, who reminded us of the combination we had already tried, as well as another possibility. (Nope). Tentrr’s next suggestion was that I drive around the park in the rainy dark at 9:50 at night and find a park employee to help. I strongly requested more help from THEM, and the Tentrr supervisor eventually contacted a park worker himself, who drove out to help. To be fair: It turned out that the Mountaintop combination was correct, but the line on the physical lock along which it was supposed to be lined up was hard to see in the dark, while a middle line was more prominent. Ultimately that was my mistake, but I think it was understandable under the circumstances.
The drive up the mountain in the rain, fog, and wind was tricky, but taking everything slow in our AWD vehicle, we got to the top and through the second gate, and arrived at our site. The tent was sturdy, dry, and clean, and enclosed a space large enough to fit a queen size bedframe with a memory foam pad enclosed in waterproof case, along with floor space to fit a two foot square toilet assembly, our gear, and cramped room for two kids’ sleeping bags on fold-up cots. There was supposed to be a pop-up tent to “accommodate extra guests”, but what we found was a vertical privacy enclosure, presumably for the toilet.
The toilet is a plywood box with a bucket inside and a standard wood toilet seat on top. The site is supposed to come with a supply of Tentrr “Loo bags” — fairly sturdy bags about the size of a small grocery bag, with a grainy, powdery substance at the bottom (“NASA designed”, or something) whose purpose is to solidify a quantity of liquid waste into a non-stinky, non-spilly, solid-ish gel. You put them in the bucket, fill them, then tie up the bag and dispose of it tidily. The brand name of the bags we were given was “cleanwaste;” they seem to cost just under $3 apiece at REI. They work well for a single dose of pee or poo, but can’t solidify large amounts, so the site directions ask you to use a new bag each time.
Our initial bag supply was small, and we went through about half of it during the first night of our three night stay. The next day, I emailed tentrr support requesting more, and also requesting clarification about the water “refill point” mentioned in the campsite guide, and the “water nearby” icon on the site’s amenities list. The first reply was a reminder to bring our own supplies. After emphasizing that the site was supposed to come with poo bags, and we really needed more, the second reply was a promise of further attention and a link to a FAQ page. The third reply, which we saw a day later, said they’d contact someone to supply more bags. The actual bags did not arrive before we’d left. Meanwhile, a tip: in a pinch, the bags can hold more than you think, but tie them up very carefully, very tight. Then dispose of them responsibly — don’t start thinking about your enemies.
About the water: it’s the top of a mountain. There is no “refill point” within six miles. (We anticipated this, but still, the directions should be accurate.)
We enjoyed another opportunity for character growth on Sunday morning. Preparing to leave for the day’s adventures, we found ourselves locked IN: the correct combination no longer opened the padlock. My wife was smart enough to guess that the previous group through had likely reset the combination by mistake. She called tentrr, who called park HQ, who said someone would come, but was not sure how long it would take. Unwilling to wait helplessly, I systematically began trying numbers: 0000, 0001, 0002, … only 9997 to go!
… 0759, …0760… and a park employee arrived to help us out. I explained the situation, he tried multiple times, and eventually he resorted to a key that unlocked the padlock at the other end of the locking bar. He had a long back-and-forth on the phone with his supervisor, and finally decided to leave the gate in a configuration that would appear closed to the casual observer, but was not locked, so that we could get in at the end of the day. We were grateful for his help.
There is one more thing to mention: Possibly due to recent drought, there are now unusually many dead trees in the woods near the top of the mountain — some standing, some fallen. Around our tent alone, there were half a dozen large ones in a position to fall on the platform, as well as one that had already fallen and landed within six inches of the tent. This seems to pose a pretty significant risk.
Although its reservation system links up with WV State Parks, Tentrr is a private company. In a conversation with the host of the Nature Center in the main park, we learned that Tentrr had been uncertain whether they would open these sites at all his season, and that apparently a single host is supposed to monitor its sites in multiple regional locations. They do not ordinarily have someone near Cacapon — hence the long delay with customer service.
I think the padlocks are owned by the state park.”
“On a dry day, the gravel and dirt road drive wasn't bad. I've seen much worse on Oregon logging roads. That said, if it is wet, you may wish you had more traction and a lift.
The site was nice. Not as private as I hoped. You can see the road from the site. That said, the road is gated and I wouldn't expect much back and forth from other campers.
The tent, platform, table, and chairs were all in pretty good shape considering they are outside all the time. They show some wear but nothing concerning. The fire pit, while functional, definitely could use some rehab.
Given how developed Cacapon State Park is, the Tentrr campsites feel pleasantly isolated. A great outdoor experience made extra nice by having park amenities nearby.”
“It was a little hard to figure out to get there but we called the number and he was very helpful! It says you need fwd to get to the spot but I drove in my compact car and while it was rough it was fine! Loved the privacy and was very cute!”
“We loved this campsite. It was secluded and peaceful. Would stay here again. Taking one star away because someone left their camp toilet poop bags in one of the trashcans.”
“We loved our camp site! It was very secluded and beautiful. The tent was great, the bed comfortable, and having a camp toilet was really appreciated when it was raining in the middle of the night. My only caution is that anyone using these sites should have a good car with four-wheel drive. The narrow road leading to the site got very muddy in one location after the rain and - even with four-wheel drive - we were slipping and sliding to get around the muddy spots. Would not have worked in a smaller, two-wheel drive car.”
“This is such a great spot to stay to disconnect. It was necessary to have a vehicle that could get through the inclined gravel roads. It rained on the second night and we stayed totally dry. I would suggest not bringing any food into the tent (this is already mentioned in the camp guide) but I noticed a few mice that would scurry around at night. Our dog had a great time trying to get them! Also, understand there will be bugs inside the tent - not nearly as many as if you were outside the tent. But they’re there.”
