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In this Dyrt Pro Review, we’ll unveil our tried-and-tested method for discovering the finest RV campgrounds. Our camping adventures always kick off with The Dyrt, and since discovering The Dyrt Pro, it has effortlessly become our primary destination for unearthing discounted RV campgrounds, planning trips, and beyond
Before the age of the internet, Woodall’s Campground Directory was the “end-all-be-all” source for finding campgrounds across the U.S. This telephone book-style publication had an annual printing since 1937.
Its information was useful for locating a campground and identifying basic features of campgrounds in paragraph form, but what the directory didn’t give you was a feel for what the campground had to offer.
You learned about the campground’s quality through direct experience or talking to fellow campers, which could be bad news for your well-thought-out trips.
In 2018, Sarah Smith and her husband Kevin changed all of that. They took their notebook findings and published them on their website, The Dyrt. Their website became the number one website and mobile app for campsite reviews through hard work and an excellent methodology.
With the recent revamp of the site, people can use their website as anonymous guests, free members, or sign up for their paid service. We think you’ll realize why the paid service is worth the added features through our Dyrt Pro review.
But don’t take our word for it…try it for FREE for 30 days! We bet you will love it too!
What is The Dyrt?
The Dyrt is a website made by actual RVers for those that live the RV lifestyle. They have the largest database of campgrounds in the U.S. as it has over 44,000 campground listings with over one million campground reviews! Now that is truly amazing!
When we are looking for campgrounds, the first place we begin our search is the Dyrt for a few reasons:
- Their directory has over 44,0000 campground listings
- Every five seconds, someone finds a campground on their website
- A new member signs up every five minutes
- There are over one million peer reviews posted on the website
- The Dyrt has ranked as the number 1 app for “camping” in the iOS App Store and Google Play consistently
What Is The Dyrt Pro?
The Dyrt Pro is the premium, subscription part of the app, and it comes with some pretty incredible upgrades. (Psst – you can try the upgrades for free for 30 days with this free trial link and decide if it’s worth it for you)
Upgrades you get with The Dyrt Pro membership include:
- Map Layers for Camping: BLM layers, USFS layers, and National Park Service campground layers (free camping galore with these handy map layers!)
- Cell Signal Map Layers
- Road Trip Planner
- Access to Offline Maps: perfect for those off-grid spots without cell signal
- Gear and Campsite Discounts: it basically pays for itself with these discounts.
Of course, you can “try before you buy” with the free trial – don’t just take our word for it. See for yourself!
The History of The Dyrt
Sarah Smith and her husband, Kevin Long, are avid campers, and they founded The Dyrt in 2013 while camping after they were frustrated with trying to find campgrounds online.
They would spend hours online trying to find campgrounds that appealed to them. With limited information, it was hard to find one that fit their needs. After hours of searching, they’d make their best guess and make a reservation.
Sarah used a notebook to keep track of their experiences at all of the campgrounds they visited. They would conduct informal interviews with others at the campground to get their reactions and ask about prime campgrounds. Additionally, they would try out those recommended places when fellow campers would give up their best-kept-secret campsites.
That notebook turned into a WordPress website to test out her peer-reviewed campground idea. After a few years, The Dyrt turned into the website and Dyrt app we know and love today.
The information in the current database comes from many different sources, and the initial research made by Sarah and Kevin still exists. Campgrounds can join and create listings themselves, but most of the information comes from individual members who take the time to update the data themselves.
The Dyrt’s staff also rifle through new listings and updated information to verify the information for accuracy.
The Dyrt Campground Listings are Full of Helpful Info
In our comprehensive Dyrt Pro Review, we explore The Dyrt’s extensive campground listings, where you’ll find a wealth of valuable information. With their commitment to providing a complete picture, making an informed decision about your potential campground has never been easier.
Gain insights from previous campers, discover detailed amenities, explore unique features, and delve into the general area surrounding each site. The Dyrt truly empowers your camping experience with knowledge and confidence.
Some of the information you will find is:
- Images of the campground
- Amenities and features
- Prices
- Links to the main website
- The seven-day weather forecast for the area
- A description of the campground
- Peer reviews of the location posted by those who have stayed there
- Important RVer info like big rig access, wifi and cell signal, and much more.
The Dyrt’s website has discussion forums and highlights The Dyrt Magazine, which focuses on various topics. What’s different about their website is how inviting it is to participate. The Dyrt quickly became the best camping app partially due to its rewarding interaction experience.
Earning Points with The Dyrt Contests and Reviews
Earning points with The Dyrt Contests and Reviews is easier than it looks, mostly because of the number of opportunities you have. As you’re putting your profile together, there is a list section where you can save all of the campgrounds you’ve visited. If one of those campgrounds is missing information, doesn’t have a review, or doesn’t have any pictures, you can earn badges and extra points by updating it.
Your first campground review (with pictures) gains you points as well. Members can take advantage of this by gaining points to win prizes such as $100 gift cards, among other items.
Throughout our Dyrt Pro review process, we discovered that Dyrt holds different contests where users and reviewers can earn points to win gear, which is really cool!
What RVers Think of The Dyrt
What RVers think of The Dyrt is what really matters. We’re not the only voices out there highlighting the exceptional usefulness of the app. One of the things that really stands out throughout all of the reviews out there is the responsiveness of the developer. That goes a long way in terms of acknowledging bugs and working with customers to fix unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances that new apps always come with.
My Favorite Camping App. Update: The Dyrt’s customer service team has been phenomenal! They reached out to me right away and seem eager to work on the issues I brought up in my review
JeepnWadeWK2 – iOS
This app gives phone #’s, websites, *amenity details* (dogs, toilets) and focuses on the camper’s reviews! The dynamic map is STELLAR, I can SAVE tent sites I love and reference later, and even find out whether a campsite is paid only or offers first-come.
Alexandra Runyan – iOS
If you’re an avid outdoorsman keen on exploring new areas, this is a great app for you. Great options for every camping experience. A great perk of the app is the free campsites and discounted ones! (with pro membership)
Trevor McCoy – Google Play Store
Unfortunately there is no way to filter by usage, by which I mean you can’t search for campgrounds by how crowded they usually are. Other than that, it’s a pretty good app! An abundance of reviews for each location and lots of great features.
A Google User – Google Play Store
When using the app, a major part of our Dyrt Pro review was the responsiveness of the developer. It doesn’t matter how good an app is because a single bug is capable of throwing everything off. It was refreshing to see a thoroughly responsive developer that interacts and reaches out to consumers who have complaints—a rare thing in many of the best and worst apps out there.
Dyrt Pro Review: Pros and Cons
There’s no such thing as perfection and, although The Dyrt is an outstanding app that can make all the difference in your trip planning process, it does have a few quirks worth ironing out. Our Dyrt Pro review covers both.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The Dyrt features a completely customizable trip planning feature down to the last detail. | You can’t book a campground reservation via the app, with a few exceptions. |
| Map Layers allows you to create filters that highlight BLM, USFS, and NP borders. | On small screens, it’s often hard to tell the difference between free and paid campgrounds. |
| Offline access is crucial for going places that don’t always have the best signal. | |
| The app is streamlined and easy to use. | |
| You can save campgrounds for return trips later on. | |
| The free version features a campsite search engine, community forums, and the Dyrt Magazine. |
Your Profile Keeps You Organized
Your profile keeps you organized thanks to several different data points that are immediately visible. You’ll be able to view many different things about your participation on the website, the status of your points, the badges earned, and many other things.
- Level: As you continue to participate and earn points, you’ll increase your level as a user. You start as a “scout,” but those who strive to become super campers and reach the top level, which is called the “legend” level.
- Badges: If you’ve ever experienced the Boy/Girl Scouts, you know the importance of badges. There are eight badges you can earn. Each of them has different levels. An example is, earning the coveted “filmmaker” badge by uploading your videos of campgrounds.
- Contests: You can see which contests you’re entered in, where you’re ranked, and your eligibility for prizes.
- Lists: You can create lists of campgrounds. Where you’ve been, where you want to go, and other relevant categories.
- Reviews: Read through all the reviews you’ve added to the website. Instead of searching through all the campgrounds, it brings them all together for you. Each review has functions that allow you to share them on Facebook or make edits.
- Pictures & Videos: Like the Reviews section, this feature brings all of your photos and videos together in one spot. You can edit and share them as well.
The Dyrt’s Free Features
One of the best parts about the Dyrt’s free features is the ability to search campgrounds, arguably the most important, core function of the app. It works just like most search engines, such as Google, Bing, etc. All you do is type in the campground you’re looking for and the app generates the results.
You can also apply a number of filters or search for keywords and the app will generate the applicable campgrounds. For instance, you can simply type in the term “pet friendly” and see what the app comes up with based on location.
You will also have access to community forums, which is arguably one of the best features of the app. If you’re shy, you’re missing out. There is an immense amount of information that you can only tap into via community forums and RVers are often more than happy to help out a fellow camper, regardless of topic.
If you are new to RVing or just like to keep up on the latest and greatest, The Dyrt’s free side also comes with The Dyrt Magazine, which is an entirely digital publication. The magazine covers all of today’s hottest topics and is often info-rich for those learning the ropes.
Dirt Pro Review: 7 Reasons Why We Love the Dyrt Pro
We use the Dyrt Pro every time we begin researching campgrounds! Why? Because it has more campground listings and reviews than any other website on the internet, it makes searching for and evaluating campgrounds simple!
The membership also allows for discounts on camping, customized trip-planning tools, and offline features that won’t leave you stranded. You’ll find that the yearly fee is easily affordable and pays for itself after a single night at a campground. Here are the seven major reasons why we love The Dyrt Pro.
1. We Save Money with Campground Discounts
As a Dyrt Pro member, you can receive significant discounts on your overnight costs at participating campgrounds. If you need camping gear or other related items, you can take advantage of membership discounts through their partners.
Here’s the list of The Dyrt’s premium and standard campground partners:
- Premium Campgrounds: When you stay at one of the premium participating campgrounds for at least two consecutive nights on a Sunday through Thursday (excludes weekends and holidays), you will receive up to 40 percent off the first night and 10 percent off all additional nights.
- Standard Campgrounds: Standard participating campgrounds will extend a 10 percent discount on your overnight rate.
2. The Trip Planning Tool is Easy to Use
Dyrt Pro members can take advantage of their Customizable Pro Trip Planner using the full website or mobile app. If you’re not sure about the paid membership, The Dyrt gives you a seven-day trial to play around with all of the full features before committing to the paid features.
The planner is user-friendly and full of helpful features. It starts by asking you to enter your starting point and endpoint. For example, if you’re starting in Baltimore, Maryland, and traveling to Elkhart, Indiana, to visit the RV Hall of Fame Museum, the trip planner will give you a suggested route to get you started.
As you look it over, perhaps you realize you want to make a stop in Cleveland, Ohio, to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No problem. All you have to do is drag your route line to your stop or enter the new information, and the planner will recalculate.
With your trip planned out, you’ll want to find campgrounds to stay overnight. The trip planner will identify all of The Dyrt’s participating campgrounds along your route. You can click through as many of them as you want until you find the perfect spot. Make your reservations through the website—and you’re all set.
This tool will also show you RV-friendly gas stations, calculate the distance between specific legs of your journey, and fuel costs. If there’s a particular gas station you want to stop at, you can mark it on your route. You can export the route to Google Maps if you choose.
Another great feature is public land identification. The Dyrt’s map will identify and mark BLM and other free camping locations on the map for those who enjoy dry camping on RV-friendly public land.
3. No Cell Service, No Problem
Campgrounds and public land may have dead zones that don’t receive WiFi or cell service. Before you contemplate throwing your cell phone or laptop in the fire pit in rage, you’ll be relieved to know The Dyrt Pro (thankfully) has an offline feature for situations like this.
The offline map allows you to continue to use the trip planner and find campgrounds and known gas stations on The Dyrt’s database. The map also identifies the free camping areas on public land.
4. We Save on Camping Gear
The Dyrt has partnered with many different companies that sell a wide array of camping gear. Whether you are looking for apparel, electronics, or collapsible outdoor furniture, you will receive discounts of up to 30 percent with your Dyrt Pro membership.
5. We Can Find Free Camping with BLM and National Forest Boundary Lines
The Dyrt is adding PRO Map boundaries to indicate areas with free camping, like Bureau of Land Management land and National Forest land.
- PRO Map Boundaries will make it easier to find free camping and boondocking while offline
- Find roads and routes leading to BLM and National Forest land with offline maps
6. Inexpensive Membership Fee
After the initial seven-day trial, The Dyrt Pro has an annual membership fee of $35.99 a year. This gives you full access to all of the benefits and features the app has to offer. Also, there isn’t a different price for renewal or a higher tier.
If you missed it, check out our YouTube video for additional savings on this membership fee by merely being a friend to RVBlogger.
7. You Can Review Campgrounds and Earn Rewards!
There are three levels of interaction with The Dyrt’s website. Anonymous guest users have passive access only. They can use the directory to find campgrounds and view posted peer review comments only. Those who have free Dyrt Pro access can do so much more.
As registered members, you can create your profile, write reviews, update accurate campground information, and interact with other features. All of this interaction earns you points on the website for badges and monthly contests to win real prizes.
What You Get With The Dyrt Pro:
Our Dyrt Pro review also covers all of the perks you get with a Dyrt Pro membership:
- Pro Trip Planner
- Free Camping Map Layers
- Offline App Access for areas without cell signal
- 10% – 40% off over 1,000 campgrounds
- Up to 40% off new camping gear
The Dyrt Pro Review FAQ:
If you’ve got questions about The Dyrt Pro, we’re answering them here!
How Much Does The Dyrt Pro Cost?
The Dyrt Pro has a low yearly membership cost of $35.99 per year. That works out to just $2.99 per month or $0.09 per day! And you can save even more by getting 30 days free here.
Is The Dyrt App Free?
Yes, The Dyrt app is free. But if you want access to features like free camping layers, campground discounts, offline access, and the trip planner, you’ll have to sign up for the Pro membership.
Is a Dyrt Pro Membership Worth It?
If you love having access to map layers for free camping, discounts on campgrounds and camping gear, and a trip planner to tie it all together, you can’t beat The Dyrt Pro. You can try it for 30 days free here and see for yourself!
Never Reserve a Campground Blindly Again
Finding the right campground for you can be challenging. Spending countless hours looking through various websites and homepages can give you a headache—what looks good online might not be the best fit. A lesser-known campground that doesn’t have the skills to market itself correctly could actually be the best campsite for you and your family, but you wouldn’t know that without the proper insight needed to review the campsite.
In conclusion, this Dyrt Pro Review highlights the remarkable convenience and versatility of using The Dyrt App. Using The Dyrt’s camping reviews gives you everything you need to find what you’re looking for in one place. As a Dyrt Pro member, you can plan your trip online, offline, through your computer, or on The Dyrt app. You can also pay it forward with a review of your own.
The Dyrt has made our trips much easier and enjoyable, and hopefully, it will become an excellent tool for you to use too!