JP Smith

Why you need to attend an Xscapers Convergence

Xscapers Annual Bash Convergence

Convergences are the Heart of the Xscapers Community

Although we all love to keep in touch digitally, there is nothing like hanging out with your tribe in person. If you haven’t experienced an Xscapers convergence yet, read on to get a small taste of the experience.

When Xscapers began, it was created by the Escapees RV Club to be a place to bring together a new generation of RVers that were hitting the road at a younger age and living an active and adventurous lifestyle. Escapees knew from experience that the best way to build a community was to bring people together in person. For this new generation of RVers, a new type of RV rally needed to be created. As Xscapers crisscrossed the country they needed a place to converge and come together to celebrate this life and discuss the issues that they are most concerned about while living on the road and the Convergence was born.

Balloon Fiesta
The first Xscapers Convergence at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

The first Xscapers Convergence was just 18 RVs that met together at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 2015. A lot of those attending weren’t really sure what to expect. Was this just going to be another RV rally or was this something different? It soon became clear that this was something different. This was something we needed. This was for us. Shortly after, the first annual Xscapers Convergence was held in Quartzsite AZ. Only about 20 rigs showed up, but they quickly learned what it meant to be an Xscaper.

Who is an Xscaper?

Xscapers Moab Convergence

To understand Xscapers convergences, you must first understand Xscapers. Xscapers began as a group for “working age RVers”within the Escapees RV Club,  but has evolved to include any RVers with an active and adventurous lifestyle and mindset. You’ll find people from all walks of life that identify as Xscapers. The one thing they have in common is that they aren’t afraid to go against the norms and challenge themselves to try a different life. It used to be when you retire at 65, you bought an RV and hit the road. Now people can work from the road, take a sabbatical, retire early, or work part time. Xscapers was born to cater to this new type of RVer.  You’ll find solo RVers, couples, families with kids that claim the Xscapers name. You’ll find a lot of introverts that find their tribe and a place to let loose. You’ll also find the extroverts that glue the group together and keep the party going. Activities range from extreme sports to high stakes games of cornhole to low stakes games of how long can I sleep in my hammock before anyone notices I’m missing. The driving factor is that you have an active and adventurous mindset. Maybe you are in your 20s and can still party all night, maybe you’re not 20 anymore and you know this is going to hurt in the morning, but as long as you like the idea of having fun with a bunch of other people that want to have fun, you’ll find you are in the right place.

Marnie and Julie
“Attending our first Xscapers convergence was a game changer for us. Prior to meeting this diverse yet likeminded group, we weren’t sure full time RVing was for us. Now with our new nomadic support system, our tribe, our friends, we feel the RV lifestyle is more enriching than we ever anticipated. The convergences are a great blend of educational workshops, outdoor activities and late night parties that meet everyone’s social preferences. 
We’ve made lifelong friends through Xscapers and that’s truly changed our decision from weekend getaways to living full time on the road.”
 -Marni and Julie

Xscapers

Social Activities at an Xscapers Convergence

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The phrase “Work Hard-Play Hard” is in full-effect at an Xscapers convergence. A large proportion of Xscapers work from the road so convergences are a place to blow off some steam for a while before heading back out to their regular work schedules. Even during convergences you’ll find that many activities start later in the day after the “work day” is over and often last late into the night or even into the early morning.

Our convergences are social events meant to get lots of people involved.  We do some of the typical things you might find at rallies, but we also do things you may not find at other RV gatherings like:

  • Group cookouts with many grills burning at once
  • Guacamole contests where you get to try 50 different guac recipes
  • The famous margarita throw down to see who can claim the title of margarita champ
  • Off-road and overland trips out into the unknown
  • Mountain biking trips down a mountain or 2 with one of the many mountain bikers in the club
  • Scheduled and impromptu hikes and dog walks
  • Community led yoga sessions
  • Kickball games
  • Cornhole tournaments
  • When the sun goes down, we can usually be found around the campfire or maybe one of dozens of propane campfires we all break out at our night of many faux fires to light up the desert sky
  • Movies and group karaoke projected onto the sides of RVs
  • Spontaneous dance parties that break out and go into the wee hours of the morning to the tunes of the Xscapers convergence playlist
  • Video games or quiz shows where we can all compete

We plan a lot of activities to keep the fun moving, but we also leave plenty of room for all the spontaneous community led events. That’s what makes the convergences so special! Everyone brings their own ideas to the table and soon you have Xscapers heading out to roller skate, sharing instant pot recipes, remodeling an RV, or hosting a tabletop gaming session in their RV.

By the time you’ve read all these activities you are probably already exhausted and that’s fine. You can come and go as you please at a convergence and join in or check out as it fits you. We all understand that sometimes you must regroup and recharge before joining the party again. You do you!

Music in the Desert

Convergences aren’t just big parties though…

Finding Community at an Xscapers Convergence

Annual Bash Patio

The greatest reason to attend a convergence is to meet other RVers.  Convergences give you a place where you can meet other RVers more easily than at campgrounds or boondocking spots. At a convergence everyone is there to meet other people. Some of the greatest memories from my convergences are the random conversations you have just walking around the camp. It is so easy to spark a conversation with any of the people that are camped around you. It’s perfectly normal there to walk up to a few RVers that are having a conversation, introduce yourself, and join in. You’ll find that Xscapers are a very accepting and open-minded group to all types of RVers.  Everyone wants to make new friends. Some of the large events may seem overwhelming, but within them there are campfires and dinners with smaller groups. It is very easy to make new friends and meet people at the convergences.

Paul Shetka

“I suffer from a disability which causes me to stutter among other things. We tend to avoid large crowds including convergences. When we did finally attend one, everyone was so welcoming and non-judgmental. We really felt like family and proud to be a part of such an amazing group.”

-Paul Shetka
Xscaper

As you go from convergence to convergence you’ll start to see familiar faces and meet new people along the way. For many RVers, an Xscapers convergence is the first place they get to meet other RVers. By the end of the convergence, they are making plans to meet up with their new friends down the road. On the surveys we send out after each get together, 70-85% of people say they have made plans to travel or meet up with someone at the convergence. That is truly incredible! It can be tempting to hide out in your rig when you’re shy or it’s your first convergence. But once you step out of your comfort zone and start to meet people, it will snowball until your social calendar for the year is full!

Don’t Miss out on the fun!

Not knowing about a Convergence shouldn’t be the reason you don’t attend one. Be the first to learn about new Xscapers updates  and Convergences.


Convergence Notifications

Learning at an Xscapers Convergence

In addition to the fun, convergences are also great places to learn about RVing. You’ll find Xscapers leading talks on various subjects close to their hearts. Topics cover everything from internet connectivity issues, work/life balance, solar power, and awesome boondocking and camping locations. There are also discussions on blogging, working from the road, travel to Alaska and Mexico and many other topics that appeal to the Xscapers group.

Convergences are also a great time to do that project on your RV you’ve been putting off. There’s usually someone to pitch in and help and there is almost always someone there with that one missing tool you need to finish your project. At convergences, we’ve seen solar panels and lithium batteries installed, air conditioners mounted, and entire kitchens ripped out of rvs. You can check out other rigs to get ideas for your own remodeling from decorating ideas to ingenious workspace solutions.

Camille Attell
Xscaper – Camille Attell giving a presentation on Blogging for Business.

The knowledge that you can gain from just being around a group like this is invaluable, from maintenance issues to the best campsites. Being able to reach out to 7000+ friends instantly on social media in the Xscapers Facebook group or to the like-minded friends you made at an event is invaluable when you need a recommendation or have a problem. In addition to the knowledge base you can reach out to, it’s quite possible that some of your new RV friends will have a place to park your RV when travelling through their home base. Or you may find you want to go off and camp with some of your new friends in a smaller group, so you can get to know them even better.

Alright, I’m in – Now how do I find these Convergences?

Where Xscapers Convergences are Held

The big Annual Bash Convergence is held every year in the southwest in the winter when most RVers are closer together and hiding out from old man winter. But convergences can be found all over the country. Many convergences are officially hosted by the Xscapers organization, but there are also many convergences that are hosted by volunteer Xscapers that want to put on a convergence where they are. Some convergences have themes like the original Balloon Fiesta Convergence, Habitat for Humanity Build Convergences, or the Solar Eclipse Convergence. Other convergences are based around their location like the Alaska Convergence, Bend Oregon Convergence, and Moab Convergence. Convergences can take you to places you haven’t explored yet.


Find a Convergence!

Convergences can be as small as just a half dozen rigs that meet up on the Bourbon trail to hundreds of rigs at the annual bash. We’ve grown from 20 rigs at the first annual bash to over 500 showing up over the course of two weeks at our latest bash.

If you haven’t figured it out already, Xscapers can pretty much come up with any reason to get together and have some fun and any Xscapers member can offer to host a convergence in an area that is special to them. The Xscapers club will help them to organize and promote the convergence. This allows Xscapers to meet with each other all over the country and throughout the year.

Elena

“You won’t be a solo traveler for long at an Xscapers convergence! Having a community of like-minded gypsies means that you never feel alone – even if you travel by yourself.”

-Elena
Xscaper

Xscapers likes to seek out boondocking locations for our convergences so that we can have space to ourselves and keep costs down. Usually the annual bash is all boondocking since there are a lot of RVs and it is held in the southwest desert where land is plentiful. This can be intimidating for some newer RVers, but what better way to learn how to boondock than to do it with your new group of friends. There is always someone willing to lend you a hand if you are having trouble with your RV systems while getting a handle on boondocking.  Don’t worry though, not all convergences are boondocking only. Many have hookup options available on site and some convergences take place in campgrounds with full hook ups and amenities. It often comes down to the size of the event and the location that it is held.

Check out the convergence schedule and find one on your route and come join us. You’ll walk away feeling more connected than ever and more confident that you made the right choice by going against the norms and giving this RV life a shot.

We want you to find your community in Xscapers.

Don’t Miss out on the fun!

Not knowing about a Convergence shouldn’t be the reason you don’t attend one. Be the first to learn about new Xscapers updates  and Convergences.


Convergence Notifications

You really have to experience a convergence to understand them.
And to understand why Xscapers would get a tattoo of the Xscapers X.  


Travis and Melanie's Tattoo

Read more about the Xscapers Tattoo!


Why you need to attend an Xscapers Convergence 1

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