Working At Amazon, Sleeping With The Horses

By Sal & Rebecca, The Tin Can Travelers – We use affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link, we may receive a small compensation at no cost to you.

We don’t do many RV Park reviews, but we want to share some information we feel work-campers need to know about the Amazon Camperforce campgrounds, including the campground we’re currently staying at, when working at the Phoenix, AZ facility.

Where We Are Staying And Why

We are staying at the South Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center, located in Buckeye, AZ, while work-camping at Amazon this season. South Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center, which we’ll refer to as just the “Equestrian” from here forward, is located approximately thirty-five miles from our Amazon facility in Phoenix, making it a forty-five-minute drive (minimum) to and from work. For this reason, the Equestrian was not our first choice of campgrounds, but it is the only one without dog breed restrictions. Every other Camperforce campground on the list Amazon provided, of which you must choose from, did not allow pit bulls or the other commonly restricted breeds. And since one of our family members is a pit bull, the Equestrian was our only choice.

Campground Fees

Our site at the Equestrian is covered by the Amazon Camperforce campground stipend, so our stay is completely free. That’s a good thing! When we spoke to personnel at the other campgrounds on the list, we not only learned about the dog breed restrictions but also that a deposit would be required and that each camper is responsible for their own utilities. In other words, the Amazon Camperforce campground stipend does not cover all the costs associated with a stay in their parks. And in our opinion, that’s not a good thing!

Your Pets and Rattlesnakes

This is Arizona and I think we all know that rattlesnakes call this place home. However, after we were warned by campground personnel that they are in the immediate area, the realization that one of our dogs could actually get bit sunk in.

One of the first things we do whenever we stay anywhere is lookup the nearest emergency animal hospital. In relation to the Equestrian, North Buckeye Animal Hospital is the closest. We called and asked how frequently dogs in the area get bit by rattlesnakes and were told “quite frequently.” They confirmed they could handle such an incident, but if they were out of anti-venom or it was after hours, we would go to Blue Pearl in Avondale, AZ.

We highly recommend making the practice of finding an emergency vet a priority as soon as you arrive at every new location. Having this information at the exact moment you need it could be the difference between life and death for your pet.

Buckeye Equestrian Pros and Cons

PROS:

-If you like horses, you’ll love the fact that you’re surrounded by them here. You’ll also find cows, bulls, and cowboys and girls riding, roping and doin’ their thing.

-Everyone we’ve met, personnel and fellow campers, have been very nice.

-The business office will accept mail and packages for you.

-There is a shower facility on the premises.

-The location of this Camperforce campground is within close proximity to pretty much anything you’ll need. There’s a laundromat approx. three miles away. Sundance Park, which includes a nice dog park, lots of green space and walking paths, is about five miles away. A Walmart, shopping and several restaurants are right around ten miles away.

-The Camperforce campground stipend provided by Amazon covers all costs associated with your stay at the Equestrian.

-The Equestrian is a different environment than we’re used to. Having said that, we do enjoy experiencing different things and ways-of-life, so the Equestrian feeds into that curiosity. There’s also something just so damn cool about walking past a cowboy on his horse. This ain’t no movie out here… it’s the real deal!

CONS:

-Where there are horses and livestock, there is manure. This wouldn’t have made the list if it weren’t for one of our dogs who, apparently, likes to nosedive into and roll around in huge cow patties. We’re not mentioning any names, but the culprit is dark gray, has bat-like ears, a very cute face, and her name starts with a B.

-The premises are primarily dirt. It is an Equestrian, after all. There is one green field that campers can access, but the majority of the grass is tall and looks like a great place for rattlesnakes to hide. We don’t walk through it and don’t allow our dogs to either. There’s also no shade. The area is wide open and temperatures here are still in the 90’s. It’s hot!

-Because of the two Cons above, this Camperforce campground, in our opinion, is not as dog-friendly as we would like. There is a nice dog park nearby with lots of green space and shade, however.

-There is no laundry facility on the premises

-It can be noisy. The Equestrian is quite active with workers, horses, vehicles, farm equipment and a surprising amount of ATV’s. If you work the night shift and sleep during the day, this could be bothersome if you’re a light sleeper.

-The distance between the campground and the Amazon fulfillment center in Phoenix is farther than we would like. This means more money spent on gas and more travel time added to an already very long day.

Wrapping It Up

We don’t write much on Amazon Camperforce Campgrounds, but we felt a post on the Phoenix, AZ campgrounds was important due to the monetary expectations (deposits and utilities) and dog breed restrictions that will be forced upon Amazon work-campers coming to the area.

You may not be concerned about the restricted breeds list because you have a Hound or Lab or something else not usually included on it, but take note… One of the campgrounds advised “large” dogs were not permitted.

And maybe paying a deposit and your own utilities isn’t a big deal, but we can’t help but to wonder what else we’ll be paying for two or three years down the road since most businesses increase their rates yearly. Last year it was the taxes on your camp site. This year it’s deposits and utilities. What will it be next year?

And most importantly… Not one of the Camperforce campgrounds advised us of their breed restrictions even after knowing we had a dog. Each of them, however, were willing to hold a spot for us and one of them actually did. Our point is, if we hadn’t asked the question ourselves, we could have wasted valuable time and lost our site at the only campground without breed restrictions. And then we would’ve had to forfeit our job at Amazon.

For more information on work-camping at Amazon, we recommend reading “Work Camping At Amazon” and “Amazon Camperforce 2019: A Lot Has Changed, And Not For The Better!”

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like and subscribe! Until next time…

(We’re on Facebook and Instagram, too!)