New loyalty twist, Trails Collection Pass keeps ELS campers coming back

Edited by ad hoc news New Releases & Launches Desk. Reviewed before publication on 06/15/2026 at 8:25 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Equity LifeStyle Properties is pushing further into subscription-based camping with the Thousand Trails Trails Collection Pass, an annual add-on aimed at members who want access to a much larger network of campgrounds for a predictable flat fee. The product, marketed as an optional upgrade for existing Thousand Trails zone campers, adds more than 80 additional campgrounds across the United States to a member's usable network for one yearly price rather than per-night charges. According to the company, the Trails Collection Pass is structured to encourage repeat stays and help fill shoulder-season capacity at partner parks, while giving frequent RV travelers a broader choice of destinations without having to stitch together multiple discount programs.

How the Trails Collection Pass works for Thousand Trails members

At its core, the Trails Collection Pass operates as an overlay to a standard Thousand Trails camping pass, meaning it cannot be purchased on a standalone basis and instead enhances an existing membership with access to additional properties that sit outside the core Thousand Trails resort portfolio. Equity LifeStyle Properties positions Thousand Trails as a membership system for RVers and campers that offers prepaid access to a defined set of campgrounds in exchange for an up-front fee and modest annual dues, and the Trails Collection Pass is designed to layer incremental value on top of that model by unlocking a different group of affiliated parks that are normally not included in basic zone access. On the official Thousand Trails explainer, the company highlights that participating Trails Collection parks include a mix of Encore RV resorts and other affiliated campgrounds that can be used on a reservation basis, reflecting the broader network that ELS controls or manages beyond its core Thousand Trails-branded sites. The Trails Collection page spells out that members with the add-on can reserve stays at these extra locations much like standard Thousand Trails resorts, with certain stay-length and booking-window rules that mirror the underlying membership tier to which the add-on is attached.

The pass is sold as a 12-month product with a single annual fee billed on top of the member's existing camping pass or premium Thousand Trails membership, and ELS emphasizes that the add-on is subject to an annual renewal process rather than being a lifetime entitlement. While the company adjusts promotional pricing periodically, current marketing materials describe the Trails Collection Pass as offering access to "more than 80" extra campgrounds in exchange for one fixed yearly charge that avoids nightly site fees at most participating resorts, although taxes and additional services such as cabin rentals, golf or marina access may still incur separate costs at certain locations. By keeping the Trails Collection Pass tied to an annual term, ELS can evaluate usage patterns and adjust pricing or park participation over time, while members retain the flexibility to renew, downgrade or drop the add-on as their travel habits change, a structure that aligns with management's broader focus on recurring, subscription-like cash flows within its portfolio of RV and manufactured housing communities.

Under the rules described in the membership materials, Trails Collection parks generally follow the same reservation system as traditional Thousand Trails locations, with members able to book stays online or via call centers within a defined number of days before arrival, subject to park-specific restrictions, blackout dates and peak-season capacity constraints in popular regions. Some Trails Collection properties may enforce particular limits on maximum consecutive nights or require a time-out period between stays at the same park, measures that ELS uses to balance high utilization among avid full-time RVers against the need to keep sites available for a larger base of seasonal and occasional travelers. The company also notes in its member communications that certain high-demand resorts in Florida, Southern California and Arizona often book up quickly during winter months, highlighting how the Trails Collection Pass is positioned as both a convenience for early planners and a loyalty tool that rewards members who are willing to commit their vacation patterns around the Thousand Trails ecosystem. This emphasis on network planning and stay pattern management fits into ELS's broader revenue-management strategies, which seek to smooth occupancy across seasons and optimize yield per site night while keeping the pricing model understandable for consumers.

Equity LifeStyle Properties markets the Trails Collection Pass alongside a range of Thousand Trails and Encore offerings, but the pass occupies a distinct niche because it directly stitches together formerly separate portfolios in a way that feels seamless to the end customer. Members who buy the add-on see Trails Collection locations appear as usable destinations in their planning materials, making the combined network more comparable to nationwide campground chains or aggregators that promise one-stop reservation interfaces for RV travelers. Industry coverage has noted that ELS has steadily expanded its network of RV and campground assets over the years, and the Trails Collection mechanism allows the company to bring third-party or Encore-branded resorts into the membership fold without rebranding every property under the Thousand Trails name. An article in a recreational-vehicle trade publication pointed out that this blended approach gives ELS flexibility to test new markets and partner relationships, as the company can add or remove parks from the Trails Collection roster relatively quickly based on performance metrics and guest feedback without having to change the original deeded ownership structures or long-term land leases underpinning those parks.

From a consumer perspective, the pass is aimed squarely at RV owners and committed road-trippers who expect to log dozens of nights on the road each year and want a predictable way to manage camping costs across multiple regions, particularly along popular snowbird corridors between northern states and the Sun Belt. ELS positions the pass in its marketing as a way to "expand your camping horizons", signaling that the target audience is not casual tent campers booking a single weekend but rather RV households that are considering more structured travel seasons and see value in a curated network of resorts with hookups, amenities and consistent rules. The focus on RVers ties into broader industry data showing a heightened interest in domestic road travel and long-stay camping, trends that accelerated in recent years as many travelers looked for ways to control their environment while still vacationing; ELS has repeatedly referenced these tailwinds in its communications around the growth of its RV and camping portfolio. Given that the Trails Collection Pass sits as an add-on, the gating factor for potential customers is whether they are willing to first commit to a Thousand Trails camping pass or membership, effectively making the Trails Collection a product calibrated for the company's most engaged users rather than an entry-level discount option.

Another aspect of the Trails Collection Pass is its role in supporting the wider Equity LifeStyle Properties ecosystem, which spans manufactured home communities, RV resorts and marinas, giving the company multiple touchpoints with customers at different stages of life. Although the pass itself is focused narrowly on campground access, it serves as a marketing channel through which ELS can promote upgrades, cabin rentals and potential cross-selling opportunities such as longer seasonal stays or site leases at certain resorts. By funneling high-frequency campers through the Trails Collection network, ELS gathers data on travel patterns, preferred amenities and length of stay that can inform investment decisions in amenity upgrades, site mix and new property acquisitions. In corporate commentary, management has highlighted the stickiness of membership camping revenue and the ability of subscription-style offerings to generate stable cash flows, making products like the Trails Collection Pass strategically relevant even if their absolute price point is modest compared with real estate assets. That strategic fit is one reason why investor presentations often single out Thousand Trails and related membership initiatives when explaining the company's growth drivers.

Equity LifeStyle Properties frames its camping and membership products, including the Trails Collection Pass, as important contributors to recurring revenue within its resort segment, which also encompasses Encore-branded RV parks and vacation communities. In its quarterly filings, the company breaks out revenue streams from manufactured housing, RV and marina operations, showing how membership dues, annual fees and ancillary services build on underlying site rental income to enhance overall returns from the portfolio. The Trails Collection Pass fits neatly into this framework by turning incremental campground access into a distinct, renewable revenue line item that can grow if more members see value in extending their usable network of parks. For investors, this underscores how product design and network management at Thousand Trails can spill over into financial performance, even though the pass itself might represent a relatively small ticket value for individual households compared with the capital invested in the land and infrastructure supporting the campgrounds. Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties (US29472R1086) traded on the NYSE at $62.45 on 06/13/2026, reflecting how the market currently values the broader portfolio that underpins products such as the Trails Collection Pass. The company's latest investor presentation highlights membership-based revenues, including Thousand Trails, as a key component of its resort business.

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