It has been a belief of mine for a long time that each generation has it “tougher” than the previous generations.My parents were what I consider to be “middle class.” Mom had her own beauty shop. Dad was a union truck driver. They had two homes, both built by hand, by my father. The last one they built with cash, month by month, out of pocket. My mom always drove a Cadillac. My dad always had a newer car.Now, my generation, both wife and I worked do that we could have more “toys.” She did not have to work to survive. Sometimes it was a struggle. Now, the present generation. Both man and wife HAVE to work. Many couples cannot have one home, never mind two, or multiple cars. I see many young couples just struggling to “get by.” It just seems each generation has less. We see a lot less young people in the campgrounds these days as when compared with 40 years ago. Is it because they cannot afford to go camping? Are they working too much to take a weekend off? Assuming you agree that there as less young folks camping; what do you think the reason is? PLEASE, no politics. That will get the thread closed.

I agree that what we are witnessing is true in that it is mostly based upon financial reasons, but I believe that a LOT of the difficulties are brought on those same people that don't set long-term goals. They are a "right now" generation that think they must have a new, fancy car and don't even get me started on having the latest smart phone. On the day my parents bought a new car, they started saving for the next one. They always paid cash for their cars and any home improvements. They didn't have a single credit card and had no use for one. They instilled their values upon me and I was able to retire at 44 and only picked up odd jobs when I wanted to and not when I needed to.

Student loans. Kids were sold the idea of financing their education on student loans and colleges have increased their cost structure accordingly. If you come out of college with $50k in debt and $30k in income, life is going to be hard indeed. It also means that you can't strike out on your own and start your own business, because you have a big bill due every month. The current economy is particularly hard on younger people because we have a tax on job formation. We have put a per person tax the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Very bad policy.

What do you mean by "young people"? I am a seasonal camper and our campground is full of folks in their late 30's to 70's - there's a nice mix of ages and vocations. We have a lot of mechanics, teachers, nurses, carpenters, a few business owners, a few retirees, etc.A lot of the overnight campers are younger people (20's to 40's) who are tent camping or camping in a starter pop-up or trailer or vintage RV they are bringing back to life. It's great to see a baby in the campground and we do that quite often.My dad was a long haul union truck driver and my mom was a school cafeteria lady once my baby brother started school. She was a stay at home mom before that. We only had one car for a long time and mom had to leave the house late at night to pick dad up or take him to work a couple of times a month. A well off friend sold them a second car for well below book value because he worried about mom taking us kids out at night. They always live within their means and are happy with what they have...that's just who and what they are. They also got me started on camping because a week of tent camping was our family vacation every summer. I am blessed that they are in their 70's and come camping with me a few times a year.It will be interesting to see how other folks respond to this thread. I don't know to what extent your observations are skewed by your choice of campgrounds and your travel patterns or if there is any hard data to support or refute them. But, this will be interesting.

Most campgrounds that I have been to have a good mix of young and older campers. Maybe it depends on the style of campground one goes to. Our state campgrounds have a lot of younger people tenting there. Most RV parks along highways have larger rigs which usually means an older camper? not sure

I disagree about subsequent generations having it harder, each generation has it easier. We have more leisure time, higher wages, less work hours, and a lower cost of living as a percentage of income. Of course there are exceptions to the rule in certain areas of the country.At one time our ancestors worked 18 hours per day merely to survive. Now we work 8 hours per day to live in comparative luxury.Even welfare recipients live in nice apartments, have big screen tvs, and food in their belly, and that is from doing ZERO WORK. In most of the world if you don't work hard, you starve.People today do not have to work two jobs if they have one job with a reasonable rate of pay. People think they need to have two income families because they don't control their spending. They want everything and they want it NOW!I do agree that there may be less young people camping. I believe it is simply a change in lifestyles, not an economic issue. Younger people are wrapped up in technology and social media. This 2011 Toyota Vensa commercial really sums it up;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUGmcb3mhLM

Less Young People Camping? | Good Sam Community

134 Replies

dverstra
Explorer
Feb 15, 2014
Most campgrounds that I have been to have a good mix of young and older campers. Maybe it depends on the style of campground one goes to. Our state campgrounds have a lot of younger people tenting there. Most RV parks along highways have larger rigs which usually means an older camper? not sure
rjf7g
Explorer
Feb 15, 2014
What do you mean by "young people"? I am a seasonal camper and our campground is full of folks in their late 30's to 70's - there's a nice mix of ages and vocations. We have a lot of mechanics, teachers, nurses, carpenters, a few business owners, a few retirees, etc.

A lot of the overnight campers are younger people (20's to 40's) who are tent camping or camping in a starter pop-up or trailer or vintage RV they are bringing back to life. It's great to see a baby in the campground and we do that quite often.

My dad was a long haul union truck driver and my mom was a school cafeteria lady once my baby brother started school. She was a stay at home mom before that. We only had one car for a long time and mom had to leave the house late at night to pick dad up or take him to work a couple of times a month. A well off friend sold them a second car for well below book value because he worried about mom taking us kids out at night. They always live within their means and are happy with what they have...that's just who and what they are. They also got me started on camping because a week of tent camping was our family vacation every summer. I am blessed that they are in their 70's and come camping with me a few times a year.

It will be interesting to see how other folks respond to this thread. I don't know to what extent your observations are skewed by your choice of campgrounds and your travel patterns or if there is any hard data to support or refute them. But, this will be interesting.
puttd
Explorer
Feb 15, 2014
Student loans. Kids were sold the idea of financing their education on student loans and colleges have increased their cost structure accordingly. If you come out of college with $50k in debt and $30k in income, life is going to be hard indeed. It also means that you can't strike out on your own and start your own business, because you have a big bill due every month.

The current economy is particularly hard on younger people because we have a tax on job formation. We have put a per person tax the bottom rung of the economic ladder. Very bad policy.
BuckBarker
Explorer
Feb 15, 2014
I agree that what we are witnessing is true in that it is mostly based upon financial reasons, but I believe that a LOT of the difficulties are brought on those same people that don't set long-term goals. They are a "right now" generation that think they must have a new, fancy car and don't even get me started on having the latest smart phone.
On the day my parents bought a new car, they started saving for the next one. They always paid cash for their cars and any home improvements. They didn't have a single credit card and had no use for one. They instilled their values upon me and I was able to retire at 44 and only picked up odd jobs when I wanted to and not when I needed to.

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Less Young People Camping?

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