Getting expensive

[ccbb088]

Do you think the overall price of camping is starting to get to high? The price of campgrounds, diesel to get it there, camper payment if you have one. Etc. Just wanted to get some thoughts and opinions.

[Caveman_Charlie]

TyroneandGladys wrote:
1986 RV can afford to go go and go
Neighbor 2008 RV cant afford to go.
But neighbor wins the fanciest RV contest and we always wave as we leave

Me too.

[colliehauler]

I have seen used campers for as little as 2k and a Provost for 2 million.
It's about enjoying the outdoors and as HENRY said making friends.

Life is what you make of it.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

ccbb088 wrote:
Do you think the overall price of camping is starting to get to high? The price of campgrounds, diesel to get it there, camper payment if you have one. Etc. Just wanted to get some thoughts and opinions.

Camping prices too high?
Depends on where & how you "camp".

Diesel to get there.
Diesel prices are the lowest they have been in several years!

Camper payment.
Your personal choice to have one or not.
Kinda like renting or owning a sticks & bricks home -
you still will have expenses no matter which it is.
Likewise your RV type - care and feeding of some is less than others.

Etc.
No IMO on the etc. ..:W

~

[peaches_cream]

Henry wrote:
If price is concerning, you probably need a motel. A RV will only depreciate. It pays out in enjoying the outdoors, meeting new people,seeing new places doing new things. You can do some of these from a motel, but lose the interaction with people.
I bought a new 2004 Cardinal 35ft 5th wheel for $38,000 and today it's worth about $15,000 and had to have tires twice, batterys, insurance, license plates, new slide motor, and wheel bearings.
What did we get for our money? FRIENDS! We now have friends that are as close as family from New Hampshire, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona,Georgia,Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Michigan, Wisconsin,,,,
What wonderful people that I would have never met had I not bought that RV. It was worth every penny.

[Henry]

If price is concerning, you probably need a motel. A RV will only depreciate. It pays out in enjoying the outdoors, meeting new people,seeing new places doing new things. You can do some of these from a motel, but lose the interaction with people.
I bought a new 2004 Cardinal 35ft 5th wheel for $38,000 and today it's worth about $15,000 and had to have tires twice, batterys, insurance, license plates, new slide motor, and wheel bearings.
What did we get for our money? FRIENDS! We now have friends that are as close as family from New Hampshire, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona,Georgia,Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Michigan, Wisconsin,,,,
What wonderful people that I would have never met had I not bought that RV. It was worth every penny.

[frankdamp]

If you HAVE to travel, an RV is probably as good a deal as any, as long as you don't get carried away. We've concluded that, living in a very desirable seaside town with lots of things going on, we don't have to travel any more, particularly as we get older.

Sure, there are places we'd have liked to go visit and never got there, but the costs have just spiralled to a point we can't go any more. We'll just hunker down and limit ourselves to days out in the car within 150 miles of home or one overnight in a hotel a bit further out. With our two "furry kids", the options are limited anyway.

We had one really BIG trip in 1968, when we emigrated from the UK to the US, but Boeing paid for that!

[TyroneandGladys]

1986 RV can afford to go go and go
Neighbor 2008 RV cant afford to go.
But neighbor wins the fanciest RV contest and we always wave as we leave

[Cloud_Dancer]

*
"The reason I'm good at saving money is because I'm good at spending it."

(If you think about it long enough it'll make sense)

[Veebyes]

Start adding up the annual expenses along with the daily costs & it can be very pricey, particularly for those who only get to travel for a few weeks a year.

Factor in the payments/onetime cost, the depreciation, the insurance, the registration, the maintenance into those few weeks of travel & it gets scary real fast. The flying to a destination, the car rental, the hotel, the restaurant costs over those fest weeks begin to look cheap.

Different situation if you are a longtimer or fulltime. Those fixed costs are spread out over many more days.

Stay out of restaurants. Tread lightly on the gas pedal, Use SPs, NPs & COEs. Choose power only backin sites not FHU pull thrus & lots of money can be saved.

[pnichols]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
We enjoy it and budget for our leisure time so it is fine. Sometimes we like to go with full hookups so we can run air conditioner as much as we want, other times we go without full hookups.. we have a generator along for charging batteries and running AC when away from power.. We just enjoy getting out away from daily grind. We have it figured out where I can work also if needed (need cell coverage for that), gives us more flexibility.

Good comments ... simple and to the point.

What you say is our philosophy about getting out in the RV. We can camp in good comfort in a wide variety of weather situations with hookups or without.

[winnietrey]

People have to have something to do, besides watch tv. If it gets you out and you enjoy it, then in my opinion it is money well spent. (spendy or not)

You never see an armored car behind a hearse

[hawkeye-08]

We tent camped years ago, then truck camper, then took a break from camping (mistake), are getting back into it the last few years with travel trailer. We enjoy it and budget for our leisure time so it is fine. Sometimes we like to go with full hookups so we can run air conditioner as much as we want, other times we go without full hookups.. we have a generator along for charging batteries and running AC when away from power.. We just enjoy getting out away from daily grind. We have it figured out where I can work also if needed (need cell coverage for that), gives us more flexibility.

[Bayoubass]

True but is it still worth it?
That is a question you have to ask yourself........and decide. I think it is at this point in my life.

[Jean_S]

Camping is as cheap or expensive as you make it. As for camper payments, debt - for - toys is asking for trouble, in our book. There are plenty of modest ways, from tents to pop ups to small used travel trailers, that you should be able enjoy camping without involving your banker. If the cost of what you are doing is causing you concern, maybe you need to consider less onerous ways to do it.