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.

[noplace2]

dannytas wrote:
My dad used to tell me: you can have anything that you want, you just can't have it all. Cheers!! 😄

Your father was a very wise man. Hope you listened.

[dannytas]

I know what you mean. The cost of camping is getting pretty expensive. Then I started looking at other peoples "passions" and I would be hard press to "hang" with any of them. Example: cycling, some of those bikes are over $5,000 aproaching twice that amount. Star gazing: check out some prices of those telescopes lately? Kyakis: I could buy a four wheeled motorized vehicle for the cost of the elite models. Even something as simple a photography. All the specialize equipment cost a bundle.

But the one thing that I learned about all the "passions" that we all have, is that there is a way to do it on the "cheap". Not having to have it all. Or the very newest and best. Get what you can afford and do without and make it happen. My dad used to tell me: you can have anything that you want, you just can't have it all. Cheers!! 😄

[PA12DRVR]

To each their own....and recognizing that everyone is at different stages in life, I'd offer for comparison a couple of my other/current hobbies:

- Flying the signature airplane; First, I had it rebuilt a couple of years ago....won't say how much, but there were 6 digits and a comma involved; Second, shall we talk about the price of Avgas..Particularly in far-flung places? and at 9.2 gph (10.5 if I'm in a hurry, but hurry is a misnomer for the PA-12)...that adds up

- Driving the riverboat? XX,XXX to get into that particular hobby. A couple of hours driving (15 mpg in diesel P/U) to get somewhere so I can get on the river and then burn enough gas to go between X.X and Y.Y MPG to get where I'm going ..and while it's "just gas" there's also marine oil to figure in (and to add insult to injury, the last two trips averaged .5 fish per person!).

...and neither of those hobbies come with a place to shower, cook, or sleep.

I personally think RV'ng is a relatively inexpensive hobby if one isn't flipping RV's every year...but it's all a matter of perspective.

[Cloud_Dancer]

Here I go again:
OK, so conventional wisdom has it that there's no way to justify paying $180,000 for a nice diesel pusher that has all the features and options that you can afford. Yet, there's many people that pay much more. And, if I myself had the money, I would pay $1.7 million to upgrade.
What it tells us is,...... "everyone to their own poison".
And, almost the same can be said for hotels.

[abby323]

Hi All, I Guess it's a fact everything goes up and not much comes down, but check the prices of Hotels and Motels and you don't know what your sleeping on. I would rather be sleeping on my own bed in my RV than someone else's slop, and you get to see this beautiful country. " nuff "said. thanks for listening.

[tboss]

I live in Fl and have a Golden age passport,,I can camp at FortPickens ((a 25 min dr )) for 10.00 a nite now thats apretty cheap week end in my opinion.

[time2roll]

Fuel seems to be dropping, RV is paid for, still enjoy State and National parks.
No, I think camping is getting easier on the wallet not harder.

Checked the price of a hotel lately? I just spent three nights in New Orleans $1,115 :E

[ckwizard777]

i say its worth it.
Where we camp in Port Aransas the resort cost us about 45 bucks a night where as a decent hotel will easily cost you between 300-400 a night.
The average park cost that I have seen here in Texas is around 25-35 per night.

[wintersun]

We have never had any illusions about saving money by traveling and camping with an RV. If we drove our Prius and tent camped we could save money as compared to staying at hotels and eating at restaurants.

The reason we use the camper is to be able to stay overnight at places where there are no hotels or inns and to be able to cook our own food. The biggest benefit for us is not having to eat restaurant food which is seldom as tasty and never as healthy as what we can fix for ourselves.

[Cloud_Dancer]

*
At Canyon Lake, I pay $12 for this space (includes 50 amp service, water, and dump station, and bathrooms/showers:

[rhagfo]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

ccbb088 wrote:
True but is it still worth it?

Only you can decide that!

That is true, but the operator needs to make money or else the park would not be there.

State Parks are less expensive as they are not fully supported by the user fees. Some states use Tax dollars, we in Oregon are "fee" supported, User fee (site rental), 60% of RV reregistration fees go to the parks, and they get a share of the Lottery earnings.
I pay just over $200 every two years to register our 32' 5er.

[Cummins12V98]

ccbb088 wrote:
True but is it still worth it?

Only you can decide that!

[noplace2]

mileshuff wrote:
They are absurdly priced but those RV resorts are in the areas I wish to travel. Sure I could go somewhere else, but I wouldn't be where I want to be. .

And therein lies a critical difference. No harm, no foul. Enjoy the rest of your time on the planet.

[mileshuff]

noplace2 wrote:
I'm seriously interested in what you define as "nice" and can justify that rate. Not in any way condemning your choices, just really want to know.

Justify? Not really. They are absurdly priced but those RV resorts are in the areas I wish to travel. Sure I could go somewhere else, but I wouldn't be where I want to be.

Take San Diego for instance. Chula Vista is by far the nicest resort in the area. Summer season, holidays etc. can easily be $80-$100+. Wide spots, easy in/out etc. Same with the RV park on Mission Bay. Even more pricey even though spots are tiny and cramped so I avoid!

Temecula, CA. Pechenga RV resort. One of the nicest RV parks I've ever been to. Very wide spots, near CA's most southern Wine region. Again, during peak season and holidays spots can easily reach $80+.

There are less expensive state parks, some on the beach. Great views. But they aren't full hookup and most are very small spots, crowded together. I do not enjoy sitting out staring at my neighbors sewer line nor do I wish to be far from the destination I wish to be near.

That said, there are other areas I travel that are more reasonable such as Williams, AZ or in parts of Southern AZ. Great RV parks priced $40 or so. Mostly my comments were regarding some areas in California.

[noplace2]

mileshuff wrote:
Depends on location. In the areas of CA I enjoy visiting a nice RV park can easily be $80-$100 or more.

I'm seriously interested in what you define as "nice" and can justify that rate. Not in any way condemning your choices, just really want to know.