Budgeting for Camping

[four22]

I'm new around here and have been reading alot. My wife and I hope to purchase a travel trailer in the next year or 2 to start spending more time away with our children.

Couple of questions....

How much should I budget for a monthly long weekend with the family?
What are some suggestions of what to look for in a TT with 2 small children?

I'm hoping to stay around the 30' range and no more than 7500-800 pounds. We definitely want a bunkhouse to grow into.

Looking forward to some of the shared knowledge here.

Thanks!

[rbpru]

Waiting till the kids are old enough to camp is not the right approach. We had all of our grandchildren canoe camping before their first birthday. They grew up knowing what camping was about from the start.

Often we would stay in a lodge for a few day so they could swim and play on the beach but mom and dad and the grandparents always managed a two or three days of canoeing and camping. By the time they were teens they could handle a canoe as well as most adults.

Today they love the outdoors and our hope is that they will pass it on to their kids.

[Rangerman40]

I don't budget...... Just hook up and go have fun.

[Gdetrailer]

four22 wrote:
My "minimum usage" idea is a 7-10 day vacation once a year and 1 long weekend a month. Storage around here runs 50-75 bucks a month so not too bad.

Sounds like my "budget" is mileage divided by 10 plus camp site fees which is what I was roughly figuring.

I can remember camping at Lake Erie every summer growing up. My parents didn't have a lot of mine but we had a camper and an outside adventure drive. By far the best vacationing memories I have from my childhood.

My parents took 3 weeks in August to travel from PA to SC and even FL..

Our first trip was in a 1968 Mercury station wagon.. Packed us six kids in that wagon and one huge tent on the top rack..

Then 1970 Dad bought a F100 and put a camper shell on the back, made some bunks and a fold down table.. Usw kids road in the back..

1972 brought us a slide in camper and us kids got to ride in it.. Was fun adventure since we could get in the bunk over the cab and look out the big window!

Mom and Dad didn't have a lot of money to spend, we seldom ate out during those trips. Often just pulled over to the side of the road and Mom would put together a meal.

Now, I am the only one in my family that actually goes camping. For the most part, we really do not spend much more than what we do at home. We bring a lot of food, cook at our campsites and sometimes as we run out of milk, bread or a few other items we go to a local store.

So, really if you treat it like you are home for food you will not have a lot of food related expenses..

Camp sites and fuel are going to be your main costs.

Camp sites as others have mentioned can vary wildly from $10 per night upwards of $100 per night at in season peak times..

Fuel, figure 8 mpg-10 mpg towing.. Towing really takes a bit out of the mileage so you may as well get used to spend more and stopping more often.

As far as "waiting till they are out of diapers" I say NONSENSE!

Kids adapt pretty well and if you find decent campgrounds they will have a pool and some playground equipment for the kids..

MY DD was in diapers on many trips before we bought a trailer.. We survived that and moved to a TT and we have survived the4 diaper thing in a TT..

We did not let a kid in diapers stop us from traveling to hotels or even camping..

[Sillybugs2]

I would look at ones with double bunk size not the bunk rooms. My kids are now 11.5 and almost 15 and need the double size bunks. We outgrew our single over double bunk. If they bring friends we plan to bring the tent and they sleep there. Although campimg is generally family time only unless with another whole family.

[four22]

The "wait till the youngest is out of diapers" comment is our thought. Our boys are 3 and 1...

It's an easy sell to us because life has taught us that life is too short... As soon as the youngest is out of a crib/ok sleeping on a bunk with a rail, we're going to do it pending finances.

Thanks to everyone for the fruitful input.

[Mike_E_]

When looking for a bunkhouse pay extra attention to the length and weight ratings of the bunks.
Kids tend to grow ;), and as a parent of a 14 year old son who was 6'4" it was a bit of a challenge to find something he could fit on.
Also, if you can find one with more bunks than you need it will allow you to bring some of your kids' friends along, which as they get older can keep them interested in the whole thing. We were lucky that our three boys were best buds, but after the oldest couldn't make many trips due to work etc the void was quickly filled with friends, some who had never camped before...tons-o-fun.

You have hit the nail on the head with the "priceless memories" thought.....it is so true. Our longest trip was 6 weeks and 8500 miles, and even though it was 6 years ago our three boys (all grown now) still talk about all the 'adventures.'
BTW, that trip cost us less than 1 week in Hawaii would have run us.

Have fun!!!! Trust me, you will 🙂

Mike

[profdant139]

Just do it. One of my biggest regrets is that we did not discover RVing until after the kids were grown. If money is tight, consider a used pop-up -- they are available on Craigslist and are not expensive at all. Easy to tow. Yes, there are downsides -- the canvas gets wet, they are not great in cold weather, etc.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I would wait till the youngest is no longer wearing diapers. Then go camping!

[jfkmk]

four22 wrote:

I can remember camping at Lake Erie every summer growing up. My parents didn't have a lot of mine but we had a camper and an outside adventure drive. By far the best vacationing memories I have from my childhood.

X2! Growing up, my family would tie a huge Morsan (now Campmor) canvas wall tent to the top of an old Plymouth and go on camping vacations. Best memories ever!

We're lucky in that our small camper is parked on the side of our house, so no storage fees. Insurance is optional, as liability falls on the tow vehicle. We did purchase collision and comp for about $150 per year.

We generally stay in campgrounds with full hookups (my wife's rule) so these are a little more expensive than state parks. But when you factor in how much we save over a hotel, cooking at the site rather than going out for every meal, etc, it's certainly a less expensive alternative for vacationing. And, the memories are priceless!

Sorry this doesn't really answer how much to budget, just wanted to throw out some ideas to consider.

[rbpru]

I always recommend renting a trailer before you buy. A week or 10 days on the road will tell you a lot about your tow vehicle and trailer handling and camping travel with kids.

Expect 10 mpg. daily travel of 250 to 300 miles, travel speed of about 60 mph. You will be passed by everything on the road.

Also, there is a fair amount of maintenance between trips.

RVing is a great pastime but it is a lot different than other types of camping.

[four22]

My "minimum usage" idea is a 7-10 day vacation once a year and 1 long weekend a month. Storage around here runs 50-75 bucks a month so not too bad.

Sounds like my "budget" is mileage divided by 10 plus camp site fees which is what I was roughly figuring.

I can remember camping at Lake Erie every summer growing up. My parents didn't have a lot of mine but we had a camper and an outside adventure drive. By far the best vacationing memories I have from my childhood.

[Thom02099]

four22 wrote:
I'm new around here and have been reading alot. My wife and I hope to purchase a travel trailer in the next year or 2 to start spending more time away with our children.

Couple of questions....

How much should I budget for a monthly long weekend with the family?
What are some suggestions of what to look for in a TT with 2 small children?

I'm hoping to stay around the 30' range and no more than 7500-800 pounds. We definitely want a bunkhouse to grow into.

Looking forward to some of the shared knowledge here.

Thanks!

Let me make sure I'm reading your question correctly. You are asking about a once-a-month long weekend {for a monthly long weekend with the family?}. Long weekend as defined as perhaps a 4 day weekend, ie, Thursday through Sunday or Friday through Monday?

If this is correct what I'm reading, that you're asking about 3-4 days out per month, then it's a matter of how far from home you want to go, what sort of place you want to stay (amenities vs bare bones), do you plan to cook on-site or go out for meals, and what sort of sightseeing do you want to do. You're going to have to eat meals regardless if you're in your trailer or sitting at home, meal planning is really not much different than what you'd do at home with the kiddos.

An example of expenses: recent trip for 2 taken to the mountains about an hour west of where I live, a full tank of gas ($30), groceries ($50) plus what was in the fridge, adult beverages ($20), and campground fee ($26 for 2 nights with a senior pass, would have been $52 for two w/o it). This was in a national park campground, which had been reserved and paid for in January. Similar costs if we had been to a USFS campground, which we actually did the weekend prior, for about the same cost. If we had decided on a commercial campground, the cheapest in our destination area (Estes Park CO) would have been $40/night for water/electric, no sewer. Higher side in the same area would have been $60+/night for FHU. This is in the mountains of Colorado, so the costs for the destination are going to be higher, but the basic costs for food, etc are fairly stable.

Since you're in SW Ohio (based on your profile info) your costs may be higher or lower depending on where and how far you go.

As others have pointed out, there's fixed expenses, regardless of whether you go anywhere, or the unit sits in your driveway or storage yard. Travel trailer insurance, as previously stated, will likely be in the $200-$300/year cost. If you're planning on financing the trailer, you can write off the interest on the loan as you would your mortgage for tax purposes. Do you plan to buy new or used? That's another factor, where to start, if you're going to buy a new trailer. Best bet is probably to do a lot of internet surfing for various floor plans that you like, or just do some tire kicking at a local dealer. You may also find a used unit at a dealer that appeals to you.

Whatever you decide, it's a great way to spend some quality time with your family. Both my kiddos were infants when we started camping, in a popup, and it's time of some wonderful memories. Hope you'll be able to make some wonderful memories with your family!

[Jayco-noslide]

Expect to pay a wide range for the sites; from $10 or so at National Forests to over $50 for private RV resort type parks and everything in between. Average for us is around upper 20's per night but we prefer state and national parks and have the senior pass. You can control food cost by whether you eat out or do your own cooking. Paying for tourist attractions can add a bunch or you can hike, fish, etc. You will use a lot of fuel when on the road but you can control that too to some extent. Compared to hotels and resorts and eating out 3/day you will save a lot if you don't count the cost of the RV.

[jhfxrtleeh1]

Your insurance rate will vary depending on where you live and your driving record, etc. I'm in Alabama and my 2007 TT cost me $130 a year.

[dadmomh]

I'm one of those folks who never left the driveway without knowing where we were staying, maps, budget for food, activities, misc. Yes, the DH has already told me I'm a bit OCD, the in the longrun he feels better as well. Neither of us like surprises. Suggest you make a preliminary plan, mapquest it, look online for camping facilities in the area and rough that in. Figure 10 mpg unless you're going to be in lots of hilly mountainous areas, then go with maybe 8. Are you going to eat all meals in the trailer? If not, base it on what you'd spend on average. I planned menus and figured the costs and plugged it in. After everything was said and done, for a month long trip, I'd add maybe $500 for misc and be happy if you bring it home.

Knowing where you're thinking of going will help get you some ballpark figures. We also tended to stay in State Parks. There are some Federal, but most often don't even have water to the site.

BTW, you're going to need to do laundry along the way, so plan on that. We generally tried to do no more than 300 miles a day, sometimes more like 250. Remember that it's a vacation, not a race. Allow yourself time to enjoy.