How much does a weekend camping trip cost you?

[CajunCamper]

Someone mentioned on another thread I started that the economy was having an effect on their camping which I'm sure many others can say the same thing.

So I thought I would ask, what does it cost you for a weekend camping trip and have you had to scale back in a few areas. If you have scaled back perhaps you would like to share some ideas of how you brought the cost of camping down.

When I started camping as a kid, it was pretty basic stuff. We grabed a few cans of food out of the pantry and set up a campsite in the woods near the house.

When I got married and introduced my wife to camping, we still kept it basic by tent camping in state parks or NF campgrounds with minimal fees. Kids came along and we continued to keep it very basic while camping in tents.

Once we bought our pop up we tried different types of campgrounds from resort type campgrounds, the Jellystones, etc but found that State Parks, National Parks, NF campgrounds and State Forest campgrounds were the best fit for our style of camping. Because of this we still pay anywhere from $8.00 per night to $24.00 per night for a site. If we arrive on a Friday and leave on a Sunday our site cost us at the minimum $16.00 or max $48.00 for the whole weekend. Actually our favorite campground is the one that only cost $8.00.

The gas to and from this campground cost us approximately $25.00 and we can get by with eating pancakes for breakfast sandwiches for lunch and a burger and chips for dinner.

I can easily do a Friday through Sunday camping trip to my favorite local campground for under $75 if I have to. If I splurge a bit on the food and beverages, I can do it for under $125.00

If I really need to save, I have a couple of options to set up my camper on private property that's closer to my house saving on camping fee and on gas, grabbing items from the fridge and pantry and lowering my cost to under $30.00

How about you, what does a camping trip cost you?

[Gracy]

For us it just depends where we're going and who we're going with.  Over labor day... the longest trip for us of the year... we were at a private campground (East Shore in San Dimas, CA) and with our group having 3 sites w/ full hookups... it ended up being $115 for 4 nights.... to me that not bad at all.

Gas to get there and back was maybe $20 st the most... I mean we only live 20 minutes from the campground.  

Food and alcohol we probably spent $175 and of course some of that you bring back home with you.

Then we rented a huge waterslide for a day so that cost us $10 per person.

I'd say the whole weekend totaled about $350 for 4 nights of group/ family camping.

[cyclone]

Site fees average $20/night.  This is primarily camping in state or COE parks.  Rustic sites are cheaper in the state parks, but I like my water and electric.  I don't even consider the cost of food a camping expense unless I really splurge.  We would be spending money on food to eat at home, anyway.

[jpcjtrtj]

Let's see, :confused:

Site: $20-44 a night. so $40 to $88 depending on where we're staying. :tent:

Gas: 15 mpg for 125 miles x 2 x $3 plus some travel on the side = Let's call it $60  :mad:

Food:  $100 :yikes:

Wood:  $15 :p

Bait:  $5  :cool:

Being away from everything with no cel phone or email coverage:  Priceless :-()

[wavery]

Wellllllllllll..........We are heading out next week on a 10 day trip. We've been planning this trip for awhile and I just did a calculation of what it is costing us, including gas..................about $18,675..........:yikes:

Sure makes a cruise (or 10) look cheap.

That's really not fair.........we sold our old truck for $4500 so I guess I should take that off of the total......so about $14,175........

[PattieAM]

If I take the effort and time....I could camp locally (within 100 miles) for under $100...provided I had been putting 'camping food' on my camping designated shelves in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator.

Campground fees seem to be averaging about $35/night (full hookup), slightly less if it's just W/E and I have to deal with 'big blue'.

Reality.......I now budget $200 flat out, as no matter how I plan/pack - there's always something 'needed'.  

Looking at the campground fees and my frequency/style, I bought a used campground membership (nationwide), and my annual dues are $500-ish.  This is less than I was paying in campground fees annually, so it has been worth the cost.  So I now utilize my membership and have been able to enjoy my get aways with minimum expense - just food and gas (propane refill maybe).  My membership allows pets, which was the #2 reason I was purchasing.  Some of the state parks I used to visit charged a pet fee per pet, per night plus tax.

Looking towards the future and hopefully more travel, the membership will play an important part in my camping budget.

[flyfisherman]

There was a time when I was going alone on some distance trips but for the most part I try to buddy-up and spit the expenses. And I go for longer periods of time ... try to go for a least 5, 6, maybe 7 days, whereas I'd jump at the chance for a week-end, for ssure a long week-end. And would'nt you guess it my favorite places to go are like 400 miles!

So doing a 5/6 dayer, the 400 miler, and buddying-up, it'll run two hundred bucks for my part. Yes, we could cut back a tad, we almost always have one good resturant meal and there's always too much food that we buy at the market for the campsite. But on the other hand, we mostly stay at national forest campgrounds where sites are a little cheaper ... not to mention that I get the site for 50% less being an old duff.




Fly

[zamboni]

If we camp (like this past weekend) with water & electricity but no sewer, average is about $35-40/night.  Full utilities around $50/night.  Dry camping will run around $25/night.

There are, apparently, numerous thousands of miles of "off-road, US Forest Service" camping areas.  Nothing you can find on a map - just a clue where the trail heads are and no idea if you can get your rig in there.  I'd love to be able spend a week mapping a bunch out (ie, no camper - me & tent), but don't have the time.  The forest sites are virtually free.  With our Honda generator and a chunk of fresh water, we'd easily be set for a long weekend.

Unfortunately, campgrounds gouge you.  This past weekend: $33/night.  Oh... Fri-Sat?  Hidden cost is $39/night.  Dogs?  $2/night.  More than 4 people? $2/night/extra.  Reservation fee: $9 (impossible to book site without fee, even if you arrived in person).  Lakeview?  $7/night.  Yes, campgrounds really gouge you with hidden fees

Here's our site from last time (note how hard it is to see the lake from our "lakeview site"?  It was supposed to be 20 feet from our camper...)

[austinado16]

I figure we'd eat food whether we were camping or not, so I try not to make that a factor.  

Typically $18/night in the National Park and bought the $80 annual pass that gets you into all National (and maybe State?) Parks for one year from purchase.  We ski in Yosemite during the winter, so that pays for itself in just 4 visits.

Our big expense is fuel since the 'burb only gets 14 and change towing.  Right now a 34 gallon tank is running $114.00 and we can tow 476mi on that.  So our typical trip to Kings Canyon runs just under $200.

[sandykayak]

Miami-Dade and Broward County (FL) parks are now charging $30/night to camp - you'd think they'd at least lower the price in summer!  

If I drive further afield to go to a more rustic state park - ab $22/night with elec/pets but lower quite a bit further north (from Miami), I laugh cos I've now spent an extra $50 in gas!!

Last weekend I camped at Midway Campground in the Big Cypress Reserve (on the Tamiami Trail).  Senior Pass ($10 one-time fee) starts at age 62, so with the 50% discount it came to $10/night and the drive is about an hour.  Nothing special (tho flush toilets are kinda special!) to do here unless you take off somewhere, but I enjoy putzing and reading.  This campground has electricity but no water - except at the camp host sites - but the price is right.

Monument Lake (a few miles west) charges ab $16/night (from Dec. 15 - April 15) ($8 for seniors).  No hookups at all, but they do have flush toilets - outdoor shower.  It's free the rest of the year - but with the heat and the mosquitos, you can only take advantage of this during the shoulder months/weeks.

Monument Lake is more in the open and you see the splendid Clyde Butcheresque Everglades landscapes:  http://www.doubleexposure.com/uploads/moon_rise_.jpg
His photo gallery is on the Tamiami Trail - specializes in black-and-white photography.

They seem to be changing the discount rate as one can see that they have scraped of the "1/2 off" portion of the sign.

Two more years and I'll qualify for the Seniors pass (65) at the Fl State Parks...kinda stoopid wanting to get older, isn't it?  But if I can pay half-price, I could afford to camp more.

[hoppy]

Here is our break-down for the weekend:

1. Electric / Water site for $22.00 a night = $ 44.00.
2. TV gas to and from @ total 125 mi. = $ 22.50.
3. Firewood = $30.00. We do burn a lot of wood.
4. Rib-eyes & Country style ribs = $ 25.00. Gotta have these when camping.
5. Adult beverages / soda. = approx. $ 35.00.
6. Chips, dips, etc. = approx. $ 10.00.
7. Ice = $ 4.00.

 Everything else comes out of our home pantry and fridge.

 So our weekend camping trips cost us just under $ 175.00.

[Gunrunner]

I live in Southwest Missouri..and am surrounded by wonderful CoE Lakes..with really nice campgrounds. Since I am not yet rigged up to take both the Bethany and the boat to the lake at the same time I make two trips..one to drop the popup..dh back home to get the boat..then back to the campground.
 Reverse proceedure going home. Again since I am located within 60 miles of
5 wonderful lakes w/SP campgrounds even all this extra mileage dosent come to 40.00 per outing. (my ranger gets good towing mileage!)
  Food dosent count..gotta eat anyway...I freeze my own ice..and one mixed drink per trip is about all I want anyway.  I am a great camp chef so even if I dont catch dinner we eat well.  
  Mo and Ark state campgrounds are 16.00 per nite..someday I might even qualify for a discount off that!   Roberson Point on Norfork..Pontiac on Bull Shoals..Cedar Bluff on Truman..  my favorite places. Best day of fishing..seven blue cats with total weight of 210 lbs. My filet board is a modified metal ironing board!    Once you have purchased all the permanant stuff you need for camping the only repeating costs are gas..food..propane..and campground fees.  I net my own bait.
  So a 3 day trip for two adults runs around 100.00.   It's well worth it to me!

[Crowbar4]

for us its all in the distance.  we get about 5 mpg in the mh.  last weekend we went to the sscampers halloween rally which is about 200 mi each way.  400/5=80 gal of fuel 2.99 gal=239.2 for the weekend + 25 night x 4 night, some adult beverages and food i would not normally buy (doritos, steaks etc) total another 50.  so we spent about 400 for the weekend.  ouch!! got to camp closer to home.

[griffsdad]

Gas = $120
Food = $150
Alcohol = $65
Three nights of camping $80
 
BEING WITH FRIENDS - PRICELESS