How would rising gas prices effect your camping?

There is talk about gas being $4.00 a gallon.
If gas were $4.00 a gallon this year, HOW would that effect your camping habits?

We may have to make some small adjustments but do not plan to drastically alter our plans.

The high fuel prices are certainly reducing the number of trips that I make on an annual basis. I just returned from a one week 850 mile round trip to spend xmas with grandkids and the fuel cost is becoming cost prohibitive to continue making these long trips for short periods of time. I will be heading south soon for a two monther as I normally do this time of the year; however, this year I will light in one place for the entire time rather that visit several locations as I have done in the past. To add insult to injury, this new Ultra Low Sulphur fuel has resulted in a loss of 2 to 3 miles/gallon. At this pace, I afraid that the RV industry may be in for some tuff times in the future.

We have been wanting to venture out to see some other parts of Texas and the the rest of the country, but with diesel so high we are thinking twice. Especially since we take two vehicles, one towing the camper and one towing the boat.

Fuel Prices

My last three fill ups here in Toronto since the 23 December were $1.109 per liter or $4.19 US gal, $1.069 per liter or $4.04 gal and yesterday at $1.038 per literor $3.92 gal. Get use to it as it is on it's way.

Retyred

Not much at all since it is still a lot cheaper than paying taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance and everything else that goes with keeping a residence. For us, fulltiming is a good thing, even at $4.00 a gallon and we drive two vehicles.

Our plan to see more of the country will have to wait until I start getting Social Security. Once that happens (18 months) we'll do more traveling. Until then we'll continue to stay in Texas for the Winter and Wisconsin for the Summer. Campin 24/7/365.

Wow, I posted this only 12 hours, or so, ago and it's had 82 hits, 23 votes and 6 replies! That's a lot of hits and votes! Good goin Heartlanders..
As for us, we took our cross country last summer. I drove 6,487.3 miles in 24 days, we camped in 16 states and used $3,300.00 in diesel. I pulled the Outback from West Tennesse out 40W to Cali, up the coast, back thru Yosemite, YEllowstone, Mt. Rushmore and other vairous American wonders.
Oh and btw, hands down winner of all of our favorite places to camp was Palo Duro Canyon. I will NEVER forget this whole trip, nor will our kids. But, we will never forget sitting outside at nite with a cloudless sky and the millions of stars illuminating the walls of the canyon. Wow..it's hard to describe.
Anyway, as for us camping? We'll probably stay a little closer and make more trips. Reason is getting to know the new trailer. Plus our big trip is "supposed" to be a cruise this summer to celebrate our 25th wedding!
Case in point, we've already decided that we want to take the kids to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Asheville, NC. We'll probably stay in a hotel that weekend cause it'd be a quick weekend trip.
So, yea, the gas prices does shape our camping a little bit, but not entirely.
If you have a true passion for something, there are no barriers.
Mark

It cost a $100.00 bucks a week to go to work now. Its time to buy a small car to drive to work and park the truck.

Cooper said:

It cost a $100.00 bucks a week to go to work now. Its time to buy a small car to drive to work and park the truck.

Click to expand...

Sounds like it's time to quit work and go Full Time!

Hey Campntn,

Where are you cruising to for your 25th? Our family is taking on the Alaskan Wilderness this July. It's my parent's 50th, our 25th, brother #1's 15th & brother #2 is celebrating 40 years of bachelorhood!

Brother #1 lives in Waynesville, NC so we stay at the Creekwood Farm RV Park in Maggie Valley (great way to escape the niece & nephew!) which is roughly 30 miles from Asheville unless you just gotta stay in that ol' hotel. http://www.creekwoodfarmrv.com

Hey, we've never been on a cruise. Thinking NOT the Bahamas though.
Man, your cruise sounds like a blast. I hear good things bout the Alaskan cruises.
Me..I need beach, sand, smell of suntan lotion, seagulls...palm trees, fresh shrimp grilled outside, sweating in the shade, walks to the beach, looking at stoopid souveniers in cheesy beach shops, sleeping all nite to the sound of a 15K air conditioner blowing cool air on my family inside our new North Trail while I stretch out on a 78" bed...oh,oops...

Sorry, I'm back to reality, I left for the mental beach for a second at my desk.
errr...
Mark

I plan to camp the same as always...at least until diesel gets to $5.00 per gallon, at which time I will cancel my cable TV (over $100.00 a month ) and still camp the same.

Right now our 5er is parked (we are semi-permanent-seasonal) at a campground about 45 miles from my house, so I am not using any fuel for camping... BUT... I have budgeted for $850 a month for fuel when we go full-time in '09... if fuel is $8.50 a gal and I can get 10 mpg, then we will go somewhere within a 700 mile radius of where we are and park for a month (reserving some for sightseeing when we get where we are going)... so basically we will just stay longer in one place depending on fuel prices, but we are still going full-time.. still with lot rent, fuel, etc, it is less expensive than my current mortgage payment and utilities... yeah it will get my attention when I refuel, but whatcha gonna do??? stay home.. not an option...

Have got a seasonal site at at a nice camp grounds not to far from home, and plan to use camper every weekend and some week long visits. but not tow it around much.

We just adjust what we do so we can continue to camp.

Bill

Rising Fuel Prices

We have already changed out travel plans for 08. Originally we were going to the Grand Canyon, up to Sturgis, and then back over to Missouri, and then back down for one of our trips, but now. We'll probably just stay in state and check some of the lakes and rivers we haven't visited in several years. There is no reason that the slag they called diesel could cost more than gasoline.

This poll may be more representative if it were split and fulltimers had a poll and partimers had a poll. If fulltiming, you certainly would not camp less.........the RV is home, you just may move around less. Nonfulltimers are split between retired parttimers and working weekenders. I am a retired parttimer and have my coach to travel around and be comfortable in the process (I hate motels). I seldom do the short distance weekend camping trips anymore....I do the extended trips for longer periods. Fuel cost is a definate factor under these circumstances. Fuel for the working weekenders may not be as much of a factor as their trips are mostly short distances except for the extended vacation trips. It would be interesting to be able to determine how the responses in the poll are split between fulltimers, retired partimers, and weekenders.

As a matter of fact, we are planning on camping more this year than we did last year. We are lucky here, I have alot of different campgrounds around here to goto. Most are within 2 hour drive radius. This includes Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Greg

Although I am currently awaiting delivery of my 09 Cyclone 3950, (my first RV) - I will be pretty much fulltiming from the git go. My job has had me in motels constantly and I am sick of them. My daily per diem money will be paying double payments on my Cyclone, as well as parking space rental and a little bit extra. My company pays me mileage for every mile I log on my truck, which covers fuel and then some. For the past year, I have usually been within 200 miles from home. When our youngest (and last of 5 girls) leaves home in about 2 years, my wife will join me on the road. I am truly blessed. Looking so forward to the RV experience. Been dreaming of the day for many years.