Is camping really cheap?

[big_slacker]

Did a family camping trip, and while it's certainly cheaper than say flying a family of 4 to some corporate money extraction theme park i wouldn't say it's cheap in absolute terms.

To start you're going to need some gear: Tents, sleeping bags, tarp, axe, camping pads, cooler, camp stove (debatable, you could do cold food and cook a meal or two on the fire), etc.

There are reoccurring costs: Any camping specific foods (s'mores :D  ), ice for the cooler, gas to drive there, propane for camp stove, wood for fire and the big one is campsite fees. The state parks here are $25-$35 a night. So for a weekend trip of 2 nights figure $60 in site fees, $30 in food and supplies, $15 in gas, $20 in wood (unless your car isn't packed to the roof and you bring your own, not in our case) and you're at $125.

Again, I'm not bitching excessively. Everyone had a great time. But up front costs can be fairly expensive even if you shop around or go thrift store and it's not free to pitch a tent.

Comments or tips?

[Chris22]

Upfront costs are 1x only, and the rest IS cheap compared to what you'd spend at a hotel and eating out.  Try to go stay in a hotel and eat in restaurants for 3 days/2 nights on a budget of $125.

But I think camping sucks, so I'm not an advocate, but there's no denying it is cheap versus other options.  No it's not cheap compared to sitting at home on your couch.   

[Glenstache]

If cost is really the goal, check out dispersed camping (ie, literally just camping in the middle of the woods).
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/fishlake/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5121831

This also gets away from the crowds of car campgrounds. The downside is that there are zero amenities (bathrooms, water, fire pit, tables, etc).

[neo von retorch]

We don't eat wildly different when camping, so the food costs are basically part of groceries.

Look for deals on the things you need for camping, and don't buy the things you don't need. We don't have a tarp, axe or camping pads. I have a little one-burner propane stove that was very inexpensive. I have a gigantic tent that cost $75.

Maybe it's different where you're camping, but we see so many signs for cheap firewood on our drive to the campgrounds - you can usually get a barrel load for $5-10. If you can't fit the firewood you'll need in your car, and you absolutely must buy from the camp store, it's about $6 for a bundle that we can make last two nights. It's also $19-25 for campground fees - more during busier seasons, which we enjoy less anyway because we want to be around LESS people while on vacation, not MORE :)

You could also save on ice if you don't throw away old but reusable containers (for example, cool whip, butter, etc) - and then let those become big ol' ice cubes in your freezer, and drop them in your cooler as you prepare for your trip.

[fishnfool]

Camping is cheap once you own the equipment.

A lot of it can be purchased 2ND hand at garage sales, flea markets and off of craigslist.

[mm1970]

Upfront costs are 1x only, and the rest IS cheap compared to what you'd spend at a hotel and eating out.  Try to go stay in a hotel and eat in restaurants for 3 days/2 nights on a budget of $125.

But I think camping sucks, so I'm not an advocate, but there's no denying it is cheap versus other options.  No it's not cheap compared to sitting at home on your couch.

Pretty much this.

When it comes to the gear, you may be able to borrow.  We have loaned our stuff out often.  We generally only camp once per year, but some of our gear is 20 years old.

Food: you have to eat anyway.  It's not like you wouldn't be eating at home.
Gas: yes, but if you go to a hotel, that's the same
Camping fees: I hear you can camp for free on BLM, but haven't tried that.  I find the cheapest camping fees to be around $25 a night. Some Natl parks are less but then you have to pay the entrance fees.

There are undeveloped campsites that are free though, at least around here.  If you want to camp at a state park with showers and running water, you will pay at least $35 or $45 a night.  If you are willing to rough it, it is free, but first come first served.

[neo von retorch]

If you want to camp at a state park with showers and running water, you will pay at least $35 or $45 a night.

This is almost certainly state specific. In Pennsylvania, we spend $19-25 a night. Usually on the lower end in early spring and any time after August.
(This is for state parks with reasonably nice bathrooms and showers.)

[Metric Mouse]

If cost is really the goal, check out dispersed camping (ie, literally just camping in the middle of the woods).
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/fishlake/recreation/?cid=stelprdb5121831

This also gets away from the crowds of car campgrounds. The downside is that there are zero amenities (bathrooms, water, fire pit, tables, etc).

This is what we do once or twice a year. A week or two out in the middle of nowhere. Have to eat no matter what, so as long as the food cost is similar, you can't really count that as an extra expense. We usually hunt/fish for what we eat, but might be different if one brings their family.

Also, I just learned my local library has season passes one can check out for all of the state parks in the tri-state area.  Literally free camping spots at beautiful parks with all the comforts one could desire. Might be worth looking into. $45 a night is much more than one needs to pay to camp.

[With This Herring]

Once you have the tents and gear, you don't have to necessarily travel to camp.  When we kids were young, a couple of times a summer Dad would set up the tent(s) in the back yard, and we would have a blast "camping" out there overnight, running in to use the bathroom as needed.

Also, even if you don't use them for camping, tarps are useful.  Dad picks up the blue ones for $5ish each when they go on sale, and they get used as coverings for all sorts of things outside as needed.  Once you have one, you'll find all sorts of uses for it.

Even at those campsite rates, camping is pretty cheap.  Compare it to the cost of taking your family to the movies at a standard theater (2 hours of fun) even before popcorn, and it seems like a bargain.

[Mtngrl]

Camping is our favorite vacation. We do it a lot and we do it on the cheap.
As someone else mentioned, find free campsites. Use a site such as freecampsites.net -- or look for BLM, National Forest or State Forest land -- almost all allow free dispersed camping (meaning you bring your own water and there are no toilet facilities.) We have scored some gorgeous, private campsites this way.

We never buy firewood -- we have had great luck driving around campsites and picking up the firewood others bought and left behind.

No special camping food here -- we eat what we eat at home.

So, our costs come down to the gas to get there and a bag or two of ice. DH's parents gave us camping equipment as a wedding gift (it's what we asked for.) That was 37 years ago and we have upgraded many times over the years, but pretty much everything has been bought used or given to us. We have a small trailer now but it has more than paid for itself -- we stayed in it while we were building our house, avoiding hotel fees.

We're leaving next week for a 28-day camping expedition through the western US and hope to do it all for around $1000.

[golden1]

Heh.  My tent camping trips were always <$1K per week even with buying gear plus eating out on occasion.  This is by far the cheapest vacation I have done.  If you really want to save money, camp with someone else and share their campsite and gear. 

[Grimm]

We recently returned from a week-long camping/canoeing trip to the Boundary Waters.  We've done that trip 3 years in a row.  I'm always amazed at how inexpensive it is.  We all have basic camping gear and canoes, so we rarely buy anything new.  Our yearly costs include our permit fees, food, gas for the drive, and one night in a motel.  This year costs came to $139/person for the entire week.  Incredible value.

[Kansas Terri]

Instead of ice for the ice chest, how about filling a gallon milk jug most of the way with water, freezing it, and then putting the cap back on? Assuming it fits in the ice chest, of course.

On the first night you can cook meat over the campfire and on the second night you can open up cans of stew or whatever, and then you will not have to worry about anything spoiling if the ice melts.

As others have pointed out, you already have tents and such so that will now not cost you.

The recurring costs...... yeah. Not much I can say about that.  Excepting, of course, that it is cheaper than hotel rooms for 4 and cheaper than buying meals.

Edit to add: make certain the lid is off the milk jug before you freeze it or the water will expand as it freezes and split the jug. BTDT.

[Roland of Gilead]

Free (North Dakota)

Had bathrooms, fire pits, picnic tables, dock, and a beach.  Could stay 14 nights.

[Roland of Gilead]

Also free (Montana).  Had bathrooms, fire pits, picnic tables, dock and hiking trails

OP must have flunked camping school :-)

[Roland of Gilead]

Free (Idaho)

Had bathrooms, fire pits, docks

[DTaggart]

We love camping and would rather do that than a fancy hotel somewhere. To second what everyone else has said, the gear is a one-time cost and can be had for fairly cheap if you shop around or go second hand. If you're not backpacking or going out in the middle of winter, you don't need super high-end gear. We got all our initial camping gear for about $250 - a 3 person Coleman tent, 2 30-degree Coleman sleeping bags, inflatable air mattress, a Coleman cooler, and a small charcoal grill. Most of it was acquired from Big 5 and Wal-Mart on sale. We're aspiring to do some long-distance backpacking someday so are slowly acquiring much more expensive ultra light gear, but that's a whole different story.

Food costs shouldn't be much different than what you eat at home - shop the sales and prepare homemade stuff ahead of time to keep costs down. Ice? You got a freezer, you got water, figure it out :) I use those plastic shoe-box size Sterilite containers and make about 3 big blocks in the weeks before we head out (having a chest freezer makes this easier, but it can be done with just the fridge-freezer). Solid blocks last much longer than the bags of ice. Make sure all your meat and anything else that is freezable is completely frozen before putting it in your cooler. Depending on how long we're out and what the weather's like, we might have to replenish mid-trip, but our blocks usually last at LEAST 4 days.

Campground fees vary enormously. In our area, state parks are the most expensive at $25 - $35 per night. National Park and National Forest sites vary from free to $25 per night. We're lucky in that my husband qualifies for a National Park access pass (free for people with disabilities - he has some rated disability from his military days which qualifies him) which provides free entrance and then 50% off most campground fees. Look for BLM sites as they are generally free (although usually have few to no amenities).

Fuck, now I want to go camping!

[OmahaSteph]

Following. DS is a Webelo this year so the camping is picking up in frequency, plus we're hoping to do Yellowstone early next summer. His entire Christmas/birthday list is camping gear.

[UKMustache]

My wife and I only recently started camping, we've really enjoyed our trips so far.
We got a tent with a price match (beat the other stores price by 10%) so we paid £90 for a £160 tent. 
We already had sleeping bags from when we were younger, air bed was £10 and we take the pillows from home.

We also got a little gas hob (£12 on sale) and a BBQ (£40 reduced to £20, but the store let me have it for £10 because it was the last one and had a big dent in the lid).

Most other things we have borrowed from parents and friends.  A couple of chairs, cool box, windbreak etc.  My wife is only interested in sites with showers and decent (clean) toilet facilities so we've paid £20 and £24 per night on two sites so far, that includes electric hook up (for a light and phone chargers etc).  Compare that to the boutique hotels we were staying in a few years ago and it's a total bargain.  Some of those places were £200+ per night.

We might add a few things in time, I think I'd like a tarp to use as a porch for when it rains.  The tent is a little small for us both to sit in when the weather turns bad.



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[redbird]

Even if you have to buy some gear, it's going to be cheaper than most vacations people do since you can get free or very cheap lodging.

I haven't tried it yet because I've been too busy preparing to move, but I have a Prius and I want to try Prius camping. Essentially you use the Prius as a tent. I already have sleeping bags, so I would just have to buy some food-related gear and fire-related gear. DH and I plan to start doing road trips, and some of those will be to natural areas that we can camp at, so any gear we buy will get used repeatedly.

[2Birds1Stone]

I had to spend ~$200 on gear 10 years ago and still use it to this very day.

As far as gas/site fee's/food/ice/propane etc....it's still pennies on the dollar compared to staying at hotels, paying for major attractions, etc.

You should also try to find free state land to camp on. Here in upstate NY there are plenty of places you don't have to pay to camp.

[ImCheap]

O boy where to start.

Camping can be cheap if you want to tent it, this is where it starts.

Next comes the pop-up camper as your ass and back get gets to sore from sleeping on the ground plus you are tired of the river flowing thru your tent when it rains.

Then comes the travel trailer and the truck to pull it because you are tired of coming home to set the pop up camper back up to dry out the wet sausage you had to put away wet because it rained when you went to fold it up. Plus a bathroom and shower in a travel trailer is just so nice at 12AM.

So you can spend as much as you want. Sleeping in a tent and comparing that to hotel is not really fair, more of a fair comparison is a travel trailer vs hotel, at this point its more RV'ing!

Owning a big old camper is a PIA, sold ours after we did not use it much, kids to busy. I did enjoy camping with other families and friends. The down part on living on a few acres, most camp sites feel tight and cramped as compared to just peeing off my deck at home.

[mm1970]

Okay, now I just need to find those nice free campsites with bathrooms in So Cal!!

No offense but not driving to Idaho or MT with two kids, one who gets carsick.

[Roland of Gilead]

So Cal near the coast is going to be really hard but if you go a bit into the interior of California there are quite a few neat free camping spots.

If you get an 'Merica the beauty pass ($80 a year) which lets you into most of the national parks and national forest lands, it also opens up campgrounds that normally are $5 into no fee.

Here is one east of San Diego:

https://freecampsites.net/#!6090&query=sitedetails

[stoaX]

Okay, now I just need to find those nice free campsites with bathrooms in So Cal!!

No offense but not driving to Idaho or MT with two kids, one who gets carsick.

The Alabama Hills near Lone Pine are a great place to camp for free.  No toilets there, but most public campground toilets leave a bit to be desired.  A pop-up port-o-potty tent combined with a port-o-potty can be quite pleasant if camping close to your car.   

[darkadams00]

Just spent a week in July with the missus canoeing, camping each night along the river. Total cost ~$150. I bought my tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, stove, cookset, Nalgene bottles, and most of the other supplies new in 1998. Quality gear lasts a long time if you take care of it. Most of my gear has surpassed 1000 miles on the AT (southern half) and weeks of travel down the river. If I priced everything out new directly from REI in today's prices and estimated my days per year over the last 18 years, I could still crush almost any hotel/restaurant/attractions budget out there. It's like utility biking. Don't be afraid to buy quality and then use the heck out of it. Every trip brings down the average cost and adds to the total savings.

Of course, I love everything about the outdoors in all four seasons, so my enjoyment during such trips is probably above average.

[Laserjet3051]

$60 in site fees and $20 in wood?

How about you camp in one of the 1000s of places that charge either $0 or some minimal charge (e.g. $7/nt) and collect wood in the immediate vicinity of your campsite. Dispersed camping may not have fancy showers, but it sure is cheaper than luxury camping ALA Yosemite's Curry Village for example.

Food is a wash, but yes, if you dont have any camping gear, acquiring the basic tools does incur a cost.

:)

[rocketpj]

Camping can add up if it's a road trip - we did one this summer that ended up costing more than planned (getting flooded & having to stay in a hotel for a night, more gas than expected etc.).  That said, it usually costs next to nothing as all our gear has been with us a long time.

[PFHC]

Did a family camping trip, and while it's certainly cheaper than say flying a family of 4 to some corporate money extraction theme park i wouldn't say it's cheap in absolute terms.

To start you're going to need some gear: Tents, sleeping bags, tarp, axe, camping pads, cooler, camp stove (debatable, you could do cold food and cook a meal or two on the fire), etc.

There are reoccurring costs: Any camping specific foods (s'mores :D  ), ice for the cooler, gas to drive there, propane for camp stove, wood for fire and the big one is campsite fees. The state parks here are $25-$35 a night. So for a weekend trip of 2 nights figure $60 in site fees, $30 in food and supplies, $15 in gas, $20 in wood (unless your car isn't packed to the roof and you bring your own, not in our case) and you're at $125.

Again, I'm not bitching excessively. Everyone had a great time. But up front costs can be fairly expensive even if you shop around or go thrift store and it's not free to pitch a tent.

Comments or tips?

Like everything, camping can be as cheap, or expensive, as you want it to be.

I camped for years in a free sleeping bag, a hand-me-down tent, a $50 mat, and a $100 stove. We used to hike into the mountains and pick a spot, or get into the campground late and leave early. Never paid for a site until I was in my 30s with kids. Other than gas to get there and food to eat, the only expense is physical exertion. In the early oughties, my buddy and I could go on a 10,000 mile road trip for about $250/week for each of us. I never made more than $10/hr and I hit every state in the nation except 5, and toured Mexico and Canada. So, yes, it can be cheap as hell. You just have to do it right.

[MoneyCat]

The last time I went camping, I used an old tent I bought at Walmart for like $30 and some blankets and pillows from home. We ate fish we caught in the lake, drank a bunch of cans of PBR, and passed out. Seems like a pretty cheap way to vacation to me.


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[DTaggart]

Okay, now I just need to find those nice free campsites with bathrooms in So Cal!!

Most of the free sites won't have bathrooms, but I know of a couple spots in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park that have vault toilets: Yaqui Wells and Blair Valley, there are probably some others. Not a valid option for summer though :)

[mm1970]

Okay, now I just need to find those nice free campsites with bathrooms in So Cal!!

Most of the free sites won't have bathrooms, but I know of a couple spots in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park that have vault toilets: Yaqui Wells and Blair Valley, there are probably some others. Not a valid option for summer though :)

I consider a vault toilet to  be a bathroom.  Mostly we camp in Joshua Tree, no running water.  I'm okay with that.

[mm1970]

So Cal near the coast is going to be really hard but if you go a bit into the interior of California there are quite a few neat free camping spots.

If you get an 'Merica the beauty pass ($80 a year) which lets you into most of the national parks and national forest lands, it also opens up campgrounds that normally are $5 into no fee.

Here is one east of San Diego:

https://freecampsites.net/#!6090&query=sitedetails

Thanks for the tip.  We are on the tail end of our 4th grader National Parks pass.  The $80 pass would be great too, except we really only camp once/ year, so it's probably cheaper to pay to camp.  Depending on the location.

We are thinking of heading to San Diego over Thanksgiving...

[Fishindude]

Gear is a one time expense, then use it over and over, lasts many years, and you are going to eat at home or camping, so food cost is a non-factor.
I don't care for the public campgrounds, but then my camping is generally with the guys hunting or fishing, not wife and young kids.   We set up in the boonies out away from the crowds and camp for free, never buy firewood, crap in the woods, use a porta-shower or bathe in the creek, freeze jugs for block ice, etc.

[Dumb blonde]

Yes, camping is cheap. We've had 2-week family vacations (2 adults, 3 children) in the south of France for about 1000 euro including gas. We've had our gear for a 10-15 years now, I think we've invested about 600-700 euro in good gear, including tents.

[Digital Dogma]

You could also save on ice if you don't throw away old but reusable containers (for example, cool whip, butter, etc) - and then let those become big ol' ice cubes in your freezer, and drop them in your cooler as you prepare for your trip.

When I do large scale BBQ smoking of pork, I've got a 100quart cooler that I keep cold using "cooler shock" fill-it-yourself gel packs, they tend to stay colder for far longer than ice, they don't melt and get slushy, and they are reusable for an indefinite period of time if you cycle them back to the freezer frequently enough. They cut some cost by having you fill the gel pack with water and seal it yourself using an iron, that way the shipping weight is far less and the assembly work can save you a few bucks.

I suppose the alternative to this for frugal people would be to add salt to your reusable containers and freeze them, they'll stay below freezing close to 0 degrees for a long time. Ice only cools to 32 degrees, salty ice can go lower approaching 0 degrees.

[big_slacker]

Some great tips in here, thanks folks!

I see some folks didn't read the OP very well since I clearly said it's cheaper than a lot of vacations and duh gear is a one time expense. I love you guys though. :D

On the subject of dispersed camping, that was something I just brought up to my wife and was surprised that she said she'd be willing to do it as long as there is at least a vault toilet. This is a big deal, as she's a total city girl. I'm looking and there are some sites for $8 a night under 3 hours from us. Weather is still 80's here so we might even try it out in the next week or two!

[Hotstreak]

Some great tips in here, thanks folks!

I see some folks didn't read the OP very well since I clearly said it's cheaper than a lot of vacations and duh gear is a one time expense. I love you guys though. :D

On the subject of dispersed camping, that was something I just brought up to my wife and was surprised that she said she'd be willing to do it as long as there is at least a vault toilet. This is a big deal, as she's a total city girl. I'm looking and there are some sites for $8 a night under 3 hours from us. Weather is still 80's here so we might even try it out in the next week or two!

Three basic types of campsites:
-  Fancy: including showers, electric hookup, a park ranger, firewood for sale.  These are the ones that run $30-50/night
-  Mid-grade: usually vault toilet, running water, a camp attendant living in an RV.  These are about half the cost of "fancy" sites
-  Dispersed: Dirt, trees, a creek.  These are free, or you might have needed to pay $5/night to park at a trailhead.

Sounds like you're talking about the "mid-grade" sites.  Dispersed sites only have toilets if you dig one yourself!

[big_slacker]

Some great tips in here, thanks folks!

I see some folks didn't read the OP very well since I clearly said it's cheaper than a lot of vacations and duh gear is a one time expense. I love you guys though. :D

On the subject of dispersed camping, that was something I just brought up to my wife and was surprised that she said she'd be willing to do it as long as there is at least a vault toilet. This is a big deal, as she's a total city girl. I'm looking and there are some sites for $8 a night under 3 hours from us. Weather is still 80's here so we might even try it out in the next week or two!

Three basic types of campsites:
-  Fancy: including showers, electric hookup, a park ranger, firewood for sale.  These are the ones that run $30-50/night
-  Mid-grade: usually vault toilet, running water, a camp attendant living in an RV.  These are about half the cost of "fancy" sites
-  Dispersed: Dirt, trees, a creek.  These are free, or you might have needed to pay $5/night to park at a trailhead.

Sounds like you're talking about the "mid-grade" sites.  Dispersed sites only have toilets if you dig one yourself!

Well, they're listed as dispersed camping sites on the forest service websites for this particular national forest in WA state and it appears most of them do have vault toilets but no running water. I'm sure this varies by location:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/okawen/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=57113&actid=34

[Roland of Gilead]

Use army corp campsites.  The ones that are about $18 to $20 a night have showers, electricity, water, dump.  The ones that are free are still nicely maintained and have restrooms, picnic tables and fire pits.

3x better than private or state run campgrounds.

[Goldielocks]

I used to think camping was a wee bit expensive, because I would by $200 worth of gear before each trip (new bag, or tent, or fancy cooler...)  upgrading slowly for a family of 4.   Always justified in my mind because we were not paying big hotel prices, I could buy STUFF.   

This year, I found that camping at a national park ($45 for one night, then $27 for the next nights, plus $10 per night national park fee) was actually cheap!!

1)  The hotels close by STARTED at $200 per night.   I paid $240 - $275 for hotel before / after, that were old but redecorated.

2)  I had to buy a 3 person tent.   Got it off Craigslist (Northface backpack tent) for $140.  Sold it back on Craigslist for $135.  !!!!!   Store your stuff on Craigslist!  So many people selling full camping sets for $100 on craigs list.  "Used once at Burning Man... all is yours for $100".


Also this year, we have done a lot more "dispersed" or recreation sites (not in full parks).  Pit toilet, picnic table, sometimes Garbage collection, on a lake, in the forest, with a view, no near neighbors.. no water...   for $5-$13 per night.   So much nicer than a regular campground, if you don't mind hauling 10 Gallons of water in your car.