Corp of Engineering campgrounds are where its at for my $$$...All the amenities like electric, water, garbage, dump, showers ...Almost always by some lake or river area...And you cant beat the prices ....Avg prices are from $20-$40 a nite but if you got the Geezer pass (American the Beautiful National Parks Pass) its half off these prices...Have stayed several nites when traveling for under $20 with the pass...Beat that
And it’s only going to increase as more people start doing this, because it only stands to reason there’s good money to be made ripping off the public,greed!
They could put locks on electrical boxes and water, when its reserved that box is unlocked. You have a visitor for the day, that box near their camp is locked. To get it unlocked, they then pay a fee based on length of stay. If they are not gone by morning, they get unplugged and box locked up.
My wife and I have spent the last 2 years learning, listening and looking into the RV lifestyle. We’ve toured dozens upon dozens of towable, Class B and Class C RVs. We’ve watched hundreds of hours of UA-cam videos, like this one, reached out via social media and have had the good fortune of connecting with many like minded people who have all been very generous in sharing their honest feelings and feedback about the RV lifestyle. In short, we’ve made the decision to outfit our F150 to enable us to carry kayaks, bikes, golf clubs, a portable BBQ, a 12v fridge and everything else we need to enjoy life on the open road. No matter how we approached this issue, the math on buying an RV (using a cost of $160,000) vs driving the F150 across North America over a 5-year time line simply didn’t make sense. The all in cost of RVing, including using $100 per night as an average campsite vs $300 night for hotels/VRBO/AirBnb ends up being well over $130,000 more over that 5 year window assuming 120 nights per year on the road. We understand that at the end of 5 years, we won’t have an asset, however, if we are looking at an initial investment of $160,000, then the chances of recouping that $130,000 are pretty slim if not non existent. The used RV market is flooded with every make, model and configuration going making the resale value on used RVs questionable at best. The other upside to hotels/VRBO/AirBnb is a real bed, long hot showers, at most hotels, a free breakfast each morning and no time spent setting up and breaking down camp. Each to their own, however for us, the numbers and the challenges that the post-Covid RV industry is facing ultimately made this an easy choice for us. The reliability, gas mileage and ease of operation of our F150 are the icing on the cake. We can go anywhere we want, find easy parking, a Ford dealer in every town and the peace of mind knowing that we are money ahead each and every day. Safe travels to everyone.
every time we mention buying a second home or RV our CPA explains ... "that half million will buy a lot of hotel rooms and airline tickets without the headaches".
@@lawrencewiddis2447 True. However, for us, our comfort level as far as size of RV and amenities put us in $160,000 range. One could counter argue that you could also easily spend $2 million on a big Newmar Class A, or a custom Prevost. My point was that for my wife and I the size of RV and the amenities that we were looking for put us into the $160,000 range. When I crunch the numbers, I am money ahead by not investing in an RV. I wasn’t trying to challenge anyone’s opinion of what RVing is. I was simply sharing our personal journey over the past couple of years and how we arrived at the conclusion that hotelling our way across the country made more sense to us on a number of key levels, including financially.
One fee that is not talked about much but is growing is a credit card fee. I’m finding more and more businesses are charging 3 to 5% to pay with a credit card. What’s worse, you have to use a credit card to make the online reservation. On a recent trip I calculated we paid about $100 in credit card fees. We usually, for security reasons, don’t take large amounts of cash but in the future we may need to pay cash for what we normally use a credit card for or just not buy much.
What I see is that campgrounds are responding to the current economic market. They are finally realizing that campgrounds are not just for recreation opportunity anymore. Because of the lack of affordable housing and the rise in remote working, more people are "living" in their RV. It's not a camping fee anymore it's rent. That's also the problem with fees for pets. I've personally camped next to someone with 3 dogs. Young families who live in an RV often homeschool their children. Extra fees for guests is a response to people renting 1 or 2 sites on a lake and then inviting everyone they know over. Often people renting a site on the lake are local folks and not vacationers. They bring their boats and entertain every weekend cuz its cheaper than buying a place at the lake. For us personally, we simply choose not to go to places that overcharge.
I have camped at over 100 beautiful National Forest locations across 20 states, and haven't paid a penny, and never will. There are so many free and beautiful dispursed camping locations in this country, that if I camped at one a week, I couldn't camp all of them in ten thousand years.
One of the most irritating things to me is when people make reservations and then don't show up, if you can't keep the reservation then at least be courteous enough to cancel.
The state of California for the state parks camping reservations has instituted a new plan or if you don’t show up the second day the reservation will be open to others. And if you continually no-show and don’t cancel, you won’t be able to book.
I was planning on buying a small camper van to travel in a lot of time solo sometimes with maybe one other. Put that on hold and I’ll be renting a van to see how I like it first. They’re also many cabins and other similar accommodations that are available to rent in County, State and National and privately owned parks and they are very reasonable price. They tend to be less than hotels nearby the parks. I was in Utah recently and was going to be visiting more than one Utah State Park so I looked see if I could save money by buying a pass . Nope because I’m not an Utah resident!!
I can understand the higher fee on boondocking. Someone has to clean after after those campers leave. Too many times I've seen trash left, dog poop and even human feces.
Just days away from picking up my used class c Rv. Inspection scheduled tomorrow, so fingers crossed nothing major is found. I bought a TT Adventure membership just because of these crazy fees. Knowing I’ll always have a spot so long as I stay at a TT campground gives me peace of mind. I’ll use it heavily 1-2 years then I can decide how much I wanna use it but I will get my moneys worth.
I am not an RVer but you guys are great. I will subscribe. As far as business goes it's not the old days anymore. These places want to make money . FOR PROFIT. I heard something about quartzsite and people are angry about the new charges. But there are places with no hookups that are cheap right? Anyway keep up your good work.
Comment. We’ve been camping since 1996 and had an RV since 2000. Some campgrounds cost more than others. It’s very simple if you do not like the fees that they are charging or the rules you don’t camp there can you find another place to go. I do agree with the visitor fee. I’ve been to campgrounds before that they do not even monitor who comes and goes from the campground and before you know it, your neighboring site has 14 people there until 3 o’clock in the morning. I also think some of these podcast here do not know what to talk about anymore as it’s just drama filled topics
I belong to coast to coast and RPI (resort parks international) and was enjoying very low or no cost camping for quite a while. Recently one of my camps charged a $35 fee per night for what he says was electricity rate increases. I thought that was outrageous as my small Class B would never use a fraction of the $35 (per night!). I which I had my Tesla then to charge up a storm. RPI said they had no control of this charge. We set up our rig now with more solar and lithium so we can boondock more during longer trips.
If our taxes paid for what they should, this should NEVER be an issue. By virtue of being a citizen, we should have direct access to what we already pay for. I agree with your logic, but it's a bandaid to cover mismanagement of funds.
The BLM CANNOT discriminate, jumping from $180 to $600 for 7 months in Quartzsite. Everything was fine until some Leftist bureaucrat came up with THAT ! I can understand gradual increases, but $600 is over the top for camping on OUR land.
We started out with a tent in the late 60’s. In 74 bought a 16’ pull trailer with an icebox, sink, toilet, stove, & a furnace that needed no electricity. In 98 we bought a 22’ 5th wheel and drove to Alaska for 4 months. The power total cost for entire trip was $62 a day. Including camping, food, gas, & sightseeing. In 2000 we hit the road full time with a 33’ 5er, in 2005 bought a 40’ 5er, and in 2012 we moved up to a 2010 Country Coach Prevost that had 8,000 miles on it. In 2018 wife became ill, Alzheimer’s and we had to stop. Motorhome had 88,000 miles. During this time we would often park our rv and take 3-5 day vacations. Yes it was expensive but we were able to do what we wanted and could afford. Nowadays the RVs are crap and the campgrounds have priced themselves out of reach of normal retirees. We had a great 18 years of full time living and met many people we are still friends with. People asked what we did with all our stuff…. I had 2 railroad boxcars on my property and used them. They were paid for in the early 80’s. Insurance was $100 a year and no one bothered them. Now I’m 75 and just enjoy reading and watching what others do L. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🫡
The campground overcharges are very frustrating. But even more frustrating in 2024 are campgrounds that require cash/check payments and have no reservation system (or website). Establishing a web page with an e-commerce interface doesn't cost that much. And credit card payments are more secure than check payments.
Sugar Loaf Key / Key West KOA was $125/night in 2022, now $260/night for the same site. It’s a corporate owned KOA, which means KOA owns this campground Disney World during the same week is $144/night So Disney World is $116/night cheaper than Key West KOA in January. BLM was too cheap for too long. Pennsylvania State Parks are high, New York State Parks are hiqh. Monroe County (Webster Campground) outside Rochester, NY. is $40/night. Yes, a county park. Our local Army Corp Campground ( Ives Run/ Lake Hammond ) was $19 / night in 2019. Now in 2024 is $42/night.
What did everyone expect with off-the-chart sales for RV's in the last several years? Supply and demand are driving prices. Welcome to your 'RV lifestyle'.
As a destination traveler, I use my travel trailer on journeys to save money. These increases at campgrounds are bringing them closer to motel costs. Couple that with the fact that motels offer pricing with no cancellation costs, plus the hassle of calling and waiting for a response from the campgrounds that don’t offer online reservations, it might be time for me to start traveling differently.
Next should be an episode to get the campground owners perspective. We have all complained about people who don’t know camping etiquette but what do those activities cost the campground? Maybe raising the cancellation fees would be more acceptable than more reservation fees. It might encourage people to be more responsible with their reservations.
A recent trip to Whistler saw us with rates in excess of $110 per night in a commercial campground, that was with full services however, still IMO a crazy price! Extra if you want to guarantee a specific spot. Reservation fees per night are common too. One nice thing here (British Columbia) : before June 15 and after Labour Day all Provincial park fees are 50% off for B.C. residents age 65 or over. So if a simple rustic campground that means you pay only $9 per night…but still an extra $6 PER NIGHT that you stay if you make a reservation. Winter rates usually kick in in late fall for everyone and they are usually much less expensive, but very limited services in any of the parks then that remain open. Largely just a place to put your garbage and pit toilets, but thats fine. Most, but not all dump stations are $5 in parks, but in winter they are often closed regardless.
Nearest "shopping" is ONE Dollar General in Valle Vista (11 miles). Kingman has to be at least 1 hr roundtrip from Hackberry (long way to go to get proper groceries). Nearest Costco is Henderson/Las Vegas (1.5 hr one-way, minimum). We just moved our elderly mother out of there because it was too remote. Must say, stargazing is AMAZING there.
I understand the van and rv traverlers love to live for free but that 600. for 7 months rent is a pitiful sum when we get honest about our state of Arizona having to clean up after you all prvide water trash sewage never mind our road wear and tear etc etc
It’s not just RV’s being gouged. Decades ago we could tent camp in AZ’s National Forest for free. Now, many charge $20+ a night to sleep on the ground. Ridiculous.
We pulled into the southwest on christmas eve and was quoted seventy bucks a night " Holiday Fee" in an almost empty RV Park... Needless to say, we went and checked in at the econolodge for 50 bucks. We Need To FIGHT BACK PEOPLE..
I quit going to any place like that a long ling time ago, ripping your head off and not being content with a decent profit. They say that Corporations began taking over all the campgrounds they can snap up.
The problem is as long as folks continue to reserve they will continue to raise prices and find new revenue streams into your pockets! Kinda like the government.
We live in AZ & have camped at Quartsite several times in an RV park. Yes the season & rally draw a large crowd. BLM provides restrooms, showers, water, dump stations, & trash containers. I can see an increase, not $600, &250. maybe.
It's necessary now to ask each campground for a list of all potential fees before booking. When reservations go down, perhaps the campgrounds will revisit their charges.
I am ok with slight increases but you mention adding pools, cabins, etc. That is a choice not a need. My old Tennessee stopping place used to be $42 a night with Good Sams discount. Now it is $200. When I asked why, they said we added a pool and the word "Resort" to the name. Everything else is the same. The per person fee is ridiculous. They are not bedding them like a motel. Also, I have once had my spot changed on me on a July 4th weekend at Carolina Beach. I got there and there was a ground grill right in the middle of the site I was moved to. A tree blocked me from going beside it. I called the ranger and they put me on another site but told me I would have to leave it as it was reserved for someone else that had not shown yet. I moved there and then told them I wasn't moving because of what they did to me. How can they justify the Quartzite increase that much. It is Government land right? It is dry camping. Now, if people are leaving mass messes then yes, I can see it but otherwise, no.
If I can’t pick the site I will not stay at the campground. I am disabled and pick a site that suites my needs. Often the designated disable sites do not work for me.
We’ve been camping in a seasonal campground for 35 years in Canada, I recently upgraded to a 40 foot 5th wheel to be able to tour North America but with the new fees and increased fees we also have a timeshare bought back in 2010 and I believe I’m going to leave the trailer sit for now and just enjoy the timeshares at a cheaper weekly rate. Sad to think timeshares are cheaper than camping in your own Rv trailer. Way to go campground owners way to price gouging.
They will kill the industry, next year used RV's will be available by the 100's of thousand and the the Parks will start closing and they will cry mercy.
Why doesn't the government allow people owned campgrounds ?? Hundreds pay a yearly fee in exchange for one free week on the site. No electricity or water. Just a parking spot. Have these large camping grounds all over the country. You can join as many campgrounds as you want by paying the fee based on how many total one week stays you want per year on multiple grounds which are then honored on all of the camp sites. Part of that fee goes towards maintenance crews that clean up and security to only allow members. And have rules like no loud music or noise after 8pm. Price gouging problem solved.
Dynamic pricing is coming to many businesses near you. What is dynamic pricing? It’s the ability of a businesses to track sales of items on their shelves and as the volume of an item begins to sell out the store can raise the price of that item. The same is coming to camp grounds. Did you know Ford has patented a process to place ads on your cars computer screen? It has not been applied yet and may not in the future if enough people complain. The idea is to track the cars movement and to display ads on your computer to fit your location. Some are suggesting audio ads could play in your car when the radio is turned off. You may be able to opt out of this service but then things tied to the ads service such as GPS tracking for your navigation system may not function. Check this out Steve Lehto’s post regarding this patent about Ford.
Did you say September 5th? The hurricane is headed to Southern Louisiana today 9/11. Be aware of tornadoes as far north as Missouri! Hopefully your trip is next year, stay safe!
Everyone allowed the airlines to nickel and dime them to death. And the hotels. So, now campground owners are playing the same game of advertising low and charging high.
Please add the link in the description of this episode to the BLM website so people can oppose the huge proposed fee increase - this would be very useful.
My wife and I thought about buying an RV to travel about (not fulltime) instead of a room, cabin, BnB, etc. I was admittedly stuck in the past when it came to campground pricing!!!! I figured it had gone up but not to $100 a night!!!! Yeah it depends on where, when, the amenities, length of stay etc but its still gonna be in that range or more!!! Plus electricity is usually extra, the plethora of fees, crowded conditions. Then the cost, insurance, maintenance of an RV. Not to mention the greater stress in driving and parking an RV!!! Geez. No thanks, we will just continue doing what we have been doing.
Supply and demand. My parents lived in an RV for over 15 years. Glad I never bought one. Hotels are now reasonably cheap based the fact business travel is still down from pre 2020 levels. Best of luck to you.
I just checked a KOA in Ely, NV. Nothing fancy. Its only wife and I, no kids , no pets and ELY is just a small town and they wanted $59.00 per night! Not even paved drive or pads! Dirt and gravel!
Comment: Putting oneself at the mercy of campgrounds is a choice. Buying huge RVs that are not self sustaining and dependent on water, sewer, 30 and 50 amp plugs is a choice. These choices put you in a vulnerable position to get gouged. Buy or build-in self sustainability to give one the ability to walk away from getting gouged. This will give you a FAR GREATER SENSE OF FREEDOM. 😃
How it should be: If a lot of RVs show up to a campground lower the prices so that you make your profit which encourages campers to return to you. The wring way: Overcharge RVers when many RVs show up to make insane profits because RVers need to park somewhere. Then RVers never return to your campground and you eventually get bad reviews and have to close down. Lower steady profits guarantee a ling time successful business. But greed and price gouging make RVers want to sell their Rvs and move in with their families.
People don't want to Camp, they want to take their house and park it in a different place. They have created this problem with bigger rigs and demands for more amenities. You have the choice to stay or not.
Resident vs non-resident fees makes sense to a point. As residents we pay taxes that go to our state campgrounds and we pay camping fees. Non-residents only pay the camping fees. So are residents really paying that much less? To me there should be some difference in price but not so great it deters tourism. Our hunting and fishing licenses are the same way for the same reason. The one commenter complaining about being forced to book a 50A site instead of using a dog bone on a 30A site. I’m willing to bet that park has gotten tired of 50A rigs using dog bones and overloading and damaging the 30A circuits. While the commenter acknowledged he can only run one A/C with the dog bone, there are way too many uninformed, mechanically and electrically ignorant RVs, and I’m sure dog bone related overloads happen way too frequently. I’d hard on the circuit breakers and the lighter gauge wiring.
Let's see, how many campgrounds have gone out of business... So it's really about greed. Paying extra to make an online reservation is stupid, talking to a receptionist is more expensive, so I just call and clog their phone lines... This happening more and more as corporations buy up the small camp grounds, all about $$$
I think it is terrible for the USA National Park System charging more for RV'ers visiting the parks as full time RV'ers! just saying that as our full time RV people have trippled annually! We should be able to have a set price for national park site with full hook ups! Or partial Hookups! So what is going on with all the super increased fees for RV parks! Why can we not establish a full service fee for nightly full service hookups (power, Water, Sewer!) throughout our most beautiful National Park Systems!
You talked about price gouging, but what can we do about it except going elsewhere? However, RV owners and club members should band together and contact local counties and government about the problems you are facing and request help and justification for all these additional charges. I’m sure you have heard about consumers boycotting various companies, possibly you can do the same to various campgrounds?
Simple economics - supply and demand - it’s like purchasing meat at the Pigley Wiggley, there isn’t just one price for beef, you can buy ground beef of pay more for filet mignon, you can just show up at a camp site or pay for reservations, you can just take a spot that’s leftover of pay more for a prime location, you can sleep in a tent or purchase a $100k motor home. And publishing a RV UA-cam site only brings MORE RV’s which only adds to the RV problem. I camp in a tent or truck camper shell on BLM or state park land and use a vault toilet, little sympathy for the problems those obnoxious home on wheels encounter. Everyone, myself included, needs to factor in the cost of a camp or luxury site into the purchase price of their selected camp vehicle of choice. And just wait until the red party sells off all the public land to lower taxes and there’s NO public land left.
Everybody wants all the Comforts of home but they are offended when they have to pay for it... and it's supply and demand right now there is an abundance of people living in RVs and campers and traveling in RVs and they need a place to stay so they are going to have to pay a premium and that's just the way it is
All these extra fees are going to make it too hard for seniors on fixed income to go anywhere. Those numbers are for total visitors, not those staying there. BLM does not provide anything worth $600 a month.
Federal land managers like the BLM have costs just like any other business organization. With increased visitor usage at Quartzite the law enforcement, garbage disposal, and public information needs keep going up while the BLM sees decreasing funding and a shrinking workforce. I strongly support these increases to ensure the area remains safe and clean to visit.
You can’t even travel no more . The RV resorts even any where from 1200 -3000 . Retired and on disability people like me can’t afford these prices. You’re better to go to motel .this is monthly fees .
Pulling up in a 100K fifth wheel w/50k pickup pulling it or a 500k class A -don’t complain about $100 per night. Amazing how someone who Does Not own a campground but knows it should be less per night. Buy a campground and let us know from real experience not guess work.
I think they are going to lose campers. Here in California, people cannot buy a diesel or Class A or Class C here anymore and or buy it in another State and bring it here and Oregon t2 other States are riding their shirttails S California is the only State that can do that somehow. Like a Dictatorship right and large undercover illegal payoffs perhaps.?
Vote with your wallet people. I can't get over how willing people are to pay outrageous fees. To make it worse RV parks are already turning away RVs older than 10 yrs old. Again, it's hard to believe how many people are willing to be abused by trail park owners. It's pathetic. They claim to be all about family as they are telling you an additional kid is going to cost you more. geez.
Yeah, I'm going to pay 30 K for a camper and 60 K for a truck and gasoline and insurance and then I'll pay 100 a night to park. Oh ! Heck No ! I'll just go to the Hotel and save 100 K. And get a free breakfast 🥞🍳🎉😂.
BLM camping has been dirt cheap. More rangers, some medical support, more cleanup and infrastructure...I can see going to $325 or even $400 if there's going to be something for it. But $660! For less than that, I can stay someplace where they'll leave a newspaper on my doorstep.
You don't seem to understand how capitalism works. It's not price gouging if you have lower priced alternatives but you choose to pay the higher price anyway.
Corp of Engineering campgrounds are where its at for my $$$...All the amenities like electric, water, garbage, dump, showers ...Almost always by some lake or river area...And you cant beat the prices ....Avg prices are from $20-$40 a nite but if you got the Geezer pass (American the Beautiful National Parks Pass) its half off these prices...Have stayed several nites when traveling for under $20 with the pass...Beat that
Pretty simple, people need to stop patronizing these places.
Exactly!
And it’s only going to increase as more people start doing this, because it only stands to reason there’s good money to be made ripping off the public,greed!
It just won't happen. That's like don't pay 8 dollars for a soda or beer at events, or don't buy these crazy built campers.
But they won't.
They could put locks on electrical boxes and water, when its reserved that box is unlocked. You have a visitor for the day, that box near their camp is locked. To get it unlocked, they then pay a fee based on length of stay. If they are not gone by morning, they get unplugged and box locked up.
My wife and I have spent the last 2 years learning, listening and looking into the RV lifestyle. We’ve toured dozens upon dozens of towable, Class B and Class C RVs. We’ve watched hundreds of hours of UA-cam videos, like this one, reached out via social media and have had the good fortune of connecting with many like minded people who have all been very generous in sharing their honest feelings and feedback about the RV lifestyle. In short, we’ve made the decision to outfit our F150 to enable us to carry kayaks, bikes, golf clubs, a portable BBQ, a 12v fridge and everything else we need to enjoy life on the open road. No matter how we approached this issue, the math on buying an RV (using a cost of $160,000) vs driving the F150 across North America over a 5-year time line simply didn’t make sense. The all in cost of RVing, including using $100 per night as an average campsite vs $300 night for hotels/VRBO/AirBnb ends up being well over $130,000 more over that 5 year window assuming 120 nights per year on the road. We understand that at the end of 5 years, we won’t have an asset, however, if we are looking at an initial investment of $160,000, then the chances of recouping that $130,000 are pretty slim if not non existent. The used RV market is flooded with every make, model and configuration going making the resale value on used RVs questionable at best. The other upside to hotels/VRBO/AirBnb is a real bed, long hot showers, at most hotels, a free breakfast each morning and no time spent setting up and breaking down camp. Each to their own, however for us, the numbers and the challenges that the post-Covid RV industry is facing ultimately made this an easy choice for us. The reliability, gas mileage and ease of operation of our F150 are the icing on the cake. We can go anywhere we want, find easy parking, a Ford dealer in every town and the peace of mind knowing that we are money ahead each and every day. Safe travels to everyone.
every time we mention buying a second home or RV our CPA explains ... "that half million will buy a lot of hotel rooms and airline tickets
without the headaches".
@@j3hikes444 I think we may have the same CPA! Lol. There’s a lot of truth in that.
@@mikespies786 I don’t RV to be “money ahead.” Lots of less expensive ways to RV other than spending $160k.
@@lawrencewiddis2447 True. However, for us, our comfort level as far as size of RV and amenities put us in $160,000 range. One could counter argue that you could also easily spend $2 million on a big Newmar Class A, or a custom Prevost. My point was that for my wife and I the size of RV and the amenities that we were looking for put us into the $160,000 range. When I crunch the numbers, I am money ahead by not investing in an RV. I wasn’t trying to challenge anyone’s opinion of what RVing is. I was simply sharing our personal journey over the past couple of years and how we arrived at the conclusion that hotelling our way across the country made more sense to us on a number of key levels, including financially.
You can do much better than $300/night hotels unless you require luxury. Use shoulder seasons, extended stays, hotel loyalty deals, etc.
One fee that is not talked about much but is growing is a credit card fee. I’m finding more and more businesses are charging 3 to 5% to pay with a credit card. What’s worse, you have to use a credit card to make the online reservation. On a recent trip I calculated we paid about $100 in credit card fees. We usually, for security reasons, don’t take large amounts of cash but in the future we may need to pay cash for what we normally use a credit card for or just not buy much.
My credit card provider doesn't allow charging a fee for use of cards.
@@Step-n-Wolf May I ask who that is?
@GerryHemmer National Bancard providing service as Payanywhere.
What I see is that campgrounds are responding to the current economic market. They are finally realizing that campgrounds are not just for recreation opportunity anymore. Because of the lack of affordable housing and the rise in remote working, more people are "living" in their RV. It's not a camping fee anymore it's rent. That's also the problem with fees for pets. I've personally camped next to someone with 3 dogs. Young families who live in an RV often homeschool their children. Extra fees for guests is a response to people renting 1 or 2 sites on a lake and then inviting everyone they know over. Often people renting a site on the lake are local folks and not vacationers. They bring their boats and entertain every weekend cuz its cheaper than buying a place at the lake. For us personally, we simply choose not to go to places that overcharge.
I have camped at over 100 beautiful National Forest locations across 20 states, and haven't paid a penny, and never will. There are so many free and beautiful dispursed camping locations in this country, that if I camped at one a week, I couldn't camp all of them in ten thousand years.
One of the most irritating things to me is when people make reservations and then don't show up, if you can't keep the reservation then at least be courteous enough to cancel.
That frustrates us, too!
why would you cancel last minute and no refund anyway?
The state of California for the state parks camping reservations has instituted a new plan or if you don’t show up the second day the reservation will be open to others. And if you continually no-show and don’t cancel, you won’t be able to book.
I was planning on buying a small camper van to travel in a lot of time solo sometimes with maybe one other. Put that on hold and I’ll be renting a van to see how I like it first. They’re also many cabins and other similar accommodations that are available to rent in County, State and National and privately owned parks and they are very reasonable price. They tend to be less than hotels nearby the parks. I was in Utah recently and was going to be visiting more than one Utah State Park so I looked see if I could save money by buying a pass . Nope because I’m not an Utah resident!!
@@Aroadking444 COURTESY ? SO SOMEONE E)SE CAN USE >/ !!
I can understand the higher fee on boondocking. Someone has to clean after after those campers leave. Too many times I've seen trash left, dog poop and even human feces.
Scoop your poop buddies - stop leaving it all over the ground !!
I've always said if you don't own a shovel and no how to poop in the woods! Then stay home and poop in your yard!!!😮
Growing popularity with the mobile workforce has stressed the public lands. After 40 years of working I hope it’s still available when I retire.
Just days away from picking up my used class c Rv. Inspection scheduled tomorrow, so fingers crossed nothing major is found. I bought a TT Adventure membership just because of these crazy fees. Knowing I’ll always have a spot so long as I stay at a TT campground gives me peace of mind. I’ll use it heavily 1-2 years then I can decide how much I wanna use it but I will get my moneys worth.
The fees could double tomorrow, and still be packed.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Solo empty nester. Full time RV Nomad est January 2019.
I am not an RVer but you guys are great. I will subscribe. As far as business goes it's not the old days anymore. These places want to make money . FOR PROFIT. I heard something about quartzsite and people are angry about the new charges. But there are places with no hookups that are cheap right? Anyway keep up your good work.
Comment. We’ve been camping since 1996 and had an RV since 2000. Some campgrounds cost more than others. It’s very simple if you do not like the fees that they are charging or the rules you don’t camp there can you find another place to go.
I do agree with the visitor fee. I’ve been to campgrounds before that they do not even monitor who comes and goes from the campground and before you know it, your neighboring site has 14 people there until 3 o’clock in the morning.
I also think some of these podcast here do not know what to talk about anymore as it’s just drama filled topics
I belong to coast to coast and RPI (resort parks international) and was enjoying very low or no cost camping for quite a while. Recently one of my camps charged a $35 fee per night for what he says was electricity rate increases. I thought that was outrageous as my small Class B would never use a fraction of the $35 (per night!). I which I had my Tesla then to charge up a storm. RPI said they had no control of this charge. We set up our rig now with more solar and lithium so we can boondock more during longer trips.
WOW!! So many expensive fees...Terrible....Thank you for the video. Blessings to you.
I agree with BLM charging more fees, they need more security and more services ie.garbage and dump. $600 is less than $100/month.
Came to say the same thing.
If our taxes paid for what they should, this should NEVER be an issue. By virtue of being a citizen, we should have direct access to what we already pay for.
I agree with your logic, but it's a bandaid to cover mismanagement of funds.
The BLM CANNOT discriminate, jumping from $180 to $600 for 7 months in Quartzsite. Everything was fine until some Leftist bureaucrat came up with THAT ! I can understand gradual increases, but $600 is over the top for camping on OUR land.
You guys as a couple are awesome and have great content.
Thank you for the kind words!
Wow. What a ripoff. People on a tight budget or fixed income will really struggle. That is a shame. Great video guys ❤
Thank you!
People on a tight budget probably can't afford to camp anywhere at any cost.
We started out with a tent in the late 60’s. In 74 bought a 16’ pull trailer with an icebox, sink, toilet, stove, & a furnace that needed no electricity. In 98 we bought a 22’ 5th wheel and drove to Alaska for 4 months. The power total cost for entire trip was $62 a day. Including camping, food, gas, & sightseeing. In 2000 we hit the road full time with a 33’ 5er, in 2005 bought a 40’ 5er, and in 2012 we moved up to a 2010 Country Coach Prevost that had 8,000 miles on it. In 2018 wife became ill, Alzheimer’s and we had to stop. Motorhome had 88,000 miles. During this time we would often park our rv and take 3-5 day vacations. Yes it was expensive but we were able to do what we wanted and could afford. Nowadays the RVs are crap and the campgrounds have priced themselves out of reach of normal retirees. We had a great 18 years of full time living and met many people we are still friends with.
People asked what we did with all our stuff…. I had 2 railroad boxcars on my property and used them. They were paid for in the early 80’s. Insurance was $100 a year and no one bothered them. Now I’m 75 and just enjoy reading and watching what others do L. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🫡
The campground overcharges are very frustrating. But even more frustrating in 2024 are campgrounds that require cash/check payments and have no reservation system (or website). Establishing a web page with an e-commerce interface doesn't cost that much. And credit card payments are more secure than check payments.
Agree! Enough!
Sugar Loaf Key / Key West KOA was $125/night in 2022, now $260/night for the same site.
It’s a corporate owned KOA, which means KOA owns this campground
Disney World during the same week is $144/night
So Disney World is $116/night cheaper than Key West KOA in January.
BLM was too cheap for too long.
Pennsylvania State Parks are high, New York State Parks are hiqh.
Monroe County (Webster Campground) outside Rochester, NY. is $40/night. Yes, a county park.
Our local Army Corp Campground ( Ives Run/ Lake Hammond ) was $19 / night in 2019. Now in 2024 is $42/night.
What did everyone expect with off-the-chart sales for RV's in the last several years? Supply and demand are driving prices. Welcome to your 'RV lifestyle'.
Exactly and more corporate organizations are investing. Just like corporate organizations are buying up homes and dominating the rental market.
WOW!!!
As a destination traveler, I use my travel trailer on journeys to save money. These increases at campgrounds are bringing them closer to motel costs. Couple that with the fact that motels offer pricing with no cancellation costs, plus the hassle of calling and waiting for a response from the campgrounds that don’t offer online reservations, it might be time for me to start traveling differently.
Next should be an episode to get the campground owners perspective. We have all complained about people who don’t know camping etiquette but what do those activities cost the campground? Maybe raising the cancellation fees would be more acceptable than more reservation fees. It might encourage people to be more responsible with their reservations.
This would be an interesting episode
A recent trip to Whistler saw us with rates in excess of $110 per night in a commercial campground, that was with full services however, still IMO a crazy price! Extra if you want to guarantee a specific spot. Reservation fees per night are common too. One nice thing here (British Columbia) : before June 15 and after Labour Day all Provincial park fees are 50% off for B.C. residents age 65 or over. So if a simple rustic campground that means you pay only $9 per night…but still an extra $6 PER NIGHT that you stay if you make a reservation. Winter rates usually kick in in late fall for everyone and they are usually much less expensive, but very limited services in any of the parks then that remain open. Largely just a place to put your garbage and pit toilets, but thats fine. Most, but not all dump stations are $5 in parks, but in winter they are often closed regardless.
We ran into a shower fee. On top of the space, this fee and that fee in northeast! Very costly.
I didn't hear you mention anything about water on that 10k an acre land from your sponsor
..OR Sewer...
There is no sewer because there is no water.
@@mikepaddack1827
LoL 🤣👍
Let me sell you a desert lot, that is actually worthless 😅
Nearest "shopping" is ONE Dollar General in Valle Vista (11 miles). Kingman has to be at least 1 hr roundtrip from Hackberry (long way to go to get proper groceries). Nearest Costco is Henderson/Las Vegas (1.5 hr one-way, minimum). We just moved our elderly mother out of there because it was too remote. Must say, stargazing is AMAZING there.
I understand the van and rv traverlers love to live for free but that 600. for 7 months rent is a pitiful sum when we get honest about our state of Arizona having to clean up after you all prvide water trash sewage never mind our road wear and tear etc etc
It’s not just RV’s being gouged. Decades ago we could tent camp in AZ’s National Forest for free. Now, many charge $20+ a night to sleep on the ground. Ridiculous.
We have a Class B and don't mind reserving a site, but i don't want to be moved. I pay the same amount per night as a larger rig.
Great episode
I do everything I can possibly do to avoid commercial/ private campgrounds.
We pulled into the southwest on christmas eve and was quoted seventy bucks a night " Holiday Fee" in an almost empty RV Park... Needless to say, we went and checked in at the econolodge for 50 bucks. We Need To FIGHT BACK PEOPLE..
I quit going to any place like that a long ling time ago, ripping your head off and not being content with a decent profit. They say that Corporations began taking over all the campgrounds they can snap up.
It’s too bad your tour next year leaves Bemidji MN before the fall colors peak. They are so beautiful that I hope colors turn early next year for you!
If people don't stop disrespecting the rules and trashing the forests, these won't be free anymore as well!
The problem is as long as folks continue to reserve they will continue to raise prices and find new revenue streams into your pockets! Kinda like the government.
We are from Minnesota and our weekenders. Next summer we are dropping our trips from like 10 in the summer to 3, just can't afford it anymore.
We live in AZ & have camped at Quartsite several times in an RV park. Yes the season & rally draw a large crowd. BLM provides restrooms, showers, water, dump stations, & trash containers. I can see an increase, not $600, &250. maybe.
Amenities out there are very limited - for a $600 fee I hope they are adding showers and a swimming pool !!!
It's necessary now to ask each campground for a list of all potential fees before booking. When reservations go down, perhaps the campgrounds will revisit their charges.
I am ok with slight increases but you mention adding pools, cabins, etc. That is a choice not a need. My old Tennessee stopping place used to be $42 a night with Good Sams discount. Now it is $200. When I asked why, they said we added a pool and the word "Resort" to the name. Everything else is the same. The per person fee is ridiculous. They are not bedding them like a motel. Also, I have once had my spot changed on me on a July 4th weekend at Carolina Beach. I got there and there was a ground grill right in the middle of the site I was moved to. A tree blocked me from going beside it. I called the ranger and they put me on another site but told me I would have to leave it as it was reserved for someone else that had not shown yet. I moved there and then told them I wasn't moving because of what they did to me.
How can they justify the Quartzite increase that much. It is Government land right? It is dry camping. Now, if people are leaving mass messes then yes, I can see it but otherwise, no.
If I can’t pick the site I will not stay at the campground. I am disabled and pick a site that suites my needs. Often the designated disable sites do not work for me.
We’ve been camping in a seasonal campground for 35 years in Canada, I recently upgraded to a 40 foot 5th wheel to be able to tour North America but with the new fees and increased fees we also have a timeshare bought back in 2010 and I believe I’m going to leave the trailer sit for now and just enjoy the timeshares at a cheaper weekly rate. Sad to think timeshares are cheaper than camping in your own Rv trailer. Way to go campground owners way to price gouging.
Many have figured that those who have deep pockets with the rigs can now begin to share that $$ with the camp grounds
They will kill the industry, next year used RV's will be available by the 100's of thousand and the the Parks will start closing and they will cry mercy.
Why doesn't the government allow people owned campgrounds ?? Hundreds pay a yearly fee in exchange for one free week on the site. No electricity or water. Just a parking spot. Have these large camping grounds all over the country. You can join as many campgrounds as you want by paying the fee based on how many total one week stays you want per year on multiple grounds which are then honored on all of the camp sites. Part of that fee goes towards maintenance crews that clean up and security to only allow members. And have rules like no loud music or noise after 8pm. Price gouging problem solved.
If folks think that it’s too expensive to stay at a campground, then don’t go there…
Dynamic pricing is coming to many businesses near you. What is dynamic pricing? It’s the ability of a businesses to track sales of items on their shelves and as the volume of an item begins to sell out the store can raise the price of that item. The same is coming to camp grounds. Did you know Ford has patented a process to place ads on your cars computer screen? It has not been applied yet and may not in the future if enough people complain. The idea is to track the cars movement and to display ads on your computer to fit your location. Some are suggesting audio ads could play in your car when the radio is turned off. You may be able to opt out of this service but then things tied to the ads service such as GPS tracking for your navigation system may not function. Check this out Steve Lehto’s post regarding this patent about Ford.
@@kradwonders that is insane, people should be outraged should this take place.
Did you say September 5th? The hurricane is headed to Southern Louisiana today 9/11. Be aware of tornadoes as far north as Missouri! Hopefully your trip is next year, stay safe!
Everyone allowed the airlines to nickel and dime them to death. And the hotels. So, now campground owners are playing the same game of advertising low and charging high.
we prefer not to enjoy commercial campgrounds, we do like COE, State and county parks,
Please add the link in the description of this episode to the BLM website so people can oppose the huge proposed fee increase - this would be very useful.
My wife and I thought about buying an RV to travel about (not fulltime) instead of a room, cabin, BnB, etc. I was admittedly stuck in the past when it came to campground pricing!!!! I figured it had gone up but not to $100 a night!!!! Yeah it depends on where, when, the amenities, length of stay etc but its still gonna be in that range or more!!! Plus electricity is usually extra, the plethora of fees, crowded conditions. Then the cost, insurance, maintenance of an RV. Not to mention the greater stress in driving and parking an RV!!! Geez. No thanks, we will just continue doing what we have been doing.
Is there a system for renting from private owners of lots like yours in TN and this one in AZ?
When I go to a campsite it's because I really have no choice. Normally I prefer boondocking.
You should see campground fees in California! Some parts are $300 per night easy.
Wow!
Wow!
FIGURED this was going to happen, GLAD I didn't spring for this lifestyle
Amenities out there are very limited - for a $600 fee I hope they are adding showers and a swimming pool !!!
Supply and demand. My parents lived in an RV for over 15 years. Glad I never bought one. Hotels are now reasonably cheap based the fact business travel is still down from pre 2020 levels. Best of luck to you.
In Australia it costs more to rent a space in a caravan park than it does to rent a house
Wow!
I just checked a KOA in Ely, NV.
Nothing fancy.
Its only wife and I, no kids , no pets and ELY is just a small town and they wanted $59.00 per night!
Not even paved drive or pads!
Dirt and gravel!
If you're charging for a dog, just you wait and see how much of your park my SPOUSE can tear up.
Comment: Putting oneself at the mercy of campgrounds is a choice. Buying huge RVs that are not self sustaining and dependent on water, sewer, 30 and 50 amp plugs is a choice. These choices put you in a vulnerable position to get gouged. Buy or build-in self sustainability to give one the ability to walk away from getting gouged. This will give you a FAR GREATER SENSE OF FREEDOM. 😃
How it should be: If a lot of RVs show up to a campground lower the prices so that you make your profit which encourages campers to return to you.
The wring way: Overcharge RVers when many RVs show up to make insane profits because RVers need to park somewhere. Then RVers never return to your campground and you eventually get bad reviews and have to close down.
Lower steady profits guarantee a ling time successful business. But greed and price gouging make RVers want to sell their Rvs and move in with their families.
Sorry about the auto correct misspelling.
Look forward to Jennifer’s preping
Thanks Inca!
Maybe some private investor has bought them too like the housing market seems similar.
People don't want to Camp, they want to take their house and park it in a different place. They have created this problem with bigger rigs and demands for more amenities. You have the choice to stay or not.
Shouldn't RV park owners have the right to charge what they want?
Resident vs non-resident fees makes sense to a point. As residents we pay taxes that go to our state campgrounds and we pay camping fees. Non-residents only pay the camping fees. So are residents really paying that much less? To me there should be some difference in price but not so great it deters tourism. Our hunting and fishing licenses are the same way for the same reason.
The one commenter complaining about being forced to book a 50A site instead of using a dog bone on a 30A site. I’m willing to bet that park has gotten tired of 50A rigs using dog bones and overloading and damaging the 30A circuits. While the commenter acknowledged he can only run one A/C with the dog bone, there are way too many uninformed, mechanically and electrically ignorant RVs, and I’m sure dog bone related overloads happen way too frequently. I’d hard on the circuit breakers and the lighter gauge wiring.
Let's see, how many campgrounds have gone out of business... So it's really about greed. Paying extra to make an online reservation is stupid, talking to a receptionist is more expensive, so I just call and clog their phone lines... This happening more and more as corporations buy up the small camp grounds, all about $$$
I think it is terrible for the USA National Park System charging more for RV'ers visiting the parks as full time RV'ers! just saying that as our full time RV people have trippled annually! We should be able to have a set price for national park site with full hook ups! Or partial Hookups! So what is going on with all the super increased fees for RV parks! Why can we not establish a full service fee for nightly full service hookups (power, Water, Sewer!) throughout our most beautiful National Park Systems!
You talked about price gouging, but what can we do about it except going elsewhere? However, RV owners and club members should band together and contact local counties and government about the problems you are facing and request help and justification for all these additional charges. I’m sure you have heard about consumers boycotting various companies, possibly you can do the same to various campgrounds?
It is not just campgrounds. Manufacturers, dealers, and more want a bigger piece. The end result? Perhaps more campers (tents etc) and fewer RVers.
Supply and demand, it isn't just a good idea, it's a law.
Simple economics - supply and demand - it’s like purchasing meat at the Pigley Wiggley, there isn’t just one price for beef, you can buy ground beef of pay more for filet mignon, you can just show up at a camp site or pay for reservations, you can just take a spot that’s leftover of pay more for a prime location, you can sleep in a tent or purchase a $100k motor home. And publishing a RV UA-cam site only brings MORE RV’s which only adds to the RV problem. I camp in a tent or truck camper shell on BLM or state park land and use a vault toilet, little sympathy for the problems those obnoxious home on wheels encounter.
Everyone, myself included, needs to factor in the cost of a camp or luxury site into the purchase price of their selected camp vehicle of choice. And just wait until the red party sells off all the public land to lower taxes and there’s NO public land left.
The age of the internet has lead to unthinkable ways to upsale in everyway possible......
🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
What about water.
when you can stay in a really really nice hotel cheaper than a crap site in some campgrounds that says it all.
Everybody wants all the Comforts of home but they are offended when they have to pay for it... and it's supply and demand right now there is an abundance of people living in RVs and campers and traveling in RVs and they need a place to stay so they are going to have to pay a premium and that's just the way it is
Residents provide a stable income for parks; there should be a break for permanent or long-term residents.
All these extra fees are going to make it too hard for seniors on fixed income to go anywhere. Those numbers are for total visitors, not those staying there. BLM does not provide anything worth $600 a month.
Kingman? They are running out of water, literally! Research that before you purchase any land there.
The prices are outrageous considering, the people own their homes. Hotels are about as expensive with more needed services.
Federal land managers like the BLM have costs just like any other business organization. With increased visitor usage at Quartzite the law enforcement, garbage disposal, and public information needs keep going up while the BLM sees decreasing funding and a shrinking workforce. I strongly support these increases to ensure the area remains safe and clean to visit.
But who wants to stay in AZ. 110 degrees. Maybe during the winter and then you deal with the snow birds.
You can’t even travel no more . The RV resorts even any where from 1200 -3000 . Retired and on disability people like me can’t afford these prices. You’re better to go to motel .this is monthly fees .
COE. 16 dollars with an American the beautiful pass
There just aren't enough of them! We love COE campgrounds!
Pulling up in a 100K fifth wheel w/50k pickup pulling it or a 500k class A -don’t complain about $100 per night. Amazing how someone who Does Not own a campground but knows it should be less per night. Buy a campground and let us know from real experience not guess work.
I just stop camping sell everything love camping but I live on limited income.
I think they are going to lose campers. Here in California, people cannot buy a diesel or Class A or Class C here anymore and or buy it in another State and bring it here and Oregon t2 other States are riding their shirttails S California is the only State that can do that somehow. Like a Dictatorship right and large undercover illegal payoffs perhaps.?
Vote with your wallet people.
I can't get over how willing people are to pay outrageous fees.
To make it worse RV parks are already turning away RVs older than 10 yrs old.
Again, it's hard to believe how many people are willing to be abused by trail park owners. It's pathetic. They claim to be all about family as they are telling you an additional kid is going to cost you more. geez.
Yeah, I'm going to pay 30 K for a camper and 60 K for a truck and gasoline and insurance and then I'll pay 100 a night to park. Oh ! Heck No ! I'll just go to the Hotel and save 100 K. And get a free breakfast 🥞🍳🎉😂.
BLM camping has been dirt cheap. More rangers, some medical support, more cleanup and infrastructure...I can see going to $325 or even $400 if there's going to be something for it. But $660! For less than that, I can stay someplace where they'll leave a newspaper on my doorstep.
You don't seem to understand how capitalism works. It's not price gouging if you have lower priced alternatives but you choose to pay the higher price anyway.
Just giv’em your wallet…..Geeze! I’ll be buying my own RV space…..
❤
Hudson Run
It’s a woman thing Mike!
Boycott these RV Parks and Camp grounds get your point across. Enough followers you will make them listen. Just saying.❤