1stgenfarmboy wrote: I just figgered it for a referance point, we don't eat much at all because were on a trail from daylight till dark on most days, so it's trail food for us.
and it will cost alot more to eat if you don't your mobile kitchen along.
I still stand behind my statement that having an RV IS not cheaper than a hotel (and at the same time there is nothing wrong with either one).
People do not take into account all the factors when camping (initial purchase, updates, repairs, lower gas mileage, more upkeep, insurance, license, camping fees, dumping fees, off season storage, wear and tear on the tow vehicle, depreciation of RV and tow vehicle, etc, etc.). Sure you can take one or two trips and say that based on a $500.00 a night hotel it comes out cheaper (and it does), at the same time you could say that if you drove 500 miles for a one night stay, added in camping fees, gas, etc it would be cheaper to drive the Toyota Prius and stay in a $75.00 a night hotel that offered a free breakfast. There is nothing wrong with either way - it is what you like, and really no reason to put down a person that disagrees with your choice.
2002 GMC 2500HD 4x4 4 Door
1992 Northern Lite 9'- 6" Camper
Homemade Cargo Trailer for hauling supplies
Advanced Elements Kayaks
Border Collie Guard Dog
hedgehopper wrote: I was just reading in Money magazine that the cost of a hotel stay was up 11% in 2011 and is predicted to be up even more in 2012.
Is it OK for us to gloat as we drive past the hotels?
Hedgehopper, I am going to have to agree with you. The "Truck Camper" is alot cheaper than staying in a hotel.
Quote: In my mind, it's hard to justify rving economically with the extra cost of fuel, the RV itself, both purchase and maintenance, extra cost for turnpikes, just to name a few.
SkipJ
This may surprise many, but hauling, gassing, maintaining and paying for a quality campground site here in the east is actually WAY more expensive than taking our 29 mile-per-gallon vehicle and renting a place (with kitchenette). Have you seen the price of fuel lately? Comparing fuel cost increases to hotel price increases is like comparing the increase in the commodity price of granite to that of gold !!
Hauling a gas-guzzling maintenance-hungry RV around today makes no economic sense (when we can fly to Florida, or pretty well any resort, for under $800 return for both of us, with an open ticket! This, notwithstanding our current half-dozen flights pretty well anywhere in North America we have accumulated on our "Points"), and if you know what you're doing, you can get EXCEPTIONAL deals on hotels/efficiencies for the cost of a quality well-located campsite.
RVing IS a luxury today, so commensurate with this luxury, you need the income to do it.
We love our truck camper rig for many reasons (I use it as an office, and sometimes mobile office; use it for family visits; use it for hauling building materials; hauling antiques back from Vermont; use it as a base camp for Silverdunes' summertime art shows; use it for field surveys; use it as an exotic guest house in our forest; etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc). Sometimes (rarely these days) we actually use it for camping
Being able to jump on a commercial airliner in Plattsburgh, New York (just a short drive from us), park absolutely free (even for months at a time), jet extremely cheaply to the Bahamas, Florida, Roatan Island (Honduras), Costa Rica, LA or New York City for relative pocket-change in literally an hour or three (saving us from 2 days to 2 weeks of back-ache driving of the gas-guzzling truck camper, and more importantly the precious and expansive $$$$$$time to drive "there"!)........is priceless
For us, the truck camper is many, many things, but camping in it appears to be relegated to a minor use (see our long list of uses, above).
As a seasonal camper paying only $1,950 for 6 months of camping, the savings add up really fast. No more fuel fees, dump fees, utilities, repairs, nothing. Easy to justify it now.
Quote: In my mind, it's hard to justify rving economically with the extra cost of fuel, the RV itself, both purchase and maintenance, extra cost for turnpikes, just to name a few.
SkipJ
This may surprise many, but hauling, gassing, maintaining and paying for a quality campground site here in the east is actually WAY more expensive than taking our 29 mile-per-gallon vehicle and renting a place (with kitchenette). Have you seen the price of fuel lately? Comparing fuel cost increases to hotel price increases is like comparing the increase in the commodity price of granite to that of gold !!
Hauling a gas-guzzling maintenance-hungry RV around today makes no economic sense (when we can fly to Florida, or pretty well any resort, for under $800 return for both of us, with an open ticket! This, notwithstanding our current half-dozen flights pretty well anywhere in North America we have accumulated on our "Points"), and if you know what you're doing, you can get EXCEPTIONAL deals on hotels/efficiencies for the cost of a quality well-located campsite.
RVing IS a luxury today, so commensurate with this luxury, you need the income to do it.
We love our truck camper rig for many reasons (I use it as an office, and sometimes mobile office; use it for family visits; use it for hauling building materials; hauling antiques back from Vermont; use it as a base camp for Silverdunes' summertime art shows; use it for field surveys; use it as an exotic guest house in our forest; etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc). Sometimes (rarely these days) we actually use it for camping
Being able to jump on a commercial airliner in Plattsburgh, New York (just a short drive from us), park absolutely free (even for months at a time), jet extremely cheaply to the Bahamas, Florida, Roatan Island (Honduras), Costa Rica, LA or New York City for relative pocket-change in literally an hour or three (saving us from 2 days to 2 weeks of back-ache driving of the gas-guzzling truck camper, and more importantly the precious and expansive $$$$$$time to drive "there"!)........is priceless
For us, the truck camper is many, many things, but camping in it appears to be relegated to a minor use (see our long list of uses, above).
Silver-
Other side of coin:
I retired in '94 and I still have nearly 3/4 million miles in one of my mileage accounts and wife and I go abroad at least once if not several times a year. I personally hate flying and only use it for trips outside the US cause my TC does not have pontoons.
Wife, me and 4 dogs from 4 lbs to 80 lbs all fit on a TC quite well, but do not fit in hotel rooms, in fact we cannot even get in one.
Gas guzzling, yea I get about 12 - 13+ (loaded) or about 1/2 of what you do. But I am more comfy (DON'T even tell me airplanes are comfy I don't care how much first class you travel) we stop when want, where we want, far less stress than any airport.
While I understand where you come from, been there done that and they can keep their FF miles far as I am concerned just let me drive there at my pace and my time, with my family...
Don
17 Oaks Ranch, Texas
US Army (RET)
'11 F350 4x4, CC, LWB, DRW, Lariat
AF 1150, solar, satellite
Vietnam Combat Veteran
It truly depends on the air line deal and the distance. For example, a round trip ticket to Winnipeg from Regina is "on sale" at $470.00. The distance is 1144 kilometers. My RV consumes 27 liters per 100 kilometers. Cost for fuel would be $388.00
However, I can do the trip from Regina to Toronto for that same $470.00. The distance is 5022 kilometers so fuel costs would be $1708.00
Anyone that camps with sleds, boats, motorcycles or off-road vehicles cannot get away from using a larger vehicle to tow these items. Interests will dictate cost as much as lodging. For those who enjoy boon docking in remote areas, the whole idea to get away from establishments and people...
Atchafalaya_man wrote: If it's just about money to you, you're missing the whole point. Stay in the hotel then.
If you could see the look on my kids faces back then or on my grandchildren today, you would know it has nothing to do with money. We travel any way it is required, you can't drive to visit friends in Aiea or to see penguins in Antarctica so sometimes we fly. We don't gloat but the DGKs do. They don't bring it up but they do tell folks where they have been if asked. It seems the best times are when they come back to the rig so dirty we have to rinse them off in order to have them shower, can't experience that in the Hilton.
"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to go". R. L. Stevenson
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