yeah, it's tough watching all the prices go up and not the paychecks. But, the way I look at it, it is a catch 22 right now. If our paychecks go up, our companies now have less money to cover their expenses, so they raise the cost of their product which in turn increases more items out there to buy. Now I understand that a bunch of these companies CEO's etc. get outragous paychecks and some of these companies are making record profits, but I am looking at in the sense of the big picture. As gas and oil rise, the cost of everything is soon to follow. I also beleive a big factor of our cost issues is the housing market and those credit card companies. Just makes life difficult for all of us.
skipnchar wrote: You MAY be confusing campgrounds with RV Parks. When I first began camping most "campgrounds" were about $2.00 a night where as now they've gone up to around $6.00 a night. Things sure have changed in 50 years.
Skipnchar, I'm curious about the $6 CG you mentioned. I know some boondocking (LTVA) rates for about $2, but I really wouldn't call them CG. State & Co. parks for ~$20 and private CG go up from there. True, some membership parks, once bought into like C2C, etc., are $8-10, but reading your past posts, I get the idea you don't frequent them much.
Care to clue some of us not-quite-so-newbies in? Thanks.
gemini1968 wrote: Yes, and it seems like more are asking for higher deposits also.
I've made reservations at 3 CG for our upcoming trip that didn't want a deposit at all, in fact, I was surprised to find that they didn't even want a Credit card to hold the reservation.
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Amusing answers... Lets assume that cost have gone up say 100% , which is by far way above any figure one could imagine.
Lets say they have 100 sites, so would you then charge 1% increase on each site or 100% increase on each site. Or would you just charge what the idiots will pay?
Come on folks, you smart enough to afford an rv, surely you are smart enough to do math. \
If you dont think they are abusing you with their ridiculus rate increases, Feel free to send me a blank check, but please I dont need a 100% increase, 20$ will do nicely.
DW and I found CGS have gone up about $10-15 a nite as well, we are sticking with federal CG's I have a golden access pass and it runs me $36(3 nites) for a weekend for w/e and includes my reservation fee, plus the money goes back into our country and its natural resources. Plus with the cost of gas these lower camping fees help keep it all in perspective. But if I didnt have the access pass I would still go federal its your best bet.
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CampWithTheTracys wrote: While making reservations at several different campgrounds I have noticed that the prices have gone way up this year. It appears that the average night of camping here in WI for water and electric is about $39 dollars. State parks are about $15-20 night for Mw/e with a $10 fee (not too bad). I was looking into making reservation at the Jellystone in Freemont, WI and they wanted $198 for three nights with all the extra fees! We did not book and will be staying at Indian Trails CG. Everything is going up...including the price of camping. But, in my opinion, camping is still a great value and we just love it. We are just finding more "creative" ways to stretch our camping budget. We started RV camp about 7 year ago and remember paying about 25-28 night for w/e. How much was it when y'all started to camp?
I'm with you on this - a lot of the private have seen a 2 to 5 buck increase the last couple years. I think we still have bargin's here by comparison. Look at what you get at Indian Trails for the money. Or the fact that you can save 10 bucks a night during the week. We like going up there spring and fall because of the pool. Devil's Lake is still an awesome value if you can get a site. I've never camped at Bong Rec Area. That's close reasonable and I'm told, a nice campground. We still like our little secret at 11 bucks a night plus a $7 reservation fee.
Mustang Sally wrote: Now wouldn't it make sense with fuel prices being so high that campgrounds and hotels would reduce or hold steady with their rates? A hotel I would stay in near my grandmother's house in Richmond, VA(Hampton Inn) has gone from $65/night to $125/night in under two years. I feel that we sure aren't being enticed to travel.
Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. First of all, the CG owner is getting hit with the fuel prices, too. He has to use gas & diesel to do maintenance, etc. Second, and probably a bigger issue, is the fact that the CG owner knows travel will be down and therefore needs to spread the fixed costs (mortgage, taxes, insurance, etc. ) over fewer campers.
I have seen a BIG push in area CG's to entice folks into seasonal sites. This is because CG management wants a guarantee of sorts as to what their income is going to be. I think any CG that relies heavily on transients is in for a tough year. JMHO
daverich wrote: Of course their prices are going up. They have to live also. Their groceries cost them as much as mine cost me. Their gasoline to drive thier cars cost the same as me.
In order to survive you have to have more income that expenses. We are paying more for everything now days and I for one, am not making a lot more.
Camping is still a good bargain for what we gain from it instead of just sitting at home in front of the boob tube.
Finally someone who states facts. I guess everybody feels that campground owners don't need to keep up with the rising cost of living and doing business. They should just "suck up" and cut their own profits just so we can pay the same for a campsite that we paid 10 or more years ago.
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gemini1968 wrote: Yes, and it seems like more are asking for higher deposits also.
I've made reservations at 3 CG for our upcoming trip that didn't want a deposit at all, in fact, I was surprised to find that they didn't even want a Credit card to hold the reservation.
And when you get there, they may no longer have a site for you. This does happen - because cash at the counter will beat a 'reservation' with nothing holding it.
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