Whats with all the haters against people that RV. Its not about the extra money or saving money, its about thats how you want to spend your vacation, or summer.
Renting has its pros and cons. It may be cheaper, no upkeep, etc. But then you have to always pack & unpack everything. When you won you just leave your stuff in for the next trip. Im sure I could list more, but thats one I can think of right now.
Its the same as renting a house to owning one. After a year of rent you have nothing to show for it, but after a year of mortgage payments you at least own some of your house
We started camping with a trailer about 11 years ago, started off with a little 15 foot 1972 Dutchman that our minivan could haul, then 3 years later upgraded to a 26' tent trailer. With that also bought a mid size truck (Nissan Frontier) Not just to haul that but it was used for that to.
Last year we upgraded once more to a 21' Rockwood Roo with a hard slide out the back for our bed. Will probably be our last upgrade since when we camp we arent the type to be in our camper all the time, so we dont need the 30 ft kind.
This summer we spent a month on the road camping, most of it at campsites, with a few nights here and there in friends and familys driveways. We were in 3 different province, put on about 4200 kms, and spent about $1500 - $1700 with fuel, camping fees, food, etc. If we didnt camp and had to stay in hotels and eat restaurant food for a month, Ill bet it worked out to being the same cost, or maybe even a little less. We are a family of 5, and even a cheap room at a Super 8 would be about $100 a night anyway. Plus the benefit of not staying at someone else house.
Could of that money been used for a different type of vaction, defintly. But this is what we like to do. For those that dont, then dont keep saying how expensive it is, waste of time or that it doesnt make sense to them.
The kids love to camp, they get to do things you could never do cooped up on a hotel room at night, and they can also go do their own thing as well, go exploring, hiking, swimming, play with friends, etc.
It doesnt have to be expensive to own an RV or travel trailer. You dont need a huge 32 foot trailer that takes a 3/4 ton to haul. You can get smaller that can be hauled by your exisitng SUV, and finding a good used one for under 10K. Or even a good used tent trailer can be found for 4-5K.
To each their own, but to say its stupid to RV because of the cost is like people that RV saying that going to Disneyland is stupid. Its my vacation, thats how I will do it
And as an FYI that say you only camp a few weekends a year, many people have their trailers setup at seasonal sites, and camp in them from May to Oct. Not everyday, but defintly are there alot. And in the summer months are there for an entire month basically. We used our camper so far this summer 45 days since May, and have one more camping trip this long weekend. We have gotten our moneys worth from our camper for sure, and to see how excited the kids get to go camping is worht it to me.
I also like the fact your away from the hectic lifestyle we lead. Its downtime, relax time, sitting in your chair and enjoying a beer with a friend and no crowds. Can you do that in Disneyland, nope. Lineups, bumping into people. I like my vacation to be relaxing, thanks
