Fuel prices and campgrounds 2022

[Doneworking]

It is a good time to own a B!! Given that so many Class Cs have Ford V10s and the true mileage on them is 10 mpg on a good day, do you think this current price of gas and diesel will have any effect on the campground vacancies this coming spring and summer? Same thing true for Class A and for fifth wheel and trailers being pulled by guzzling pickups.

Like I said, great time to own a B when filling up at the pump. I just wonder if it will keep many folks at home or at least force more to camp nearer to home.

[Davydd]

We just got home last week from 7 weeks covering 7,000 miles. Most campgrounds were trailers, 5th wheels and Class A's. Class C's were no more numerous than Class B's. So, I am thinking the big RV's traveled to and stayed longer. Class B's I think, like us, covered more ground and stayed shorter. Class C's maybe took it in the shorts which is interesting because a lot of our former Class B friends have gravitated to Class C's (or the euphemism Class B+) as had some of the former Class B RV YouTube influencers like Steph and James of the FitRV and the Wendlands.

[folivier]

The coming months will be interesting. We have lots of retired friends who either full-time or spend the summer traveling mostly in large diesel pushers. I haven't spoken with any yet but think they'll continue with their plans. Probably the weekend and 1-2 week vacation families will be affected more by the prices.

[MsNomer]

If you can afford the diesel pusher, you can afford the diesel to push it.

[DAKC]

i,m glad we own a B (Sprinter) but also more than just for the fuel mileage. We discussed the impact it would have on us and decided that we would probably drive a little slower.

[jrobe]

If gas and diesel were $5 per gal, it would cost me about $28,000 in fuel to drive 100,000 miles. Compared to $3 gas, it would cost me about $12,000 more. Considering what I paid for our Class B, the extra price of fuel doesn't seem to matter too much and certainly wouldn't keep me home.

[Davydd]

Currently in Minnesota with GasBuddy within a few miles of my house diesel is mostly $4.99/gal. and regular gas is $3.99/gal. So that is a 5 to 4 ratio or within the price per mile of diesel energy getting better mileage. So, I consider it a wash no advantage of one over the other except diesel in the same capacity tank can get you more miles between fill-ups.

A year ago diesel in some locations were the same price as regular or about 10 cents higher. I was very happy with that 'cept we didn't travel as much during the COVID pandemic.

This year we may reach our 20,000 miles annually as we will travel all of May again, sporadically all summer and a major fall trip undetermined to date. Hopefully, I'm not going to have cost of fuel as a consideration of how, when and where we travel.

[Doneworking]

My original post and question were not well stated.

My original post was intentioned to ask a question and that is simply this: will ENOUGH people be financially hurt by inflation and fuel prices to deter them from travel or shorten the distances to cause campsites to be more easily obtainable.

No question our Bs are the better alternative of RVs types to better face fuel prices/shortages. I am just wondering if the guy with the dually pickup pulling a huge fiver will perhaps shorten or cut his trips.

If the answer to those types of camper is incrementally "yes" that will lessen camping demand, then we B owners might have more flexibility to site availability.

The vast majority of owners of rvs are not on forums. Many are just the guy or gal with the trailer in the yard who uses it a few times a year.

[booster]

We have a tentative 6000 mile, 6 week trip planned this late fall and the difference in gas cost for us in our Chevy Roadtrek that gets about 14.5mpg overall on trips like this is about $300 more or $50 a week. Not even enough for a decent restaurant meal a week and barely more than one night in most campgrounds we stay in. This would be using $3.25 gas going up to $4.00. Not totally insignificant, but not really much in the total costs of the trip. If we were so marginal on funds that it would make a difference, I would probably choose to stay very close to home as any kind of breakdown would be much more than that.


I am sure there are plenty of people that will stay closer to home if funds are tight, but there also plenty of people that put expensive vacations on credit so a lot will also go no matter what. Of course you will also have those that have plenty of money to spare and they will carry on as always.


On edit, corrected calculation error.

[Davydd]

My experience in Texas in February is the big RVs are all there and parked for a long duration. The increase in fuel prices had not affected them yet. B's buzz around and park like we did for a couple of days in available spots but we did stay in South Padre Island for 3 weeks but moved three times at a KOA to take an available spot but one because I coveted the spot after another RV left. There are nearly 800 campsite in South Padre Island between the private KOA and the adjacent 500+ county CG and they were all full.

At one state park, Seminole Canyon we stayed two nights but had to change campsites because of reservations booting us out of a site. It was still tight but we saw as well reserved spaces that were not occupied I imagine for a last minute no go. Texas has an easy to use state park camping reservation system with full information and photos of the campsites where we made same day reservations online on the road.

Interestingly, Palo Duro Canyon SP in the Texas Panhandle had about a half dozen separate campgrounds. They segregate you somewhat by RV and probably length I think. We got in a back in CG with short 30 foot spaces and had 4 Class B's as neighbors. We drove through the other campgrounds out of curiosity and saw they were kind of segregated as I mentioned with only big RVs in some of them.

The future? We have reservations at a CG for an RV get together in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in May and for the rest of the month we will boondock in Willoughby, OH, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and places in between. This summer we will probably stay in near home with our Minneosta State Parks & Trails license plate that gets us in free and discounts at state parks so will just take our chances. There are 75 Minnesota State Parks and I once was an architectural consultant designing park buildings for the DNR back in the 80s. Some I have never seen.

This fall is undetermined. Discussion is for going east again, Florida or out west again like last year. That's really an open agenda. But we will mostly boondock or take our chances getting in a campground. You can do that easily in a Class B.

[mangomike]

Doneworking
U might not have noticed but Folks in the USA have about a 5 sec. attention span. So it depends on how long the gas styff lasts.
It's not going to effect us. We've got our summer trip planned. May be a lot of peanut butter ( if we can find it !) next winter.
like your handle ,,,, had a friend with a boat called .. Knot working ~!
Take care'
Michael
Michael

[Punkinhead]

I have friends with Class A diesel pushers and gas prices aren't going to slow them down. They're planning to drive from the midwest to Alaska this summer. They know they're not getting any younger and you can't take the money with you. I'm sure there are people on a tight budget who's travel will be effected, but my friends will just complain about it and continue to open their wallets.

There are multiple threads on every RV related forum about how the price of gas and a soon to collapse RV market are going to mean campground vacancies and giveaway prices on used RVs this summer. Don't hold your breath.

[shelw]

We have a class B diesel and a class A diesel pusher (I had the B, he had the A when we met) and we have not changed our itineraries at all.
If you're getting 6 miles/gallon, it's only about $16.50 more for every additional $1 per gallon of fuel cost per 100 miles. When you pay $800 for a tire on a class A, it's a drop in the bucket . . . It's all relative

[folivier]

For those with the time slowing down some could have a big difference in your fuel costs. Took the Roadtrek out for a spin and decided to drive 55mph. When I picked it up in Tampa on the drive home I averaged about 15mpg driving 70. At 55mph my mpg showed about 18mpg. This is just from Torque app showing average mpg's but does show what is achievable.
With our DP's I'd usually drive 62 and average 8mpg. Interestingly it appears drivers around here while not happy are still driving fast.