A lot of my friends have been asking me lots and lots of questions lately about whether or not we can expect to see dramatic increases in price for camping and camping related equipment based on the economy and on the HUGE increase in the cost of guns, ammunition and related equipment.

Here’s my $0.02 worth:

YES, YES and YES again but not necessarily for only the reasons mentioned above.

Prices in all areas of our lives continue to rise due to many different factors and that is a normal part of life…but I do think that the current economic situation and the “concern” over the pending policy changes our new president has hinted at will drive the prices of anything related to outdoor activities higher and higher.

Campgrounds are fighting a battle on multiple fronts because people are cutting back on expenses and so memberships, rentals and usage of campgrounds are decreasing steadily. They also are battling the ever increasing real estate tax issues and more and more restrictions on how and what they are allowed to do. I don’t have one particular campground that I call my home away from home at this point as I still like to try out new places and visit different areas based on what my family and I plan on doing on the camping trip but…this past summer alone I have seen price increases of 10-30% for a tent site. Will this continue to occur? Most likely unless the campground can find a way to fill all those empty sites much more of the time then they are currently.

Camping equipment will also continue to increase due to many factors beyond the scope of the normal with one big reason sticking out to me: supply and demand. As more and more people are stocking up and storing guns and gun related items they will start to want to use that equipment more and more and what else do you need on a hunting trip? Sleeping bags, tents, stoves, fuel, food, etc…

Now on the flip side of the coin I think if you have some extra cash laying around or have very good credit you can probably get yourself and RV for a song! Lots and lots of people are desperately trying to sell them right now to bring some cash into their pockets and/or to get rid of the monthly payment on something they can’t afford to use anymore. I periodically checkout various RV sales websites and/or auction sites just to see what is available and get an idea of price/value and I have noticed two things:

Available units in the used market have increase by 30-50% depending on where you look.

Asking prices have come down significantly just to move the unit.

As an example, I recently saw a 2007 Jayco pop-up with lots of nice extras with a price tag of $4,000 which was right next to an ad for a 22 foot 2008 hybrid trailer selling for $8,000. 18 months ago barely used units like these were selling for almost twice as much! Granted, these are pretty rare and extreme cases but for those of you that are in the market and are willing to do some research and dig around on the web you can definitely find yourself a good bargain.

So I hope that answers at least some of my friends questions about what is happening pricewise in the camping and camping equipment markets!

Till Next Time…

Eric

Tags: campground, Camping, camping equipment