Everyone has a different definition of “affordable” and, of course, that depends on many things. What’s affordable to you may not be affordable to someone else and vice versa. Affordable also means different things in campground terms.
Membership programs like Harvest Hosts and The Dyrt may seem affordable when you break it all down, but maybe it’s too much of an up-front cost. Maybe an RV resort with a bunch of amenities for the grandkids seems “affordable” for all that it offers.
Some RVers are perfectly content with a quiet boondocking spot off a forest road, where the cost is zero but the rewards are priceless. Others are looking for electric hookups, hot showers, and a level parking pad—things that often push the price up.
Then there’s the regional factor. A $60 site might seem outrageous in one part of the country, but in a high-demand area or during a special event weekend, that same price might be considered a steal. Your definition of affordability may shift depending on where you are, what you need, and how long you plan to stay.
And let’s not forget the hidden costs. Some campgrounds tack on extra fees for pets, additional people, or even using the dump station. A site advertised as $35 a night might end up closer to $50 after taxes and add-ons. That’s why so many travelers take a hard look at the full picture—not just the base rate—when deciding if a site feels worth the money.
For today’s poll question, we’d like to know how you’d define an “affordable” campsite for a 1-night stay. Do you stick to only free camping? Is less than $20 “affordable”? Less than $50″?
After you vote, please leave a comment and share your thoughts. Thank you!
MORE POLLS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
- At the grocery store, would you prefer to use a self-checkout or go through a line with a “real human” to check you out?
- In the last 5 years, what’s the largest number of people who have slept overnight in your RV at one time?
- Did your parents take you camping as a child?
- When RVing, do you rely on income from employment to afford to travel?
- Which of these best describes the way you use your RV?
RVT1206b
We looked at an “affordable ” rv stop. Quoted price was $25, then Additional facility fee of $15 and booking fee of $13.50.
Little further down the road, found a perfect spot FHU for $26.
Anything over $20 is TOO much!
With power and water $20 to $30
Hard to say without qualification. We’ve overnighted in places that should have paid us to stay there. We’ve also stayed in places so nice that they might actually be worth $100 for a night.
“…when deciding if a site feels worth the money.”
That’s the definition of value, which is different than affordability, meaning the ability to pay.
For my $41-$70 for a 1-night stay, here is what I expect: a level pull-through with FHU; good water (purity and pressure), stable electric, all connections in very good shape and properly positioned. I don’t expect an overly wide site, but enough room for extended slides and awning. All this in a park that is clean and doesn’t feel unsafe. And that charge includes all fees. I am comparing this to a $100-$150 charge (with all fees) at comparable basic (2-3 star), clean and safe hotel in the same area.
Thank you for the question, RV Travel. Our favorite overnighting location is in Fort Chiswell, Virginia. We get a long pull-through and do not have to unhook the Jeep. It is about 1 mile off I-81 but over a hill, so no interstate noise. Traffic lights at the interstate ramps allow easy access and departure. Current price is $56/night. Have a great weekend and safe travels!
I can actually “afford” $150, but I would never pay that. I will pay extra for a good location, if circumstances demand it, but a $25 state park is probably my sweet spot.
We rarely stay anywhere for just one night and if we do, I’ll try my best to simply boondock.
It’s impossible to use much water, sewer or electric while sleeping so I struggle with seeing the value of paying more than $20 for basically a parking spot.
We don’t use parking lots, truck stops, driveways or encampments for overnighting so to make the effort/math more palatable, we’ll stay at least 2 days if we’re paying to simply sleep somewhere and we try to keep it under $50 a night.
It depends, we generally pay $40-90 or so for overnight stops with FHUs. Most of our camping is dry, so we use those nights to service our tanks. Cost depends a lot on time of year, day of the week, and location. We’re not full timers, never will be, and a good portion of our other sites are $20 max, due to America the Beautiful Senior passes. For us, it balances out.
If only staying one night, that pretty much means I’m just looking for a place to fix dinner and sleep. In that case, free or up to $20 a night is what I’m looking for. Boondocking is fine for us.
I don’t need full hookups, electricity for our CPap machines and the Inverter/Charger are all we require. Being physically disabled, we don’t use any other amenities except the bathrooms and the scenic views if available. Don’t even require pull through sites, I can back up just about anything.
If it’s just for stopping overnight, we look for Cracker Barrel, Elks lodge, or something else basic.
I’m still disappointed that RV travel publishes articles like the one about solar panel prices going up. 3500 percent tariffs, really. That’s just plain fear mongering.
Hi, ToolMan. Just reporting the facts, along with the explanation of that potential extremely high percentage. And we did attempt to make it clear in the title that it’s only a possibility: “RV solar shock: Panel prices could soar as some tariffs may hit 3,500%”. Have a good day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Very astute clarification there Diane 🙂
I tried (by adding a couple words to the author’s title), but it still didn’t work.🙄 Have a great day, Matt. 😀 –Diane
All we want for an overnight stop is electricity, a level site long enough for the motorhome and toad, and reasonable quiet. We don’t mind paying for water or sewer but “resort” amenities aren’t needed. But, if it’s really nice we might decide to stay longer.
I start getting bugged at about $50
Deciding what is reasonable has a lot to do with what size rig you are driving. Large Class A’s towing, long fiver’s with a big truck or ever a triple tow, even an extra long pull behind need a whole different campsite than a small camper, pull behind or fiver. Personally we prefer long pull thrus – at least 65 and prefer 70’ long, paved if possible, with full hookups. We don’t always get that but given a choice we will pay more to have it. The ‘resort’ amenities – pools, splash pads, play grounds, clubhouses and activities are unnecessary. We do like a dog park. Those parks are usually 60-80/night and we sometimes stay one night, sometimes two.
Campground owners-are you listening? The higher your prices go, the less business you’ll get. We can’t afford $100+ a night!
I think $25-$40 a night is affordable of I have all the hook ups and paying $40 I have all the hook ups and some other services like a dump station, laundry facility and Wi-Fi I don’t need a pee pool or hot tub, kids play ground or a shower as I have my own in my rig. If I needed all that stuff I would have no 5er and booked at hotel at a resort. Camp grounds are getting as bad with all these extra fees like the electric company. pole charge, line charge, recovery charge the the list goes on. It might be time and with age just to use the camp we’ve seen most of what we want and if an urge comes fly, check in a hotel and rent a car family will look after the pets for the week.
$20 or under for no hook-ups, probably $40 max with hook-ups. But a lot of places force an RV to be in a hook-up spot, even if you don’t need hookups. So I just boondock most of the time.