Is Camping Expensive? Camping Cost Breakdown
Many people want to get into camping, but get intimidated because of all the different things they might or might not need to buy. Things can seem really expensive if you don’t know what you’re buying. But in general, is camping an expensive hobby?
Camping is not expensive when compared to other outdoor activities, but it does require an initial investment in gear. Started camping gear may cost roughly $500. Plan on daily fees ranging from $10 to $40, meal prices ranging from $20 to $40 per person each day, and some extra funds for transportation and activities.
In this post, we’ll learn about how much camping generally cost (broken down into the different aspects), how to camp on a budget, and much more.
How much does camping cost?
Generally, there are 3 different costs to camping: gear, consumables, and trip costs. You need to get some minimal gear for camping which can initially require some investment, you’ll need consumables like food, and you’ll need different trip costs like campground fees, transportation, and activities. The typical costs are:
- Starter essential camping gear can cost around 500$ for two-people equipment.
- Food can cost around 20$ to 40$ per person per day, and fuel costs vary by distance to the camping location.
- Campground fees can be around 10$ to 40$ per day for the entire group, and different activities costs vary by the activity.
But there’s a lot to this, and in this section, we’ll break down how I got to these numbers, and how much you should expect to spend on camping.
Economics can have a real impact on camping for some people. For example, in the 2022 KOA camping report((KOA, 2022 Annual North American Camping Report)), it was found that around 20% of campers say costs impact their camping plans in 2022.
Generally, you can go very low-end or very high-end with camping. Some people just park their car and open a tent in the middle of nowhere, while others prefer glamping in an organized location. Costs obviously differ. But the rough numbers should still be helpful, so you can decide what you want your trip to look like.
How much does camping gear cost?
The first thing we should consider regarding the cost of camping is gear. Some gear items are basically the barrier to entry with camping – these are bare essentials you’ll need to have to start with the hobby. Some items are more of nice to have – they’re optional, and you don’t have to get them right away, but they do make life easier.
The costs of gear are somewhat one-time. You do need to make the initial investment to get into the hobby, but once you have the necessary items, you don’t really need to spend money on gear for a pretty long time (besides some minimal maintenance).
To figure out how much different camping items generally cost, I went to some online retailers and calculated the average costs of the items, based on beginner’s gear. Specialized camping gear can get really expensive, but I only considered hobbyists’ equipment in my calculations.
Of course, items vary in price. Different items have different specs, so they’re priced differently. I decided to list the averages here, but of course, you might be able to find a better deal.
Let’s consider the different essential gear items you’ll need for camping, and how much they should cost for a beginner. In the table below, I’ve listed the essential camping gear items, and what they should cost, comparing a low-price item with an average-price item. The item prices are based on an analysis of item pricing in multiple online retailers.
The costs of essential camping gear items:
| Camping Gear Item | Low Price ($) | Average Price ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Camping Tent (2-person) | 65 | 75 |
| Camping Tent (4-person) | 150 | 400 |
| Camping Tent (6-person) | 200 | 480 |
| Sleeping Bag | 80 | 180 |
| Sleeping Pad | 50 | 160 |
| Cooking System | 100 | 120 |
These are, of course, rough numbers, and we should break them down and detail what goes into the pricing of these items:
- Tent: While tents can get quite expensive, if used strictly for camping, you can choose one of the lower-end options, and should be fine. Price does depend on the sleeping capacity of the tent, its size, and the fabric and poles materials.
Based on the analysis, you can get a 2-person camping tent for as low as 65$, a 4-person tent for as low as 150$, and a 6-person tent for 200$. - Sleeping bag: Especially if you plan to camp in cold weather, having a proper sleeping bag is essential. The price of the bag depends on many factors, including its temperature rating, the material used, and more.
A decent camping sleeping bag should cost between 80$ and 100$ and should be fine for normal temperature ranges. - Sleeping pad: There are many types of different sleeping pads, but for around 50$ you can expect to get a simple foam pad, that will insulate you from the ground and give you a nicer surface to sleep on.
You can invest more for an inflatable sleeping pad, or even go for an air mattress, but these are typically more expensive. - Cooking system: A simple cooking system consists of a portable stove and fuel, and typically costs as low as 100$. You should find a decent enough stove for this price – it won’t be the strongest stove you’ve cooked on, but it’ll do.
Of course, there are some other items you might need to bring that can add to the total cost (for example, clothes, water filters, a first aid kit, and various accessories). But whether you need those depends on how and where you decide to camp, and most people will already have of most these items.
So as an example – based on these numbers, if you don’t have any of the bare essential camping gear items, they’ll cost around 500$ for two people.
Some other gear items are more nice-to-haves, and most people who start out camping should not initially invest in them. If you’re camping and think some of these items would make your life easier, you can buy them. Let’s consider some examples of these nice-to-have items.
- Cooler: A cooler isn’t an essential item for camping, but it’s useful for getting different types of food that have to be kept cold. A simple cooler should cost between 50$ and 100$ and should do fine for camping.
- Daypack: If you’re planning to hike around your camping site, you’ll probably need a daypack to carry around some food and water with you, along with some additional items. Most people have some daypack in their homes, and they should do, but if you don’t or if you want a proper daypack, it’ll probably cost you between 20$ for a cheap one to around 80$ for a good proper daypack.
- Power bank: A proper power bank can really make your life easier with your phone and electric devices at an affordable price, but you can still do without one. I’d recommend getting a 20,000 mAh power bank because you’ll be able to charge your phone multiple times with one. I’ve seen these go for under 20$ from time to time, but more reasonably between 20$ and 50$.
- Camping furniture: If you want to sit down and chill on a chair, lay down on a hammock, or have some sort of table to eat on, you can get some camping furniture to make your camping easier. May campsites do have some areas where you can cook and eat, and some people can do without these because they can be quite pricy. Camping furniture varies in the price for the different items, but camping chairs for example can cost between 30$ and 100$ per chair.
Camping consumables costs
Even if you have all the camping gear you need, there are some additional costs to camping. You need to get to the camping site somehow and have some food to eat there.
The different consumables costs are listed here:
- Food: While camping, you can eat quite cheaply by cooking your own meals. Even when cooking your food, you can get very expensive food to stick with the basics. I’d suggest meal planning so you know you have everything you need. Expect to spend between 20$ and 40$ per person, per night of camping (for all your meals).
- Transportation (fuel): You do need fuel to get to the campsite, and to get back. The cost of transportation depends on how far you live from where you decided to go for your trip, so the farther you go, the more expensive transportation gets.
Camping trip costs
The camping trip itself does have some additional costs. For example, you’ll typically need to pay a small fee to stay in the campground, and you might want to do some activities which add some costs:
- Campground costs and fees: While you technically can go somewhere remote and just set your tent up there, most people prefer the comforts of having an organized campground with everything they need. Entry costs to campgrounds do vary but generally are between 10$ and 40$ per night (usually for the entire party), whereas some state parks sometimes better deals.
- Activities: There are a lot of activities you can do while camping and their costs vary. Many activities like hiking and fishing can be free, but some do cost money. For example, if you want to rent a kayak or a mountain bike, you’ll need to spend some of your budget on the activity. There are a lot of different possible activities are various price points.
Tips for camping on a budget
While camping isn’t very expensive when compared with other outdoor recreational activities, you can still do it cheaply while still enjoying your trip.
Here are a few tips on how to save money while camping:
- Save on campground fees. There are a lot of things you can do to save some money on fees. You can go camping on official national parks free days, though these can be quite crowded. If you go out camping a lot, you can save by purchasing a year pass instead of paying for each night individually.
- Rent or borrow your equipment. If you’re just getting into camping, and don’t want to spend a lot of money on equipment for an activity you might not enjoy, renting equipment is your best bet. There are many options on where to rent the equipment. If you like camping and think you’ll be camping a lot in the future, buying should be cheaper in the long run. Still, if you have some missing item you’re considering buying, you can always borrow it from a friend or relative to save some money.
- Cook your own food. Outdoor cooking is part of what makes camping fun, but it’s also economical. Cooking your own food is cheaper than buying precooked meals or going to nearby diners. It’s also cheaper and healthier to make your own food, instead of buying packaged food and making it. Food costs can be really low if you’re making your own food from scratch.
- Enjoy free activities. While camping, you might be tempted to go for expensive outdoor activities. There are a lot of free alternatives, though, which you’ll probably enjoy as well. My favorite is hiking because it’s really fun, but you can go swimming and bird watching, or even do some fishing, kayaking, or biking if you have the equipment (or have someone to borrow it from).
Conclusions
In this post, we’ve detailed the different costs of camping and considered how to camp on a budget. Camping isn’t generally expensive, especially if you already have some gear items you can use (many people do).
Costs can be a major consideration for some people when choosing whether to do some activity, and we all want to enjoy nature. You can do a camping trip on a budget and still have a great time.
