Is RVing Still Affordable?

In May 2019 I posted "RVing Can Be Affordable."  Of course, back then even groceries could be affordable. This year requires a reassessment.

Let's begin by defining what we mean by camping and RVing. Shirley and I know a couple who bought an RV at the lake as a sort of summer cottage before they bought an actual cottage. It never moved a single inch all the time they owned it so the usual costs of RVing were totally irrelevant. Another couple has a very large trailer that is used mostly for camping close by on weekends or on "long trips" of less than a couple hundred miles. For Shirley and me, RVing is a pleasant way to travel. We have been to all 50 states (Well, Hawaii probably doesn't count as RVing) but we have never camped at Maumee Bay State Park--a popular weekend destination for locals. Affordability is obviously highly dependent on how you choose to do your RVing. 

Even people who don't have RVs are well aware that the price of fuel has doubled.  You might decide to budget twice as much or just stay closer to home. But budgeting is complicated by uncertainty. You know what gas costs here and now but can you estimate what it might cost if you were a thousand miles away for a month or more? The price of fuel has always fluctuated over time and distance but usually within a relatively narrow range. 

But there are exceptions like this one. I took this photo in California. Gas was much higher than in any of the other states we passed through. There was some consolation in the knowledge that one tank was plenty to get us to Nevada. As of 4/7/22, California prices hit $8.79 for regular and $9.79 for premium. Many of us could "afford" to pay more for fuel but we are not psychologically prepared to do it permanently.

One of the money-saving methods Shirley came up with several years ago was to accumulate fuel points at the supermarket in order to get up to $1 off per gallon. With increasing grocery prices, the points now mount up faster but they never seem to catch up. Still, the store periodically offers four times the points with the purchase of gift cards. She buys several because we are going to order from Amazon anyway and we sometimes eat at Cracker Barrel when traveling. (CBs welcome RVers to overnight in their parking lots so we say thanks by having supper and/or breakfast.) On occasion, gift cards are actually given as gifts. But wait, there is still more genius to her concept. Pay for the groceries and gift cards with a credit card that gives you money back on all purchases. Then pay for the fuel itself with a card that rebates 4% on all fuel purchases. Also, we look for Costcos to save another 10 to 20 cents per gallon. This winter, there were long lines at all the Costco gas stations we visited. All of this does not significantly reduce the cost of travel. ($1 off used to mean half price.) Still, there is some satisfaction in feeling we are doing something to restrain costs.

There are other factors that influence affordability beginning with the kind of RV you choose. Pop-up tent trailers are much less expensive than large fifth wheels and motor homes. In recent years we have met a number of people who bought large RVs to live in full time. They paid for their rigs with money from the sale of their homes. A few of these people had zero experience with camping of any kind. Now there's a leap of faith! What made them think they would like it enough to sell the house? Not to mention the further complications associated with accessing health care, banking, and establishing a state of residence for tax purposes. After you have burned your bridges, you'd better learn really fast. Thousands of full-timers have shown that it is possible but most of them knew what they were getting into before they called a realtor.

During COVID, the increased demand for all kinds of RVs reduced the supply and drove up prices. My guess is that before too long the market will see an influx of barely used RVs as newbies decide that they didn't enjoy it quite as much as they anticipated. Not to mention that fuel price thing that was unanticipated two years ago and didn't factor into the decision. Class A rigs often get less than 10 mpg. Shirley and I know a couple who bought a luxurious motorhome to pursue their love of scenic and wildlife photography. They were willing to bite the bullet on fuel costs but were soon discouraged by the cost of routine maintenance.

Since 2009, we have put more than 200,000 miles on our Roadtrek. Those miles have consumed tires, brakes, oil changes, tune-ups, transmission flushes, radiator hoses, a water pump, serpentine belts, batteries and shock absorbers. There have been add-ons and upgrades such as an auxiliary radiator fan for better performance in the mountains and air lifts for the rear suspension and Bilstein shocks in the front for better performance on rough roads. The total cost of all this was considerable but it was spread out over thirteen years. My policy is to replace something before it breaks because we spend a substantial portion of our time in remote locations where emergency road service is difficult--even if there were cell service to summon it. 

We have been to Alaska twice and Shirley says she would like to go again. At this point, that is not  going to happen. On our last trip, as I was fueling up in the Yukon, an RVer approached from the opposite direction. He wanted to know if I had passed a station where gas was 2 or 3 cents cheaper. I told him that once gas got north of $6 a gallon I stopped worrying about 2 or 3 cents. Canadian gas is sold by the liter in Canadian dollars so it takes some mathematical gymnastics to determine what the real price is in American dollars per gallon. I accepted the $6 because it seemed temporarily justified by the grandeur of the Canandian Rockies. Besides, Canadians who always pay more than us, think we are wimps for whining about $100 fill ups. (Class A motorhomes have fuel tanks ranging from 80 to 150 gallons and many use diesel fuel that is even more expensive than gasoline.) Perhaps someday we will get used to it as they have. 

But fuel cost per mile is not the only mileage factor. Meticulous preventive maintenance can not offset the fact that, as of today, our Roadtrek has 223,659 miles on it. Shirley and I agree it is not going back to Alaska because, even with preventive maintenance, the rig could have an unforeseen catastrophic failure thousands of miles from home. 

Sometimes people overlook another issue that should be really obvious: A motorhome is a home as well as a vehicle. Every homeowner knows that eventually just about everything needs to be replaced. The Roadtrek has been treated to a new mattress, microwave, stovetop, and refrigerator. Can the furnace and air conditioner be far behind? Last December, preparing for our winter excursion, I found that the on-board power generator would not start. My mechanic declared that it needed an expensive part that came with an even more expensive labor charge. (We're talking well in excess of $1,000.)  Don't worry, he said, you won't be paying that because supply chain disruptions mean you can't get the part in the first place. Even if you could, I wouldn't recommend it. The new part would go into an old generator with a hundred other parts that might be on the brink of failure. So, this winter we got along without the generator. RV hookups were provided at some campgrounds we stayed at but, as tent campers for 35 years, we know that electricity is not absolutely essential to having a good time. Still, a new generator may be coming. Or the rig itself might be replaced before that happens.

Camping without electricity is no big deal if you are comfortable camping without a campground. Boondocking, or dispersed camping for free outside of established campgrounds is, or was, allowed in national forests, Bureau of Land Management properties, some wildlife refuges and numerous other places. There are literally thousands of places throughout the country where you can stay a night for free on your way to someplace nice. Those places have names like Walmart and Cracker Barrel. Many states allow overnighting in highway rest areas and even provide security patrols. Just don't expect it to be quiet and restful with 18-wheelers coming and going all night.

Another way to camp for free is to volunteer at a national or state park. Camp hosts and other volunteers are usually given campsites with full hookups in exchange for working three or four days a week. Over the years, Shirley and I have become friendly with quite a few such volunteers at places we return to repeatedly. I have resisted requests to volunteer because I don't want to commit (not yet, anyway) to one location for an entire season. Some RVers, however, are content to find someplace nice and stay put. National parks tend to be someplace nice.  And staying put can save quite a bit on fuel costs. Also, volunteering eliminates the typical 14-day limit on camping in national parks. Three months in Yellowstone could be viewed as an attractive prospect. Our friends Susan and Russ were volunteers there at Mammoth Campground for several summers and supplemented their retirement income by working at Disney World in the winter.  

Some RVers offset their expenses by remaining employed more or less full time. Even before COVID, there were people who chose to work remotely or took short-term temporary employment. Healthcare professionals, in particular, told us they could easily find jobs for two or three months and move on when they felt like it. Some even managed to "home school" their children at the same time. Last year we met a young woman by herself in a wildlife refuge way out in the Arizona desert, She was running her design business from her rig while camping for free. Periodically, she had to drive far enough to get cell service. Being out of reach could be an inconvenience or an advantage, depending on your emotional or professional reliance on technology and how much you crave regular social interaction. Know thyself. 

During those 35 years in tents, I was too cheap to pay for an RV that was going nowhere most of the year. In retirement, we use the Roadtrek about three months in winter, two or three more in summer, and for shorter trips in spring or fall. But we still need a place to keep it when not traveling. The driveway is not an option so I rent space at a secure storage facility. And the insurance payments must be made even when the rig is not being used. After calculating the cost of driving an RV, do another for the cost of not driving it. 

So, is RVing still affordable? As always, it depends on how you go about it and how highly you value the experience. You might also assess the role of your health in the decision. Are you feeling strong and vital? Or are you noticing a gradual decline in energy levels and an increase in dependence on pharmaceuticals? If you decide that you can't afford to travel this year, do you expect to be richer and younger next year? Life is uncertain. Tomorrow is promised to no one. 

Like many geezers, I was taught to delay immediate gratification in order to have a better tomorrow. One morning I got out of the shower, wiped the steam off the mirror and saw my grandfather looking back at me. At some point, immediate gratification is the only kind there is.

Even so, it may be helpful to retain some level of perspective. Wondering if RVing can be affordable means we are not overly concerned about the cost of absolute essentials. Yet.