It is interesting to see how much others have spent on camping. I have started this year for a family of 4 & the costs break down something like this:
Tent - Outwell Montana 6
Footprint
4 sleeping bags
4 Camp Beds
2 lamps
USB cables for charging mobiles & DS lites in car.
12v DC AC Power Inverter (such a good buy) for all those things that need a plug socket.
Camping Gas Chef Cooker
Gas 907
Camping Saucepans
Table & Chairs for eating
2 chairs for lounging around.
Cobb BBQ
Picnic Plates & Cutlery
Water carrier
Windbreak
Extra tent pegs and mallet
EHU Cable
New Roofbox (to fit everything as old one was too small)
All this adds up to approx £1500. We have been away now of 2 occasions for 6 nights in total and our in cost per day is roughly £20 to pitch and £15 on food. This is a long way off B&B prices of at least £120 per night not including the cost of lunch and an evening meal - say £200 per day in all.
I reckon that 12 nights gets the capital outlay back. But we also quickly discovered that waking up and looking at the fells or fields does not have a proce on it.
We have just got back into camping after a good few years away and have had to buy all new gear, I haven't compromised on anything and have got exactly what I wanted............haven't bothered to count up the cost cos all the fun is worth it.....and we can trot off when we feel like it, the freedom has got to be worth the outlay.
Its allright saying carravans are capable of keeping up with the traffic, you want see how many carravans are broken down and on their sides this weekend, i live in the Lakes and the roads have been a nightmare.
Do carravans not go through a M.O.T because some of them shouldn't be on the road.
Or try following one up Ditchling Beacon at a snail's pace, or crawling through our winding lanes.
Met one the the other week who'd managed to block 3 lanes by getting stuck taking a tight corner in narrow lanes - he'd followed his satnav. One guy had to to do an 8 mile detour to get home!
I think not, but its only a question of time before they do and I expect that will be closely followed by the need to have a diffirent licence to just a car licence if you wish to be towing things like caravans.
Quote: Originally posted by atko on 14/4/2006
trailers slow you down and so do caravans!
Funny - my husband swears that the trailer pushes the car along at times
Our upgrades to our camping set up over the past 24 months to cater for a growing family has included 3 tents (long stay, weekends and overnight) and totalled about £750. We have used them all, covering about 6 weeks away in total over that time. This cost plus pitch fees, fuel, activities and food still comes in under what we spent on a 10 day "affordable" holiday for 3 (including a child at half price) in Malta last year when all the costs of that holiday are included. Apart from memories and photos we have nothing to show for the Malta holiday, whilst this year we have a set-up that should do us well for even cheaper holidays for many years, whilst allowing us many more days away for the money this year. Still going to go abroad - albeit using our tents in future.
This thread is titled camping costs a fortune and it begins "... only been camping for a year and it's cost me 25k"
One of the main reasons I go camping is that it saves me a fortune! My previous tent cost under thirty quid (and that included sleeping bags and mats), my present Vango cost me about £40, and the rest of my gear was either found, scrounged, donated or made at home. If I totted it all up, tents and all, I bet I've spent little over £100 on equipment.
I usually expect to pay under a tenner a night if I camp on a campsite and pay nowt if I camp on farmland or common land.
So, capital expenditure aside, a few of nights in Cornwall costs me the tankful of diesel to drive there (but that would be the same whether camping or B&B-ing), twenty-odd quid to camp, plus whatever I spend on food (not much as a rule because I can manage for a few days on salads, soup and bread from a supermarket plus pub or fish'n'chip suppers).
In my experience, the average cost of B&B in Cornwall in high season is £70+ per person per night - cheaper in some, dearer in others of course - and hotels start at around £90 per night.
So one of the main attractions of camping, for me at least, is that it is the cheapest way of having a break or a holiday.
At the end of the day, as others have said in this thread, camping can be as sparse and economical or as glitzy and (comparatively) expensive as one wishes. As campers, we've all got our individual approach - viva la difference!
I find that camping can be a little bit more expensive than I expected, but I'm also able to spread the cost throughout the year by getting individual items when I see them on sale or when I see something I know I can use. Once you have good kit though the expense can be rather limited.
In this I'm helped by the fact that I'm a hiker, so most expensive items would simply be too heavy or bulky to carry and therefore I have no need of them. The items I have bought since the "core" gear was purchased are largely through experience or in an attempt to lessen the weight I'm carrying rather than any specific need.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: camping costs a fortune
