Taking the Kids: Camping

Tent, RV or cabin? Many people I know, who once were devoted backpackers, eventually saw the wisdom of camping with a trailer or a recreational vehicle (RV), especially when young kids were part of the equation. I know because I was one of them.

“If we are just camping in Colorado, we love tent camping. But once we started thinking about longer trips or going out of state, a trailer became way more desirable, especially with kids and animals,” said Lindsey Scot Ernest of Salida, Colorado. She, her husband, and 4-year-old, cat and dog are about to embark on a year-long RV trip from their Colorado home. “Our desire comes from the amenities a travel trailer provides, like temperature-controlled sleeping, a bathroom, an indoor kitchen when we need it, and just an all-around indoor space to gather as a family,” she said.

“Personally, I think tent camping is easier than RVing. We rarely take our travel trailer out of storage and are actually considering selling it,” said Nicky Omohundro, creator of LittleFamilyAdventure.com. “From comments I see in threads,” she added, “many families new to camping are opting to tent camp with borrowed or low-cost gear to get started. Perhaps it's those families that camp all season long that find it easier to RV.”

Still others prefer a cabin or “glamping” where there are resort-style amenities and none of the work of traditional camping. (At The Resort at Paws Up in Montana our platform tent came complete with a butler and bathtub and rates can be as high as a luxe hotel.

One thing is for sure: however and wherever you want to get outdoors this summer, expect plenty of company. According to the just-released 2023 North American Camping & Outdoor Hospitality Report, camping now accounts for one-third of the leisure travel market with campers spending more than $52 billion last year.

Ninety-two million American households identify as campers; 58 million camped at least once last year. About two-thirds of camping households include those younger than 42; four out of 10 camping households included someone of Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-white ethnicity. Urbanites have joined camping aficionados.

Camping exploded during the pandemic as families sought safe escapes outdoors where they could cook for themselves and not need to share bathrooms, as is the case in traditional campgrounds. That’s why so many families opted for RVing for the first time.

But once families got outdoors, they clearly appreciated the experience. Still well ahead of pre-COVID-19 figures, more than 6.4 million households camped for the first time in 2022, according to the new report.

Year-to-year, around 80 percent of campers try a new form of camping with which they are unfamiliar. In 2023, campers want to travel for natural events (40 percent) and food tourism and culinary experiences (36 percent). A growing number of people work while camping and report that good Wi-Fi is essential.

They also are spending more – $19 a day, according to the report, but camping is a more economical way to travel. Half of campers say that camping offers a more cost-friendly way to travel during an economic downturn, said the report, commissioned by Kampgrounds of America (KOA). Leisure travelers also report that besides being affordable, camping is less stressful than other modes of travel and being outdoors allows people to have more control over their schedules.

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