In this RV news blog, we’ll cover the latest RV and travel data and details about my latest camping trips, including some elevated travel expenses and an update on using Starlink satellite internet service while camping at state parks. Let’s get started with the news.
This Month’s Big Story
I’ve been on the road a good portion of June, trying out my new Ember RV at various Michigan State Parks. I’m planning to review the Ember in a future video, but for now, let’s look at some of the somewhat surprising expenses involved with the latest trips and also see how my new Starlink satellite internet worked while camping.
Ludington State Park – Michigan
The first trip was in early June to the beautiful Ludington State Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. This state park is 155 miles away. So, the round trip was 310 miles. Also, Michigan State Parks raised camping fees this year, so the nightly campsite expense was $40 per night, including booking fees. For four nights, the total cost was $160. The price of gas at the time averaged about $5.10 per gallon, and the Tundra towing the Ember RV achieved just about 10 mpg. So, the cost of gas for the trip was $158.10, making the cost per mile just over $.50 per mile. Adding gas expenses and campsite fees together, the total cost of the four-night trip was $318.10, with the price per night just under $80 per night.
Also, we brought the new Starlink satellite internet service to Ludington. There was no cell service at the campground. Unfortunately, the campsite chosen had a good deal of large overhanging trees on the north side of the campsite, limiting the view of the northern sky. Starlink tried to connect but could not overcome the obstacles of the trees. We brought Starlink to the Lake Michigan beach parking lot with no obstructions, and it worked flawlessly with high bandwidth.
Holland State Park – Michigan
The second trip in mid-June was to Holland State Park, just off Lake Michigan. This state park is 58 miles away. So the round trip was 116 miles. Holland State Park fees were $42 per night plus the $8 booking fee, so for five nights, the total cost was $218 or $43.60 per night. The price of gas at the time averaged about $4.90 per gallon, and the Tundra towing the Ember RV achieved just under 10 mpg. So, the cost of gas for the trip was $57.65, making the cost per mile just under $.50 per mile. Adding gas expenses and campsite fees together, the total cost of the five-night trip was $275.65, with the price per night just over $55 per night.
We also brought the new Starlink satellite internet service to Holland State Park, and it worked perfectly. However, at Holland, cell service bandwidth was abundant, and Starlink was not needed. Again, the main factor in the satellite service working well was a clear view of the northern sky, which we had at our campsite.
Petoskey State Park – Michigan
The third trip in late June was a five-night trip up north to Petoskey State Park in northern Michigan. Late June is a beautiful time to hit northern Michigan as the temperatures are usually 10-15 degrees below that of lower Michigan. This state park is a long 240 miles away. So the round trip was 480 miles. Petoskey State Park fees were $38 per night for four nights and $42 for one night, plus the $8 booking fee, so for five nights, the total cost was $202 or $40.40 per night. The price of gas at the time averaged about $5.05 per gallon, and the Tundra towing the Ember RV achieved just about 10 mpg. So, the cost of gas for the trip was $242.40, making the cost per mile just over $.50 per mile. Adding gas expenses and campsite fees together, the total cost of the five-night trip was $444.40, with the price per night just under $89 per night.
Being very familiar with Petoskey State Park and knowing that we would have good bandwidth and the campsites would be shaded, we decided to forgo taking the Starlink.
Trip Summary
To summarize the recent trip expenses, first, it is much less expensive to camp nearby versus far away. Holland State Park, only 58 miles away, with gas included, only cost $55 per night, while Petoskey State Park, 240 miles away, cost $89 per night with gas included. Second, your tow vehicle can make a difference the longer you travel. My Toyota Tundra was consistently getting about 10 mpg. If it were a larger diesel truck towing a smaller trailer, the results might be much better in terms of cost per mile, even with higher-priced diesel.
Third, the least expensive hotel in Petoskey for Wednesday/Thursday midweek overnight in July 2022 is just under $150 per night, according to Hotels.com. You would still have to travel to get there, making RVing relatively inexpensive versus staying at a hotel. A car getting 25 mpg with $5 gas, then adding an inexpensive $150 per night hotel for five nights would run about $850 or $170 per night for five nights. This doesn’t count the incremental food costs when staying at a hotel versus living and eating from the RV. So, RVing is still relatively inexpensive. To note, I am leaving out the economic rental cost of the RV.
Spotlight
This month’s spotlight is on the Thermacell mosquito repeller. What if you show up at a campground and find out there are a bunch of mosquitoes? A screen room is an excellent idea if you have one, and a Thermacell can do a good job of keeping the little pests away when you want to sit outside. I always travel with my Thermacell when camping and highly recommend it to anyone who camps. This little gadget saved a trip to Michigan’s UP a few years ago as the mosquitoes were unbearable. If interested, we have them on our Amazon store.
May 2022 RV Production Numbers
On Monday, June 27th, the RVIA posted the latest RV shipment data for May 2022, and the numbers are the lowest for all of 2022, although just edging out May last year. Volumes of RVs shipped are at an all-time high for any May on record, with over 50,000 units shipped. As a point of reference, this is just 1,200 or so higher than May of 2021 and about 6,500 lower than April of 2022. In a reversal, 5th wheels are now below 2021 output, along with Class A and Class C motorhomes. Only travel trailers, Class B camper vans, and truck campers are exceeding prior year volumes.
In a recent conversation with a local RV dealer, June was looking much like May, with the lot full of new RVs and not many new buyers showing up. Their impression was that so many people had bought RVs during the pandemic, and many were now going to start selling. The number of used RVs for sale, which we’ll discuss next, seems to validate this impression.
RV Trader – For Sale RV Data
New and used RVs for sale on RVTrader.com are historically high, with new units pulling back slightly this past week. There were 218,333 units for sale as of June 29th. This is down slightly from the 220,000 units a month ago, which is alarmingly high for this time of year. While new units for sale are staying stubbornly high, used units for sale are increasing weekly, breaking the 54,000 mark for the first time. This time last year, the number of used RVs for sale was only 35,207. So, there has been an increase of just under 20,000 used RVs for sale year over year. Obviously, many of the people who purchased RVs in 2020 and 2021 are now attempting to sell.
RV Quality Concerns Continue
Meanwhile, manufacturing employment levels in Elkhart County, Indiana, continue at an all-time high, with 78,600 people employed in manufacturing in May. This gives Elkhart a low unemployment rate of only 1.8% for May 2022, making it very difficult to get and retain quality labor at many RV factories. If we see RV build quality correlated to the unemployment rate, now isn’t the best time for consumers to buy RVs.
AAA Gas Prices
Gas prices are staying stubbornly high and have just recently retreated below the $5 mark nationally. The current price as of June 29th was $4.868 per gallon, about 26 cents higher than a month ago and $1.76 higher than a year ago. An RV trip of 3,000 miles at 10 mpg would cost $1,460 now vs. $933 a year ago, about a 57% increase.
Okay, that’ll do it for this month’s RV News.
All the best in your camping endeavors!
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