Addition of 6 million new North American campers since 2014 showcases popularity of camping
More than 6 million new North American households have adopted the camping lifestyle since 2014, with the number of campers who camp three times or more each year – the most avid group of campers – having increased by 64 percent. This growth, according to the results of the 2018 North American Camping Report, an annual independent study supported by Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), is an indicator that camping is fast becoming a lifestyle attribute among U.S. and Canadian households – and there is no indication this trend is slowing down.
- Overall camping incidence remains stable with 61 percent of U.S. households (77 million) having someone who camps at least occasionally, a minor increase over last year.
- Forty-five percent of all campers indicated they will increase camping trips in 2018, while 39 percent of new campers in 2017 will increase camping trips in 2018.
- As first noted last year, teen campers continue to be highly engaged in camping and demonstrate a great deal of enthusiasm toward camping and the outdoors.
- Teen campers express higher levels of enthusiasm toward camping than what adults predict; 94 percent of teens state they are enthusiastic about camping, compared to 77 percent of adults who say that teens are enthusiastic.
- Nearly all of the teen campers surveyed claim they intend to camp as adults, and if they have children, they intend to bring them camping.
- In fact, most teen campers identify a benefit of camping as relaxing the adults in their lives (as well as themselves).
- The representation of Hispanic and African American/Black new campers is in line with U.S. Census figures, while new Asian American campers are represented at three times that of U.S. Census figures (new Asian American campers represented 17 percent of new campers in 2017, against 5 percent from Census data).
- African American/Black campers are most likely to report an increase in camping, while Asian Americans are most likely to say that their camping will remain consistent year over year.
- Six out of every ten millennial households tried some type of camping or lodging in 2017, but the experimenting is being driven by Hispanics (71 percent) and African Americans (78 percent) trying out new ways of camping.
- Nearly all millennials (93 percent) and Gen Xers (93 percent) would like to try some type of new camping in 2018. Millennials are the most likely to want to experience backcountry camping and/or glamping, while Gen Xers seek unique accommodations.
- Both millennials (66 percent) and Gen Xers (58 percent) are changing their camping habits and included both more weekends and weekdays in their trips this past year.
- Nearly all campers (97 percent) state that they bring some type of technology with them while camping.
- In a continued upward trend since 2014, campers are significantly more likely to go online while camping. Yet, in departure from the results observed last year, campers are significantly more likely to say that the use of technology detracts from the overall enjoyment of their camping experiences (38 percent in 2016, 49 percent in 2017).
- What’s more, the idea of “unplugging” while camping is in fact unlikely to mean a complete disconnect from technology. About a third of all campers say they have their smartphone with them, but they don’t turn it on (used for safety only).
- The use of social media to share photos and videos while camping continues to grow, with 27 of millennials and 25 percent Gen X campers saying that sharing camping experiences through social media is important (compared to 24 percent of all campers).
- Millennial families are more likely than other millennials to post a status update via social media (40 percent), check-in (40 percent) and share photos or videos (68 percent) while camping.
- Among campers who claim an RV as their primary way of camping, 44 percent do not own the RV they use most.
- A full one-fourth of this subset of campers say they borrow the RV, and 1-in-5 say they rent from a company or peer-to-peer rental service.
- Borrowing an RV is most common among Gen Xers.
- Among millennials, those with families are most likely to consider renting an RV from a peer-to-peer service (followed by millennial couples).
- The largest growth in RV usage is among African American campers, with 27 percent stating that an RV is their primary way of camping, which is up from 19 percent last year. Forty-one percent of African American campers state they tried an RV for the first time in 2017.
- Among new campers in 2017, one-fourth camped in cabins – a rate much higher than last year (moving ahead of RVs as the primary way of camping). This could be due at least in part to the large influx of non-white campers in 2017, many of whom not only start camping in cabins, but are also likely to express a preference for cabins.