The Cost

December 2nd, 2023

I am currently wintering in Minnesota and a strange season it is. We have no snow here and temperatures are in the 30s and as high as the 40s during the day. Of course, that does not compare to the 70s where I stayed last year in Arizona. However, I have never been one to despise the cold of the Midwest.

I have calculated the average costs of my monthly travels since last January through October. I did not include November, as that month I was stationary here in Minnesota and not living in the trailer. It is winterized, covered and stored until spring. For anyone curious about what it might cost to live in a trailer and travel around the mountain west, here are my numbers spread across 6 categories.

Category	Average Cost per Month
Campground fees	302
Auto Fuel	255
Propane	12
Food	836
Laundry	15
Misc.	215
Total	1634

My budget for campground fees is $300 per month. My goal is primarily to stay in dispersed campsites on public lands. This is usually free camping. However, there are times when I choose to stay in United States Forest Service campgrounds if dispersed camping is scarce, or I need to be sure of getting a site by making a reservation on the recreation.gov website. Because I am a senior with a National Park Golden Passport, these sites are half price ($5 to $12). They also usually include picnic tables, fire rings, and toilets. I also sometimes stay in state park campgrounds where the cost has been from $36 to $42. These usually include an electrical hookup, shower houses, flush toilets, and sometimes laundry facilities. I have been forced to use these when staying along the Colorado front range in the spring (still snow in the mountains) or when being tied to an area for medical reasons. I also took advantage of the Bureau of Land Management’s Long Term Visitor Area for the months of January through March when staying in Arizona. This cost me $1.50 per day for those 3 months. That covers the cost for fresh water, garbage drop off, and use of the dump station. I have not stayed in any private campgrounds, as those generally cost from $50 to $125 per day. I don’t need them. They are too crowded, noisy, and hard to reserve. I don’t need swimming pools, convenience stores, or water/electric/sewer hookups.

When I move from campsite to campsite, I generally don’t drive more than 200 – 250 miles and mostly a lot less. So, fuel doesn’t normally add up to more than my $260 budget. Many months I do not move much, while others I have spent more than $400. These have been spring and fall months, when I follow the seasons north or south.

I originally decided to track propane costs. As you can see, this has turned out to be a surprisingly trivial cost. I use propane for cooking, the hot water heater, and furnace. I have typically only used the furnace when arising in the mornings while camped in the higher mountain areas. This takes the chill out of the trailer while I make breakfast. In the spring, as I moved north, I did run into some freezing temperatures for 5 or 6 nights. These were the only times I ran the furnace all night. The furnace seems very efficient, and most of my propane use is for hot showers and cooking. My trailer carries two 20 pound propane tanks that cost $15 to $20 to refill. It can be 2 or more months before I need to fill one, so I have always had a spare in reserve.

Food is my primary expense. Most costs are high due to inflation as well as the more expensive grocery stores in small town mountain areas. I mostly cook in the trailer, but eat at a diner or café about once every other week, if there is one nearby. Of course, fast food is on the menu for travel days.

Lastly is the Miscellaneous category. This is the bucket for everything outside of the previous five. It includes things like book costs, entry fees for some attractions, repairs, entertainment, and fishing licenses.

I have not included expenses for insurance, drug prescriptions, car repairs, cell fees or internet access. These are expenses you would have wherever you chose to live. I just wished to know what my expenses are for this particular lifestyle. I wanted to know which would run out first, money or desire to continue. So far I am not approaching either. I have dollars I haven’t even spent yet, and am hopefully not ready for that “last campsite”.

I'm homesick for places I haven't yet been,
My eyes crave the beauty of sights I've not seen,
Places unpronounceable are calling my name,
A fire I can't see warms me with it's flame,
My feet walk the same path when I leave and come back,
Where once there was nothing I've worn down a track,
And my ears they get tired of the same boring tune,
Where street lights are so bright I can't see the moon,
I'm homesick for places away from my own,
Where the people are friendly and my name is not known,
You can tell me I'm crazy but I'll never forget,
I'm homesick for places I haven't been yet.

– Erin Hanson