How do your camping habits compare to the "average American"?

How do you stack up against the "average" American camper? Industry minds are always looking for trends that they can capitalize on, and it's not surprising that what RVers and other camping fans do are the subject of research microscopes. A new study, sponsored by the Coleman Company and The Outdoor Foundation (an industry sponsored group) took a look at campers and their habits and compared it to earlier studies to see which way the figurative wind blows. Are you anything like the 42,000 folks surveyed?

Camping – up or down?

This study looked at what campers did (or didn't) do in 2012, and compared it to 2011. Here's something that probably made camping gear manufacturers gulp: Nearly four and a half million fewer people went camping in 2012. Depending on your age group, that may be typical. The biggest loss was among young adults – in 2011 17 percent of these Americans went camping, but by 2012, only 13 percent did so.

Tent, bivouac, or RV?

Ah, it's the battle of the sexes. If you're a woman, you more likely camped in an RV than a man, 57 percent of women, to 43 percent of men. When it comes to tent camping, the numbers begin to flip, with tents populated by 53 percent male, 47 percent women. For those who utilized bivouac shelters or just 'did it under the stars,' 94 percent of campers were men. and only six percent women.

When it comes to age group and a preference for RVs, the numbers are a bit different. Of respondents who camped in an RV, only 5 percent of ages 18 to 34 did so. But as ages increased, so did RV use: Ages 35 to 44, 13 percent; ages 45 to 54 showed 22 percent; and ages 55 and up saw 36% of campers use an RV. An interesting quirk though, in the 18 to 34 bracket, nobody reported bivouac or "no shelter" camping. Maybe the young aren't as tough as they claim to be.


Long time gone?

The survey asked campers how long their camping trips usually lasted. Here's the responses: A short, one to two nights, 63 percent. Three to four nights, 26 percent. Five to six nights, 6 percent. And more than six nights? Down to 5 percent.

Where are you going?

When doing a "camp out," here's where folks stayed: 

Public campground, 74 percent.
Private campground, 12 percent.
On private land, or at a cabin, 7 percent.
In a wilderness or backcountry setting, 7 percent.
At an event venue, 3 percent.
In a backyard, close to home, 1 percent.
Some other place, 1 percent.


What's your favorite activity while camping?

There's evidently plenty to do while visiting the great outdoors. Here's the responses, and the percentages of those who do these various activities.

Hiking, 70 percent. Outdoor cooking, 32 percent. Fishing, 27 percent. Trail running, 18 percent. Kayaking, 16 percent. Road biking, 16 percent. Photography, 13 percent. Canoeing, 12 percent. Running or jogging, 12 percent. Mountain biking, 11 percent. Climbing, 11 percent. Card games or board games, 11 percent. Triathalon, 9 percent. Yard games, 7 percent. Boating, 5 percent. Rafting, 4 percent. Hunting, 3 percent. Stand up paddling, 2 percent. Surfing, 2 percent. And that big catch-all, "other," 14 percent.


For those reducing their number of trips, why?

Among RVers who said they'd take fewer camping trips, here are the reasons, ranked in order of why.

Lack of time due to work or school commitments: 39 percent.
Lack of time due to family commitments: 32 percent.
Price of fuel: 17 percent.
Other: 7 percent.
No one to go with: 4 percent.
Poor weather: 2 percent.
Just too expensive: 0 percent.


What about future camping trips?

Plenty of campers are excited enough about their trips that they're planning on going again. Planning to go 1 to 2 times in the next year, 19 percent said they would. Go three to five times? The biggest response, 44 percent. How about six to ten times? 22 percent said yes. And the big trip planners, more than ten times? 15 percent. We wish they'd broken this down into tent campers versus RVers.

Want to see more? You can check out the entire survey report findings here.