KOA published an interim National Camping Report that was focused on issues surrounding camping and COVID-19. The information for the report was gathered by a third party market research company at the end of April 2020. We thought it would be interesting to look at the report and compare it to what we have seen during our camping throughout this pandemic.

When asked about their travel plans for the remainder of 2020, 41% of campers say they still plan to take their planned camping trips, 31% have canceled and 13% will postpone.

Campers cite work status (33%) and finances (26%) as the top barriers to camping, or to camp more, once restrictions are lifted. 

COVID-19 is driving new interest in camping and may bring new campers to the market. 46% of the people surveyed said they are looking forward to getting out and enjoying the great outdoors, especially after being home for so long. A close second, at 41%, was because it is an affordable way to travel. 

How people will return to camping? Campers say they will return to camping with fewer people in their group, camp closer to home, and potentially less crowded destinations.

With concerns over the safety of communal facilities spiking from COVID-19, the importance of having a private bathroom in a cabin or RV is now very important to campers (63% of current campers and 44% of prospective campers). Half of campers and prospective campers say that the availability of private bathrooms in a cabin or RV will influence where they stay. 

Nine out of ten travelers (and 95% of campers) feel that it is reasonable to have measures in place to limit contact. When asked which measures they felt are reasonable, nearly half of campers (47%), as well as nearly half of leisure travelers overall, agree that limiting the number of people on a trail is reasonable. 

An independent market research firm, Cairn Consulting Group, conducted the research.

To read the full report, click here.

To listen to our episode with the CEO of KOA, click here.

On our last episode of Drivers Edition, we talked about Kenny making adjustments to the sway bars in his Motorhome. The results are in as to if it was worth it or not. Performing the front sway bar adjustment was great, but he put the rear sway bar back to stock. If you would like to see the process, check out his YouTube Channel. 

Kenny installed an Anker (Brand) Roav (model) dashcam that has collision and park sensors. He is running a 10ft USB cord from the dashcam to one of his outlets on the dashboard. This allows it to be on at all times, even while parked. He put a 128G mini SD card and it will record around 12 hours before recording over itself.

Most people think you just winterize and leave the RV alone until it’s time to take it back out again. This really is not the case as you will find out. Sean explains his winter maintenance storage tips. You can watch Sean’s video by subscribing to his YouTube channel.

We hope you enjoyed this episode. Please leave a rating or review. This helps our ranking and allows us to reach a larger audience. Take care everyone and safe travels!!

We would like to thank Battle Born Batteries for sponsoring this episode.

Battle Born Batteries are the best name in the RV and Marine Industries. These lithium batteries are designed and assembled in the USA. They are also backed by a 10-year warranty. The best solution for your battery anxiety, so check them out!

Interested in sponsorship for the podcast? Email us at [email protected] or [email protected].  We have several packages available.

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