'The costs are just extreme': Campers staying closer to home amid soaring fuel costs
Using a trailer or an RV is an easy way for people to get out of the city and into the outdoors, but with soaring gas prices, the cost of driving with one has gone up drastically.
Wanting to enjoy a nice summer weekend, Slawec Gusniowski decided to take his trailer to Birds Hill Park.
It's only about a 15-minute drive from his home, a lot closer than his usual campsites in the Whiteshell.
"That'd probably be now about $200 where it used to be about $100 to pull the trailer there and back, so you could definitely see it," said Gusniowski. "Even Birds Hill Park, I mean, by the time I come back, the costs are just extreme."
With gas prices above two dollars a litre, it's a common theme for campers inside the park.
"Absolutely, I mean pulling the camper, you get less fuel mileage, and now with the prices of gas, it just costs that much more," explained Dwayne Ammeter, who also brought his trailer to Birds Hill Park.
According to GNR Camping World, RV sales are not down, but consumer trends are shifting.
"People are downsizing out of big full-size trucks going into smaller mid-size SUVs to pull, if they are still going to pull around, and there's a ton of trailers that have really tailored themselves to that niche market as well," said Trevor Olynyk, a sales manager at GNR Camping World.
Another rising RV trend is seasonal spots where trailers stay year-round.
Olynyk said many customers are now buying campers and getting the company to haul them to a permanent spot.
At Poplar Forrest Lodge and Campground near Selkirk, the rise in seasonal camping has changed their business model.
"We used to have tenting sites there and transient sites, and those are becoming seasonal now. We've got three in there, and there's only three left," said Peter Tomko, the owner of the campground.
Tomko said with seasonal camping, people can build patios for their trailers and also enjoy a tight-knit community.
As for those still hauling their trailers, there's no getting around the extra price of gas.
"Lot of adjustments, but we still want to make sure we have fun during the summer," said Gusniowski. "So probably less trips than last summer, so that's, you know, that's one thing that we do."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.