One of the hot topics being discussed as summer approaches is whether or not the camping industry is going to feel the wrath of the rising gas prices. I feel that it will affect the industry to a certain degree, because I know many people will still go camping regardless of gas prices. Many people though will most likely stay a lot closer to home this summer though and by the end of the summer it should be interesting to see the numbers from the cottage country regions.

Even in my region in Ontario there is a lot of cottage country and with gas prices so high here many people won't even consider going out camping. It use to be a fun affordable vacation that you could take but with gas prices higher then ever it's quickly becoming out of the average persons price range. Now there isn't much the camping industry can do either except to try and entice people to come out to their campgrounds, but do this costs money and then profit margins begin to fall.

It's a lose - lose situation and without gas prices dropping it will most likely continue throughout the rest of the summer. I frankly believe that gas prices aren't going to drop and many people will just forfeit camping for good. A dilemma for cottage owners comes into play though because with high gas prices they may not be able to go to their cottage and the market is also down for cottage sales. The prices for cottages out in cottage country are dropping due to people not wanting to travel that far. People would rather stay closer to home to reserve gas than to go to the better areas.

The sacrifices are being made on both the campers and the camping industry but I don't know if it will be enough to compare with previous years numbers. The industry is definitely going to take a hit this summer due to the gas prices and we'll just need to wait to find out how bad the hit actually is. If you enjoy camping then I would recommend to you that you try and stay close to home but still get out and enjoy the camping life. Gas prices are uncontrollable and that means we can't be forced to sacrifice are summer life due to the rising prices.

We will need to make adjustments and possible camp closer to home or use a more efficient vehicle but there are definitely ways to still enjoy the sun and camping atmosphere. More and more vehicles offer either good mileage or alternative means of fuel which means if gas continues to rise, it might be a good idea to start thinking about buying an alternative fuel vehicle. This way no sacrifices need to be made at all, but if you're still driving a gas guzzling vehicle then you might need to reconsider where you camp and find a location close to home. Most areas have at least a few great areas close to them for camping so it shouldn't be difficult, but you'll need to become familiar with the people and new campground which could be a pain.