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Cost of "comfortable" dirtbagging?

Original Post
sle · · New York, New York · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

I recently read on some RV forum that you'd need 15-20k per year to stay on the road. Lets assume that rock climbing gear (ropes/shoes) and health insurance adds another few thousand. Does 25k sound enough? How much do you think you'd need to dirtbag/roadtrip for a year?

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

I've never gone on a dirtbag road trip and have no desire to, but...

It greatly depends on how much driving you do, how good your gas mileage is, how much time you spend in one place and how much of the country you cover.

Food, gas and emergency repairs to your vehicle are the main costs, right? What am I leaving out?

mountainhick · · Black Hawk, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 120

Depends entirely on what you mean by "comfortable", and there's no simple answer.

There's a big difference between true dirtbagging (scrounging for food, free campsites, getting around in a true dirtbag vehicle or even bumming rides place to place etc) or travelling comfortably (having a nice set of wheels potentially even set up as a camper of some sort, buying the food you like, paying for campgrounds, possibly even hotel rooms when things get bleak depending on whether you are camping out of a car vs an RV) etc...

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

25k/year doesn't sound like you'd have to do much that felt like dirtbagging. Is it enough for a year long road trip? Absolutely. You could also easily find ways to spend more if you had it. Hell, I've lived on 12k a year NOT dirtbagging, paying rent and everything.

There's no real answer to your question, it would be different for everyone and depends on a lot of factors. If your question is "I have $25,000 in the bank, can I plan on a year long road trip without running out of money?" The answer is yes, go for it. If you're frugal enough, you could probably road trip for several years on that, maybe even buy the vehicle as well.

Brian E · · Western North Carolina · Joined Mar 2005 · Points: 348

A lot of RV resorts charge as much as $600 a month to stay there (according to some dude that worked at the bar of the RV park at the entrance to the Hulk TH). I was really blow away to hear that. That's about what I pay in rent. If you're traveling in a vehicle that has a toilet in it, you're probably not willing to "rough it" in the same way the average dirtbag is. I would venture that most RVers probably spend more than I do in a year, and I live in the city.

There are still lots of crags in the country where you can camp for free. Lots of others don't cost that much. So long as you don't need to eat steak every night, and can tolerate PBR as opposed to Fat Tire, I think 25K would probably last a few years. I bet I could get 30 months out of it.

sle · · New York, New York · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0
Em Cos wrote:If your question is "I have $25,000 in the bank, can I plan on a year long road trip without running out of money?" The answer is yes, go for it. If you're frugal enough, you could probably road trip for several years on that, maybe even buy the vehicle as well.
That is the question, more or less. We (me and my GF) got about 30k in the bank and getting some serious road fever. I am thinking of actually renting an RV and going through a few major climbing destinations, staying there for a month or two at a time.
Rob Gordon · · Hollywood, CA · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 115

Get a cheap van and dirtbag it some. Try to spend around 10 so you still have 20 when you get back. I know plenty of climbers who do it for less.

DrRockso RRG · · Red River Gorge, KY · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 815

Wal-mart parking lots.

TSluiter · · Holland, VT · Joined May 2013 · Points: 314

Cook your own food, stay in the RV on free lots and don't make many drives and I'm sure you could get it done with 10K without any issues. That's less than 1,000/month, a little less than $30/day.

But if you are camping in campgrounds, add at least $15-20 a day, going out to eat every day (+$30/day) and checking into hotels a few times a month your costs will add up quick.

If you're really dirtbagging it and don't have a need for the finer things in life, 25K will more than do it.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

Is it dirt bagging if it is comfortable?

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191
sle wrote:I am thinking of actually renting an RV
Have you priced them?

I am a full time RV'er, we have lived in our RV for the past 4 years. We travel around the US and while not the strongest climbers out there we have climbed at many of the major climbing areas and continue our journey seeking new climbing experiences. We are currently at Frenchman's Coulee for the month of June. And "volunteering" for Ginkgo Petrified State Park. About 8 miles from the climbing area.

Rentals are very expensive. Once you have paid for the rental you must still consider the cost of staying at RV places. Last year we averaged $18 per night. But, we also volunteered at state parks for 3 of those months, exchanging 24 hours (12 hours each) of work per week for an RV spot. We have paid as little as $350 per month and as much as $1000 per month for an RV spot. If you join RV clubs, Good Sam, Escapees, Passport; you can get some discounts for each night. On average, a non-discounted site will run about $35 per night.

My advise would be decide how much you think you can afford for your RV rental, go to RV trader, figure you will get 50% of your purchase price back when you sell it, and buy an RV. As little as $5000 will get you something. Then it's a matter of being a good shopper.

RV'ing and dirtbagging. If you can car camp (van camp) and deal with hot/cold/no showers etc. you can generally stay right at the climbing areas. Our RV is 40 feet long, literally a one bedroom apartment on wheels. We can generally stay "close" to climbing areas and commute 5, 10, 20 miles each climbing day.

I am not going to publish my financial report here, but it you would like to have a sounding board for your idea PM me and I will share my limited knowledge on the RV life with you.

PS, the hidden cost of RV'ing is in the repairs, take a good look at rental contracts....
Eric Engberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 0

Do you have any comprehension about what "dirt bagging" it means?

Sam Keller · · Mallorca, ES · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 30

Relax everyone, the word dirtbagging has lost all meaning by this point. OP means glamping and climbing.... Glimbing? Doesn't really have a ring to it does it though????

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191

I found this to be interesting.

Dirt Bagging

redlude97 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 5
Dallas R wrote: Have you priced them? I am a full time RV'er, we have lived in our RV for the past 4 years. We travel around the US and while not the strongest climbers out there we have climbed at many of the major climbing areas and continue our journey seeking new climbing experiences. We are currently at Frenchman's Coulee for the month of June. And "volunteering" for Ginkgo Petrified State Park. About 8 miles from the climbing area. Rentals are very expensive. Once you have paid for the rental you must still consider the cost of staying at RV places. Last year we averaged $18 per night. But, we also volunteered at state parks for 3 of those months, exchanging 24 hours (12 hours each) of work per week for an RV spot. We have paid as little as $350 per month and as much as $1000 per month for an RV spot. If you join RV clubs, Good Sam, Escapees, Passport; you can get some discounts for each night. On average, a non-discounted site will run about $35 per night. My advise would be decide how much you think you can afford for your RV rental, go to RV trader, figure you will get 50% of your purchase price back when you sell it, and buy an RV. As little as $5000 will get you something. Then it's a matter of being a good shopper. RV'ing and dirtbagging. If you can car camp (van camp) and deal with hot/cold/no showers etc. you can generally stay right at the climbing areas. Our RV is 40 feet long, literally a one bedroom apartment on wheels. We can generally stay "close" to climbing areas and commute 5, 10, 20 miles each climbing day. I am not going to publish my financial report here, but it you would like to have a sounding board for your idea PM me and I will share my limited knowledge on the RV life with you. PS, the hidden cost of RV'ing is in the repairs, take a good look at rental contracts....
why...why god why would you do that to yourselves, in june of all months
Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740
ViperScale wrote:Is it dirt bagging if it is comfortable?
"You're either dirtbagging, or you're not" is what I said to myself before clicking the link to this thread.
20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346

I dirtbag quite a bit and I spend under $700 a month doing it. It's not hard to save money. The largest expense is buying fuel which can easily be tamed with a smaller vehicle, or in my case a hybrid. $15k is more than enough. The RV forum guys need $20k because $15k of that is probably spent on their vehicle--fuel and RV lot costs. So... dont buy an RV. Problem solved. Get a van and, never pay for camping. There is absolutely zero reason to pay for camping. Some 99.99999% of all land in the USA lends you to be able to sleep in your car for free.

Joe Manning · · Mount Vernon, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 539

If you have to ask how much it costs...

you definitely cannot afford to be a dirtbag with 25k/year.

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191
redlude97 wrote: why...why god why would you do that to yourselves, in june of all months
Just plain ignorant. The weather page listed mean temperature for Frenchman's Coulee as 85 for the month of June, warm, but not intolerable. Didn't plan on it being this warm, today's forecast is calling for a high of 106. But we have made a commitment to the State Park so will stick it out. Climbing early in the morning and late in the evening.
Eric Engberg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 0
20 kN wrote:I dirtbag quite a bit and I spend under $700 a month doing it. It's not hard to save money. The largest expense is buying fuel which can easily be tamed with a smaller vehicle, or in my case a hybrid. $15k is more than enough. The RV forum guys need $20k because $15k of that is probably spent on their vehicle--fuel and RV lot costs. So... dont buy an RV. Problem solved. Get a van and, never pay for camping. There is absolutely zero reason to pay for camping. Some 99.99999% of all land in the USA lends you to be able to sleep in your car for free.
Actually you have never dirt bagged.
Eliot Augusto · · Lafayette, CO · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 60

I've lived on less than $5 a day for two 3 month stints, out of a car. Not a climber at the time, and it wasn't exactly comfortable. I also didn't have the appropriate equipment to be comfortable. At the time I felt like a $10 dollar day was a splurging day...and $20? Fucking lavish. That included gas and food. I had a budget of $200 for a month, I ended up usually spending $250-300.

I could be pretty comfortable for a while on $10 a day, especially if I knew I could go to a restaurant any time I really wanted to. I bet you could be comfortable too, after a couple of weeks of acclimation to the almost dirtbag life.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
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