The old-school image of a camper in the US is taking on a new form in 2025. Today’s outdoor campers are also hybrid adventurers. They’re staying in hotels, shopping local, and grabbing meals in town before hitting the trail. They’re not just disappearing into the woods, they’re fueling local economies as they go.
The Dyrt’s 2025 Camping Report shows that 81.1 million Americans camped last year, including 5.8 million for the first time. But their impact goes way beyond the campsite.
More Than Just Campers
Survey data from The Dyrt community proves just how much these travelers spend beyond the outdoors:
- 58% stay in hotels 3 to 8 nights a year
- 50% take 4 or more non-camping vacations annually
- 49% eat out while camping
- 44% shop at local grocery stores before their trips
They’re booking rooms, grabbing gear, stocking up on snacks, and sitting down for meals. Camping may be the anchor, but their trips touch towns, businesses, and communities along the way.
A New Kind of Outdoor Traveler
Campers from The Dyrt’s community range from solo road trippers and young families to retirees and full-time vanlifers. They’re planning more trips, traveling farther, and mixing up how they do it.
- 30.6% camped solo in 2024
- 53.4% camp with their vehicle
- 79.6% camped the same or more despite inflation
They’re not just looking for a campsite. They’re looking for experiences like a scenic route, a hidden diner, a local outfitter, or a weekend event worth the detour.
How Campers Are Shaping Travel & Tourism Trends
Camping communities like The Dyrt are no longer just places to find campsites. They’re where entire travel plans begin to take shape. These travelers are high-intent, experience-driven, and influencing local economies in ways that extend far beyond the campground. They’re:
- Visiting restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and gas stations
- Exploring nearby towns, scenic routes, and cultural sites
- Making decisions about where to go, what to do, and how to get there
If your destination wants to reach travelers who are curious, experience-driven, and already en route, The Dyrt is where you’ll find them. They’re not just camping, they’re showing up everywhere in between.
______________________________________________________
The Dyrt is the only camping app with all of the public and private campgrounds, RV parks and free camping locations in the United States, along with millions of user-generated campground reviews. With The Dyrt PRO, campers get comprehensive free camping tools, reservations at sold-out campgrounds, advanced route planning and maps, as well as discounts on camping. The Dyrt’s 2025 Camping Report Presented by Toyota Trucks and informed by the largest online camping community is the leading source of information for the camping industry.