The topic of camping usually evokes images of campfires and tents, but new data shows that most campers are partial to keys and a set of wheels. The Dyrt, the only camping app that has it all — state and national park campgrounds, RV parks, glamping and free campsites, along with millions of user-generated campground reviews — has found that three out of four campers have camped in or next to their vehicle at some point in their camping journey, proving that vehicles are central to camping.
The statistics are from the 2025 Camping Report Presented by Toyota Trucks. The latest version of The Dyrt’s annual report is compiled from the results of surveys conducted with three groups — thousands of members of The Dyrt camper community, a representative sample of U.S. residents, and camping property managers across all 50 states.
According to the survey results, 53.4% of campers say their preferred type of camping involves a vehicle such as an RV, trailer or camper van. Half of all campers have owned a trailer (49.6%) at some point in their lives, 32.2% have owned an RV and 20.3% have owned a camper van. Slightly more than half of respondents (50.6%) say they bought a camper van, RV or trailer within the last five years. Additionally, when survey respondents were asked how much they were willing to spend on a new rig, the average dollar amount was $58,331.
“Look around any campground and you’ll see a wide price range and variety of sizes of camping vehicle,” The Dyrt founder Sarah Smithwrote in the report. “Camper vans are increasingly decked out with amenities that provide an RV-like experience that can fit in a traditional parking spot. Our van has been back and forth across the country many times since 2021!”
Vehicle campers have a specific list of priorities for what they look for in a campsite. Electric hookups are easily at the top, with 52.3% indicating that is the most important amenity. Next up is a water station (13.2%), sewer hookup (10.3%) and knowing the pull-thru length (8.9%).
For RVers, it’s important to know that roughly one in five camping properties (18.7%) has an age limitation on the RVs allowed on premises. Of those with restrictions, the average age limit for an RV is 12 years old.
When it comes to passenger vehicles primarily tasked with the function of transportation to and from the campground, 53.3% of campers say a truck is the ideal vehicle for camping. That was followed by an SUV at 38.6%. More than half of campers surveyed said they planned to buy a vehicle in the next five years, and 10.3% are planning to buy one by the end of 2025.
Farm campers are the group that is most likely to identify vehicle camping as their primary camping type: 51.4% of people who camp at farms prefer RVs and trailers compared to 45.1% of campers overall; that ratio is 13.6% to 8.3% for camper vans.
