Special Report on Camping, a new research report produced by The Outdoor Foundation, in partnership with The Coleman Company, Inc., detailing important information and trends on car, backyard and RV campers in the U.S. Among other findings, the report reveals a sizable 7.4 percent increase in car and backyard camping in 2008.

The Special Report on Camping uses the latest participation data collected annually by The Outdoor Foundation to present detailed information on participation by gender, age, ethnicity, income, education and geographic region – critical information needed by businesses, communities and nonprofits working to connect Americans with the outdoors.

As Americans enjoy camping trips in backyards, state lands and our national parks, camping will play an important role in helping Americans rediscover the outdoors. As the Special Report on Camping reveals, camping is an important gateway to increased participation in outdoor activities and a healthy active lifestyle. Research shows that a large majority of camping participants take part in multiple outdoor activities – over 84 percent of campers.

Key Findings:

Camping Participation

• 33.7 million Americans ages 6 and older participated in car and backyard camping in 2008 – an increase of 7.4 percent.
• 16.5 million Americans participated in RV camping in 2008 – up from 16.2 million in 2007.
• Camping participants made more than 597 million outings in 2008, averaging 14 camping days per participant.
• More than 84 percent of camping participants participate in multiple outdoor activities.

Demographics

• 56 percent of all campers are male and 43 percent female.
• The 25 to 44 age group makes up more than one-third of the total number of campers (34.5 percent). The over 45 age group is a close second at 29 percent.
• The Pacific region (OR, WA, CA) is home to the most camping participants in 2008 (18.9 percent), while East North Central (NC, SC, VA, MD, WV, GA, FL) was second in number of participants (16.9 percent).
• Most campers have a household income between $50,000 and $74,999 (24.7 percent) or $100,000+ (24.9 percent), while 35 percent of campers are in the 2 lowest income brackets below $50,000.

Campgrounds and Activities

• Car, backyard and RV campers enjoy hiking and swimming while camping significantly more often than other activities.
• 73 percent of car and backyard campers and 70 percent of RV campers choose public campgrounds at least once each year. 29 percent of car and backyard campers and 51 percent of RV campers choose private campgrounds at least once each year.

Motivations and Barriers

• Friends and parents are the most influential in introducing campers to outdoor activities.
• Fun and relaxation are the top two reasons cited by campers for participation in outdoor activities.
• A lack of time is the number one reason camping participants don’t get out more often. A lack of interest and a lack of money for equipment are also reasons.

The Special Report on Camping is based on extended analysis of unreleased data collected for the Outdoor Recreation Participation Report, produced annually by The Outdoor Foundation. The report uses the responses of over 40,000 Americans ages six and older captured in an online survey covering 114 different activities. The survey is the largest of its type examining participation in sports and outdoor activities.