Will the rise in gas prices affect your summer plans?

[zlee]

OMG. I had NO idea how little mpg some of you guys get. I thought 18 or 19 mpg because of wind and snow was horrible. (Especially compared to the 42 I normally get unhitched.)

Count my blessings, I guess!

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by doug&maggie

Hmmm, too bad. I thought driving more slowly always improved mpg, but then what do I know, apparently. Maggie

Depends on the tow vehicle. I drive a diesel and get equal or better fuel mileage at 62 than at 55. At 55, the ROM is too low and not in the best range for economy. At 62, it takes a serious hill to get me out of 6th gear.

[MrUKToad]

When towing with our (you can't tow with that) Sienna we average around 11 mpg on the highway at 60-62 mph. When we're on the back roads and keeping the speed down to 50, we can get that figure up to 18 mpg if I'm careful and the weather's OK. Not towing we can get 28-30 mpg at 60-65 mph. The cost of gas won't affect our travel plans, though, because we knew that fuel was going to be the biggest part of most trips when we bought our Airstream. Don't forget, too, that the US some some of the cheapest gas in the developed world, so things are not that bad....

From May last year: Are gas prices really that high?

[Cracker]

There was another thread similar to this. My thought then was the same as it is today - I have a world of beautiful places that I can round-trip on one tank of fuel (34 gals x 13.5 mpg = 459 miles). That takes me to the White Mountains, the coast of Maine, or Maine's north woods - with a bit of fuel left to roam around. Life is good - enjoy!

[NJtoNC]

does anyone get over 12 mpg towing? we're going to be in the market for a new tow vehicle within the year..

[PA BAMBI II]

I was recently lamenting that I will in no way be able to afford to take my small children traveling with the Airstream like my parents did with me and my siblings. The cost of gasoline has risen so much faster than inflation it is absolutely cost prohibitive to travel any distance anymore.

We are a single income family with a baby and heating oil and gasoline are our biggest budget items.

And then we have multi-millionaires running for president pretending to know the plight of the "middle class"- which is actually lower class now. The middle class does not exist anymore. Not like it used to. Those rich clowns have no idea what it means to worry about expenses and putting food on the table or paying the mortgage or heating the house. And they make all of the decisions for us?

I would think with social media the way it is now that a "common" person could run against the big money and win and make some serious changes to this once great country. What a joke.

[TBRich]

We always shake our heads at the price of gas, of course... (because we can remember when it wasn't that way, eons ago) ... but it really doesn't keep us from taking trips. We aren't "shoppers" for the sake of shopping ... and I can't even tell you the last time we went to a mall ... that just doesn't appeal to us. We don't eat out a lot... So going camping seems like inexpensive recreation to us.

It's a whole lot cheaper to take a trip with our AS than it is to fly somewhere, pay for a hotel, eat in restaurants, and so on. We pay campground fees and gas costs... cook most of our meals and sleep in our own bed. Sometimes we actually spend less on a trip than when we're at home. When we are away, we shut the house down to to point where our water is off, our electricity and gas are at maintenance levels, etc ... so we actually feel like taking a nice trip is a cost-effective thing to do.

Plus, we don't necessarily have to go a long ways to feel like we are "away from it all." Last week were stayed 4 nights in a campground just 18 miles and 35 minutes from our house and had a restful, relaxing time away.... We are surprised that some folks don't even consider going camping so close to home.

[dkottum]

As much as we hate politicians, in a relatively free market the cost of fuel is more dependent on supply and demand. The easy-to-get oil is getting scarce and world-wide demand is increasing.

doug k

[Davern1]

Originally Posted by Mike91208

These were the prices in Death Valley not long ago - and we'll probably see the same throughout the country in the not-so-distant future!

Death Valley this time of year is worth those fuel prices. We drive in to Furnace Creek the night before Thanksgiving and didn't see another car for the last fifty miles. I love driving around there. Great roads, beautiful views. They are putting hookups in Furnace Creek which will be nice as it will cut the genet noise. I guess paying high fuel prices to commute to work upsets me. Driving through a National Park, not so much.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by TBRich

Plus, we don't necessarily have to go a long ways to feel like we are "away from it all." Last week were stayed 4 nights in a campground just 18 miles and 35 minutes from our house and had a restful, relaxing time away.... We are surprised that some folks don't even consider going camping so close to home.

One of our favourite campgrounds is just 35 minutes away from home and we use it a lot; It's nice to get there after work on a Friday and still have time to set up and relax before darkness falls.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by dkottum

As much as we hate politicians, in a relatively free market the cost of fuel is more dependent on supply and demand. The easy-to-get oil is getting scarce and world-wide demand is increasing.

doug k

Couldn't agree more, Doug. A few years back in the UK the cost of retail gas and diesel was out of control and people simply had to reduce their demand as they couldn't afford to do anything else. They made less daily trips, drove more slowly and were generally more careful; it took about two months for the gas companies to report falling demand and falling profits and then, as if my magic, the prices stabilized and even started to fall. It can be done!

[masseyfarm]

Headline today in the UK.
Dave

Diesel leaps to highest level on record | The Sun |News

"The fuel used by a third of the nation's motorists hit an average 143.05p per litre — or £6.50 a gallon.
That's more than 25 per cent higher than just two years ago.
Motoring chiefs said it would break the back of cash-strapped households across the UK. "

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

Couldn't agree more, Doug. A few years back in the UK the cost of retail gas and diesel was out of control and people simply had to reduce their demand as they couldn't afford to do anything else. They made less daily trips, drove more slowly and were generally more careful; it took about two months for the gas companies to report falling demand and falling profits and then, as if my magic, the prices stabilized and even started to fall. It can be done!

[boondockdad]

I happened onto SilverCabin's blog, and followed their link here: GasBuddy.com - Find Low Gas Prices in the USA and Canada

There's also an app!
Very handy, this will definitely help to keep the fuel costs down.

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by dkottum

As much as we hate politicians, in a relatively free market the cost of fuel is more dependent on supply and demand. The easy-to-get oil is getting scarce and world-wide demand is increasing.

doug k

Actually, demand is at an all time low, and there is a glut.

News Headlines

Gas Prices Soar Due To Tensions With Iran, Refinery Closures « CBS Los Angeles

The Cost of President Obama's Keystone XL Dithering - US News and World Report

[zlee]

Originally Posted by finalcutjoe

The Cost of President Obama's Keystone XL Dithering - US News and World Report

It always amuses me that it's "dithering" if you don't agree with the politics and "due diligence" if you do.

[Gene]

50 years ago a gallon of regular cost 31¢. That would be $2.33 in today's money. Gas prices around the country vary wildly and the southern Rockies have some of the cheapest. It's been around $2.95 to $3.05 lately. That's an increase of 31% over 1962 using the $3.05 number.

Putting it another way, a $20 bill in 1962 would bring $150.10 today.

Gene

[Lothlorian]

I keep one of my airstreams 450 miles away in storage (I own the storage). We plan on driving and picking the airstream up and heading out from where it is kept. We will camp in that area. When we are finished we will put back in storage. The other one we will be used for around here.

Farmers are selling much of their corn to be converted to fuel, but all that does is keep driving the price of food higher. Anyway you look prices are on the rise. food, fuel, transportation or any thing make from oil or corn.

Brian

[boondockdad]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

50 years ago a gallon of regular cost 31¢. That would be $2.33 in today's money. Gas prices around the country vary wildly and the southern Rockies have some of the cheapest. It's been around $2.95 to $3.05 lately. That's an increase of 31% over 1962 using the $3.05 number.

Putting it another way, a $20 bill in 1962 would bring $150.10 today.

Gene

Determining dollar value, or the relative value of the dollar from one year to the next is the ultimate tweakable statistic.

It all depends on what indicator is used.

In 1908 the Model T was $850.

Using CPI method that's $21,000
GDP deflator it's $15,000
'Consumer Bundle' puts it at $44,000
'Unskilled Wage' puts it at $87,000
'Manufacturing Compensation' values it at $140,000
GDP per capita is $118,000

IMHO, it's all academic

I just use the good 'ol MISERY INDEX

[Landshark]

The cost of diesel will not affect our summer plans: Airstreams were built to be on the road and we do our best to keep them there as much as we have time for! Life is too short to let fuel costs keep us home. But we will definitely economise where we can: WalMart overnights, casseroles instead of meat, very little restaurant food: we all know how to do it!

Vivian

[LFM]

Just got back from three months in New Zealand. Petrol was 2.13 to 2.16 a liter. At our exchange rate of about .80, it still works out to about 8 dollars a gallon. We weren't RVing, but put 12,000 km (7,500 miles) on our rental camry, which was about 1k a month. So I guess if you are going to travel, you aren't going to do it for the same costs as sitting in your home.
It was worth every cent.

Greg