Camping By the Numbers

* In a Gallup Poll survey commissioned by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), nearly one in three Americans reported plans to make at least one overnight camping trip this year.

* According to the RV industry figures, 44% of RV owners are empty-nest couples over 55 and at least semi-retired. Another 39% are married couples, aged 35 to 54, with children.

* The least expensive form of RV, a folding camping trailer, can be purchased for around $2,000. From there, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Assn. says, the numbers can rise a long way. Motor homes routinely go for $50,000 to $60,000, outfitted with such comforts as bathtubs and built-in blenders. Then there are the “high-liners,” converted buses that cost $100,000 and more.

* Industry officials say creeping environmentalism and the faltering economy could help make this a boom year for RVs and camping generally. Over the last winter, “we saw more camping than ever before,” Ventura County Parks Manager Andy Oshita said. “The recession is actually going to help us. The entertainment dollars are still there. But now people aren’t going to travel as far to spend it.”