Buy an RV or stay in a motel?

If you lease and only need somewhere to stay during deer season, would it be cheaper to buy an RV or just stay in an inexpensive motel?

After I retired, I sold my RV to my SIL because I decided to stop spending so much time at the lease throughout the year. While that may sound like a backwards approach, I decided I didn't require as much "off the job therapy" as I did when I was living the corporate/career life. I also felt I had been spending too much time and money throughout the year so I've just been staying in a local motel whenever I decide to hunt during the season. I'm the only person leasing the property and all I do now is show up and hunt. I've done the math and I can stay in the motel for ten nights ($70/night) for what I was paying just for year-round utilities at my old lease and have zero maintenance costs and hassle. I could but a new RV or build some type of cheap cabin but would seem to put me right back in the position of paying utilities and having to deal with maintenance. I also don't want to hassle with a generator and transporting water. My lease is a small one (80 acres) and I like to keep it as quiet as possible.

Am I missing anything? Are there any others who have found the motel approach works well for them?

I will add the motel costs are easier to recognize since I was previously paying for utilities on a monthly basis and not paying much attention to the annual cost.

TIA

Flip a coin

How far are you from the property in a hotel?

15 minutes from the hotel to the property and about an hour and forty-five minutes from the house to the property. There's also a McDonald's that opens at 5am that makes for grabbing a bite on the way in the mornings.

I can see the motel approach as being much outside the box from what I have always done in the past.

I tried the motel thing this season, but it didn’t work out. 2 hours from home to lease, 30-60 minutes to town depending on how nice a place to stay and road construction. The final straw was truck getting vandalized at motel. $350 to get window glass replaced and re-tinted. Took a while to find a used rv in my area, but got it hauled down and setup last week. Still working out some maintenance issues with the rv. Glad I don’t have to get up at 4 am now.

My biggest concern staying at a motel would be getting stuff stolen and/or your truck broken into.

Small RV or even a small shed with would be a good choice

I’ve done both, I much prefer the RV route.

Just rent an RV and have the best of both worlds

Does the motel have metal or plastic trash cans/burn barrels?

Good idea

RV puts you on the property with a more immersive experience, but since this is only for deer season, will cost you a LOT of money. Close motel will be cheaper for most folks.

RV gives you more freedom and privacy. Motel gives you more comfort.

RV requires upkeep., Motel does not.

RV can be accessed any time. Motel will require reservations.

My answer, many years ago, was to buy a very used and inexpensive travel trailer for the lease. I’d have gotten by even cheaper, but the wife got involved. She wanted creature comforts and a big bathroom. I’d probably take the same approach again.

For the situation the OP described, i would do a motel

Thanks for the replies.

As is the case with so many things in life, it becomes a matter of dealing with change. Over time, you begin to recognize there was a better way that brings benefits you would have otherwise missed.

I’d go the RV route. We had the same dilemma but ended up with a camper and love being able to stay on the property. Less time driving and more time to enjoy the property.

I prefer a tent.
Adios,
Gary

I would prefer the RV to stay on the property, even if it costs more in the long run. When I go out for a hunting and/or work weekend, I want to be in the woods the whole time. I have no interest in spending any time in town for that time or driving back and forth.

I did the hotel thing for several years on a lease near Childress. Land owner didn’t want RVs parked on his property. Worked out fine. Just a different routine. In some cases it was nicer because we could get a hot shower. The pop up I had back then didn’t have a bathroom.

You are the one that has to decide. What anyone else thinks means squat.

Get a nice blind and sleep in it. I have an 8x6 with a bed in it. Jet Boil for hot water and freeze dried food (mostly breakfast which is pretty dang good and MRE’s with a heater for dinner) Blackout curtains for night-time interior light and iPad use. External propane tank for Big Buddy and one of those toilet seat-5 gallon bucket things for #2. Driveway alarm at the feeder for night time hog engagements. I thinks it’s a great setup. If I’m at the lease, I’m in the stand for the most part. Alternatively, get a container done up as quarters.

I had a 5th Wheel trailer at the lease for a couple years, what a pain in the azz is the short story.

Charlie

Also if you have use for an RV outside of deer season then I would go that route. We use our camper year round at the campgrounds and beach. Deer season is the only time we don’t travel with it.

I did the motel thing for the one year we had a very small lease outside of Comanche years ago. Worked out fine. Since then we have a trailer pretty much set up permanently at our lease. I think the theft problem has gotten much worse concerning motel parking now.

Our campsite at one lease was a wood platform 8x10, with wood walls that were covered up to about 4 foot high. A tarp covered the roof and came down to create about 3 more foot of wall.. It was based on the bivouac camps of WWII in England, that were made out of shipping crate lumber and GI tent halves. We survived snow storms, rain, heat and rattle snakes in the "shed". inside were 3 cots, a Coleman stove, a lantern and a small cabinet area. A card table and folding chairs, that went from inside to outside depending on the weather. We scrounged the lumber, bought the nails and the tarps.

You can buy a hell of a lot of hotel rooms for the price of a trailer. Hot showers are nice too.

The thing i worry about now days with motel is BEDBUGS!!!! Just my

And covid.

Varies by situation of course but I get as much or more pleasure from the camp experience as I do hunting. We have it pretty good though with running water, electricity, nice awning with grills, griddles, outdoor sink with hot water, Direct TV, etc. Spend a lot more time there with this setup vs. bare bone places I've had before.

If you are on a lease with other members and the camp life is part of the whole experience then staying in town in a motel for me? No way - I buy a trailer and enjoy camp.

If you are the only person on the lease (as I think I read) then I would do the hotel - if you cannot share a camp with others then it is not a camp

In your situation....I'd go Motel for sure.

You are the only one on the lease, the lease is a scant 15 minutes from a hotel. Hotel affords you a comfortable bed, hot shower (unlimited water) every day, a large bathroom, no worries about anything breaking down or not working, no food to cook or prepare (just stop by McDonalds), nothing to set up or take down when you get to the lease or leave it. No insurance costs, no flat tires, no filling water tanks, propane tanks, emptying gray water or sewage tanks, etc...etc.

As a retiree (I'm one also) I'm looking for SIMPLE. I want to spend my time enjoying the things I do...and not worry so much about upkeep.

IF you were in a camp with multiple others and socializing were a large part of the experience then YES.....camper. But that's not what you are doing....doesn't sound like.

For a long time I slept in a tent or if the weather was really bad I would stay in a motel.
After thinking about it for quite some time I decided to buy a cheap rv/trailer and it was the best decision I ever made except for I should have bought a nicer one!
When I added up what it cost me to stay in a motel, buy food in town, the cost of gas and wear and tear on my truck and what your time and convenience is worth, again no brainer the trailer

Spent many a night in a deer blind. We used to party on a buddy of mines place, they had 6x8 ranch king blinds and we would blow up an air mattress and sleep in the blinds.

Worked good for a few nights when you were in your early 20’s. Probably wouldn’t want to do it now

Again, all the replies are very much appreciated.

From the time I first started deer hunting back in the 70's, I was always a member of a lease where I stayed in either a camp house, pickup camper shell, or small travel trailer. It was through circumstance that I ended up leasing a small tract by myself. With it being only 80 acres, I would prefer to keep it quiet and not camp on it. If it works out that I end up on another lease, I'll very likely purchase another trailer and begin paying for electricity and water, if available. In the meantime, I'll just continue the current course. I spent much of my career on the road so getting to stay in a hotel with nothing more to do than hunt has been rather refreshing to be honest. And unlike when I was working, I do it not when I have to but when I want to.

Again, thanks for the replies.

Who do you talk to when you are by yourself?

Why... Me of course. I never spoke to a more agreeable person

I've stayed for years in motel rooms without any problems. Motels never been over 15 minutes from property.
I also stayed for years in a trailer at the lease. Right now, I'm staying in a motel.

To me it depends on who im housing.

If its just me im perfectly happy sleeping in the bed of the truck if its not raining or in the cab if it is on a normal weekend type trip. Maybe a small tent. A barrel of water in the bed and a cup and you have a shower. If it includes the wife then that dont work.

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Just go to Outdoorsy or RVShare and have any kind of RV you want delivered for a small fee. Prices are cheap, no clean up, no hauling and you don’t have to pay to store the RV or maintain it

2nd year on a new lease for me and we’ve been doing the motel thing so far. The trade offs are nice, but in the end, you will spend more money. More money eating out, and you have nothing of possession to sell. But the biggest thing for me in not camping is the commodore. Since you lease alone, that may not be a priority, but I enjoy that aspect of it almost as much as the hunting.

That's the whole thing though, HIS situation is very different than that of others who are posting about how/why THEY have chosen what to do.

1. ONE person hunting on a property.
2. SMALL property (80 acres), important NOT to disturb it anymore than necessary IF hunting is your actual goal.
3. Property is within 15 minutes of hotel (travel time and distance are inconsequential).
4. Cost (if there is any difference and I doubt it) is of some concern to some folks and of no concern to others. And in most cases we can't truly justify the cost of hunting (for the return) anyway, it's just something we like to do and will spend the money to do it.

Yeah, I didn’t read comments, just the OP asking if it’s cheaper to stay in a hotel or camper.
You buy a 5k camper, sell it 5 years down the road for 2500? You’re out 2500 at a minimum, but you’re not necessarily budgeting when you can go.
Rent a room at 70/night over 5 years= 3500 at a min. Not sure if that covers taxes and can you really limit yourself to 10 days a year?
Food is additional. You’re more likely to eat out more staying in a motel than in a camper. From a cost perspective, which was the original question, I’m leaning more towards motel costing more..

Here is where technology comes into play. I now find myself texting other hunters who themselves hunt small tracts to find out what they might have seen on their last hunt, or even what they've seen while on the stand. No surprise how today's technology allows hunters to communicate with each other remotely even though they're in separate camps so to speak.

Myself....and I argue also.

I like camping on the property kill a deer quarter it up put it on ice and set back and enjoy it
I get way too much of town the way it is
We have electricity and water

I suggest doing whatever gives you the most enjoyable experience. While hunting I have stayed: In a tent, in my truck (I have a topper), in a camp house, in a camper, and in a motel. There is nothing like a decent camp house. I have a strange situation this year. We have a rustic bare bones camp house. Most of the lease members go the motel route. Because of this, the camp house has been taken over by mice and raccoons. I am not comfortable staying in it. I have slept in my tent, or a motel. The nearest motel is about a half hour drive away, and cost around 50 dollars. I would much rather be on the ranch. If you are looking just at costs, I think the motel route is less expensive.

None of us are hunting because we think we're getting meat for cheap. There are a lot of expenses associated with hunting and a big one is lodging. Bu, being on the ranch, hanging out at camp and camaraderie are a huge part of the whole hunting experience for me. It's an added expense, but seems like a no brainer to me to buy a trailer/RV.

Bingo. I refuse to price out meat per pound, and instead I equate it to vehicles -- smiles per gallon is way more fun than miles per gallon.

A family friend had a camper top over his pickup bed and made a cot for it. Slept at the lease for years. Biggest noise was him snoring.

RV,...there is no check out time.

That was gonna be my answer.

we put a trailer on our place a year ago. I much prefer it over the motel as i like setting by the fire with an adult beverage and waking up minutes from my stand.