For the third year in a row, The Dirt has compiled survey results to provide a state of the union when it comes to camping in the U.S., and it proves that overlanding is the clear winner.
Let me explain…
Campsites are harder than ever to get
That’s the key takeaway from 2004’s survey respondents, which include The Dyrt’s app users, a representative sample of U.S. residents, and camping property managers from all 50 states.
Two things factor into my assessment:
1. Cancellations & no-shows are lower than ever
More people showed up and actually used their sites. While no-shows don’t always mean a site opens up (it often just goes unused), cancellations at least mean someone on a waitlist can get it. But if both are down, it means campsite use is up. Good, but also bad if you’re a procrastinator and haven’t booked weeks or sometimes many months in advance.
2. Cancellations & no-shows are lower than ever
More people showed up and actually used their sites. While no-shows don’t always mean a site opens up (it often just goes unused), cancellations at least mean someone on a waitlist can get it. But if both are down, it means campsite use is up. Good, but also bad if you’re a procrastinator and haven’t booked weeks or sometimes many months in advance.
Why is this good for overlanding?
A couple of reasons. First, lower availability of reservation-based, formal campsites means more people may look to boondocking and getting out further into the wild to find remote campsites.
Yes, that means the easiest spots to get might start getting a little crowded. But it also means more people might outfit their vehicles to get further off the beaten path. And that’s good for the industry, which means more product development and better gear for everyone.
And as our numbers grow, so does our clout as an industry. It’s already being noticed, with an ever expanding roster of events and shows (see the full list of 2025 overland events here). And SEMA dedicated half of a hall to overland vendors this year, with plenty more brands scattered throughout the rest of the show.
Which means, hopefully, we’ll be able to appeal to the decision makers to continue to preserve or even expand BLM land, national forests, and other public lands.
Speaking of The Dyrt…
You can check out their complete 2025 Camping Report here. And if you’re a fan of the app, in addition to getting alerts when someone cancels their campsite (paid feature), they now have a “campsites near me” feature that lets you see all available campgrounds within a set distance.
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