The elephant is back in the living room...

[Cherokeester]

Thanks to the chaos in the middle east, oil hit $105.00 per barrel today. Diesel here in Cache Valley is already 3.70 per gallon and rising. I have a trip planned for Moab this spring but am seriously debating if I can afford to go. What are you all doing? Do you just cut back on eating out down there? Go camping instead of motel? Any ideas or suggestions to save some cash so you can still wheel and have some fun?

This is not a complaint thread per say, just need some opinions on how to get by.:sick:

 

[skippy]

start making your own biodiesel

 

[gijohn40]

the only 4wheeling I get to do anymore is deliver pizza in the syracuse/west point/clearfield area... those roads are so torn up my shocks need to be replaced and I have only worked in this are for a month now....

Seriously... work a few nights delivering pizza... you can rake in enough to pay for the whole trip between now and then... I try to put aside some money every night I work towards EJS....

 

[Cherokeester]

Moab from here is 650 miles round trip. At 10 mpg towing with my powerstroke (good conditions) that is 65 gallons or $240.00! That is just to get down there and back. If diesel goes to 4 bucks (it will probably go higher) Then I am looking at $260.00. Have any of you said screw it to your tow rig and just driven down there in the trail vehicle?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Moab from here is 650 miles round trip. At 10 mpg towing with my powerstroke (good conditions) that is 65 gallons or $240.00! That is just to get down there and back. If diesel goes to 4 bucks (it will probably go higher) Then I am looking at $260.00. Have any of you said screw it to your tow rig and just driven down there in the trail vehicle?

Yup. remember my LONG "which tow rig should I buy" thread? I came to the realization that it would be nice to town my rigs down there, but not practical or economical for me (both in the initial cost for the vehicle, and the maintenance cost). Hence my desire to keep all my rigs street-legal and in good enough shape to make the drive.

 

[Darwin]

i gave up towing my rigs down a few years ago and always camp out. my wrangler can make it there and back from draper on 24 gallons which is about 75 bucks now. it is much better than the 200 i used to pay in gas per trip. the only down side is i don't have a rig that will do pritchet canyon any more. the trade off has been worth it though to still be able to make it down there often.

 

[Spork]

I guess I'm just cheap. I drive my truck to Moab and camp in a campground. I'm not running anything too hardcore but I'm enjoying myself and at least going.

 

[Cherokeester]

I was wondering if the trend might be going back to highway driveable trail rigs rather than towing the buggy and such. I just like having my trailer because I know my CJ is going to break.

 

[muleskinner]

I average 850 miles a week for work and my old Ford gets between 7.5-10.5 MPG I'm really thinking about upgrading sometime soon

 

[gijohn40]

my old cj gets about 10 mpg driving down there (max speed of 70mph most the way) and my power stroke gets 12 mpg with the trailer and cj on it... so it almost comes out the same either way so I would rather drive down at 80 mph in comfort then with ear plugs in and everyone flipping me off....

 

[jeep-N-montero]

With the 33's and 4.56's I'm averaging about 16 on the highway, always camp out in Moab, and only eat out once or twice while there. Camping out in the BLM spots for $10-12 per night and paying $3-5 for a shower in town works out great for me. City Market in town has decent food prices and I usually pick up steaks for at least one night of my stay. Heck, I cook better food camping than I do at home most of the time, and usually bring a pot of homemade chili down for quick meals.

But, I'm hoping to move up to 35's in the next year and this may increase the need for a tow rig. Right now I bring down a complete set of spare shafts, front track bar, u-joints, fluids, spare hubs, and many other things. All of that combined with camping gear can get pretty cramped, so it would be nice to tow it down and just back it off a trailer ready for the trail. If I were rich I would just pick up a custom toy hauler with a sleeper unit up front, but I can only dream right now.

 

[rockdog]

We have been struggling with this problem this year. We have trailer only rigs, so driving down isn't an option. I pull two rigs with my tow rig. And my wife likes to stay at hotels. That is the way I get her to go, because she doesn't have to cook meals or sleep in the dirt. But the hotels just keep jacking the per day price every year. $145.00 a night adds up!
I have a nice fifth wheel and my son could pull both rigs with his tow rig. But the price of fuel pretty much makes two tow rigs a wash with one and motels.
Money pretty much dictates how much we get to go wheeling (or don't get to!) Damn, I wish I had the cash the Shanon and Tracey's of the hobby have. Lets see, should we load five or six buggy's in the Peterbuilt for this weekend?

 

[N-Smooth]

the trick is to have the hotel you always stay in screw up when they over-charge your buddy for a thanksgiving trip and a bunch of phone calls later get two free rooms for ejs... or freEJS as we are calling it this year

if money was tight i would try to save up before/after the trip rather than screw up the experience. i love the mexican family restaurant and the food at the brewery way too much to not eat there

another way to save some dough is to just go with your buddies and leave the wife at home. ejs has always been a guy's trip for me and the wife still makes it down at least two times a year.

no matter what happens, make the trip!

 

[sixstringsteve]

I've always camped down there. I'm too poor for a hotel. But going to moab is like charging my batteries for the next 4 months. it's just re-energizes me for life. Moab is a magical place for me, and not just because of the wheeling. I just love the whole vibe there. Moab is like Disneyland for adults

 

[rholbrook]

We have been struggling with this problem this year. We have trailer only rigs, so driving down isn't an option.

Heres an idea....Call the news and the UHP and annouce that you are going to Take Back Utah and protest gas prices and get a bunch of rigs together to drive to Moab for EJS in a Convoy. Meet at the capitol and make it a parade. If the cops try to stop you, get Cheston to crush the squad car.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I've always camped down there. I'm too poor for a hotel. But going to moab is like charging my batteries for the next 4 months. it's just re-energizes me for life. Moab is a magical place for me, and not just because of the wheeling. I just love the whole vibe there. Moab is like Disneyland for adults

Agree, I love the solitude of being down there and enjoy stepping back in time about 25 years getting away from technology. You can set your own pace and just relax.

 

[JL Rockies]

I've always camped down there. I'm too poor for a hotel. But going to moab is like charging my batteries for the next 4 months. it's just re-energizes me for life. Moab is a magical place for me, and not just because of the wheeling. I just love the whole vibe there. Moab is like Disneyland for adults

Bit of a hippy problem though.

 

[sixstringsteve]

i love hippies, just not the ones from SUWA

 

[JL Rockies]

I hate hippies.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Hippies make good target practice!!