What do you know about Hipcamp (Airbnb of camping)?

Question

I stumbled across this company the other day and it really got me thinking of the possibilities. Hipcamp is a platform that helps campers discover and book unique camping experiences on public and private land across all 50 states. They have been dubbed the Airbnb of camping but it is not so much for your typical vacation rental. It is geared towards camping, glamping and hook ups for RVs. As of now Hipcamp has 3 million users and over 300,000 camping sites throughout the country. They also completed a 25 million series B funding in summer of 2019 that values the company at 127 million, which is a good signal for expansion.

What appeals to me about this model, is you can go buy a couple acres of land ( Hipcamp suggest a 2 acre minimum), make some minor infrastructure upgrades and then build a couple A-frame tiny cabins, some yurts or simply just a clearing that would allow for someone to pitch a tent. This would be a low capital investment and would not be as management intensify.

I’m curious to see if anyone else has had any thoughts about using Hipcamp for investment purposes?

P.S.- Here is a link to the website: https://www.hipcamp.com

Joe Prillaman · Answer

@Blaine Alger, I’m very interested in this. Hope someone on here has experience using this app!

Mason Hickman · Answer

@Blaine Alger

Interesting concept; have you found any information on the revenue hosts are generating from this? There are barely any listings in my area.

Christian Cramer · Answer

Never seen this, interesting.

Makes me want to buy one of those 10k 1acre parcels in the jungle in Puna, hawaii and clear some forest, build a gate, and see if it cash flows just for the fun of it.

Adriana Ramos · Answer

@Blaine Alger Have you moved forward with this? I’m very interested in this and would love to hear any insights you might have.

Kevin Kennerly · Answer

I just had my first hipcamp experience last week. I can see a ton of potential with this. It really got my wheels turning.

Our hosts owned a 150 acre horse farm. We spent 2 days dry camping in our travel trailer. At 30 dollars a night it was an unbeatable experience. Much more memorable for the kids than traditional campgrounds.

My wife and I are currently looking for rural property to eventually relocate to. I would definitely consider doing this as a form of house hacking if the property works for it.

Blaine Alger · Answer

It first came on to the scene back in 2014 but it’s popularity really started to pick up in May of 2018 once it released its mobile app. Its user interface is great and very easy to use.

That jungle lot sounds exactly what someone using the app would be looking for. Hipcamp does suggest having a little larger lot ( 2 acres) but if it has access to hiking trails or something similar, that would be a plus. I would suggest trying to find some land that is close to a nati or state park. That way you could provide some overflow capacity and there would already be an attraction in the area for campers.

Blaine Alger · Answer

You and me both Joe! I think this could be a really cool niche of real estate investing.

One of the best parts is that throughout the craziness we have been experiencing lately, Hipcamp has announced that they haven't seen a drastic drop in bookings and for the most part have been operating as normal.

Blaine Alger · Answer

@Bill Brandt

From what I have read, some hosts do list their rental on both platforms but in reality each app is targeting a different audience.

People on hipcamp are looking to get out of the city and get outside. So alot of the properties are a little more rustic and might not have the same amenities (toilet,WiFi, water) as a property you find on Airbnb. This being the case, Hipcampers expect less and are less high maintnce when compared to a guest of an Airbnb.

Bill B. · Answer

couldn’t you do the same thing just using Airbnb? Especially if your building any kind of structure. You’d have a much larger target audience.

Blaine Alger · Answer

@Mason Hickman

I have been doing a lot of research trying to see if any actual investors have used it so I can get a better idea for what the numbers look like but so far I have only been able to find info regarding host revenue just from the website. They offer a cool tool that you can use to get an estimate for how much your property can make based on your zip code, size of property and accommodations but i am not sure how accurate it is. I might just send them an email and see if they have any other information.

Here is some links to the site with the tool used to get the estimate and also another resource from the FAQ page:

https://www.hipcamp.com/host/how-much-money

https://support.hipcamp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025121411-How-much-money-can-I-make-

What do you know about Hipcamp (Airbnb of camping)?

What do you know about Hipcamp (Airbnb of camping)?

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