Tent camping is cheaper than RV camping, but mostly because of what you own, not what the campsite costs. At The Oaks Campground in Munith, Michigan, a tent site starts in the mid-$40s a night and an RV site starts around the high $40s, so the site fee gap is only a few dollars.
The big difference is everything around the site: a family tent kit costs a few hundred dollars, while an RV means a purchase or rental, insurance, storage and upkeep. Tent campers trade comfort and weather protection for that savings.
Here is how tent and RV sites differ, what each costs at The Oaks and at our sister park Walnut Hills, how a campground differs from an RV park, and how to decide whether RV or tent camping fits your family.
Is there a price difference between RV sites and tent camping?
Yes, but it is smaller than most people expect. A campground prices a site by what it has to build and maintain under it. An RV site needs a power pedestal, a water spigot, a drain and a pad long enough for a trailer and tow vehicle.
A tent site needs a fire ring, a picnic table and, on many of ours, a 20-amp outlet. Those costs show up in the rate, which is why tent sites sit at the bottom of the price list and full-hookup, lakefront and riverfront RV sites sit at the top.
Rates at our parks are dynamic, so one night never has a single fixed price. Each site has a base rate, and the system adds a premium on holiday weekends or applies a discount on slow dates. As a guide for The Oaks:
| Site type | Starting rate (varies by date) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Tent site | Mid-$40s a night | Fire ring, picnic table; 20-amp electric on T1 to T12; electric and water on 178 and 179; T13 to T18 primitive (no electric or water) |
| RV site, water and electric | High $40s a night | 30-amp power, water, gray-water drain, dump station and honey-wagon service; sites from 35×65 up to 55×120 feet |
| Lakefront RV site | Higher; priced by demand | Same hookups, a short walk to the beach and a view of the Aquaglide |
Every rate covers 2 adults and 2 children. Extra adults are $13 a night and children ages 3 to 17 are $9, and a second tent is $25 a night when your party goes over that count. Check live prices for your dates on The Oaks rates page. The cheapest windows at both parks are May before Memorial Day, the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends around Labor Day, and October.
Tent vs RV camping: the key differences
| Tent camping | RV camping | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | A tent, sleeping bags, pads and a stove; can be bought over time or borrowed | Buy or rent the RV, plus a tow vehicle for trailers |
| Ongoing cost | Occasional gear replacement | Insurance, registration, maintenance, winterizing and off-season storage |
| Nightly site fee | Lowest tier | A few dollars more for water and electric; more again for full hookups or waterfront |
| Setup | 15 to 30 minutes with practice; pack everything in and out | Back in, level, hook up; a seasonal site skips setup entirely |
| Weather | Rain, wind and cold nights are part of the trip | Heat, air conditioning and a dry place to sit out a storm |
| Bathroom and kitchen | Campground bathhouse; camp stove or fire | On board, plus the bathhouse if you prefer |
| Amenities | Identical. At our parks, tent campers use the beach, trails, events, playgrounds and store exactly as RV campers do. | |
Our team sees tent camping as the first step of a camper’s life: “tent camping at first, followed by RV weekend camping, followed by an RV seasonal site.” Plenty of families stay happily at the first step. The Oaks hosted roughly two-thirds as many tent campers in its first season under GatherGrounds as Walnut Hills did in its fifth.
What is the difference between a tent site and an RV site?
When you book, the site type tells you what is physically there:
- Tent site. A grass or wooded spot with a fire ring and picnic table, sometimes with a 20-amp outlet nearby for a fan, lights or phones. You park a car at the site, not a trailer.
- RV site. A longer pad with a 30- or 50-amp pedestal and a water spigot. “Water and electric” means there is no sewer connection at the site; you use a dump station on the way out or, for longer stays, a gray-water drain and honey-wagon pump-out. “Full hookup” adds sewer at the site.
- Trailer or towable. Books as an RV site, but you need room for the tow vehicle too. Site length matters more than for a motorhome, so check the dimensions before you reserve.
Site size is where The Oaks stands out. The industry standard campsite is about 33 feet wide by 60 feet long, and many parks run closer to 25 by 50. At The Oaks, the smallest sites are about 35 by 65 feet and the largest are 55 by 120, so awnings, slide-outs and a tow vehicle fit without crowding your neighbor.
The Oaks is water-and-electric only (50 amp on short-term sites, 30 amp on seasonal), with no sewer sites and no pull-throughs. If your rig needs a full hookup (sewer at the site), Walnut Hills in Durand has 80 full-hookup 50-amp sites and takes RVs up to 45 feet; our guide to full hookup vs partial hookup camping explains the trade-offs.
Tent and RV camping at The Oaks
The Oaks has 20 tent sites in their own sections, not squeezed between RVs. Sites T1 to T6 have 20-amp electric and sit near the recreation barn and horseshoe pit. T7 to T12 also have 20-amp electric and the most old-growth trees; the photo above the tent rates on our rates page is that area.
T13 to T18 are primitive sites, with no electric or water, in an open field close to a bathhouse with showers and laundry; they sit near the seasonal sites, so they are popular with people visiting friends or family.
Sites 178 and 179 are tent sites with electric and water near the trailhead and another bathroom building with laundry. Our team’s pick for most families is T1 to T12, which are close to the store, the pavilion, the newest playground, basketball, sand volleyball, the ball field and the free Kangaroo Jumper. Our tent camping in Michigan guide goes deeper on each section.
RV campers get the biggest sites in either of our parks, a mix of open and wooded settings, lakefront sites a short walk from the sand beach, and the quiet old-growth section from sites 22 to 109. Sites 46 to 61 are the largest in the park, with no rear neighbors.
Everyone, tent or RV, gets the spring-fed swim lake and beach, the fishing lake and dock, about 120 acres of trails for bikes and golf carts, weekend events and food trucks, and a camp store with firewood, ice, bait, forgotten essentials and hand-scooped ice cream. The Aquaglide floating water park is a paid wristband for everyone; the Kangaroo Jumper is free.
At Walnut Hills, tent camping is more limited: 18 tent sites, only 4 of them with electric. Those four are near the main bathhouse, across the road from RV sites 186 to 193. The rest are primitive. Walnut Hills still draws a steady tent crowd for the Wibit, the beach and the Shiawassee River float trips, and it has two camping cabins with air conditioning for anyone who wants a roof without an RV.
Michigan campgrounds vs RV parks: which is better for families?
The two terms get mixed up, and the difference matters when you compare prices. An RV park is built around RV pads: level sites, full hookups and often a long-stay or travel-oriented crowd, with fewer tent sites and fewer things to do on site. A campground mixes tent and RV sites and usually invests in amenities and activities. Many Michigan RV parks serve travelers well with a reliable hookup and a quiet night.
Our parks are campgrounds. A family can bring a tent, a pop-up or a 40-foot fifth wheel and camp in the same place with the same beach, events and trails. That matters for mixed groups: grandparents in the RV, the kids’ families in tents on the sites next door, everyone at the same pavilion in the evening. Groups that book 25 or more sites get one day of free pavilion rental, and the same group terms apply at all our parks.
RV or tent: how to choose
- How often will you camp? Two or three weekends a year favors a tent or an occasional RV rental. Most weekends favors owning an RV, and camping every weekend favors a seasonal site, which at The Oaks runs $2,500 to $3,300 for May 1 to October 20.
- Who is coming? Toddlers and grandparents usually sleep better in an RV. School-age kids are happiest in a tent.
- How do you handle weather? Michigan nights in May and October can drop near freezing. A tent works if you bring warm bags; an RV works regardless.
- Do you want to try before you buy? Rent a tent site for a weekend first. The cost of a bad tent weekend is low; the cost of an RV you don’t use is not.
- No RV but want one for the weekend? At Walnut Hills, RV delivery services such as Rolling Adventures RV set up a rental camper on your site before you arrive; you book the site with us and the camper with them. Ask the office before booking at The Oaks.
The costs people forget
For RV owners, the site fee is the smallest line. Insurance, registration, tires, roof seals, winterizing and off-season storage add up whether you camp or not, which is why frequent campers get the most from ownership. Seasonal campers at our parks store the RV on the site free over winter, which removes one of those costs. For tent campers, the hidden cost is the first-year gear purchase.
Extras are the same for both: extra-person fees, a $25 nightly pass if you bring your own golf cart (proof of insurance required), golf cart rentals, water park wristbands, and firewood from the store, since outside firewood isn’t allowed at our Michigan parks. Our guide to campground fees beyond the site rate lists what to ask about, and average campground cost per night puts our rates in a national context.
Tent vs RV FAQ
Can I pitch a tent on an RV site?
Yes. Many families park the camper and set up a tent for the kids on the same site. A second tent is $25 a night only when your group is larger than 2 adults and 2 children.
Do tent sites at The Oaks have electric?
Sites T1 to T12 have 20-amp outlets, and sites 178 and 179 have electric and water. T13 to T18 are primitive, with no electric or water.
Do tent campers get the same amenities as RV campers?
Yes. Beach, trails, playgrounds, events, store and bathhouses are the same. The only paid add-on for anyone is the Aquaglide wristband.
Which GatherGrounds park is better for a big RV?
Walnut Hills, for its 50-amp full-hookup sites. The Oaks has the larger sites and 50 amp on short-term sites, but water-and-electric service only (no sewer).
