You’ve gotten the gist of it from the responses so far. Prices for campsites have only gone up and up with state parks usually being the most expensive, edging onto motel prices. Online reservations have severely curtailed the ability to just show up spontaneously at campgrounds (national, state, county, all of them) and find an empty site. My perennial issue is finding a water source on BLM/FS land; if you’re only camping a night in each place that might not be an issue. Good gear is worth the cost but initially will set you back more than a fair share of nights at the Ritz; so if you don’t have any then that might settle your decision for you.
Covid Related Warning: I was camping out west when lockdown fist closed all parks. Then over the summer had a cross-country trip (helping out with a move) and all states we passed through had some restrictions on camping. Federal parks were a crapshoot being mostly closed; state parks were limited to residents of the state if they were open; online reservations were required to avoid contact. I don’t know if these restrictions are still in place but I’d double check before hitting the road.