Increased Consumer Interest in RVs shows no signs of let-up – good or bad

[ardvark]

I have to admit I have a concern about the continuing increased interests in RVs as well the increased marketing of truck campers by conglomerates. Growing up in an RVing family and now active in the RV industry and as an RVer for over 6 decades I have seen the changes that increased numbers of RVs have had upon users and campgrounds. I am not enthusiastic about this new breed of camper, many of whom seem to have no care or concern about maintaining the beauty of the settings that first attracted them to RV ownership.

Am I the only one?

Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SC

[Coly Hope]

With more RVers the odds of there being more problems go up. I can actually see a time coming where you will need a special license to operate a RV whether it’s a 45 foot Class A or a little pop up camper.

[ardvark]

The special license issue is a tough call that has been debated for what seems like an eternity. The RV industry is an 8,000 pound gorilla when it comes to lobbying against anything that might work against industry sales.

There is no doubt the RV industry is on a roll which historically has meant the goal of increasing sales trumps all other interests. Speaking from a service standpoint that has meant designs that make repairs difficult or in some cases almost impossible. $150/hour costs in the service department have become common place.

I also worry that our enthusiasm to introduce others to something we enjoy shoots us in the foot when it comes to available landscape. With other types of RVs, reserving sites a year in advance has become commonplace. While at first glance it might appear that the wilderness in boundless, it is also fragile and having spent the last two summers in the West (we hail from Tennessee), it was hard no to notice how little respect many folks have for the areas we love.

I have no answers, but do have concerns for what may be lost as we proselytize our way of life.

Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SC

[Dumb Mick]

The intardnet is the Grim Reaper’s sickle of doom.
Enjoy it while you can. When we finally get our TC the wife wants to do a trip back east. I’m not really looking forward to that – I don’t do crowds well.

It’s good to be a n00b - so I can aspire to be just stoopid.

Monrovia, CA

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