The sale of recreational vehicles is booming. They are expected to break sales records this year after breaking a record the previous year. Younger buyers are fueling the growth. Almost 450,000 are expected to ship from manufacturers to customers in 2017. Current manufacturers include Monaco, Tiffin, Holiday Rambler, Winnebago, Fleetwood, Airstream, Coachmen, Keystone, Jayco, Forest run, Newmar, Northwood Manufacturing, and Thor Motor Coach, as well as others.
RVs are an
excellent way to get out and experience nature. Motorhomes in particular are
the perfect getaway—home away from home, with practically all the modern conveniences. They provide the feeling of freedom and stability all wrapped up
in one.
They come in all sizes depending on your budget and intended
functionality.
Although people
have been living on the road for centuries in covered wagons and horse drawn
carriages, the concept of RVing probably originated in Europe with gypsies
and other nomads who traveled from one place to another in covered wagons.
The birth of
the modern RV began in 1910 as cars began to be mass produced and people got the
yearning for adventure on the open road.
In 1910 camping trailers were produced that were meant to be towed by
motorized vehicles. In that year the first trailer called Touring Landau was produced by Pierce-Arrow and was shown at Madison Square Garden. Later that
year an American Company named Trailer Works located in Los Angeles began
manufacturing trailers also. Trailer Works was the first company to produce
campers with primitive bathroom facilities inside.
By the
1920s, RVing was becoming quite popular although still for the adventurous, as
roads were still a bit on the rough side, and sometimes these pioneers of the
hobby had to haul their campers where there were no roads, in order to reach
rivers and other beckoning outdoor points of nature. Clubs began to spring up
such as The Tin Can Tourists, named because they ate from heated tin cans of
food as they traveled the country braving all sorts of hazards and weather to
enjoy their hobby.
It wasn’t
until the 1930s that manufactures began to implement new designs, offering
various sizes and much needed improvements such as electricity hookups, self
contained water supplies, beds and dinettes. Aerodynamic styles began to emerge
with the production of the famous Airstream Clipper trailer, an aluminum,
highly polished aircraft style sausage shaped trailer designed by Hawley Bolus.
The Airstream Company is still producing recreational vehicles today although
production of Airstream trailers stopped many years ago. Original Airstreams
are quite valuable.
Styles modeled after buses and boats also appeared.
Other
companies in that era, such as the Covered Wagon company also began producing
trailers even though economic times were tough. The lifestyle was popular as it
was an alternative to train travel and hotels. Many trailers were manufactured
during the 1930s, and some were even homemade from kits. So many were produced
that the market became saturated, causing many companies to go out of
business.
Production
of recreation trailers stopped in World War II as aluminum was needed for other
uses and the hobby declined as people were occupied with war efforts. Many trailers were used as military
housing. Not until the end of the war
did civilian production again resume as popularity of this lifestyle once again
increased.
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By the
1950s, RVing was quite popular again. Trailers became biger with more elaborate
interiors and modern conveniences. That period also marked the birth of the
modern self propelled RV known as the motorhome. These could be driven and were
built on truck, vehicle, or bus chassis.
Class A motorhomes
are the large ones. They are normally built on bus-like chassis and are luxurious inside, available with all possible amenities. Some have slide-outs to increase the living space. As expected they are quite expensive. Their downside, beside
the large outlay of cash needed to purchase one, is that they are intimidating
to drive.
Maneuvering along small roads can be difficult and dangerous. Finding parking accommodations can be difficult in small trailer parks. Many owners tow small vehicles behind them
so they can run errands. This class of motorhome is good if you plan to live on
the road full time but insurance, gasoline and maintenance can be very
expensive.
Class B
motorhomes look like large vans with high roofs because that’s basically what
they are. Interior living and storage space is restricted, but because of their
size, they are easily maneuverable, and less expensive to maintain. Small
errands can be run easily and gasoline costs are reasonable.
Class C
motor-homes are larger than class B motorhomes and are built on a truck or van
chassis. They have an overhang over the cab area for extra sleeping and/or
storage space. They are harder to maneuver than Class B motorhomes and use more
gasoline. Small errands can be hard to run and again, some owners tow a small
vehicle in back for quick runs to the store.
Towable
trailers com in various configurations and sizes depending on functionality. Accommodations inside can be luxurious or purely functional, again depending
upon budget and intended use. This class includes sport utility trailers for
hauling toys such as scooters or ATVs. Other types of trailers include the
expandable type for camping trips, that are expandable with tent attachments
but fold back down when towing.
As noted atthe beginning of this article, RVs are a hot selling market at this time. More
sales have been recorded than at any time since statistics have been kept on
RVs back in 1979. The largest portion of these sales will be for trailer type
RVs. Maybe this is an excellent time to consider shopping for one or buying
stock in RV companies.
