RV Sales Still Sizzling. Where Will We All Stay?

Above, the Ely, Nevada KOA Kampground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

RV sales continue to boom. This is great news for RV manufacturers, but where will are all these RVs stay?

Chuck Woodbury of RV Travel discusses this in today's Editor's Corner.

Some snippets:

The latest statistics, for RV sales in August, were released Friday. And once again they reveal that recreational vehicle sales continue to boom. What’s most interesting is the number of towables being sold compared to motorhomes — it’s getting close to a 10 to one ratio!

Sales of towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, totaled 35,561 units for the month, an increase of 20.8 percent from last August’s 29,448 units. Motorhomes finished the month with 3,928 units, down 7.1 percent compared to August 2019. We’ll have a breakdown of sales with charts in tomorrow’s newsletter.

Sales of travel trailers dominated. Most were cheap (and we mean “cheap” – as in stapled and glued together), lightweight models that can be pulled by an SUV or family car. Many, if not most, of the sales were the $20,000 and less models (think Three Little Pigs straw house). In the industry these are referred to as “stick-and-tin” models. Like Rodney Dangerfield, they “don’t get no respect,” at least for quality construction. They do get respect for how easily they sell, and dealers get to hawk highly profitable extended warranties or long-term financing (Camping World is the Champ) on the often gullible, impulsive buyers.

SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

To me it means more people every month fighting for a place to stay. The RV industry is predicting sizzling sales through 2021. Some say the boom will continue for another five years. New RV parks are being built, yes, but it’s a pittance compared to demand. And many that are being built are “resorts” with fees of $100 a night or more. That’s where the money is if you want to build a campground.

To read more, go here.