By Chuck Woodbury
In yesterday’s newsletter, we asked readers if they believe the worst of the current pandemic is now behind us. As I write now, early Saturday afternoon, more than 2,600 readers have responded (see the current tally here). By a 2-1 ratio, they believe that the worst is yet to come. But, apparently, many don’t care one way or another when it comes to travel with an RV. Just look at current RV sales – which are beating those of last year at this time in many, if not most RV dealerships.
If you have been reading this newsletter for a year or more, you know I have written often about crowded RV parks. After years of record-breaking RV sales more people than ever were buying and living in RVs — retirees in big numbers, and younger folks who could work from their RVs wherever they were, combining business with pleasure.
Still others are now living full-time in RVs while working on temporary job assignments – pipeline workers, wind machine technicians, and traveling nurses to name a few.
Sadly, many people are living in RVs in seedy RV parks because they can’t even afford apartment rent; a beat-up RV is better than a tent on a sidewalk. Except for these struggling RVers, most of more affluent RVers require a “campground” with full hookups. That almost always means a commercial RV park. And in recent times – probably starting five or six years ago – they began occupying tens of thousands of campsites year-round, or at least seasonally – those previously available for RV travelers who would stay a day or maybe a week before moving on.
And now, with most travel options dead due to the coronavirus, vacations by airplane and cruise ship are no longer an option for most people. Hotel occupancy rates have plummeted, some with only a few rooms rented out of a hundred. Who knows what germs lurk?
SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED? People are buying RVs – big time – that’s what! Most are not buying a popup trailer for a weekend with their kids in the national forest. No, they’re buying big ol’ motorhomes and fifth wheels with the idea of seeing the USA. I suggest most of these people are clueless about what’s involved in owning an RV – maintenance, repair … and finding a place to stay where they can hook up to run all the electrical goodies in their condos on wheels. Heaven forbid they can’t run their wine cooler, electric fireplace, washer-dryer or multi-colored outdoor lights to illuminate the sky for the orbiting astronauts.
If this buying frenzy continues, I worry that there may often be times when there is no place to stay with an RV except on public lands or in Walmart parking lot. But that’s not part of the “RV dream” for most of the newbies. They are not campers in the sense of roasting marshmallows over the campfire, and most never dreamed that one day they could be so lucky to sit in their lawn chair in a Walmart parking lot and celebrate solar-heated asphalt.
No, they’ve seen the GoRVing commercials and bought into the dream of a laid-back, life of freedom in a comfy home on wheels — go where you want, when you want. Their RV salesperson sealed the deal – painting the glorious picture of camping along a beautiful lake or by the ocean shore, sipping fine wine, holding hands with their lover – and for only $899 a month for the next 20 years. “Gee, honey, you’ll be 103 and I’ll be 97, but that RV will sure be better than a nursing home!”
And, to further sound like Mr. Doom and Gloom, I needn’t remind readers who have spent a lot of time in RV parks that at least half of them across this great land of ours are dumps or downright ghettos. They’re the equivalent of all the seedy motels still left that offer rooms by the hour.
The only chain of RV parks of any significance is KOA, and even its 400 parks are not created equal – some are very nice (with a high price to match), but some are so junky you wonder why they are allowed to stay in the system.
I worry about how much worse crowding will become in RV parks now that #1: RVing is incredibly trendy, #2: Other forms of travel are scary due to germs, and #3: People love to travel and will find a way to do it.
I can tell you that in almost three full years of RVing in the last four years, Gail and I have struggled at times to find a site in a decent RV park, and we have often had to make a dozen calls to secure it. It came to the point sometimes that if the park was clean, and appeared safe, that was good enough. If we ended up with a neighbor who chain-smoked cigars, so be it.
Okay, to end up on a slightly more upbeat note: Thousands of RV parks are very pleasant and sometimes even scenic, and those in out-of-the-way places usually do have sites available (say, in rural Kansas). But too often, where you want to go in prime tourist-land, you’re out of luck without reserving months ahead.
Please hold your comments. I will answer the question that I know you are thinking: “So why do you continue to RV if it’s so bad out there, Chuck?” ANSWER: Because it is still fun despite the hassles, and if one knows how to play the game then it remains a great way to travel. And if you absolutely love little homes on wheels (as I do), then you’ll keep doing it until you’re too old to dump the poop tank without bathing in it.
We full-timers just need to continue to be more diligent in planning our travels and securing sites ahead of time. The days of just pulling in to a campground or RV park are gone. Try to use public lands (where available) and consider joining organizations like Moose, Elks, Boondockers Welcome, Harvest Hosts and any others to have more opportunities.
I have to believe that many of these new RVers will decide that RVing is not for them. There’s a lot of work involved in order to enjoy the experience, and the whole idea will lose its appeal to those who have, only recently, bought into the idea. The silver lining may be that there will be A LOT of slightly used RVs for sale, at good prices.
It is my belief that the younger generations coming into the RV lifestyle will not be in it long. Their type of life doesn’t keep them into anything very long, everything they try tends to bore them in a relatively short time and they move onto their next conquest. I don’t know what they think they’re searching for, but they never seem satisfied with what they have now.
I agree. Many will become disillusioned very quickly. Many people, not all, have the attention span of a hummingbird and are not too good at dealing with RV problems and repairs. This will freak a lot them out quickly and, yes, more gently used RVs for sale.
you’ll keep doing it until you’re too old to dump the poop tank without bathing in it.
Spot on Chuck
Perhaps RVIA, FMCA, Good Sams, Couch Net, this publication and others who make their livelihood off of RVing should see this coming problem and motivate local, state and federal governments to “fix” it.
On an up note, many people buying cheap RV’s have no clue what their getting into and will get disillusioned with the life style and leave the game opening up more spots for those who stay.
Until then knowing “how to play the game” will have to work.
Personally I love it when people proclaim “I don’t make reservations, I don’t want to be constrained by a schedule”.
Just exactly what do you expect the Government to do to “fix it”.
Give incentives within the Communities that they Govern, to anyone that might be open to developing an RV Park. It is not hard to do! You just have to have people within the Community, like you and me, to motivate the City Councils to seek the investors!
Governments don’t fix private problems they create them. I’m sure you read this news letter about the couple in Norther AZ that are building a new park Government is the road block to their success.
The only way this problem will ever get fixed is if more investors (you know them as the ‘Rich people’ that you complain about) are willing to invest in or build rv parks and fight the gov. bureaucracy
You want governments to fix it! Good God, NO! Governments are in our lives enough, too much! Why can’t we learn to “fix” our own problems and leave some damn government entity out of it?
Agreed
I took him to mean the gov’t could fix it by getting out of the way.
Tha last thing I want to see is the government ‘fixing” anything. Whatever they try to ‘fix’ something the always make it worse. Keep the politicians away from RV’s and campgrounds!
Some physically can’t plan far in advance due to health reasons, I can’t count on being able to complete a trip months in advance, I have to be spontaneous and travel when I am able, and stay home when I am not.
I would greatly appreciate your continuing observation and reporting on this issue. Is the current RV purchasing frenzy just a temporary fad? People with cabin fever, wanting what’s perceived to be mode of travel that offers potentially lower health risk? Or is it a manifestation of the final blow to the once-promising American Dream? Are people indeed living in RVs permanently b/c they cannot afford rent? Or are they travel dreamers who have no idea of the reality of the RV lifestyle? Will RV sales eventually plateau at a high level late this year? Or will disillusioned RV-buyers take the depreciation and sell their RVs? Interesting societal phenomenon. Please continue your observations, Chuck. In the meantime, this RV wannabe will continue to rent periodically. Thank you.
Yes, you are Mr. Gloom & Doom. Don’t you get tired of harping on the subject of “hard to find RV sites”? With all the depressing things going on in this country, I’d like to read something positive. You haven’t been doing that too much lately. I enjoy the news letter, but your negativity is depressing. Give us a “happy” opinion next week. Thanks
A Satterfield — My essay this Saturday was positive. A lot of this issue is positive. Ya want me to slip into a cheerleader outfit and wave some pom poms? I write about 30 articles a week, some positive, some negative. I just write and don’t think about the tone. I just try to be accurate and relevant.
Crowding and decent campground choices have been in short supply for years as the population of this great country continues to explode. All highly sought out tourist destinations are most affected. Now that we add a pandemic that has changed the way we view and choose our choices things become even more difficult. However, since these are unprecedented times it is too early to conclude what the future holds for RVing. The worst thing that we can do is to become downtrodden on the unknown. Try to stay positive!
If I hear the term “unprecedented times” one more time … ; )
For too many “Until then knowing “how to play the game” will have to work.”
I hate that comment about playing the game! Those that live on the computer at one minute after midnight to make a reservation. They sit beside a partner on a different computer making reservations that leapfrog each other so they don’t have to move for several months, if ever. Park managers know who they are but park owners don’t care because money is good no matter the source.
I didn’t buy an RV to plan my life out a year or more in advance. At my age I hesitate to buy green bananas. We love to travel and meet folks from all over the world but it’s becoming more and more stressful just to figure out how to go a few thousand miles out and back.
Hi, John. I agree with you 100%. But I have to say that this cracked me up: “I didn’t buy an RV to plan my life out a year or more in advance. At my age I hesitate to buy green bananas.” 😆 Thanks for the chuckle, especially with all of the negative comments I’m moderating today. I hope you have many years of happy and stress-free travels! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
We only started “RV’ing” a few years ago after buying our very modest travel trailer. Finding places to stay while traveling to a destination has been the worst part of our experiences. Having to plan exactly where we will be at the end of each day is both difficult to do as well as a way to kill the freedom of RV travel, but I have been forced to try to do just that so that I can make a reservation for where we will stay. Without a generator and with most of our travel in the hot summer months, finding a campground with full hook ups is essential. I now see having to make four or five calls the normal way of getting a reservation. And of course, once we get there it is not unusual to find that the campground that seemed so appealing in their website turns out to be somewhat of a dump filled with less than friendly full timers in their ramshackle non-moving RV’s. I guess I never had the pleasure of enjoying what you would likely call “the good old days” and each year I question again whether this is something I really want to do. Because of the pandemic we have made no plans at all for this season since I really do not want to be a thousand miles from home and end up having to stay in a Walmart parking lot without being able to turn on the a/c and without enough water to take a daily shower. Ironically, the friends who owned a large 5th wheel RV, who inspired us to give this lifestyle a try, have long since sold their RV and given up travel like this for good.
Well said Eben seedy trailer parks have full hook ups. ha ha Yes I worry a lot that the over crowding of RV parks will push out us much cheaper camper trailer types.
After 50 plus years of RVing I sold my Motor Home 3 days ago. Sure I will miss it, but at 81 years of age I am tired of the hassel. It was time to throw in the towel.
Mel, I hope you enjoyed your RV years and I wish you many more years to enjoy all life has to offer!
No matter what my rv is always better than a motel room. It is my home on wheels. I work out of town and it is always better than a 2.5 hour trip home and comfortable and close. But the parks are more crowded than ever.
Last fall once again I attended a number of regional Fiberglass trailer rally’s at large state parks and private campgrounds. The rally’s were your typical rally with lot’s of nice folks showing off their Fiberglass trailers packing together like Sardines, talking shop and enjoying time with our new friends!
I ALWAYS make a point of taking a drive through the campgrounds one of which had over 430 campsites. Every campground site was FULL at each campground I visited and what was far more amazing than the rally particularly at the large State Park Campgrounds was all the CRAP folks would along drag with them to the campground for a weekend of fun. 5th wheels, large tag trailers ALL surrounded by 4 wheeler’s, side by sides, jet ski’s, jet ski and 4 wheeler trailers, gazebo tents, satellite antenna’s and more. All this WORK for a weekend of FUN at the campground!
Imagine the Time, Effort and Cost those folks incurred to bring all that CRAP with them to the campground for a Fall weekend of fun? Are We Having Fun Yet?
Most RVer’s today are no longer camping particularly the “Newbies”. They have watched way too many TV episodes of Buying RV’s, Selling RV’s, Restoring RV’s or any other TV program glorifying the RV Lifestyle. Maybe that NEW vision of the RV Lifestyle may have planted in their minds by you too Chuck with this newsletter!
These folks are now buying a trailer or motor-home based upon the size of the refrigerator, bathroom shower, outdoor TV size, number of slides, the LOW monthly payment and does it have a King Size bed for their big fat a$$! Now that we are a part of this new RV LIFESTYLE let’s move our NEW VACATION HOME to a campground, drag all the TOY CRAP we can’t use at home with us and enjoy weekend of “CAMPING” at the “Campground”!
THIS is the NEW NORMAL in short-term and long-term Campground Ground Living. Notice I did not say CAMPING? When it comes to Private RV Campgrounds, State Park Campgrounds and the Wal Mart parking most everyone new and old living this “New RV Lifestyle” quit “Camping” many many years ago!
Smaller is better and once again I hear the “Call of the Boondocks” ringing in my ear! Time to hit the road and git LOST all the while forgetting about the need or want for a “Campground” to go CAMPING!!
Well said and quite accurate. Precisely why our new coach is all season and under 31′ in length. Staying at commercial campgrounds will only be done when absolutely necessary. And being all season, we will be in places the masses had left due to cooler temps.
Bull!! I am 78 years- On the road all the time– you are bloviating- get off my lawn!!!! LOL
Most of those who bail leaving “good deals” on the Market will be undesirable. Big 5ers with garages for all the CRAP, cheaply built travel trailers and giant Class As or crappy built gasser A’s and Cs.
I too hope that the come lately buyers will get a dose of reality and stay home.
Please leave your golf carts and blinding night lights at home. Thanks in advance.
Lots of blaming of the permanents and fulltimers, but as traveling fulltimer trying to see the country before I die, I have a bigger problem with loud weekenders. Everywhere I go I can get a few days in the middle of the week, but have to get out of almost any public park by Friday. The weekend nights are completely locked up (2 in fall, 4in summer when the kids are not in school) by people who set up at the same public park, week after week, month after month. They reserve so far in advance there is no chance you can reserve ahead. Sometimes they just book the whole summer and consider the park their weekend cabin, arriving on friday with a leaf blower to clean up. They come, bringing 3 cars, kids, dogs, ATVS, campfires 20 feet apart, and raise hell all weekend, routinely blaring some country station 10 hours a day outside their camper. Often if it threatens rain they don’t show up, but they don’t bother cancelling, so I have the pleasure of hitting the road leaving several empty sites I could have used over the weekend.
Part of the problem now is you have so many automated reservation sites. As nice as that can be for time saving, it encourages more and more people to lock up way too many nights, way too far in advance. (Too Far may be a foreign concept to some, but wait til you have to forfeit $300 for that entire stay you had to prepay before you know uncle Will was going to die and change your travel plans). And if you fail to show up and don’t clear your reservation, you should be banned from the system. At the same time, public parks need to get real and offer reasonable refund policies. I tried to cancel a Michigan site 3 weeks in advance and wound up with a refund of $-1.17. Since I didn’t know if that meant I would get that back or would owe a further $1.17 I hit cancel and became part of the problem.
I know parks were designed for weekenders and summer vacationers, and they certainly can have first dibs on their local parks. But, if the parks are so crowded people are being turned away, we either need big weekend overflow lots and standby systems, and/or we need to turn Bud down when he goes to make that 8th reservation in a year, maybe he could be put lower down the priority list while his neighbor who would like to use the park ONCE that year gets a site. This goes double for the precious national park sites which get locked up by the same families year after year after year. That’s not what they were designed for.
Well that’s my rant, but more importantly. I agree with Chuck on how it’s getting tough, but it’s not as bad in all parts of the country. And I don’t think the answer is to throw up our hands and get out of the game, it is to demand better and more flexible facilities.
I hope I never get stuck next to you. Big meany!! Lighten up. We were all weekenders at sometime.
Fair enough. Most weekenders are great folks and I got carried away painting all with the same brush. But don’t worry, since I can’t use yr parks on the weekend, we’ll never meet, lol!
I have loved and followed this newsletter for years. I even financially supported this newsletter under a different email. I’ve always been very pleased with everyone I spoke to and emailed with. But I was clearly under the impression it was for all RVers. Silly me. I didn’t realize it was only for those higher caliber RVers just like you. It’s too bad you didn’t just make a list of what makes someone an ideal RVer for the rest of us to live by. I’m guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see what I thought was an inclusive group sell out to segregation and discrimination. Maybe parks should put up signs on who is welcome. Real RVers, pretenders, haves and have nots because it would make it easier for biased people who only want to be with their own kind. Please feel free to remove me from your distribution list.
So here again, you’ve told me the problem. But …. do you have a solution or at least a suggestion? Sounds to me that, while your website promotes the RV’ing lifestyle, you really don’t want all these newbies to interfere in your RV’ing lifestyle. God forbid that people want to buy an RV and travel while not really understanding all that it entails. Imagine having to learn how to hook-up the water, electrics and sewer for the first time. It boggle the mind. Sure you know all the tricks of the trade from decades of RV’ing. Be out there to support them, instead of criticizing their choice. Whatever happened to your idea of cheap, overnight campgrounds for travelers? You haven’t talked about that in a while.
The weekend newsletters have really become negative rants. There is a following that seems to like to commiserate together and judge how others explore RV living as though there is only one “right” way to experience the RV lifestyle. I have found the weekly newsletters to have a lot of very valuable information, but the weekends more and more sound like a grumpy old man yelling at the kids to “GET OFF MY LAWN.”
We can all look back and long for “the good ol’ days”, or we can embrace the wonderful world we have the gift of experiencing and live in the present, finding ways to enjoy each other, and find adventure in a new normal. If you insist on resisting the natural evolution, you will most certainly make yourself miserable. I choose to find silver linings and love the opportunity for what it is.
My husband and I are now thankful that we RV traveled for almost 5 years when we did. Purchased one of the first 35 ft. fifth wheel trailers – Vacationer being built in CA near our home. We loved it. The worst thing we had to face was finding a spot for long length rigs. Most people we met were great neighbors and very friendly. Things have changed but if you plan enough maybe it will still work. Now we are sheltered at home since March and for some reason not really hating it.
As much as the RV travel promotes freedom and a carefree, whimsical lifestyle, if I want to go on a magical trip, chances are it wanders through many areas that others want to visit as well; so I plan months in advance. We rarely ended up in an unplanned location, by impulse. We find that to live an unplanned RV life is to end up in dumpy RV parks, far away from anything interesting or no place to stay – boondocking also takes planning and prep work.
I love the article Chuck!!! I have had to stay in one of the “no comment” one’s like in Albuquerque, NM. Slept with my 5th wheel hooked up, door locked and weapon on the side table!
Every year I travel out west to the northwestern New Mexico and southern Colorado and Utah areas. Love to fly fish (oh, I own a Fly shop) and spend 4 – 6 weeks there.
It is getting hard to find a nice park, and operated by people who are not jackasses as well!
Like most other trendy things, the awe of owning an RV and seeing the country will soon fade for many of the new RVers who saw this as a way to the promised land.
As has been mentioned, repairs, maintenance and a 20 year loan will soon grow tiresome. That, along with the fact most younger people are not, shall we say, very mechanically inclined at all, will also assist in making this bump in RV sales quickly subside.
Then we will see a slew of gently used rigs flood the market. With the state of the world and the economy taking a major Covid hit, the gently used market is already beginning to see what is coming.
Chuck
I suspect we may see a surge in used rv sales in a year or two. Many people will buy into the marketing. Then decide it’s not worth the effort or it doesn’t meet their idea of the lifestyle. Let’s face it, rving includes work, fixing things, dumping
tanks, etc. I have concerns, but overall, I think it will balance out.
Wonder how long it will be, before the used market will be flooded with RV’s
It’s a bit of a dual edged sword, isn’t it? Empty campgrounds and flat sales means the industry can’t survive, to say nothing of growing, expanding and improving. Healthy sales and full campgrounds means competition for space, but plenty of cash flow and opportunity for growth. We can’t lament the closing of a CG at the same time shaking our angry fists at the full ones for being full.
As to the way folks camp, that’s an age old argument that as pointless as it is endless. The feeling behind it is one of “I have more RV seniority so therefore I should have that space, not you towing the 33′ bunkhouse with a crossover SUV.” But, we all started out sometime, and we’re all different, and camp different.
Marketing is a wonderful thing.
Local ads on TV are claiming that RVing is “The Safest Way to Travel”. They’re appealing to fear. It’s the dark side of advertising. Always has been.
Consider this: Take a trip through nearly any state, but stay away from the interstates. A weekend trip is best. Assign someone the task of counting fifth-wheels parked next to rural houses. The numbers are already staggering. Maybe buying a rig seemed like a good idea until you had to actually use the trailer. I talked to one guy at a restaurant in Missouri who said he had a nice fiver, but once he got it winterized, he didn’t want to go through that hassle again. He hasn’t moved it in four years. He plugs it into 20A to keep a fan running and the batteries up, but it’s really just his Man Cave now. (God, I hate that term.)
I understand supply and demand. The RV manufacturers will ramp up production to meet that artificial demand if they can, and when that market flattens or drops, there will be deals to be had. RV dealers have to “floor plan” their inventory just like car dealers do, and when they default on their curtailments, the finance companies that bankroll the dealers’ inventories will sell repo RVs to cover their losses.
We are already budgeting with an eye to picking up a good used fiver this winter.
In the meantime, we’ll still have to deal with the weekend warriors and their stereos, party lights, barking dogs, out-of-control campfires, and screaming kids. It has always been part of the game for us, and it will continue until something else comes along.
While I understand your reference to “weekend warriors” who arrive, set up, ignore rules, and abandon all camping etiquette, it also covers MANY others who feel they have those same rights and are full time travelers or long term travelers.
To marvin.
we are selling our 39ft 2012 5th wheel in October it’s a sanibel forest river 4 slide outs. 2 TVs Inside. 1 tv outside
A fireplace
Very nice layout
It will be in orem Utah
Asking 25 thousand
We full timed in it and now we want to downsize to a 30 ft trailer
If interested email me
Vonnienorr@gmail.com
Hi Chuck (and Gail)!
For I sure agree with you about the upcoming surge of over-population and ignorance coming to RV life, everywhere. And there is NO PLACE TO PARK! It was getting bad with the RV quality being low and prices high, pre virus. It’s looking much worse for everyone going forward. I really wonder how we will all cope with the problems of yesterday along with today and tomorrow also.
I used to read your articles from my “luxurious” old trailer my husband and I used for extended travel as retirees.
Circumstances changed and he’s my ex husband and I lost the trailer along with my retirement (had the worlds worst divorce attorney and no idea what was going on). While I would not know how to properly pull a trailer and I can’t afford a vehicle that CAN pull one, I definitely miss those days of traveling with a potty (now THAT IS LIVING!) and spontaneous stops for lunch.
It’s only been 8 years since I took your advice and bought the MILEPOST book from your bookstore for a trip north. It was a lot of fun to have a PRINTED book along the way. Even now, cell service is probably still limited along parts of that route, making the online book, the MILEPOST, out of reach. But EVEN THEN, advance reservations for parking were a MUST for trailers or RV’s!
Now, a lot of places like a WalMart parking lot now have, “no camping” rules because of abuse of privilege in parking lots. And the rest of the spots are CLOSED due to the virus and/or CLOSED/BANKRUPT. Especially places with beautiful views!
There simply is no place to park anymore. Most neighborhoods do not even allow homeowners to park their extended homes on their own property! Beaches and parks don’t allow camping, parking or much else. Neighborhoods are going with “permit parking” and HOA’s are prohibiting RV’s and trailers in many neighborhoods.
Never mind the COSTS that are simply unexpected and constant for newer owners. As you have been saying for years, the upkeep expenses are huge, even with a brand new unit! They all need stuff fixed! In some cases, VERY OLD units supersede NEW units simply due to unit quality standards having gone down the proverbial toilet as the economy sinks into further despair. You’ve warned and warned of all of this for years. With no global pandemic virus issues further complicating matters.
Post virus, there are EVEN LESS places to park legally and RV’s and trailers are not welcome. Where will everyone go? Even with advance reservations, how will people pay for the units AND those reserved spots?!
In short, Chuck, you were right and STILL ARE! Shame to have to watch it during your upcoming retirement (again).
Air travel has long declined as has cruise travel. RV’ing has been a luxury I dearly miss. I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity again in my lifetime, but I’m very glad to have gone at all!
Best wishes to you, Gail, and likely pets. I look forward to following along with http://www.rvtravel.com as your daughter takes the reigns, however long I can afford WiFi service!
Chuck, I know you asked that we hold our comments, but your article should be required.reading for anyone considering a first-time RV purchase, coronavirus or not. I look forward to part 2.
Thanks kind sir for great advice and sense oh humor👏🏻
Given that my wife and I purchased our RV with boondocking, rather than RV parks, in mind, my concerns with the RV park industry are fairly non-existent. The fact that we were kicked out of a New Mexico State Park, from an RV space we’d reserved and paid for months in advance, with an expensive, and now worthless (and non-refundable), New Mexico State Parks yearly camping pass in hand in March due to what I call the “Jinping Plague” epidemic, and are still barred from accessing our State Parks, has only re-enforced the idea in our minds that boondock RV’ing is really where it’s at. Solar easily runs our everyday “goodies”, and a generator runs the AC and microwave as necessary. Carrying a few water jugs (and a means to get that water into your RV’s tank) and some scouting for available water is pretty easily done. It’s really very easy overall, and the equipment is relatively inexpensive these days, and quickly recouped in the saving of expensive RV park fees, and the returns in freedom and real peace and quiet are innumerable.
So much truth. I totally agree that the buyers running to RV’s have no clue. They are in for a rude awakening. I think 2 years or less, there will be a massive amount of repossessed, abandoned, and junked RV’s it will be ridiculous. I saw a post in a group yesterday from some full time RV’ers blasting all those “weekend and part time RV’ers” who are taking all their parking spots. I wanted to respond that it was the part time and weekend travelers that created the RV’ing scene. Yes many more people have made the decision to live full time in an RV which has created a lot more trailer trash run down trailer parks. I do not call these full time RV’ers, to me they are people who live full time stationary in a trailer park that also allows RV’s. BIG DIFFERENCE. I also feel that this group constitutes a large number of the folks buying now. They think it is cheap way to live and not have to pay taxes on homes.
We bought our DRV 5th wheel to live in fulltime so we don’t have to put up with cold weather if we choose not to. We are not “campers” and have never built a fire, let alone roasted marshmallows over one. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of those, it’s just not for us. We’ll end up staying in our current RV park for a bit over 2 years because of our jobs. Finding a space where we are is NOT an issue, as there are around 100 empty ones. We’re also in the metro Orlando area, and in a pleasant resort, to boot. It does get old to continually read the complaints about how crowded RV parks are. The free market usually takes care of issues like this. If it doesn’t, it could be that new ones are a bad business model, and that’s certainly not good news for any of us. But you can’t blame new RVers. They have as much right to enjoy this lifestyle as you and I do.
If you live at a park full time, you are probably paying a reasonable monthly rate. Travelers are paying 2 to 3 times what you do per day. Florida day rates routinely exceed $50 a day which renders most parks and all “resorts” unaffordable for travelers.
While I agree with your overall view there is one thing that you never seem to consider. With the increase in RV sales, and the decrease in available “camping sites,” there will be a growing political/economic pressure to solve the problem. We may see new RV parks in lower cost or less traveled areas. We might see increased economic opportunity that those with some land decide that a campground may be a profitable investment. Short term, there may be some issues, but longer term, the more owners the more political and economic power.
RV owners need a political advocacy association to watch after and represent their growing numbers and interests, just like automobile owners have AAA and motorcyclists have the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association), and the way other special interest groups have their advocacy representatives. De Tocqueville wrote about the American people’s inborn instinct for forming political groups to organize and promote their interests, similar to the ancient guild systems in Europe but more democratic. Annual fees could go towards promoting the growth of RV facilities that many communities oppose, as well as towards educating RVers and the public about the responsibilities of RV ownership and use, such as Leave No Trace when boondocking. This publication would be ideal as the voice of such an association, perhaps in partnership with an organization like the Escapees. But, we still have that “herding cats” problem with nomads who cherish carefree independence above all else.
Just stirring the pot…
That association is called ARVC…. MOARC in Missouri
Here in California, reservations made a year in advance are normal……if you don’t, sorry..
What is not normal is the pandemic and parks renting out only 50% of the sites for months now.
I’ve always maintained that any tank dump is a good one if you don’t fill up your shoes!
Solution: Along an country road between interstate exits a campgrounds with Electric only hookups. $1 / hr 20 / day 100 / week for long 50A. 15 / day 75 / week for short 30A spots. Trash / sewer / water station with bathroom showers. Should be cheap to build.
How can there be a “buying frenzy” when the manufacturers are producing less RVS this year than last year, because of the factory closures?
Lots of excess inventory.
Chuck, I have never read a negative article in RVTravel in the, I don’t know how many years I have been reading it. Keep up the informative work you and staff are doing. The comment sections keep me laughing.
We have not been on the road for the past two years but hope to get out there again this summer – covid or not. We have never planned how we would get to our destination and have never had a problem finding a spot for the night. (Would not even think of Walmart.) A 1200 mile interstate trip may take us 3500 miles to get there. I hope it has not gotten that crowded in the past two years.
As to the question of the higher number of RV sales: I think it is a fad, somewhat brought on by the covid, and people not thinking things through before they jump. There will probably be an RV bubble just like there was a housing market bubble. As others have mentioned below, the maintenance (even if it just sits there for 9 months) and the 20 year loan will quickly sober them up – and then possibly sober the RV industry as a whole – or in a hole?.
Many of we “old-timers” were lucky enough to work for companies with pension plans. Many working today will not have the luxury of that income and thus will not be able to have the “toys” that they have today.
Ya-all just keep on truckin’ — or RVn’
We are relatively new to RVing. I bought a very small used, but nice trailer before I retired . We didn’t know anything about RVing, had never done it, and were afraid we wouldnt like it so we didn’t want to tie up a lot of money. We paid cash. It pretty much set until after retirement except for one quick trip Lots to learn. Our first long trip was in April of last year. It was awesome!! The freedom of RVing is just marvelous. We made no reservations, just went. Spent our first night at a Walmarrs. Loved it! Didn’t cost anything. We made our destination and found a nice rv park. $26 a night. Great! Never traveled so easily. Had our own bed, kitchen, and bathroom with us all of the time!. Didnt have to carry luggage into a cheap hotel room at night. If we got hungry, we found a spot pulled over, turned the generator on for AC and enjoyed a nice meal in our own home! We traveled over 6000 miles with that little trailer last year. Stayed in relatives driveways along the way. Had our own bed so we didnt put anyone out. Just plugged into their outside outlets. Marvelous. I’m new so I can’t complain about others doing it. We’ve already missed a couple of trips this year due to covid, but we’re pulling out soon. Oh yeah , upgraded to a slightly larger trailer. Going to stay on government land out west and anywhere else we can squat for a night with an occasional rv park thrown in. I call it being free. Traveling has never been so fun.
It really depends on what part of the US you are talking about, what you like to do while in your RV, what season it is. You are also not talking about the hotel industry in all states, even during this new World we need to get used to. The states that are basically back to the new normal, the hotels are booked solid, are doing a fabulous job at following CDC guidelines, are at 50-75% capacity and edging closer to being allowed to operate at 100% on a daily basis, have embraced technology to help them make it a safer World. The freeways are full with people escaping the states that want everyone to stay home and lose everything financially. Yes we have seen lots of RV’s too, but not nearly as many as we expected. We have seen more boats then RV’s. We have had very little trouble finding a nice park to stay. The KOA Resorts always sell out as you mentioned they did. If they are considered so expensive, why do they sell out so easily then? Because anyone that frequents them knows they are worth it. If some chose to dislike them for that, that is their prerogative, but don’t belittle those that have no issue spending more then $30.00 for a campsite. Personally, if I don’t believe those that are saying the RV industry are breaking sale records. If they are where are they? They are not at the parks we are going to, they are not on the roads. They are probably sitting in storage or next to a house like the 1,000’s of other ones you see rotting away from not being used.
I think we are teetering on the brink in the RV world. Quality of new units is rotten yet they sell like hot cakes. More and more People take their mini homes everywhere, park, use and leave their mark. Crowded parks are only going to make things worse. I have been RVing more than 30 years and loved it like you all but I am staying off the road this year, the fun is waning. I am hoping for a new RVing group as time goes on. Better community, better use of the resources we have available to us.
Boondocking on public lands is fine. Moochdocking in a friend or relatives’ driveway is fine. Many won’t agree but one of the reasons that so many HOA’s, cities and towns are enacting regulations against parking your RV, is complaints of people “stealth camping” in residential neighborhoods, and once again not cleaning up after themselves. Some in this group are quite militant about their rights to park in front of someone’s house, and get angry if the police are called. Not knowing is one thing, not caring is something entirely different.
Personally I don’t completely believe the reports of record RV sales. Most of the manufacturing facilities are/were closed. So dealers can only sell what they have. Being that the manufacturers base their sales on delivery, and there haven’t been a bunch of those, dealers are left with current stock, new and used.. Once the on lot stock is depleted it will take months to get the supply chain going again. I think we are still in that period of time where no one knows where this is going, and for some it can be scary, We will have to make some adjustments, but it will get worked out. For those who have a hard time adjusting to change, sorry, you will have to adjust or sit and lament about the good ol’ days….. Oh and just in case you are wondering, I’m 74, a FT’er since 2015, with a class A and a home base……
There is not a single indicator out there that things are going to get worse with the coronavirus. The only number the fearmongering media ever gives us is the total number of cases, which means nothing. The only numbers that mean anything is number of hospitalizations and number of deaths, which they never provide. People will always get sick. Colds, flu, stomach viruses, etc. are a part of life. Living under a rock in fear, because we are all afraid of a disease that has a 0.3% death rate, is ludicrous. GO OUT AND LIVE YOUR LIVES!!!!!
Ya, that pandemic thing is getting less problematic by the day. Go out and live your life…don’t listen to the fake media…or the CDC…or epidemiologists.
I’m afraid that with all that is happening nowadays it will get worse. Especially knowing that some of the people who are buying RV’s are not the most upstanding neighbors to have in a nice RV park. A lot of lowlifes out there. Some that don’t care how trashy they are and not clean up after themselves.
Will write more later. Thanks
Haha ! Bathing in it. Crack me up ! I’m celebrating 70 this year and have been full-timing it in my C-Class up in Northern Ontario for 4 years. You’re right ! Way to much fun to quit.
My hubby Mike and I are RVing outside of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, right now on a small property with all three basic amenities for $30 a night. We can walk about 100 feet and can see the Kentucky River. We are here checking out the property because we are the owners of a small business called UpClose-RV. Slowly, we are trying to address the issues of campsite costs and overcrowding.
At $30/night that’s $900/month for place to park a trailer.
Hope you like the view!!
We started full time Rving just after the 2008 crash. We bought a nice Tiffin motorhome for a real bargain price and took off for four years. Gas prices were $4 + dollars a gallon at the time but we had best camping fun of our lives. We could pull in at 5 pm to most any campground and find a plenty of sites available. We traveled the country zigging our way all over the place. It was great fun but after a few years we started seeing campgrounds fill up with the new homeless from the real estate crash. We decided that we had seen enough and bought back in a house and ended our full-time as campers. We continue to camp but choose to do it in a more limited way because of having to plan months in advance to camp in areas we enjoy. We cherish the days we had with the freedom to travel anywhere on a whim.
YES the pandemic will ruin the RV lifestyle.
With RV sales NOW at record levels many people who have never camped or traveled with a RV have now been lured to the RV lifestyle as a way to “Safely” enjoy family in a time “Distancing” from one another.
This RV FANTASY will never last for the vast majority of all these “RV Newbies”.
What will last is the RV FINANCIAL NIGHTMARE they acquired pursing their short lived RV FANTASY!
RV owners new and old will continue to enjoy the experience and Coronavirus has made it a realization that it is the safest way to enjoy leisure time. Reduce flying, staying at questionably clean hotels and restaurants, by enjoying RV’s are the obvious factors people are enjoying them in record numbers. Remember that entrepreneurs will answer the needs of the consumer and long term RV camping will have additional choices available.