RV manufacturer Xtreme Outdoors may well have slammed the doors closed. A few days ago we got inquiries from a reader who’d heard rumors that Xtreme Outdoors might be in trouble. We’ve worked the phones and internet, and now, posts from the company leave more questions than answers. Is the Little Guy RV builder out of business?
“NICE TO WORK WITH YOU!!!!”
The Little Guy line of lightweight teardrop trailers is Xtreme Outdoors’ claim to fame. The company says it employs 80 workers at its 10,000-square-foot plant in Somerset, Pennsylvania. But all that may be history now.
Earlier this month, a Little Guy trailer customer needed parts and service help and tried contacting the home office. They eventually received a response that read, “Unfortunately, Our Company has closed effectively as of 5/31/24. NICE TO WORK WITH YOU!!!!” The communication indicated it came from Robert Deskevich, in the company’s “Parts, Technical & Warranty Dept.”
But the company has a different take
The communication looks real enough. Several Facebook posters say they received the same email from Xtreme Outdoors. But two days ago, a communication attributed to Xtreme Outdoors was posted on a Facebook user group that tells a slightly different tale.
“Little Guy Family & Friends,
“We are aware of the rumors that are currently surrounding our company. We are still committed to providing high quality trailers and want to keep you updated.
“We have paused production due to supplier shortages. We are also moving our manufacturing headquarters to a smaller, more efficient facility.
“There has been a major downturn in the recreational vehicle industry and we are exploring options to help us through this period.
“Customer service will be affected during this transition. Please work with your local dealer for any parts or technical questions.”
Closed or “paused”?
So is the Little Guy builder “closed effectively 5/31/24” or have they simply “paused production” and soon to return to business? We did more digging, and here’s what we found.
One would suppose a company that’s in the process of moving manufacturing locations, and simply idling because of “supplier shortages,” would work hard to stay connected with its primary customers—RV dealerships. We spoke with representatives and owners of several RV dealerships that actively sell Little Guy units and found several that were caught flat-footed by the news.
One dealer, located near Xtreme Outdoors’ home office, said they had heard only rumors and bluntly told us, “We’re in the dark.” Farther afield, from Utah, a major dealership told us they, too, were completely blank on the situation, but had orders into the company for more units.
Wisconsin dealer wants more—gets nowhere
Perhaps the most useful, albeit somewhat frightening, response came from a Wisconsin Little Guy dealer. The dealership owner told us that he’d sent a request to Little Guy for more inventory two weeks ago. He expected a quick response—but got nothing. The owner has repeatedly called Xtreme Outdoors, left voicemails, all to no avail.
The man told us he was quite disappointed. He mentioned that during the height of the COVID pandemic rush to buy RVs, his lot was cleared out of inventory, save for that of one manufacturer: Xtreme Outdoors. He said he felt he couldn’t even give the rigs away. But lately, with a new Little Guy floor plan, customer interest has picked up dramatically, and he wants more of these new units that customers are clamoring for. Now he can’t even get a callback.
Our queries stonewalled
Our repeated calls to Xtreme Outdoors, the Little Guy builder, have had the same results. No matter what department we call, the best we can get is voicemail. We tried contacting the company through the law firm that represents them, but the attorney has stonewalled our request. We’ve messaged Robert Deskevich, the person alleged to have told an unhappy customer that Xtreme was “closed.” Deskevich has not returned our requests.
Unconfirmed reports say that the Little Guy manufacturing plant in Somerset is closed, empty. Dealers aren’t hearing back from the company. Customers are either getting no response or mixed messages. Is the Little Guy RV builder out of business? Earlier this week, the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office confirmed the company is still listed as an “active” limited liability corporation.
As to the statement of Little Guy suggesting that a “major downturn in the recreational vehicle industry” could be behind this? True enough, actual movement of RVs from manufacturers to dealers is down. However, wholesaling of travel trailers is keeping the industry afloat. Since Little Guy is a travel trailer brand, we’re not so sure just how much weight the “downturn” explanation holds.
How all of this will work out for Little Guy owners whose rigs are under warranty remains to be seen. A company Facebook post that advises “work with your local dealer for any parts or technical questions” rings hollow, particularly for servicing dealers who have no idea whether the company even exists to reimburse them for service work.
We’ll stay on top of this situation and keep you informed.
##RVT1160b
And so it begins. The COVID driven happy days are over. RV industry will shrink, only the strong will survive.
“Paused”- definition: No one is buying our stuff. We are out of business.
Well if I were one of readers of this article, I would hop in my vehicle and drive right to this place and check it out and let you people know what they found! Makes me wonder if someone closed the door and ran away with the money.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Well, this certainly is curious. Thank you for all your efforts to get to the bottom line. Meanwhile, have a great day and safe travels! 🙂
Russ – thanks for digging into this. We’ve really enjoyed our 2021 Little Guy Max and even dropped into the factory unannounced in 2022 on the way home from Gettysburg. I was given a tour of the whole facility and was very impressed with the quality of the build and employee morale seemed high. Theirs is a good example of “you get what you pay for” – they cost more but generally are better made. Hopefully this will all get sorted out and the brand will survive.
Maybe if someone is going to the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville they could spin around to Somerset, like Mel stated. It isn’t far.
I have never gotten any satisfaction with contacting Little Guy. As much as I like their product, I’ve stopped writing stories about them only because it has been next to impossible to get any response. I suppose that, if they did shut down, that situation will be exacerbated.
They lost the brains of their operation (Scott Hubble) in ’17 after they split with nuCamp. They’ve been bought for their debt twice before…I guess they are hoping to find a 3rd sucker.
My dad had a “Friendship” trailer like this and the Scotty with the dropped floor. Made great sense.
I can see the plant from my work. It’s a ghost town. Even the display camper by the edge of the PA turnpike is gone. They are done.