If you believe a just-released news release from the RV Industry Association (RVIA), then you might react by saying “Are you kidding me?” The RVIA now reports that the average median age for first-time RV buyers in 2022 is 32, “continuing the trend of younger and more diverse buyers entering the RV lifestyle.” Wasn’t it just a short time ago it was around 50?
The median age, to clarify, is calculated by taking the “middle” value, the value for which half of the observations are larger and half are smaller.
And you might be at least slightly amazed that the number one reason these relative “youngsters” decided to purchase an RV (a whopping 39% of them) was because they wanted “a place to stay while working.” So much for camping and sitting around the campfire at night roasting marshmallows and telling ghost stories.
Additionally, the ease and affordability of RVing were also important motivations for RV travel, with 32% of buyers citing avoiding common travel hassles and 30% citing the ability to save money on travel costs.
View the infographic below for even more stats on the newest RV buyers.
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It seems that this “fad” of Rving, which we all know surged during the height of the pandemic, isn’t going to wane anytime soon, if these stats are accurate. That isn’t good news for those of us who are retired and simply seeking to enjoy our well-earned senior years relaxing and touring. Instead, the battle for reservations and all of the other headaches associated with finding a spot to park will only continue. It’s enough to make me reconsider my decision to continue in this lifestyle, which for me, has been mainly during the summertime. I do not enjoy having to pre-plan my trips down to the last minute, taking away all spontaneity.
To me, this report depressed me. lol
I take a lot of this stuff “tongue in cheek”. Personal experience says all is not lost, but it does depend a lot on where you want to camp. I still say it’s easier “out west” than “back east”.
It is a shame we can’t just roam around at will as in years past.
Lots of snowbirds stay home and enjoy their own locale thru the summer, when it is a such a struggle to find spots. Or at least switch to short weekday jaunts.
Then come fall, they hit the road and explore the Southwest (or the less crowded parts of the South–forget Florida).
We are retired full-time RVers exploring our beautiful continent and world, (USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, SE Asia, and Africa).
Our son is a working full-time RVer. His job moves his work site often so instead of driving long distances or staying in hotel rooms during the week, he relocates his RV near the new work-site.
Just drove through central Texas, which has a lot of recently built parking-lot RV parks that are simply low-cost housing for people who either can’t afford a sticks-and-bricks place or who have to travel around for work, following pipelines, oil exploration, etc.
And a lot of them are more than half empty right now, either the work has moved on or they overbuilt for the area. Which would be great news for traveling campers, except they are bleak parking lots adjoining busy roads.
In the west TX oil fields they emptied out fast after Jan 2021. When I drove through there that Feb there were only one or two RVs in each of them. I wonder if work has picked up there. Most had covers to give shade and a lot of those had solar panels on them. There were convenience stores and places to eat in them also. Reminded me of the “company store” of old (“I owe my soul to the company sto”)
I’m not surprised by this at all. This age group is about the same age as the group that started the “tiny home” craze. My husband & I have always been confounded by someone spending all that money on a tiny home when they could buy an RV that would be just as nice if not nicer and more easily transportable for less money than they invested in the tiny home! We have been avid RV’ers for almost 25 years, and the bad news for us is that the RV boom has taken all the spontaneity out of our trips. The good news is that if you do your research, there are plenty of new campgrounds opening up or that have been purchased recently & are undergoing renovations and adding amenities. We’re ecstatic to hear about the travel stations like Love’s adding spots, because this will be more convenient for overnight stops on a long trip.
Much ado about nothing. We have already booked our seven stop 2023-24 Snowbird trip. Not a hassle at all, just proactive planning! This gives me peace of mind that I know where we are right up to May 2024. I am also looking at destination options for 2024-25. I choose to look at the glass as half full, not half empty like most complainers!
I do not believe for one second that these INDUSTRY stats accurately reflect the true situation. I think many if not most buyers of RVs now are people who are priced out of buying or even renting real estate and are looking for a cheaper place to live. And most are NOT vacationing in them. They are parked in “trailer courts”…only moving when forced to. I’m glad I bought mine in 2012 when I retired…and then really “burned up the road all over the USA” for the past 10 years vacationing and sightseeing…because it looks to me that the “classic” RV experience is now becoming a distorted image of what it once was….like so many things today.
Surveys are just what people THINK they did or what they THINK they will do. It does not actually tell if these tires will actually hit the ground and start rolling.
I don’t believe anything that comes out of RVIA. It is a marketing operation for manufacturers and nothing else.