New RV trend: Lightweight camper trailers
DENVER — With gas prices remaining near historic lows, the economy on the rebound for many households, and interest rates near rock bottom, millions of Americans will be hitting the road this year in new RVs.
The newest trend is toward lightweight trailers that can be towed behind many cars or small SUVs, opening up RV travel to a new generation, experts say. This year, the RV industry expects to ship 383,000 trailers and 55,000 motorhomes, the eighth consecutive year of growth.
“This is so cute!” exclaimed Pat Mouw, 63, as she checked out a 2017 Airstream Basecamp trailer at the 27th Annual Colorado RV Adventure Travel Show, one of the nation’s largest.
The 16-foot-long Basecamp weighs just over a ton, making it easy to pull with even a small SUV. Experts say many American families are moving away from owning a powerful towing-specific vehicle, and instead want to haul their gear with the car or SUV they normally drive. Small motorhomes also remain popular, many of them built on the Mercedes van platform.
Airstream’s silver-sided trailers are among the most distinctive on the road, and the Basecamp, with its wrap-around tinted window, looks more like a space capsule than a trailer that sleeps two and comes with a fridge, microwave, air conditioning and stove, depending on the specific options. But it’s not cheap: about $40,000.
Many manufacturers now offer similarly sized trailers, using lightweight materials, small propane-powered coolers and stoves, and flat-screen televisions, to keep the weight down. Many of the offerings are barely bigger than a queen-sized bed with wheels, but many shoppers say the idea of sleeping off the ground appeals to them. And while the RV lifestyle may not be for everyone, millions of Americans enjoy the chance to hit the open road, visiting national parks and small towns across the country.
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The RV Industry Association estimates it generates an annual economic impact of $50 billion per year, employing 289,000 workers earning $15.8 billion in wages and benefits. Additionally, the industry contributes $5.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes, officials say.
The typical age of an RV owner is 48, according to 2011 research from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. That number represented a one-year decrease from 2005 data, and the organization believes the average age of customers continues to decline, RVIA spokesman Kevin Broom said. Those figures indicate younger people, including Millennials are moving into the market, he said.
"The Millennial generation is one that desires the experience of travel, the experience of seeing great things around the country," Broom said. "And they enjoy that sense of adventure."
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Winnebago is also pushing hard into the light-trailer segment, even though like most RV makers, it sees 55-plus buyers as its core base, and those older buyers tend to want larger, more luxurious options.
Longtime RVer Dave Harvey, 73, says he upgraded from a trailer to a 26-foot motor home last year. While he liked the trailer, he prefers something he can drive. “We can be driving down the road and we want to fire up the microwave and make some popcorn, we can,” he says.
A few aisles away from the Airstreams, Rich Schnippel shows off his inTech RV trailers, which are smaller and even lighter than the Basecamp. Built on all-aluminum frames, the inTech trailers have less headspace inside than traditional campers, making them easier to store inside a residential garage. A bright red one that Schnippel, a company co-owner, is particularly proud of is designed to carry a kayak or bike on the roof, has a queen bed inside, along with a premium sound system, USB outlets for charging cellphones, and a slide-out kitchen with burner and fridge. And it weighs just 1,500 pounds and costs around $12,000.
“This opens you up for all kinds of adventures,” Schnippel says.
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Contributing: Kevin Hardy, Des Moines Register