RV sales have skyrocketed in the past several years, so much, in fact, that many top RV manufacturers have spent the past year catching up on a backlog of orders for their latest models. So what exactly is driving the recent surge in RV popularity?
While RV travel has always been popular with outdoor enthusiasts and empty-nesters, there is now a growing interest in full-time RV living and RV travel from groups who were previously tied to full-time careers, families, and traditional homes. Recent shifts in the nation’s socio-economic values, coupled with major advances in technology and the nature of the work environment, have led whole swaths of the population to re-imagine what living the American Dream means to them. For many, the American Dream can now be found in an RV out on the open road.
Let’s explore some of the most influential factors behind America’s rekindled love affair with the RV.
The affordability of the RV lifestyle and the financial freedom that accompanies it may be the strongest driver of the increased popularity of RVs. As economic concerns increase, people are frequently seeking ways to alleviate some of their financial burdens. One way that many have found is through downsizing from large traditional homes to smaller RVs. Once the domain of empty nesters, more and more families and young singles are discovering that it simply makes good financial sense to lighten their load and make their home out on the road.
RV manufacturers continue to build affordable luxury RVs with all of the comfort and luxury of a traditional home at a fraction of the price tag; combine this with the many low-cost, or even free, RV parking locations, and it is easy to see why so many are turning to RVs and the solution to living an affordable lifestyle.
There have been seismic shifts in the way that we, as a society, think about work over the last decade. More and more companies have made moves to reduce or eliminate the need for workers to report to the office on a strict schedule. This newfound freedom means that workers can now earn a full-time living from anywhere in the country with a solid internet connection.
The new flexible work environment has allowed young adults who are just starting out on their career path, as well as middle-aged workers in well-established careers, to untether themselves from their physical work location. Without the need to live within a commuting distance from the office, workers are now free to explore non-traditional living environments and lifestyles like full-time RV living.
Recent societal changes have extended beyond the shifting work environment. Modern values are shifting away from the ideals of extreme o productivity and logging in long work hours as the key to a successful life. Today, people are focused on relationships, family, and experiences as the metrics by which they gauge happiness rather than the acquiring of material possessions.
This has led to an increased interest in finding ways to spend more quality time with friends, and extended family, in addition to having more time to devote to our immediate family members. RV travel allows larger groups of family and friends to travel and explore life together. Additionally, an RV makes it easy to spend an extended amount of time catching up with distant relatives in far away locations without the need to invade their space or sacrifice your own.
As we touched on briefly in previous sections, modern society has shifted. Working-age folks today are seeking a greater balance between their work life and their home life. For many, this has meant trading in the traditional nine-to-five job, the lengthy commute, and the home mortgage for a more flexible lifestyle.
RV manufacturers have stepped up to the plate in a big way, offering a strong alternative to traditional home ownership with new RVs and motorhomes that offer designated workspaces and all of the comforts and amenities of a brick-and-mortar home.
The affordability and flexibility of RV living, when compared with the expense of traditional homeownership, offers a route to financial freedom that allows full-time RVers to trade in their high-pressure jobs for more rewarding and enriching pursuits.
Far too often, the hectic pace of work, school, and family obligations leave us grabbing fast food dinners and falling asleep on the couch in front of the evening news. Every so often, we work up the motivation to get outside and exercise or eat a healthier, home-cooked diet, but despite our best intentions, we find ourselves falling back into our comfortable routine as soon as the pressures of everyday life build up to critical levels again.
In contrast, those who have traded in their old lifestyle for a life on the road find that living a healthy lifestyle is a natural part of RV living. With so many new places to explore as you travel from destination to destination, getting outdoors feels like an adventure rather than a chore.
As an added bonus, the well-equipped chef-style kitchens found in many modern RVs make it a pleasure to prepare and cook healthy meals and snacks rather than heading for the fast food drive-thru. Not to mention the fact that RV living often means that a BBQ grill, a campfire, and a picnic table are always at the ready for dining alfresco should be the mood strike you.
The abundance of outdoor adventure opportunities, coupled with the ability to prepare fresh meals and snacks while on the road, makes it easy to live a healthy lifestyle in an RV.
The desire to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, or the suburbs, to reconnect with nature has existed since the first metropolitan cityscapes first began to merge. There is no question that most of us appreciate the 24-hour conveniences and entertainment of suburban or urban life, but there exists a primal need inside of us that calls us to get out into the outdoors every so often.
This need to sleep away from the bright lights and background din of the city has been a driver of RV sales for generations. However, as life in the cities, and suburbs, has become ever more crowded, congested, and stressful, the number of people who prefer to trade urban living for a full-time life in the less occupied areas of the country has increased.
There are still plenty of wide-open places in the United States, and RV travel makes it easy to get out and explore them all.
For those who crave the company of their fellow human beings, modern RV living has grown to create its own community. Many full-time RV travelers have reported that they have formed closer, more fulfilling friendships since embarking on their full-time RV living journey than they ever had in their traditional communities.
Communities have sprung up among owners of specific RV brands like Airstream, Winnebago, and Forest River RV. The RV forums and RV owners’ groups for these and other popular RV brands have created lively communities that span the country, sharing RV-specific tips as well as providing one another with support and advice.
Many full-time RVers return to the same camping sites or RV parks year after year, forming a sort of traveling community that comes together to reconnect at various times of the year. This offers the best of both worlds, with familiar neighbors, new perspectives, and adventures to share each year. Many RV travelers have reported that RV living has allowed them to expand their horizons by forming friendships with fellow RV travelers from areas of the country they may never have experienced before.
No discussion of the modern RV lifestyle is complete without some mention of the social media effect. Sometime after the turn of the last century, a new trend began to take hold on social media, with young millennials trading in their day jobs to tour the country in RVs, and campervans, filming their adventures and posting them to social media. This spawned the “Vanlife” phenomenon, which has contributed to a massive increase in RV living and RV travel among the youngest generations.
The technological revolution has made it easier than ever to live life on our own terms. As little as a decade ago, RV living meant completely unplugging from modern life. While this may have been a part of the appeal for many RV travelers, it was a major roadblock to others embracing RV living full-time. Today, satellites, cell towers, and fiber-optic cables have brought high-speed internet to nearly every corner of the nation.
Modern RV manufacturers have had their fingers on the pulse of today’s RV consumers, and it shows in the latest lineups from Cherokee RV, Puma XLE, Rockwood RV, and others. Today, RV buyers have a dizzying array of RV types, styles, functions, and options to choose from.
Adrenaline junkies, nature lovers, and adventurous types looking to live a lifestyle that takes them down the road less traveled, or perhaps to those remote areas where there are no roads at all, can find the perfect rugged, sturdy RV for their outdoor lifestyle with the latest travel trailers, and toy haulers designed to support a true “off-road” lifestyle.
Outdoor sports enthusiasts and those looking to get far off the beaten path can choose one of the lightweight and rugged travel trailers from Cherokee RV. These travel trailers are specifically designed with the weekend warrior and remote camper in mind. The Cherokee Base Camp package includes features like an armored underbelly tank enclosure, so there is no need to worry about puncturing or rupturing one of your water or waste tanks when maneuvering over rough terrain. An outdoor shower with hot & cold running water, outdoor TV mounts, a power awning, and RV grill quick connect features make “roughing it” much more comfortable.
For RV travelers with a lot of equipment, toys, ATVs, or bikes to haul, the latest toy hauler RVs, like those from Puma XLE, and others, offer a full rear garage space without sacrificing the comfort and amenities in the interior living space.
In addition to a generous rear garage space with a rear patio deck that extends the living space outdoors, the Puma XLE also offers an electric power package that provides four electric stabilizer jacks and a 3500 lb electric tongue jack. All of this storage and power equipment comes packaged in a lightweight package for easy towing to any location. The earliest toy haulers focused on storage and durability, with a few drop-down bunks and a small bathroom for comfort. Today, comfort and amenities are front and center, with full-size front bedrooms, living areas, bathrooms, and kitchens with residential-style appliances.
Camper Vans are a unique category of RV that has been catapulted to the top of the RV sales charts in large part due to the social media “Van Life” trend. Van Life sprang up as a modern trend when young adults began trading in their nine-to-five jobs to hit the open road in search of adventure. Several of the Van Life pioneers filmed their journeys, streaming them to huge groups of fans on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms. What started as an alternative lifestyle and social media vlog trend quickly evolved into a full-fledged lifestyle with more than 11 billion #vanlife posts on Instagram alone and searches for #vanlife increasing a whopping 216% from 2018 to 2021.
While customized sleeper vans are certainly not new, they have come a long way from the shag carpet, party machines of the 70s and 80s. Modern camper vans are well-equipped miniature RVs with many featuring hidden kitchenettes and even basic bathroom features. These decked-out vans are sometimes referred to as “stealth” campers as well, as they are able to be parked in urban areas without calling attention to the fact that they are serving as living quarters.
The popularity of #vanlife, and the availability of new, cleverly designed camper vans that pack a lot of amenities and technology in a tiny vehicular package, has drawn a whole new generation of RV enthusiasts into an arena that was once the domain of middle-aged weekend warriors, and empty-nesters.
Of course, not every RV buyer is looking for rugged outdoor exploration. There are plenty of folks looking to live the full-time RV lifestyle. The current slate of modern RVs has plenty to offer those looking for luxury and room to spread out as well. Today’s fifth-wheel trailers, luxury travel trailers, and Class A motorhomes make use of multiple slide-outs and cleverly designed floor plans to squeeze an entire home’s worth of living into one fantastically portable package.
Look no further than the line of luxury fifth-wheel RV trailers offered by Rockwood RV. The Rockwood RV Signature series offers all of the creature comforts you would expect to find in a traditional home and a few that you won’t find in any stick-built home. Rockwood RV buyers can expect to find king-size beds in the bedrooms, alongside closets with space to hang your entire wardrobe. Rockwood RV Signature living rooms come decked out with theater-style seating, a well-equipped entertainment center, and built-in USB ports located exactly where you need them most.
The luxury features don’t stop at the living room or bedroom areas either. Rockwood RV Signature kitchens and bathrooms have upgraded solid surface countertops throughout, so you don’t have to worry about melting or singing your countertops with a hot pan or hot hair appliance. Additionally, the fixtures and appliances are all residential-sized, so there is no need to skimp on food storage or fresh meal prep. You can easily entertain a crowd with the Rockwood RV Signature fifth wheel lineup.
The classic motorhome has always been a popular choice with more experienced RV travelers. When most people think of motorhomes, the first thing that comes to mind is often the large, tour-bus style Class A motorhomes. However, the smaller Class B and Class C motorhomes offer the same convenience of a vehicle and home in one drivable unit without the intimidation factor that comes with learning to drive the larger Class A motor coaches.
That being said, for true luxury and comfort, the Class A motorhome is the creme de la creme. These large motorcoaches are often packed with eye-popping luxuries that go well beyond what you would expect to find in a traditional RV. For those looking for a drivable home on wheels, the choice between a Class A motorhome or a smaller Class B or Class C motorhome generally comes down to a matter of lifestyle and budget.
Are you feeling inspired to learn more about the RV lifestyle? Head on out to RV Wholesalers or your local RV dealership to see what all the excitement is about for yourself. Tour the latest models and styles of RVs from the top manufacturers. The perfect RV is waiting for you!
We are not just looking for a quick sale. We want a long-term relationship with ALL of our customers built on trust, integrity, fairness, service and support.
