RVs Still Rolling Along Strong after 100 Years by Kevin Keppel (5thWheelPlace.com)

The recreation vehicle industry has plenty of cause to celebrate. RVs are turning 100 years old in 2010 and making a sales rebound that analysts have called a positive indication for the U.S. economy.



The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) reports wholesale shipments are forecasted to grow 30 percent in 2010. Wholesale RV shipments are expected to total 215,900 units in 2010, according to Dr. Richard Curtin’s latest projection in the Spring 2010 issue of RV Roadsigns, RVIA’s quarterly forecast.



The gain to 215,900 units would be a 30 percent rise over the 2009 year end total of 165,700 units, RVIA says. Curtin attributes the rising shipment totals seen in late 2009 and early 2010 to the restocking of dealer inventories, as well as an improving trend in RV, travel trailer and 5th Wheel sales to consumers.



“There will be some economic conditions, such as lagging job and income growth and lingering credit constraints, that could slow the pace of progress,” said Curtin. “But, the industry is firmly on the road to recovery with the expected gains in RV shipments next year to be shared by travel trailers as well as motor homes.”



National business media have been reporting that rising RV shipments and RV manufacturers rehiring workers are signs of a national recovery from the recession. The media has been responding to RVIA shipment data showing steady growth in shipments the past few months.



November shipments were more than double the total from the same month in 2008. On a seasonally adjusted annual basis, November shipments topped 225,000 units — the fourth consecutive month in which that figure surpassed 200,000 units, RVIA says.



The good news for the RV industry couldn’t be coming at a better time as the RV turns 100. America’s leading RV historians — David Woodworth, Al Hesselbart and Roger White — cite 1910 as the beginning of what has become the modern RV industry, reports the Go RVing Coalition, which consists of RV manufacturers, component suppliers, dealers and campgrounds.



“The first motorized campers were built in 1910,” says Woodworth, a collector of early RVs and RV camping memorabilia. “Before then, people camped in private rail cars that were pulled to sidings along train routes. The year 1910 brought a new freedom to people who didn’t want to be limited by the rail system. RVs allowed them to go where they wanted, when they wanted.”



Hesselbart, archivist for the RV/MH Heritage Museum in Elkhart, Ind., also pinpoints 1910 as the birth of the RV industry. “Camping has been around for centuries, but 1910 is when the first auto-related camping vehicles were built for commercial sale.” These were known as “auto campers” or “camping trailers” a century ago.

Along with taking in the scenic adventures of the open road, watching the pocketbook is also possible with RV and Fifth Wheel ownership.



“Owning an RV makes economic sense. You are able to travel while spending significantly less. You have unlimited flexibility, even on a limited budget. Many RV models allow a family of four to save up to 61 percent on vacation costs over other forms of travel,” Go RVing says.


5th Wheel Place, in Everett, Wash., offers a wide range of recreational vehicles, 5th wheels, and travel trailers and a full line of new, used and rental towable RVs. Its Web site is at www.5thwheelplace.com.


Article Source: RVs Still Rolling Along Strong after 100 Years