There's an RV show in Albuquerque yesterday and today. Just looking at the ads on tv told me there's no reason to go. It showed what looked like acres of the huge Grayhound-sized RVs parked side by side out of sight.
So, just as a rhetorical question, if the average working American makes $20ksomething a year, and the average American household earns $50ksomething a year, how many households can afford a $40k-$80K RV that they are going to use 3-5 times a summer, and which they have to pay storage fees on for the rest of the year because their HOA doesn't allow them to park it in the neighborhood or even in the driveway?
I don't suppose the RV industry is whining that their clients are graying and they are having trouble interesting the next generation in buying into these white elephants?
And camp trailers/travel trailers aren't any better. Buy most of the commercial ones and you also have to buy a new truck to pull them, because no normal vehicle can tow anything that heavy! Truck and trailer and you're back over $50k again!
Clearly the RV industry caters to the 1%, and a few of the 5% who are wanna-bees. Even my wanna-bee uncle finally gave up on his 20-yo RV as it got shabbier and shabbier and he couldn't afford to replace it with anything younger. He does rent an RV every other year to drive to our family reunions, camping on the way. (He won't get to do that next summer, he is the host and it's too close to home to warrant the RV.)
My grandpa's trailer gave me the idea of building my own tent-top trailer. I want to thank you all for giving me the idea of building my own hard-sided trailer, and the encouragement to try again after the first one. We are the reality, NOT the RV industry!
Catherine