RV News: March 2017

Airstream has collaborated with Tommy Bahama, an island-inspired lifestyle brand, to create the Airstream Tommy Bahama Special Edition Interstate Touring Coach.

The motorhome is available in two floor plans. The Lounge EXT offers seating for eight or nine, while the Grand Tour EXT has seating for six or seven. Features include remote-controlled wood-shutter blinds; Caribbean-style matte-finish cabinetry; black nickel cabinet hardware; Ultraleather seating; Tommy Bahama pillow fabrics and wall designs; and Infinity woven flooring. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Touring Coach is $165,050.

Airstream’s collaboration with Tommy Bahama also includes a special-edition travel trailer.

For more information, visit www.airstream.com or call (877) 596-6111.

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Two pieces of legislation signed into U.S. law in December 2016 have been praised by outdoor recreation groups.

The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act (known as the Outdoor REC Act) directs the U.S. Department of Commerce to analyze and report on the full economic impact of the outdoor recreation industry. The data will be used to help federal, state, and local governments make informed decisions that affect outdoor recreation enthusiasts, including motorhome owners. Groups that advocated for the legislation included Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), and the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC).

The National Park Service Centennial Act will provide new resources to help the agency engage park visitors, embrace new technologies, and address a $12 billion maintenance backlog. Key provisions include the creation of the National Park Centennial Challenge Fund to use federal funding and matching donations to support park projects; and creation of an endowment, managed by the National Park Foundation, to supplement congressional appropriations to the National Park Service. Passage of the act was applauded by the American Recreation Coalition. The legislation also increases the price of a lifetime Senior Pass for people age 62 and older from $10 to $80; you can purchase an annual Senior Pass for $20. At press time, the old prices were still in effect. National Park Service officials were not sure how long it will take to implement the price increase. For more information, visit www.funoutdoors.com/CentennialAct.

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Winnebago has partnered with GoPetFriendly.com on a 10-month, 15,000-mile RV tour aimed at spreading a message that promotes pet travel and safety. The tour, which runs until November 2017, is called the Ultimate Pet Friendly Road Trip. GoPetFriendly.com is a website that provides information about pet-friendly campgrounds, restaurants, beaches, and more across North America.

The tour will visit the number-one pet-friendly attraction in each of the lower 48 states. The tour also includes 17 free public events that are being cohosted with the Humane Society of the United States, The Shelter Pet Project, and local animal shelters and rescue operations.

For more information about the tour, its schedule of events, and pet travel resources, visit www.gopetfriendly.com.

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The board of directors of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation has announced the names of 10 people who will be inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame as the Class of 2017.

The inductees from the RV industry are Edwin H. Baier, retired president of Evergreen RV Supply; Martin J. (Marty) Shea, president/owner of Madison RV Supercenter Inc.; Woody Paylor, retired founder of Woody’s RV World; David Gorin, president of David Gorin Associates LLC and a former longtime executive with the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds; and Walter Bennett, vice president of Thor Industries, an FMCA commercial member.

They will be joined by five inductees from the manufactured housing industry, including Doug Lippert, retired chairman of Lippert Components Inc. The company, which also has strong ties to the RV industry, is an FMCA commercial member.

The annual induction dinner is August 7, 2017, in Elkhart, Indiana.

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Dometic revealed its new corporate branding at RVIA’s National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, in late 2016, and then introduced the brand to consumers at the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa in January 2017. The rebranding effort, which includes a new logo and the slogan “Mobile Living Made Easy,” is designed to unify all of the company’s brands, logos, and 6,500 employees.

Also at the National RV Trade Show, Dometic introduced the expansion of smart technology in its CFX line of refrigerator/freezers. The Wi-Fi-enabled CFX line features a smartphone app that allows users to monitor and set compartment temperatures while on the move. The app also contains an alarm function to alert the user if a compartment temperature deviates more than 3 to 5 degrees from the set point.

For more information about Dometic, visit www.dometic.com.

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Jayco recently acquired an Australian motorhome rental service, Around Australia Motorhomes, and renamed it Let’s Go Motorhomes. Jayco’s share of the Australian RV market now has grown to almost 50 percent.

Let’s Go Motorhomes rents Jayco motorhomes that sleep from four to six people, as well as vehicles for smaller parties, including Renault motorhomes and HiTop Campervans. Rentals have maintenance and repair support. For more information, visit www.letsgomotorhomes.com.

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Spartan Motors demonstrated its Advanced Protection System (APS) driver safety technology at the Florida RV SuperShow in January 2017. The demonstration included a simulated crash in which an RV equipped with APS avoided a collision.

Spartan introduced APS with its 2017 model-year motorhomes. The system incorporates radar-based collision mitigation (forward warning and active braking); electronic stability control; adaptive cruise control; and Spartan Safe Haul, a proprietary, integrated air-braking system for towing.

APS is available on 2017 Type A motorhomes from Entegra and Newmar. To view a video of the Florida demonstration, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7cGvGcdiR4. For more information about Spartan, visit www.spartanmotors.com.

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Wholesale shipments of motorhomes to retailers in 2016 rose 15.7 percent over 2015, according to figures supplied by Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). The figures show that 2016 shipments of Type A motorhomes rose by 3.3 percent over the previous year; shipments of Type B motorhomes increased by 24.1 percent; and shipments of Type C motorhomes climbed 26.8 percent.

The total number of motorhomes shipped in 2016 was 54,741, up from 47,310 in 2015.

Shipments of all RVs climbed to 430,691 in 2016, a gain of 15.1 percent over 2015 and the best yearly total in more than 40 years. In 2016, RV shipments saw their seventh consecutive annual increase since the end of the last recession.