New Generations Of RVers
Even as baby boomers continue to discover the lifestyle, the RV industry is seeing younger people join the ranks to enjoy the fun and freedom recreation vehicles bring.
By Mike Wendland, F426141
We’re seeing it all the time: The demographics of camping and RVing are changing rapidly. No longer is this lifestyle a baby boomer phenomenon. No longer are big Type A motorhomes the standard. Today’s RVer is younger and extremely active. We notice this across the United States as we visit campgrounds, boondocking spots, RV shows, and rallies.
The major growth seems to be in people buying smaller RVs — Type Bs and Type Cs. And they’re buying them so fast that if you order a new one today, you may not see it until well after the first of the year. I’ve heard from numerous dealers and manufacturers that six-month to nine-month waits on build times for Type B motorhomes have become common. Type C motorhomes may be a month or so quicker.
The new generation of RVers also is big into towables, with ultra-light models that can be towed by smaller SUVs selling fast.
“We are not the boomer industry anymore,” Frank Hugelmeyer, president of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, told attendees of the fifth annual RV Power Breakfast in early May as they met at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. “We still have that demographic to continue to grow, but we have shifted now completely into a new demographic,” he said. Eight out of 10 RV owners are under the age of 65, and last year, 34 percent of RV purchases were made by first-time buyers, he noted.
Survey Findings
Dominating much of the conversation at the meeting was the 2017 North American Camping Report from Kampgrounds of America. The survey found that Generation X (individuals born from 1965 through 1980), millennials (born from 1981 through 2004), and Generation Z (born after 2004 or so) make up 72 percent of those who camp. About 34 percent are Gen X and 38 percent are millennials, according to Mike Gast, vice president of communications for KOA.
And echoing my earlier point about today’s RVers being active, Mr. Gast noted that today’s new campers are big into active outdoor pursuits such as cycling and kayaking.
At the end of April, Jennifer and I traveled to Arizona, where we attended an RV show totally devoted to small motorhomes. This was the second year in a row that La Mesa RV, which runs a dozen RV stores in four states, rented out the University of Phoenix football stadium and filled it with Type B and Type C motorhomes.
We counted 156 of them on display. They called it the Super B RV Show.
“This is where we’re seeing unprecedented demand,” said Jason Kimbrell of La Mesa RV, whose dealerships are in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Florida. “Everything’s changed in the last half-dozen years. Mobility is the key — being able to easily go from place to place. Today’s buyers like boondocking, something hard to do for the bigger RVs. That’s why we are doing a show featuring just small ones. The market is changing, and small motorhomes are dominating it in many ways, because the buyer is younger and more active.”
Demand For Smaller Coaches
Tiffin Motorhomes, known for their high-quality Type A motorhomes, was represented at the show, sending two members of the Tiffin family to introduce their Wayfarer Type C motorhome. “This is new for us,” said Trent Tiffin, the grandson of founder Bob Tiffin. “We haven’t made a Type C since before I was born. But we believe the demand for smaller coaches is huge and it’s largely driven by younger buyers.”
Jim Hammill, president and CEO of Erwin Hymer Group North America, maker of Hymer and Roadtrek Type B motorhomes, also was at the Arizona show.
“People today have decided that their life is different than the lives of our parents,” Mr. Hammill said. “Our parents said, ‘We’re going to work until we’re this age and then we’re going to retire and relax.’ People today are saying, ‘Why would I wait that long? Why wouldn’t I do both now?’”
How does that show in the demographic stats Roadtrek keeps? “Our buyer has dropped in age by about 15 years in the last 10 years,” Mr. Hammill said.
Paul Bambei, CEO and president of the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds, said his 3,100 members are noting the younger campers as well, though he says towables seem to be the biggest type of RV new campers are gravitating to, probably because they are easier to afford.
“They want comfort,” Mr. Bambei said. “They have high standards and they like their Wi-Fi. Internet connectivity is the biggest demand item our owners report.”
RV Industry Changes
By no means are these younger RVers pushing out the baby boomers. With 10,000 people reaching retirement age every day in the United States, older RVers continue to join the lifestyle in large numbers.
But what Jennifer and I are noticing is a much more diverse camping and RV crowd than we encountered in years past. And, to us, it seems these changes need to trickle down to the industry.
We have a couple of suggestions:
- RV manufacturers need to reduce the build time for new units and to incorporate things such as mounts for kayaks and bicycles in their designs, as they add solar and lithium battery capabilities to meet the needs of those who prefer to boondock or spend time outside of campgrounds.
- Campground owners, meanwhile, need better and faster Wi-Fi, perhaps using tiered pricing so those who use lots of bandwidth to do things such as stream movies in Netflix pay a higher price for the higher speeds they need. We’d like to see more fenced-in, off-leash pet exercise areas at campgrounds. And, of course, we need more campsites.
Overall, though, these are good times for both the industry and the campers and RVers who are heading out this summer in record numbers.
We hope to see you out there . . . on the open road.
And if you will be at FMCA’s 96th Annual International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 12 through 15, please look us up. Jennifer and I will be there the entire time and putting on a couple of seminars. We’d love to shake your hand.