Boom continues

**Wandering5thwheelers** · 05-03-2021, 11:37 AM

Not sure about the laws in the US, but in many Canadian provinces, if you plan on using your RV full time, your insurance goes up significantly. I was recently asked in BC if I was living in mine “full time”. I asked what do you qualify full time...anything longer than 6 months. As I snowbird each year, I stated that. She told me to be very careful going forward when getting insurance as many companies are starting to refuse insurance to full timers. Can’t see that happening. I can see the cost for insurance going through the roof, but if the insurance can make a profit, they’ll find a way.

**FreddieMac** · 05-04-2021, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Ynot4me2

I think that there's more factors to this and they won't necessarily go away. First is the ever growing population and the not so growing amount of camp sites. Then there's the fact that people live longer and healthier. At 60 people are still in great shape so the amount of retired or semi retired healthy people able to travel is also growing. Then there's the also growing mid and upper income families that are also able to afford traveling and RVing. These won't go away and aren't Covid related. Now add to this the younger people that can afford it and can now remotely work from anywhere. Being able to travel while working is pretty attractive. This might decrease a little but not by much. So my guess is the RVing community will continue to grow, quickly. Now some might try it and get out but I think most will absolutely love it and why wouldn't they.

You have some good points. The market will adjust if this is the case, but I do not see this as a long-term problem. I just do not think the market can sustain the prices being demanded.

**PTParker** · 05-04-2021, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by Ynot4me2

I think that there's more factors to this and they won't necessarily go away. First is the ever growing population and the not so growing amount of camp sites. Then there's the fact that people live longer and healthier. At 60 people are still in great shape so the amount of retired or semi retired healthy people able to travel is also growing. Then there's the also growing mid and upper income families that are also able to afford traveling and RVing. These won't go away and aren't Covid related. Now add to this the younger people that can afford it and can now remotely work from anywhere. Being able to travel while working is pretty attractive. This might decrease a little but not by much. So my guess is the RVing community will continue to grow, quickly. Now some might try it and get out but I think most will absolutely love it and why wouldn't they.

There would be plenty of camp sites in our area if they would not let people live there! Many of these are people in the area that have nice homes, they just chose to live at the camp site! I know many of these people, they live at the camp ground and go home every few days and mow their grass, pay their bills and check on things, then go back to the campground for a few days! Our local camp ground could be the nicest in the state but they only rent 52 camp sites out of 217 sites! The rest are reserved for long term stay! We have discovered about 5 other campgrounds within 50 miles of us that are doing the same!

**JKellerJr** · 05-04-2021, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by PTParker

The rest are reserved for long term stay! We have discovered about 5 other campgrounds within 50 miles of us that are doing the same!

Guaranteed full time income vs seasonal part time weekenders. Not hard to see why they do it. Unfortunately it doesn't always make for the best experience. Not often but at times we have been treated like were invading "their" campground. We try to avoid the campgrounds with a majority of permanent sties.

**Voyager77** · 05-05-2021, 07:12 PM

Great thread everybody. A lot of really good points made. I enjoyed the read. Thanks

**PTParker** · 05-06-2021, 05:59 AM

Originally Posted by JKellerJr

Guaranteed full time income vs seasonal part time weekenders. Not hard to see why they do it. Unfortunately it doesn't always make for the best experience. Not often but at times we have been treated like were invading "their" campground. We try to avoid the campgrounds with a majority of permanent sties.

Exactly! We have had to ask the "live ins" to move where they were congregated to just check in! Also, they have eliminated all outside the city money coming in! I have talked with several people at other campgrounds that said they used to camp there, but could never get in and did not like the "live in" atmosphere so they stopped even trying to go there! Many of these were from out of state bringing in money from tourism! Kind of short sighted if you ask me! I could not tell you the last time I met anyone from out of our area at this campground?

**MooManChu** · 05-06-2021, 06:24 AM

I have to say, this is a really interesting thread hearing everyone’s stories. We’ve been camping 20 years and always thought “ why don’t more people do this ?” That was back when our kids were 3-5. We loved the hustle and bustle of activity at the campgrounds. Kids running around. KOAs had activities. Met great people from all over. Now. We have different needs. Rather be off the grid. Middle of nowhere. Like to shut down for a 3 day weekend. I do agree I don’t like the idea of family campgrounds turning into work camps or full-on seasonals that look more like trailer parks, but this pandemic has uprooted many peoples livelihood and have to adapt. I’ve talked with campground owners over the years. Tough business. I’m happy for them now with the boom.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**WhittleBurner** · 05-06-2021, 08:50 AM

I have found talking to many of the new RVers at various spots we stop that almost half had no idea what they are in for or how to do even the basic care for their rigs. Or even which type of RV is the best for the type of RVing or camping they want to do. Lack of research seems to be out there.

To me there is a difference between camping and RVing. When we winter in FL we are RVing , but on roadtrips we gravitate to an easier (for us) way and prefer National/ State forest or State park . My biggest fear is that some of the new RVers that jumped in out of fear of Covid will have less regard for the lands they are staying on.

Jumping in without much research is what is going to make a nice market for almost new RVs in a year or 2. Some are already showing up on the market.

**goducks14** · 05-06-2021, 09:56 AM

I don't see the surge slowing down much for several more years. There's just too many factors driving sales. Even with disgruntled Covid buyers selling, there will still be a larger segment buying.
https://qctimes.com/lifestyles/autos...7f267cc2a.html

**Steven@147** · 05-06-2021, 02:37 PM

I was just reading articles about RVs, sales, weekend warriors, vacationers and fulltimers. 7.9 million RV owners in 2005 and now some 10.5 million owners. An estimated 1 million fulltimers, most information from like RVIA and a Washington Post article. Who knows what the real numbers are, really who cares? There is just a lot of RVers out there. As you can imagine the articles generated a lot of conversation and as you can imagine it got quickly out of hand. From people blaming Fulltimers for the lack of road maintenance and school funding since they don't pay property taxes, thinking RVers are destitute and trailer trash, RVers disillusioned and leaving selling their rigs because they have to do more planning than they thought or think the RV industry is outputting complete junk. A whole range of responses, and yes people complaining about rude, noisy, trashy RVers that ruin it for the rest of us.

People complain about everything and some can't see the allure of RVing since they got a bad taste from it and then people can't understand the fulltiming lifestyle. Some of our family still thinks we're nuts, but they are still stuck in the same old tried and supposedly true method of working till you drop to pay off your house and living the same old way our parents and grandparents taught. The complainers will never get it, never understand maintenance, planning, enjoying life and a different lifestyle and there is no reason to try and explain it, because they still wouldn't get it.

As for us we love it, will do the planning and maintenance required and for the most part stay away from peek period crowded venues. They are too many other places to go and see and have a blast till its time.

I kind of look at the situation as, "so what else is new"?