RV Trends: What’s Happening In the RV Industry

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RVing Is the New Hottest Trend

In this age of virtual reality and online shopping the old-school pastime of RV touring has continued to boom rapidly across the country. Sales of RV vehicles are increasing on a daily basis and the buyers are getting even younger by the day.

In the previous year, 430,000 recreational vehicles were sold, according to the RV Industry Association. And sales have been rising year after year following a one-year decline in 2009, resulting from the financial crisis.

Part of the reason for this booming trend in the sales of RV’S is the low gas prices and easy credit. But strangely enough, the overflow of new technology — smart phones, 4G data connections etc has also helped push the trend. Driving around the country for a couple of weeks at once has become considerably less challenging than ever before.

Another important reason for the rapid increase in the sales of the RV vehicles is that those who were raised with technology are now attaining RV-buying age; the RV Industry Association estimates that over fifty percent of RV buyers are under the age 45.

It is not uncommon now to see a couple under 40 towing a small Alto pop-up trailer.  A young couple shared an emotional experience of how their RV became ‘’a jewel on the campground” and how everyone wanted to see it. It was just the perfect RV for them, because it’s small and easy to tow with an indoor cook top, so they can make food when it’s raining and a hard metal sides to keep bears out.

Basecamp trailer has a standard glowing aluminum Airstream look and wrap with a cool retro-modern interior. Stating that Basecamp is a success is an understatement. Airstream’s original production plans were 10 a week but are now making 25 instead. The company also has a wholesale backlog out until the end of this year.

Trailers like the Basecamp are fairly cheap, with selling prices starting at under $40,000. Motorhomes, the luxurious condos of the road, are a completely different story. Their Prices can certainly get to six figures. That points to one bigger factor in the rise of the RV lifestyle, which is that loans are convenient to get. You can easily see terms as long as 20 years, therefore it is more similar to buying a home than it is purchasing a car.

Rising motorhome sales are a plus for automakers, too. Ford Motor Company for example, makes the chassis, engines and transmissions for the majority of the motorhomes sold in America. That business is actually booming, Ford says.

Kampgrounds of America, with its well-known KOA RV campgrounds, reports that business is the best it’s ever been in the company’s 57 years.

Currently the industry is working on exports. As of today, the largest percentage of RV’s exported from the United States never go farther than Canada. But industry representatives are trying hard to get China into camping & RVing.

 

Summer Camping Tips

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Great Summer Camping Tips

Sleeping in the great outdoors is really a great adventure but quite often people’s view of getting out into the wild is tainted by awful experiences. It doesn’t have to be that way. With the right attitude and some necessary gadgets – you can make marvelous family memories this summer, from enjoying absolute liberty from the usual high tech life, to taking some fresh air & doing some outdoor cooking.

You don’t have to abandon yourselves to an air-conditioned indoor life. With a few summer camping tips and tricks, you can have great fun doing what you love. Here are a few camping hacks that guarantee your kids fun and safety while at the camp.

At-Home Prep

Just a little work done before leaving home spares you several hours of stress when you’re on site. For instance, you could make some homemade fire starters by putting together a glob of petroleum jelly with dryer lint. When mushed, mashed, and made into a ball, this mix will immediately transform your little pile of pine needles into a roaring campfire. It’s a smart idea to stock up on fire logs made just for roasting food. For a wonderful mess-less option, try Dura flame Campfire Roasting Log.

An Ounce of Prevention

The next summer camping tips you might want to pay attention to is waterproofing your food and supplies. Health-conscious parent don’t depend on canned beans and prepackaged foods, so come up with some make-ahead recipes and stash them in watertight jars. Stow your toilet paper rolls in cleaned-out coffee cans to weatherproof them. This advice can help you get around a devastation situation, like thunderstorm-soggy cardboard food containers, ant invasions, or a combination of both.

Is Worth It

Put together an easy tent repair kit by collecting spare mesh, a strong needle, heavy outdoor UV thread, and marine shrink tape. Alternately, you could go the self-made path and get Coghlan’s Nylon Tent Repair Kit. By doing this, when the unthinkable happens and your tent gets a leak, you’re in a position to save the day.

Mobile Apps

As soon as you’re at your campsite, it’s highly recommended to ditch technology to consume the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. En route, however, you might want to use mobile apps such as All Stays, a campground finder that you are able to use with or without internet connectivity. It’s not at all uncommon to arrive and find out your favorite spot is taken; using this app however, you could check out new areas with assurance that there’s a great spot with running water ready and available for you.

Kids always keep asking where you’re heading, and of course you want to show it to them via the internet. As soon as you set up camp, you can make use of various apps to find interesting sites such as different rock formations, trails, streams, and more.

Boredom Busters

Refrain from giving your kids a tablet whenever they get bored. As a substitute, give them a job and the equipment to take action. Give them their own youth fishing pole and under your guidance, ask them to wrastle up some grub from the nearby river or lake. For younger kids who can’t keep quiet enough to attract a fish give a nice pole that dangles.

With these summer camping tips and tricks, you’ll be equipped for almost anything the outdoors or your kids throw at you.

 

Is RV Retirement For You?

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Is On the Road Retirement For You? Answer These Questions to Find Out

Today’s RVs can be roomy and magnificent. And full-time RVers can travel with their homes from one place to another living just outside a breathtaking town today and then in a warm beachfront during the winter.

The convenience and excitement of life on the road have comes with an incredible appeal to a lot of retired people as well as a few people employees with portable jobs. And nearly all full-time RVers think it is great. But those who haven’t lived full-time in an RV would eventually find that the lifestyle differs from their expectation.

Five questions to consider before you go on an RV retirement…

  1. Will my spouse and I get along perfectly in close quarters? In fact the biggest RV doesn’t offer nearly as much room as the standard house. Quite a few couples have difficulties adapting to this shortage of personal space.
  2. How poorly am I going to miss being a part of my present community? Full-time RVers have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and delight in the camaraderie of the RV community, however they at times lament that they do not feel close to the place they used to call home.

Helpful: This concern can be lessen or gotten rid of by going back to your home region in your RV for a couple of months or annually.

  1. How do I react to minor annoyances? Frustrations are unavoidable when you drive an RV. You’ll make drastically wrong turns down the road where there isn’t space to turn the RV around. You’ll sometimes have a noisey neighbor. Those who can’t laugh off small difficulties struggle as full-time RVers.
  2. Will it bother me to see doctors I don’t know? RV Park and campground managers generally can provide doctor, dental professional and vet recommendations upon request. However these won’t still be the specialists you know. It is important to note that the RV life is generally not ideal for those who have chronic ailments.
  3. Do I know how fuel prices have changed the full-time RV lifestyle? Due to high fuel prices, a good number of full-time RVers now cautiously choose their next destination before they hit the road…and devote months checking out each region before they go forward.

LIFE ON THE ROAD

A good number of RV parks and campgrounds are peaceful, thoroughly clean and comfortable. They offer electrical, water and sewer hookups, security as well as access to a swimming pool along with a clubhouse.

But parking an RV in campgrounds night in and night out can get very expensive. Hiring campground space by the month is one good cash saver. Monthly rates generally are around 50% less than daily ones. Be prepared to pay perhaps $400 to $750 monthly on an average, although rates at expensive facilities and around major cities and resort towns can soar to above $1,000 monthly.

By-pass the campgrounds when you’re just passing by a region. A lot of Walmarts and other retail outlets permit RVers to camp in a single night in their parking lots—though usually not for more than a single night. Free or inexpensive RV camping as well is allowed on a number of public lands, especially in the western US.

Your water and power will probably be limited on days when you don’t stay in a campground—you won’t have the power to run your ac unit without an auxiliary generator so, your onboard batteries and water tank ought to meet all of your needs.

Satellite dishes can be set up on RVs to supply both television and Internet access. RV parks generally provide Wi-Fi, but it’s usually slow and difficult to rely on. Mobile phones with countrywide service plans are essential for full-time RVers.

Tax advantage: Full-time RVers who don’t own a home or apartment can choose any state as their official state of residence. States like South Dakota and Texas that have low taxes, auto insurance rates and auto registration fees are widely used by full-time RVers.

The 2 Top Expectations of the Trucking Life

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Truck driving jobs constitute over 3 million jobs across the country. There are actually 4 main types of shipping: air, rail, ships and trucks. Out of these 4 shipping modes trucks are the most versatile and the most essential. With little exception, virtually every product sold uses at least a part of its transport on a commercial motor vehicle.

The work of the truck driver is to either pick up or deliver freight. Shipments might have to be hand unloaded by the driver, even though this is not often the case, furthermore a commercial motor driver must adhere to all Department of Transportation laws and regulations and have a commercial driver’s license nearly always.

The Life of a Truck Driver

It is actually a driver’s job to figure out what road he or she can travel. Not all roads are truck routes. And even though it is reasonable to believe that such roads are going to be clearly marked as non-truck routes, this is simply not the case. Hence a driver needs to take time in preparation of his or her route to figure out the best roads to travel.

Truck driving is really tough; drivers could spend almost half of the day sitting behind a steering wheel, working with customers and non-commercial drivers. It is really a difficult job and could even take a toll on your overall health.

Drivers spend considerable time away from their homes and families. They are expected to work at night, on the weekends and on holidays sometimes.

At the time of natural disasters like floods, hurricanes and tornadoes it is the truck drivers that are usually first on scene with trailers loaded with life-saving product. It’s an important position essential to the economy.

Demand for Truck Drivers

The trucking industry has an increasing demand for truck drivers; many are having difficulties finding certified drivers. With the beginning of the Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) program, only safe and sound drivers are on the highways nowadays. And there is a great need to change drivers that have been taken off the road for regular safety violations.

Truck driving is a skillful profession, which means that, all drivers who work with a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) need a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Hence, a truck driver has to obtain the required training to be able to receive a CDL. A number of drivers will choose a truck driving school, others might learn at a vocational school and there are several organizations that provide on-the-job training.

As outlined by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the trucking and freight industries are anticipated to grow around 3 % over the next 10 years. The national average annual earnings for drivers are around $60,000, even though that amount can differ widely depending on location. A number of drivers are not salaried and are as an alternative paid by the hour or by miles traveled. The more you work the more money you would make.

Truck driving is a great career in that it is stable, the industry is thriving and it offers a family-sustaining income. Additionally it plays an important role in the nation’s economy.