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RV News is all about getting up-to-speed on the latest RV news that may impact you. We look at various sources and try to boil the news down to a few main items to review. First up…
Traditional forms of travel continue to be hit hard…
TSA checkpoint numbers are showing air travel is still recovering very slowly. The past four weeks (2019 vs 2020) saw 65.2M vs 23.2M travelers (35.7%). This is up about 3% points since last month showing that air travel is recovering at very slow rate. This isn’t great news for air travel and entertainment that requires air travel like theme parks.
RV Sales Remain Robust
Meanwhile new and used inventory on RV Trader have increased during October as manufactures continue to recover production and the traditional camping season reaches its conclusion.
Overall RVIA reported September RV shipments continue to outpace same month prior year numbers.
Travel Restrictions
The U.S., Canada and Mexico have extended travel restriction of non-essential travel on their shared borders until November 21 with more extension likely.
More Momentum on Outdoor Recreation
RVing continues to pick up steam as a viable option for travel and vacationing.
Karen Redfern of Go RVing recently mentioned before a congressional committee, “Many Americans find RV camping one of the safest forms of travel. Modernizing camping grounds for WiFi and electricity usage is essential for the many people who are now working remotely, along with students in schools that use virtual learning platforms.” ~RV News
I think Karen states an important trend in RV travel, one that facilitates living and working remotely. One recent development in this regard is a change to Verizon’s data plans. A new data option appeared in the choices for data plans for my Jetpack 8800L. We saw this new plan in early October and switched to it immediately given it had double the amount of data for just $10 more per month. You can find out more on Verizon’s website.
Airstream New Flooring
Airstream has made an important structural change to the flooring it uses in its travel trailers, moving from a plywood substructure to composite flooring. This significant change should ensure that water leaks won’t ruin the substructure of the trailer. While plywood is more solid vs some of the Styrofoam encased by lauan wood used in many trailers, it is still wood and will eventually rot with exposure to water overtime. This latest change by Airstream is a huge deal in terms of adding to the potential longevity of the trailer. Hopefully this will flow to other models in the Thor family.
Big Changes: So Long R-Pod 179
On our last show in early October we revealed the changes R-Pod made to the strong-selling 179 model. Most people didn’t like the changes much, as the slightly larger refrigerator was offset by removing significant storage. The big news coming on the heels of R-Pod dropping the 191 model in September, is that now the 179 model has been dropped! I have to admit that this is a bit of a shock, as they just started making the 2021 models with the recent changes noted. However, this seems to be in line with the overall strategy of eliminating the small models and focusing on the larger higher-margin trailers. This leaves R-Pod with only one wet-bath model – the R-Pod 171.
Hello 201
On the flip side, Forest River has just introduced the R-Pod 201, the second of their 25’ travel trailers. The 202 was introduced this past summer with the promise of more to come for this sized trailer. We have the floorplan of the new 201. First thing to notice is no slide-out. This seems to remove almost 200 lbs. from the trailer vs the 202 (4,379 vs 4574 UVW). The 201 configuration moves the kitchen from the rear to the non-campsite side and adds a chair by the doorway. The walk-through bathroom remains as does the short queen walk-around bed. We did a video on the 202 this past summer if interested. The 201 looks more appealing in terms of no slide out to deal with. However, for 25’ trailers, of which there are plenty in the market, the short queen is a disappointment, and the walk-through bathroom still has drawbacks in terms of moving through the trailer when the bathroom is in use.
My Take
As an R-Pod 179 owner, I am saddened that Forest River has discontinued what was a best-selling and very practical model. The R-Pod 179 had a great floorplan for those who like to cook inside or want a smaller trailer that can be lived in and worked from remotely. I’ve enjoyed mine very much even with all the issues I’ve had to go through to get it dialed in. R-Pod has made a strategic decision to go larger going forward, which will introduce the brand to a different customer. It will also require larger tow vehicles from customers. For me, it moves away from what I’m looking for in my next smaller trailer, and with both the Winnebago Hike and the Jayco Jay Feather Micro moving into the 20’ trailer space, it means many will look elsewhere for an entry-level trailer.
On the bright side, with Airstream moving to a composite floor, this makes two large Thor industry branded trailers moving to a significantly better water-resistant floor material. This bodes well for the industry and should begin to force better flooring into many other brands. Someday soon we should see a travel trailer with both composite floors and Azdel walls, making the structure fairly impermeable to water issues.
All the best on your camping endeavors!
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