RVIA Show, Louisville Ky, Salem Ice Cabin

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest or RSS Feed. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information! RV.Net Blog AdminWell, the show is over, the booths are closed and the weary sales reps are packing their roll on bags and preparing for the trip home.  All in all, the prevailing attitude seemed to be that the worst is over the long climb back to a vibrant RV industry has begun.  Most vendors and manufacturers are willing to acknowledge unticks in sales and production.  Several new RV models were unveiled from the likes of Fleetwood and Tiffin, along with a couple of new chassis models from Spartan and Freightliner.  Attendance at the show was respectable and RV industry economists are forecasting modest sales growth next year assuming there are no major shakeups in the economy. One thing we will be seeing in the near future will be new ads from the RVIA in the “go RVing” model.  There was one very unique RV model featured at the show the likes of which I had never seen.  Not being an ice fisherman I was not aware of this, or it is new, I’m not certain which.  I thought this was worth looking at to show the range of options open to RVers. Salem Ice Cabin   This... Read more

RVIA Show, Louisville Ky Opening Day

Well, the first full day of activities has now concluded here at the RVIA show and Linda and I are worn out from walking and talking.  We are somewhat overwhelmed with the size of the show and amazed that this show is less than half the normal size.  I told Linda there is no way we will be able to see and absorb all that is here. Today started out at 6:30 AM with the opening breakfast and associated ceremonies including entertainment and several speeches by industry dignitaries including Jim Sheldon RVIA Chairman, pictured below: Chairman Jim Sheldon This activity was very upbeat and positive, with information about the current state of the RV industry and predictions regarding future sales.  I will be devoting more time to the opening activities in a later post. The show actually opened at 9am, following the breakfast and we began to explore the many RVs and vendor booths at the show.  There were three events scheduled for this day that we didn’t want to miss.  First one was at 11am where the new Fleetwood RV was to unveil their first new product, a “crossover” motorhome known as the Encounter.  Here is a brief video of the Encounter. This RV was introduced by John Draheim COO of Fleetwood RV, and then a tour followed.  I will have more on this RV in a later column. Next we visited the Tiffin area to see Bob Tiffin unveil his “BIG” surprise.  This was certainly the most clever event we will see at this show.  Tiffin had the new RV covered... Read more

RVIA Show Louisville Ky, Ready for Opening Day

Registration Entrance Well, our first full day in Louisville is drawing to a close with the only thing left to do being watching New Orleans and New England play football tonight.  We managed to get a bit of exploring done today, and yes, we did make it to Walmart to do our part to keep the local economy going here in Louisville.  I have also noticed that as the day has gone by, the RV park here at the Expo Center has started to fill up.  I was concerned that I would be the only “dedicated” RVer at the show, but that is not to be the case. Read more  Read More →

RVIA Show in Louisville Ky

It is Monday morning, Nov. 30, 2009, and we have arrived in Louisville to attend the RVIA show at the Kentucky Expo Center.  The show actually starts tomorrow, but we are taking this day to find our way around, sort of get the lay of the land.  We were originally planning to stay at a trailer park about 2 miles from here, but at the last minute we discovered that the Expo Center has its own RV park within walking distance of the show.  So, we are now parked at the Expo Center Rv park with 50 amps and full hookups.  I wouldn’t call this a “destination” RV park, given that it is really a parking lot with hookups, but the convenience is great, although a bit pricey at $50/nite.  The park is well lighted and at arrival we were greeted by a friendly attendent and then after registration was complete, we were ushered around the park on a golfcart, and allowed to select our “space” where it would be convenient to plug in and hook up. Since we arrived yesterday, after we got set up, we went exploring, and located the registration area and picked up a show program with the phrase, ” MOTORVATION” on the cover.  Inside there is a complete listing of exhibiters, including RV manufacturers and other vendors to the RV industry.  There is also a nice map of the convention floor with the names of the various manufacturers and the area where they will be located.  I went through the list of exhibitors which is a real “who’s who”... Read more

RVIA Show in Kentucky next week

Today is Tuesday Nov. 24, and for the last week or so I have been busy getting the motorhome ready for a trip to Kentucky next week to attend the RVIA show.  This is the annual “industry only” trade show that usually features what is new and exciting for the upcoming year in the RV industry.  We will be staying at a trailer park near the expo center where the show is going to be held and plan to spend as much time as we can, visiting various exhibitors and talking with industry insiders about their view of the RV market.  I am hoping to gather enough information to write a few articles on what we see and hear, and hopefully we will also post some photos of the new “hardware”. While talking to various attendees from the RV manufacturing segment, I would like to ask them questions that RVers are interested in asking.  If you have anything you would like to know, please leave a comment.  I am also planning to discuss the future of RVing and would like to pose any speculation readers might have about the future of our lifestyle. My wife will be with me and will be providing a woman’s perspective as well. Please leave your thoughts and comments and I will try to find out more information if I can. Larry  Read More →

Making Modifications to Your RV

I get asked these questions alot: “Is it safe to modify my RV? What about my warranty? Will it be voided?” There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what constitutes a safe mod and what will void your warranty if you do certain kinds of mods. Many RV owners tend to be the “do-it-your-self” types and enjoy “doing the mod”. If you fall in to this group, you should carefully consider the implications of certain mods. You know that really expensive extended warranty that covers your RV “bumper-to-tongue” after the factory warranty runs out that you added when you purchased your new RV? It won’t help one bit if you do a mod that causes a failure on a covered part. So let’s look at what mods are safe to do and what just might cause you some grief down the road if you are not aware of your warranty conditions of coverage. Read more  Read More →

The Yearly Costs of Owning an RV (Part 2 of 2)

Last week we looked at some of the yearly costs involved in RV ownership.  (If you missed Part 1, here’s a link,  You might want to first read it   http://blog.rv.net/2009/10/the-yearly-costs-of-owning-an-rv-part-1-of-2/)  If you recall we touched on fuel, maintenance/repair, finances, insurance, licensing, taxes, and in more depth, the cost of depreciation. Today we will examine those costs and how practically and theoretically they may be able to be reduced. We will breeze through the items that we currently deal with, and are often discussed in the forums, and expand the “Wild Card,” depreciation.   Doing them in the order of last week, we will start with fuel cost. Read more  Read More →

The Yearly Costs Of Owning An RV (Part 1 of 2)

There are a number of items that must be considered when determining the yearly cost of buying a new RV. We hear so much about fuel costs, whether it is a motorized or a tow vehicle.  But, fuel really is peanuts in most cases.  Likewise, maintenance and repairs, while not necessarily cheap, are relatively small in the big picture.  The financial purchase, whether it is a cash deal or involves a finance contract, will almost certainly out weigh both fuel and repair costs.  Then of course there is insurance, licensing, and taxes, if applicable. Read more  Read More →

RV Weather Stations – Weather Junkies Rejoice!

It’s a fine line between observing severe weather and staying away from it. As an RVer, you can experience all kinds of weather situations. Knowing ahead of time what the weather will be during your travels and at your destination is usually easy information to come by. But if you are traveling to a remote area where you cannot readily get weather alerts, modifying your RV with a weather station can help forewarn you of impending severe weather. Read more  Read More →

Get Some Control Over Holding Tank Odors

Holding tank odors can be a real problem, especially if you don’t know how to deal with them. If you are new to the RV scene, this issue is perhaps the most popular complaint (aside from dead batteries!). When purchasing a new RV, part of the delivery process is explaining how to empty and rinse your holding tanks, as well as preventing holding tank odors by using chemicals. But on a particularly hot day, even chemicals can’t stop the odoriferous emanations gagging you out of your RV. It’s the same problem porta-potties have which everyone has probably experienced at one time or another. So what can you do to assist in controlling tank odors? Do the Lil’ Stanker holding tank fan mod. Read more  Read More →

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