7 Step Process to a Wise RV Buying Decision

Buying an RV is a major purchase decision. We don’t take the decision to buy a house lightly, and buying an RV is no different. You need to do your research and be well informed to make the best buying decision possible. Let’s take a look at my 7 step process to a wise RV buying decision. Step 1: Try before you buy This is perhaps the most important step of the process. It can be difficult to determine if an RV is right for you if you have never used one. Plan a weekend or week-long trip and rent an RV to try it before you buy. Renting an RV can be a good indicator to gauge if an RV is in your future. Another option is to spend a weekend at a campground that rents RV’s already set up on site. My only caution is that you don’t confuse not liking RV’s with not understanding how an RV works. If the rental dealer doesn’t give you a thorough orientation of the RV, or offer an instructional DVD you should consider purchasing a RV training DVD prior to renting the RV. Knowing how everything on the RV works can make the experience much more enjoyable. Step 2: Attend an RV show RV shows, like boat shows, are intended to introduce the new model year RV’s and to help disseminate RV related information to the RV consumer. RV shows are usually scheduled during the slower time of the year, the winter months, to help jump start the selling season. RV dealers from miles away will bring their wares to these shows. For the buyer RV shows put everything you need to see and learn about... Read more

Quartzsite 2012 RV Show Dates Announced

Every January something happens that is hard to believe, unless you have seen it! Heading to the Big Tent at the Quartzsite RV Show. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved According to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly in recreational vehicles, converge on the sleepy little desert town of Quartzsite, located just 20 miles east of the California border on Interstate 10, for the rock, gem, and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. “If you’re looking for anything related to RVs, you’ll find it at the RV show in Quartzsite,” says Kenny King, show promoter. There will be several hundred new and used RVs on display in 2012 and over a dozen service bays will be offering immediate installation, repairs, and service on many of the items that will be exhibited at the show. This phenomenon started over 35 years ago and is now billed as “The Largest Gathering Of RVers in the World”. The inaugural Quartzsite RV Show opened January 28, 1984 at the corner of Highway 95 (now Central) and Business 10 (now Main Street) in Quartzsite, Arizona. With just 60 exhibitors and a small tent, the “new show in town” was still very popular since the majority of the people in Quartzsite were RVers. In 1987 the show, now re-named the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, moved up the street to the Quartzsite Trailer Park which was situated directly across from the major attraction... Read more

Shasta RV Achieves Major Milestone

Earlier this year I reported that Elkhart, Indiana-based Forest River Inc. was reviving an iconic nameplate with the launch of Shasta RV Manufacturing, a stand-alone business unit, and that the new product would be a “significant departure” from the distinctively styled, diminutive trailers. I further reported that Middlebury, Indiana-Shasta RV had introduced three lines of recreational vehicles—the Shasta Freeport, an ultra-light trailer; Shasta Revere, a luxury towable; and Shasta Cynara, a Class C motorhome. Now after only seven full months of production, Shasta RV has reached a major milestone, according to a recent news release. Shasta RV’s production team celebrated August 3 as its 1,000th Revere travel trailer rolled down the production line at the company’s Middlebury, Indiana, manufacturing facility. “It’s really a testament to the quality of the product,” noted Shasta President Brad Whitehead. “It’s a solid, feature-rich unit—and dealers have been extremely responsive.” The conventional stick-and-tin trailer is available in lengths from 21 to 32 feet, and offers consumers a choice of 17 floorplans. Forest River Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, acquired the iconic Shasta brand when it purchased Coachmen Industries RV Group in 2008. It resurrected the out-of-production nameplate last August, and Shasta began full production in January. Shasta RV's production team celebrates the construction of the 1,000th Revere travel trailer at the company's... Read more

Motorhome Rally in Vermont

  by Chris Guld of Geeks on Tour: Just a small part of the 550 coaches at NorthEast Area Rally in Essex Junction, VT in 2009 We’re on our way to Vermont for the FMCA NE Area Rally July 21 to 24, 2011.  We were there a couple of years ago and enjoyed the area (near Burlington) very much.  It’s on the shores of Lake Champlain and the rally even includes an optional buffet dinner cruise on the Lake. The FMCA NE Area Rally in Essex Junction, Vermont If you’re anywhere in the area, come join us!  We will be presenting 5 of our Geeks on Tour seminars plus our new hands-on class, “Picasa Photo Editing.’  The hands-on class requires pre-registration at the rally – all the others are free as part of the extensive Rally seminar schedule. For more details on our seminars at the rally, check out our Geeks on Tour Facebook Page.  For more details on the Rally, see the FMCA NEAR page. Here’s a video of Geeks on Tour being interviewed at the NE Area Rally in 2009 – notice the beautiful weather!  This year promises to be the same.  Read More →

The 2011 RVSEF Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference Deemed a Success!

Merritt Island, FL – May 24, 2011 The 2nd Annual RV Lifestyle, Education & Safety Conference, presented by the RV Safety & Education Foundation, (RVSEF), concluded a successful, three-day conference, May 8th, on the campus of Western Kentucky University at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green, KY. An educational gathering rather than a typical RV rally, the RV Lifestyle Education & Safety Conference featured a multitude of training classes consisting of lifestyle, technical, driving and safety related topics, taught by the RV Industry’s leading instructors and authors including Walter Cannon, Executive Director of RVSEF, Bruce Hopkins, Vice President of RVIA Standards and Education, Gary Bunzer, the RV Doctor, Randy Biles, Gary Motley, Mac McCoy the Fire Guy, Howard and Linda Payne of RV-Dreams.com, Jim and Chris Guld, Geeks on Tour, Jay and Donna Blumenthal, Rick Schafer, Al Hesselbart from the RV Hall of Fame, Phil Schafer from Amazon, Mike Hayn of Bridgestone/Firestone and Skaggs RV, as well as many individual supplier manufacturers, including Blue OX, Demco, Dicor and Winegard. RVSEF in partnership with Northampton Community College also offered ‘Hands-On’ RV driver training and weighed numerous RVs before, during and after the conference. All attendees left the conference with excited anticipation, ready to apply the lessons they learned during the three-day event. The overriding appreciation expressed by some of the attendees, can... Read more

On the road again with Newmar

It’s that time of year again. The 2011 GoNewmar Road Show is set to begin in five days. Four members of Newmar’s management team are “hitting the road” again this year—Newmar’s owner Mahlon Miller, Chairman and CEO Richard Parks, President Matthew Miller, and V.P. of Sales and Marketing John Sammut (accompanied by their spouses). Covering 4,500 miles through 14 eastern states in 20 days, the traveling motorhomes of Newmar hit the road on May 31 for another road show tour. Four motor coaches from Newmar’s 2012 Class A diesel line will be visiting 12 dealers in nine states and one of Newmar’s largest suppliers, Freightliner. This year’s Road Show features the 2012 Ventana LE Diesel Pusher, 2012 Ventana Diesel Pusher, 2012 Dutch Star Diesel Pusher, and 2012 Mountain Aire Diesel Pusher. As part of the GoNewmar Road Show, the corporate executives will also spend five days at the Newmar Kountry Klub International Rally in Essex Junction, Vermont in their motorhomes, where they will RV alongside several hundred owners of Newmar recreational vehicles. (Credit: Newmar Corp) This year’s “Go Newmar” Road Show is being sponsored by Freightliner Customer Chassis Corporation in Gaffney, South Carolina.  The four Newmar motorhomes being driven by the traveling team are built exclusively on Freightliner chassis with Comfort Drive Steering. You’re invited to stop by, tour the coaches, and meet the Newmar Road Show team. See you on the... Read more

Homemade Teardrop Trailers Make Comeback

Gary Daniel and Don Wheeler are two -it-yourselfers who built their own teardrops—compact, efficient travel trailers measuring just 4 feet by 8 feet. Central Illinois Recreational Show David Clemente of Janesville, Wisconsin, built a teardrop trailer from the information in a 1939/1947 Mechanix Illustrated magazine. It is nicely finished and used regularly for camping. Photo courtesy Allen Penticoff and Rock River Times Daniel and Wheeler will be among teardrop owners who will display their rigs at the Central Illinois Recreational Show at the Peoria Civic Center from Friday (March 4) through Sunday, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported. The show used to be just for motorhomes, travel trailers, and fifth-wheels, but it has expanded in recent years with the growth of the Civic Center. Now, besides recreational vehicles, vendors will represent campgrounds, tow-vehicle dealers, boats, three-wheeled motorcycles, trail bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and even golf carts sales. This year’s highlight will be the small pull-behind trailers known as “tear-drop trailers.” Teardrops have been around since the 1930s—many were home-built—and were popular because of their sleek, aerodynamic design and lightweight materials. Several tear-drop trailers designed by local campers will be on display at the show. What is a teardrop? (The following information on teardrop trailers courtesy teardrops.net) Anyone who has ever owned (or used) a teardrop trailer can tell you that the most... Read more

Freedom, Travel, and the Good Life: New RV Magazine to launch March 1

Today’s fifth wheel trailers are truly a home away from home with large kitchens and even larger living areas. The units range in size up to 40 feet and are able to carry motorcycles, ATVs, and other small vehicles while still having adequate space for the family to camp in style and comfort. A press release earlier this week announced the launch of a new magazine for RVers. To be launched March 1, Fifth Wheel Magazine will focus on keeping fifth wheel and toy hauler owners up-to-date with the latest industry trends and new products and accessories that are making fifth wheeling easier and safer. Fifth Wheel Magazine will review current and new models, provide product information, photographic and video factory tours, fifth wheel safety and general tips and advice from industry experts. In addition to industry news, Fifth Wheel Magazine provides product tips, safety information, and expertise from professionals in the industry. This information will assist current and prospective RVers in making informed buying decisions and staying current with the latest trends and innovations in the industry. Fifth wheel interior. Photo courtesy Fifth Wheel Magazine A stated goal of the new Fifth Wheel Magazine is to bridge the gap between the manufacturers and fifth wheel and toy hauler owners and new buyers. By keeping up-to-date with what the manufacturers are doing and how they are working on new designs and features, the magazine intends to keep fifth wheel owners and buyers informed... Read more

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUARTZSITE QUESTIONS

 By Barry & Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers  We’re packing up this morning, but before we head out of Quartzsite to get on the road again, there are some questions posed in last night’s  comments section that I’ll try to answer: “To be happy you must be free; to be free you must be brave.”  This seems like an appropriate occasion to repeat that Norse adage. Some of you are taking this place too seriously.  You can make reservations and you can research everything there is to know about the area and local events, or you can do it like we did.  You drive anywhere within five miles of town, look around, find a place near other RVs parked in the desert and turn off the engine. Your neighbors, who were once as timid as you about the RV experience, will tell you more than you need to know.  It’s that simple. Now, in answer to Chestnuts, the best way to find information about the place, other than putting in “Quartzsite” in your Internet browser, is to call or visit the Chamber of Commerce.  And don’t worry about our landlords, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  They aren’t going to tell you anything that your neighbors can’t. To Drew, who is apprehensive, I refer you to Paragraph 2 above (the one with the italics).  As commenter Thomas said, “It’s truly an experience that should not be missed.”  As for the honey wagon, the service that visits campgrounds to drain the tanks, we’ve heard that it has been available in past years but... Read more

THE “PERFECT STORM” IN PERFECT WEATHER

By Monique & Barry Zander,  the Never-Bored RVers Our first two parts of this brief continuing saga were posted Wednesday.  Time to share more experiences at the awesome Quartzsite show:  PART III – SPENDING TIME AND $$$ Yesterday morning  our neighbor Dean from Sun City, who I had only exchanged about 20 words with Tuesday, knocked on our door to invite us to take a few bags of succulent oranges and grapefruits he had brought from home.  That camaraderie is one of the things we like best about being here in Quartzsite, Arizona. When we left you last, we were wandering the aisles of the Quartzsite RV expo, plus gem & mineral booths, plus the acres of flea market.  After busting the budget Tuesday on items that were on our list of things we More Than Just Gizmos for Sale -- Hundreds of New & Used RVs Are on the Grounds © All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved knew we need for our travels over the next two years, on Wednesday we took a very careful approach.  We had listed more items that we wanted to consider – and once again, ohmygod, we made 10 purchases which sent our credit card into shock. But they are items we consider necessary, like a very good water filtration system, collapsible buckets and a plate the grinds garlic into a paste.  Hundreds of dollars rolled off our plastic.  Oh, well.  We’ll worry about it when the bill arrives. The best entertainment of the day is the young man hawking window-cleaning squeegees.  We didn’t buy... Read more

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