A while back I started a thread titled something like "Is this the beginning of the end" in which I worried what impact the buy-outs of TC manufacturers might have. Last night I was sorting through RV sales trends and found there are currently two industry segments that are growing the most rapidly, Class B van campers and truck campers. And truck camper sales look like they are on a skyward trajectory. So here I am thinking, if sales are moving in the direction of increased mobility and the drive to bypass traditional campgrounds, is that a good thing? Are we going to be seeing increasing numbers of TCs off the beaten path? If we do, will we be seeing increased commercialization where we have not had to confront it before?

I don't know the answer to any of this, but I worry that it is not just us who dread being jammed into conventional campgrounds. What if a great many folks are in the same boat? What if the industry big wigs have caught on and are starting a wave with no concern as to what it might impact.

I don't know the answer to any of this and even if my worry is valid. I hope not!

 

I have 3 large RV dealerships within 30 miles.. all 3 have spent tons of money on larger parking for New units.. all but TC's..
major enlargement of building construction... both for sales and service...

but sales are way down Here.... in all areas of RV..... and they really over loaded with new units over the winter and spring.
to the point... they are not accepting most units older then 8 years old... regardless of condition.

so if TC;s are UP..... many have or about to shift.. to the freedom of not using state parks or Campgrounds.....
but the outside areas' can full up the good out of the way places... quickly.

 

Yes. We've already noticed it this year in interior Alaska. I've recently had people in a FaceBook group outright beg me for 'secret spots' to boondock. I've been very direct in saying that info is held about at the same level as my SSN, bank accounts, etc. I believe there are a lot of humans who live in densely populated areas and want time away from people. TC's in particular can help folks do that on their own terms and marketing is cashing in on it.

I dunno, maybe I'm turning into an old curmudgeon but I live in Alaska for a reason. And it's NOT to see every Tom, Dick, and Harry in their TC's stuck someplace in the wilderness that they don't belong. I've historically given a free pass to Canadian brethren but interestingly enough, there've been SO MANY of them tooling around in 'my' remote locations this year that I've had about enough of them too.

We did arrange to meet with new friends who have the same model TC we do. They drove up from the Lower 48 and, after swearing them to secrecy, we shared a couple of spots with them. That was really nice but it was with people we chose to be around and they were respectful.

In short, you aren't the only one concerned.

 

The RV sales situation is a weird one, you are right. We keep hearing sales are way up, but when I researched it, overall sales are not as strong this year as they were last, but truck camper sales are up over 50%. That means to me the buy-out of several of the truck camper manufacturers probably did not take place by accident. And in line with that trend, the strongest selling models of towables are small, not large models. None of this may bode well in the future for folks who hope to get off the beaten track.

 

Maybe we should all stop sharing information. I don't know.

 

When I lived in upstate NY, some of the hunters had spots in the adirondack park at power poles. They setup a truck camper on shoulder and it was hunting camp.
It's a fairly expensive amount of space but its flexible.

 

I can say that in NE Oregon this year I saw more TC's than in past years. Could be the time of year, or the rodeo, but there seemed to be more units tooling around.

 

I have seen more truck campers here in the rockies in the past couple of years and that would coincide with conversations I have had with my dealer where he tells me their business is very strong.
I don't worry about getting off the beaten path and running into too many people. Now, if you are always staying in developed camp sites, they are going to be busy during the summer months but mostly with bumper pull trailers and 5th wheels.
I do think the allure of what you can do with a truck camper without giving up the creature comforts is very appealing to a lot of people and they are gaining in popularity. I have a friend who has the same truck camper as I do and he, his wife and two kids spend most of the summer in their camper touring the western US. He is lucky enough to be able to work on the road via his computer and I think that is wonderful.

 

 

One of my fears about the trend of large companies eating the small ones is it is all about profit which means standardization and a marked reduction in innovation. The Thor buy-out is an excellent example.

Not many truck campiers here in the Southeast either.

 

We drove up to SE Alaska this summer and saw plenty of truck campers. Even Frazerway RV rents them. Saw a bunch of '17-18 F-350 6.7 CCLB SRW w/ a Adventurer or Big Foot/Northern Lite camper on the back that they rent out. Still, most of what we saw were Class B, rentals(TONS) and private owners, Class A and 5-wheel/TTs. RV campgrounds we drove by were packed nuts to butts. Barely room to open a slide in some of them. We were in the hinterlands of BC or YT and folks were waiting in line to get in. Most RVs appear to want full hooks ups. We had no trouble finding boondocking sites or out of the way remote campgrounds that you're not likely to see a trailer or big ol' motorhome at. Yes, there were a few exceptions, but we were pleased at how often we camped alone. I give my wife props for her map reading skills and ability to nuance those remote sites of them. She positively hates RV campgrounds.

 

 

Good to hear it worked out. My great concern is perhaps more and more people will feel the same way we do, move to truck campers, and in turn head to open space. I can easily remember when you could get into any campground ground on a Friday. Now with our fifth wheel we are reserved for late next spring, but with our truck camper we are heading West in 7 days with no reservations at all. Really different ways to approach camping and I hope truck camping stays the way it is.

 

Well, RV_Tech, on further reflection, you're probably right about more and more folks buying truck campers. We're an example to some extent. A friend loaned us his Adventurer for this trip. TCs were on our radar, but using it for this trip cemented our intention of buying one. Our plan next year is to explore various areas out here that we might want to move to. The wife says two years of travel. We'll see. (roll-eyes) I'm not arguing.

And then.....to re-enforce your fears a little more. I saw on FB where a friend of our who is a dyed in the wool rock climber, back country skier, whitewater dory builder and river runner had his first child and went out and bought a TC so he could take his family into the back country to share his love for it. Maybe not a typical example, but.......

Maybe, our experience in BC, YT, and Alaska was so great due to the fact that there's a whole lot of nothing out there. The Alaska Hwy was somewhat busy because it's the only road available. Not uncommon for it to be 2-300 miles between towns. You've got to be adept at sniffing out those boondocking and remote campgrounds. That's half the fun. The Benchmark Road and Recreation maps are the best for US states. Similar to Gazetteer maps. For Canadian Provinces, Back Road Map Books are similar.

One thing we noticed as far a camper traffic of all kinds was, we left UT on 6/24, so the holiday traffic hadn't really kicked in. Other than all of the rental RVs around Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise(tourist in general really) we had no problems finding PP campground sites, We started our return from Haines, AK on 7/16 and there were a ton more folks out there. We were poking around central BC and my wife noticed on the map that there was a free ferry across the upper Columbia River east of some town I don't remember, so we headed in that direction. It took longer than we thought. The map showed two provincial campgrounds not fair after the ferry. Provincial Park campgrounds usually have pit toilets and that's it. Sometime water. We were getting low on water and figure we'd check them out. It was a Friday and they were packed like we couldn't believe. Mostly 5th W, TT, motor homes, but some tents. We were in the middle of nowhere. Way far from any metropolis. It was a head scratcher. We drove down the road a ways and turned down a two-track that when thru sort of a small gravel pit and up along a power line and found a perfect boondock site. Got buzzed by small fire fighting float planes for about 45 minutes, but other than that, had the woods to ourselves.....well, and the mosquitoes.

I hope you have a wonderful time out here on your trip. We moved west 13 years ago from the east and haven'y regretted it once. We're still in awe of the landscapes out here.

 

It's extremely easy to be alone for those of us who tent.The best campsites are where trucks and RV's can't go.
As "glamping" becomes more popular,I don't foresee this ever changing in my lifetime.I have no such concerns.