The stars of many RV shows are the spacious, expensive high-end motorhomes sporting leather couches, big-screen TVs and floorplans that rival many apartments.
But the up-and-comers at this week’s Tampa RV SuperShow are trending smaller, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Instead of a big, traditional motor home, buyers are increasingly looking for smaller — and more affordable — offerings such as a compact RV or a camper they can tow with the car they already have.
For the thousands who will attend the sprawling Tampa RV show, which opens today, resurgent industry sales mean more models to look at. In all, more than 1,200 RVs will be on display, said Dave Kelly, marketing director of the Florida RV Trade Association, which puts on the event.
While the show — said to be the nation's largest — will have just about every style of RV on display, Kelly says the smaller models will make up the majority of the offerings. They came into favor when gasoline was expensive and low fuel economy threatened traditional models, he said.
And while the smaller models don't all have the same luxury amenities of a spacious motor home, they aren't lacking.
Many still have room for a regular-size bed and a kitchenette, and increasingly, they offer features such as stereo systems and grills that fold out of the exterior. Walls that slide out and improving technology have made it easier for manufacturers to pack more inside, too, said Kevin Broom, a spokesman for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, a national trade group.
"There are some trailers out there being designed just as luxurious as anything you'd find in a motor home," Broom said.
The smaller versions are also far less expensive: Trailers start closer to $10,000, and compact motor homes run as low as $60,000.
"The financing is still at an unbelievably low rate," Fleming said. "And then gas prices, as you know, have been declining and have fallen to some of the lowest numbers in years, so it's very affordable to go."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/autos/at-tampa-rv-supershow-the-bi...