I don’t know what your thoughts are regarding the economy, but it has been on my mind lately. I suppose that there are not many people that don’t have some worries. I am okay with my situation and even though there are no guarantees, I do have, what I feel is a stable and good paying job.
When I really sit and think about it, it is the cost of fuel that really bugs me. With gasoline at $3.30 and diesel at $4.30 in my area, how can we not wonder how high it will go and then of course I have to wonder how will this affect my camping plans.
With this subject, I am going to try to avoid talking politics. I really want to talk about how the economy and the cost of fuel affect the RV industry. I am no expert about such things, but I think we can all make some presumptions about where things will be.
Many changes have already taken place. When you consider that back in the 70’s, for example, the material used to build an RV of any flavor (RV, Travel Trailer, etc.) was usually very heavy consisting of an all steel frame, wooden studs, heavy steel or aluminum siding. Compare that to what we are seeing in the RV industry today. Ultra lightweight material such as fiberglass, aluminum and composite materials are all common in today’s RV’s.
When I look at my Rockwood 8314SS, I am amazed at how lightweight the unit is. It is a 33’ travel trailer weighing 7500 pounds, fully loaded! If you would have owned a comparable trailer in the 70’s, that unit would easily weigh in at 11,000 pounds or more!
I actually love to look at the vintage trailers! They are quite an interesting look into the past of the RV industry. The weights still amaze me and I just can’t imagine pulling some of those rigs around the country. One of my favorite web sites for viewing vintage trailers is called Vintage Campers and they always have a great selection.
About the cost of oil; there is not a lot we can do about that. My concern is if it keeps going up, how many of us will be able to afford RVing. I have a contingency plan of seeking out a seasonal site if it gets really bad, but I don’t want to do that because I want the option to explore this great country of ours.
I suspect that we will see a trend of smaller, lightweight trailers and RV’s because people will not be able to justify the fuel cost of operating anything large. I have had the thought of building a teardrop trailer or small travel trailer that my Mercury Mariner Hybrid can pull. It is my opinion that we will see more of these types of trailers on the road as fuel costs go up. I also feel that many of the molded fiberglass trailer companies, such as Scamp, will mop up with sales! There is a really cool website for fiberglass RV followers called Fiberglass RV. There are some very interesting layouts there.
I had originally planned on taking many long weekend trips this year, but I suspect that I will be forced to stay put due to the price of fuel. We will be doing some camping and taking several trips, but we will probably also do some camping in the back yard this year. I am upset about that and I feel the oil companies really own us all!
So…what have you had to do to adjust to this economy and the cost of fuel? Are you planning on making changes?
See you next Sunday and Happy Camping!