![Dodge-based recreational vehicle in Munich](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Dodge-based_recreational_vehicle_in_Munich.JPG)
A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a
motor vehicle
A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on Track (rail transport), rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of pe ...
or
trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include
motorhome
A motorhome (or motor coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation.
Features
Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed or conv ...
s,
campervan
A camper van, also referred to as a camper, caravanette, motor caravan or RV (recreational vehicle) in North America, is a self-propelled vehicle that provides both transport and sleeping accommodation. The term describes vans that have been fitt ...
s,
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
es,
caravans (also known as travel trailers and camper trailers),
fifth-wheel trailers,
popup camper
A pop-up camper is a type of towed recreational vehicle that can be collapsed for easy storage and transport. When set up, this type of trailer provides a large amount of interior space when compared to its size when collapsed. Its relatively a ...
s, and
truck camper
In North America, the term truck camper and its derived acronym TC are generally used to refer to any recreational vehicle or RV that may be carried in the bed of a pickup truck. In North America, this RV type is sometimes known as a slide-in o ...
s.
Features
Typical amenities of an RV include a kitchen, a bathroom, and one or more sleeping facilities. RVs can range from utilitarian – containing only sleeping quarters and basic cooking facilities – to luxurious, with features like air conditioning (AC), water heaters, televisions and satellite receivers, and quartz countertops, for example.
RVs can either be trailers (which are towed behind motor vehicles) or self-propelled vehicles. Most RVs are single-deck; however, double-deck RVs also exist. To allow a more compact size while in transit, larger RVs often have expandable sides (called slide-outs) or canopies that are deployed when stationary.
History
The first recreational vehicles were horse-drawn. They evolved during the second half of the nineteenth century as adaptations of vehicles used for other purposes, including public transport caravans (UK, also known as
stage wagon
Stage wagons are light horse-drawn or mule-drawn public passenger vehicles often referred to as stagecoaches. Like stagecoaches they made long scheduled trips using stage stations or posts where the horses would be replaced by fresh horses. Sta ...
s),
gypsy vardos (Europe),
living van
A living van is a portable caravan, used by the itinerant crew of a traction engine.
Living vans developed from the earlier shepherd's wagons, used to provide portable accommodation following a flock as they were moved between pastures.
Traction ...
s (UK),
ambulance wagons (US) and sheep herders wagons (US).
The first, currently-known, purpose-built RV was the horse-drawn ''Wanderer'' (UK), commissioned from the
Bristol Wagon Works Company by
Dr. Gordon Stables in 1884. Stables was a pioneer of the UK's ''Gentlemen Gypsy'' movement
(1885–1914) which promoted the restorative benefits of horse-drawn leisure caravanning and inspired the formation of the world's first RV club, The Caravan Club (UK), in 1907. ''The Wanderer'' was closely followed by the McMaster Camping Car (US,1889
Camping-vehicleIn the 1890s, US RV pioneers self-built timber 'houses on wheels' for health, leisure and hunting purposes. The most widely reported of these were those of Morgan Lasley and his family. Horse-drawn RV use declined after the First World War as many horses were killed during th
warand automobiles became cheaper, more powerful and more widely available.
The first powered RVs were steam-drawn trailers from France including the ''Grande Diligence'' of Prince Oldenburg (1896) and the De Dion Bouton trailer of Monsieur Rénodier (1898).
The first steam-driven motorhome was the ''Quo Vadis'' (France,1900) and the first gasoline-driven motorhome was the ''Passe Partout'' (France, 1902).
The first recorded powered motorhomes in America were the 'camp cars' of Roy Faye and Freeman Young of 1904–06 (a 1904
Rambler
Rambler or Ramble may refer to:
Places
* Rambler, Wyoming
* Rambler Channel (藍巴勒海峽), separates Tsing Yi Island and the mainland New Territories in Hong Kong
* The Ramble and Lake, Central Park, an area within New York City's Centr ...
, 1905
Thomas Flyer and 1906
Matheson). Lightweight tent trailers were especially popular in the US from 1911, thanks to
improved roads, new
national parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
and the affordability of tow vehicles such as the
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
. At the other end of the price scale, luxury touring limousines, developed in France by
De Dietrich
The history of the de Dietrich family has been linked to that of France and of Europe for over three centuries.
To this day, the company that bears the family name continues to play a major role in the economic life of Alsace.
De Dietrich is a h ...
in 1904, were built in small numbers in the US by
Welch (1909) and
Pierce Arrow
The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks ...
(1910). The first US RV club, the Tin Can Tourists, was formed in 1919. The first known, recreational fifth wheeler was the Auto Salon Deluxe built in Belgium for Baron Crawhez by
Auto-Mixte Pescatore in 1913.
In the early twentieth century RV builders in the UK (Navarac, Piggott Bros, Eccles, Bertram Hutchings), the US (Detroit Trailer Company,
Welch,
Graham Brothers
Graham-Paige was an American automobile manufacturer founded by brothers Joseph B. Graham (1882-1970), Robert C. Graham (1885-1967), and Ray A. Graham (1887-1932) in 1927. Automobile production ceased in 1940, and its automotive assets were acq ...
,
Pierce-Arrow
The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks ...
) and France (
De Dietrich
The history of the de Dietrich family has been linked to that of France and of Europe for over three centuries.
To this day, the company that bears the family name continues to play a major role in the economic life of Alsace.
De Dietrich is a h ...
, Cadel) experimented with a wide range of RV types including
caravans and trailers,
motorhome
A motorhome (or motor coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation.
Features
Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed or conv ...
s, touring limousines,
tent trailers and fifth wheelers. Early motorhomes ('house cars' in the US) were usually converted goods trucks and were heavy, noisy, inflexible and expensive, restricting their use to the wealthy or self-builders. The 'one box' RV was not seen in large numbers until the small, lightweight
Volkswagen Kombi Kombi may refer to:
* Battle of Kombi, a 1647 battle between Ndongo-Matamba (assisted by the Dutch) and the Portuguese
* '' Kombi'', a Japanese term for a comedy duo
* Kombi (band), a Polish pop rock band
* Kombini, a type of Japanese convenience ...
of 1950.
During the 1920s and 1930s, caravans (travel trailers) became the dominant form of RV in the UK due to their low cost, weather-resistance and flexibility.
There was likewise a travel trailer boom in the US in the 1930s as
automobile production-line manufacturing techniques were used in travel trailer manufacturing to meet growing demand from recreational users and those seeking low-cost housing during
The Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. Self-built trailers were highly popular in the US during the 1930s and travel trailers featured in a number of Hollywood movies including
Mickey's Trailer
''Mickey's Trailer'' is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon stars Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy on a near disastrous road trip in a travel trailer. It was ...
(1938).
The 1920s and 1930s, saw some influential, maverick builders construct innovative RVs in small numbers. These included Bertram Hutchings (UK, 1930–39, streamlined caravans), Charles Louvet (France, 1924–34, aircraft-inspired, coach-built motorhomes and trailers),
Noel Pemberton Billing
Noel Pemberton Billing (31 January 1881 – 11 November 1948), sometimes known as Noel Pemberton-Billing, was a British aviator, inventor, publisher and Member of Parliament for Hertford. He founded the firm that became Supermarine and promoted ...
(UK, 1927, ''Road Yacht'' motorhome),
Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early ...
(US, 1918–30, Adams Motorbungalo, Curtiss Aerocar, Aero Coupler hitch) and
William Hawley Bowlus William Hawley Bowlus (May 8, 1896 – August 27, 1967) was an American designer, engineer and builder of aircraft (especially gliders) and recreational vehicles in the 1930s and 1940s. Today he is most widely known for his creation of the worl ...
(US, 1934, aluminum monocoque trailers). Wally Byam's
Airstream
Airstream is an American brand of travel trailer ("caravan" in British English) easily recognized by the distinctive shape of its rounded and polished aluminum coachwork. This body shape dates back to the 1930s and is based on the Bowlus Road C ...
(US, 1931 onwards) was a successful trailer builder of the period and is the only survivor of over 400 pre-WW2 US RV manufacturers.
Prior to WW2 a number of other countries developed their own small-scale RV manufacturing industries including Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Germany had a particular focus on small, lightweight caravans towable by low-cost automobiles whilst Australia developed 'pop-top' caravans with good ventilation, ample water storage and high ground clearance. During WW2 RV production was halted in most countries except when required as accommodation for military personnel or essential workers.
Between 1945 and 1960, RVs flourished in many western countries as disposable income and leisure time grew. Dedicated
RV park
A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true ...
s were established to cater to the needs of both short and long-term RV users. Improvements in RV technology including batteries, fridges, gas cookers, toilets and lightweight construction techniques dramatically improved RV comfort levels. More powerful gasoline and diesel engines allowed RVs to increase in size, weight and speed. Regulations were introduced in many countries to control how RVs were manufactured and used.
Taking an RV on vacation is today one of the most popular leisure activities in Europe, the US and Australasia and increasing in popularity in countries where space and facilities permit.
File:1933 car&trailer.jpg, 1933 car and tourist observation trailer
File:Hanomag-Henschel Orion.jpg, 1970s Hanomag
Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG, ) was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles in Hanover. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering numerous steam locomotives to Finland, Romania and ...
-Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...
Orion
File:DodgeMotorhome.jpg, 1970s Dodge Travco
File:1973 GMC Motorhome.jpg, 1973 GMC Motorhome
The GMC Motorhome is a recreational vehicle that was manufactured by the GMC Truck & Coach Division of General Motors for model years 1973–1978 in Pontiac, Michigan, USA — as the only complete motorhome built by a major auto/truck manufac ...
File:17 ft. Seafoam Green fiberglass hull lightweight camper trailer.jpg, 100 % fiberglass double hull trailers are lighter, more cost efficient, more durable. Built like boats, the interior can be pressure washed.
Industry
In the United States, about 85 percent of recreational vehicles sold are manufactured in
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
,
and roughly two-thirds of that production in
Elkhart County
Elkhart County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. , the county's population was 207,047. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County is part of the Elkhart- Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South ...
, which calls itself "the RV Capital of the World", population 206,000. The industry has US$32.4 billion annual economic impact in Indiana, pays US$3.1 billion in taxes to the state and supports 126,140 jobs and US$7.8 billion in wages, according to the RV Industry Association.
The recreational vehicle industry around Elkhart is part of a large network of related transport equipment companies, including utility trailer makers and specialty bus manufacturers, who source from the same supply chains.
The industry has taken hits from
US tariffs on steel and aluminum and other duties on RV parts made in China, from plumbing fixtures to electronic components to vinyl seat covers. Tariff-related price hikes forced manufacturers to pass on some of the increased costs through higher RV prices, which in turn has contributed to slower sales.
Shipments of RVs to dealers fell 22% percent in the first five months of 2019, compared to the same period a year earlier, after dropping 4% in 2018.
Some trailer companies are using innovative materials in new ways to make trailers lighter, more durable and more cost efficient. Cortes Campers LLC has filed for multiple new patents and have improved manufacturing techniques to address issues such as frequent repairs, supply chain issues, mold, mildew and catastrophic failures of key components of travel trailers. The new double hulled completely redesigned travel trailer is made of fiberglass and built much in the way airplanes and boats are built
Usage
![2008-09-02 Two RVs for sale by owner (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/2008-09-02_Two_RVs_for_sale_by_owner_%28cropped%29.jpg)
RVs are most commonly used for living quarters while traveling. People may choose to take a road trip in their RV and use the RV to sleep in, rather than a hotel room. They may even decide to tow their car from the back of the RV so they can use that to travel around more easily when they reach their destination.
Although the most common usage of an RV is as temporary accommodation when traveling, some people use an RV as their main residence. In the United States and Canada, traveling south each winter to a warmer climate is referred to as
snowbirding. In Australia, the slang term for a retired person who travels in a recreational vehicle is a "grey nomad".
Living in an RV has become increasingly popular. In fact, one million Americans live in RVs. While it is legal in all of the United States to live in an RV, there are laws regarding where and for how long RVs can be parked.
Some owners fit
solar panel
A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...
s to the roof of their RV.
Usage of RVs is common at rural festivals such as
Burning Man.
Demographics
United States
As of 2016, the average age of RV owners in the United States was 45, a three-year decrease since 2015. Per 2020 research reports, more millennials are interested in buying RVs due to their increased demand for camping and outdoor recreational activities, especially in the US.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, sales of RVs in the United States have increased, and as of March 2021, 11.3 million households own an RV, which is a 26 percent increase over the past ten years. In the month of October 2021, 58,000 RVs were manufactured in North America, the most ever in a single month.
Current Trends
* Wholesale recreational vehicle (RV) shipments during the first four months of 2021 rose more than 86% over 2020, because consumer demand for RVs has soared since the pandemic’s onset.
* Analysts expect industry revenue to increase 1.1% through 2026 as U.S. residents continue to plan domestic trips because of continued travel restrictions around the globe.
See also
*
Alternative housing
Alternative housing is a category of domicile structures that are built or designed outside of the mainstream norm e.g., town homes, single family homes and apartment complexes. In modern days, alternative housing commonly takes the form of tiny ...
*
Fulltiming
__NOTOC__
Fulltiming is a term used among motorhome individuals and families who live "full-time" in their motorhome or RV. Such mobile individuals are often called fulltimers. Fulltiming is a worldwide activity, and there are many bloggers who r ...
*
Housetrucker
Housetruckers are individuals, families and groups who convert old trucks and school buses into portable homes called housetrucks and live in them, preferring an unattached and transient lifestyle to more conventional housing. These vehicles began ...
*
Motorhome
A motorhome (or motor coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation.
Features
Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed or conv ...
*
*
List of recreational vehicles
This is a list various types of recreational vehicles (RVs).
Motorhomes
Motorhomes are self-propelled vehicles with expanded living quarters.
Class A motorhome
Constructed on either a truck chassis, a specially designed motor vehicle ch ...
*
Recreational vehicle terms
*
Rest area
A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway servi ...
*
RV park
A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true ...
*
Tiny house movement
The tiny-house movement (also known as the small house movement) is an architectural and social movement that advocates for downsizing living spaces, simplifying, and essentially "living with less."Ford, Jasmine, and Lilia Gomz-Lanier. Family an ...
*
Vardo (Romani wagon)
A vardo (also wag(g)on, living wagon, van, and caravan) is a traditional horse-drawn wagon used by British Romanichal Travellers as their home. A vardo must have four wheels, with two being used for steering. The vehicle is typically highly de ...
*
Vandwelling
Van-dwelling or vanlife is a lifestyle of living in a vehicle full or part-time. The names are compound words that derive from the fact that it is typically done in a van that has been modified with basic amenities, such as house batteries, solar ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recreational Vehicle
Articles containing video clips
Camping
Land vehicles with sleeping facilities
chy:Hóxovéstavestôtse