Rv show, january 14, 2018

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

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January 18 - 21 Spokane County Fair & Expo Center www.spokanervshow.com

Gigantic 30 Annual Show th

30 years of innovation ❖ 30 years of incredible savings

Look for the

HUGE 30 Anniversary RED TAGS th

for even bigger discounts!

Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale is the Show you wait for every year!

LARGEST RV SHOW IN THE NORTHWEST WITH MULTIPLE DEALERS COMPETING FOR YOUR BUSINESS! Hundreds of RVs and exhibitors

Admission is $8 Cash Only Good all Weekend Kids 12 and under free with adult

Thur.

Fri. Sat. Sun.

Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan.

18 19 20 21

-

12 P M 10 A M 10 A M 10 A M

8 PM 8 PM 8 PM 4 PM

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

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The Inland NW RV Show and Sale has always been a high-quality show, with a focus on quality vehicles, products accessories, services and destinations.

Over its 30-year history, the RV Show has grown into one of the largest annual events at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center. It now ďŹ lls all of the buildings, and hundreds more RVs are parked outside. It’s considered one of the largest and most popular shows of its kind in the Western U.S. Here are some interesting highlights over the years: â– 1988 The RV Show debuts, â– 9= MHUZ YLJLP]LK ZWL HUK VUS` Ă„ SSZ VUL I\PSKPUN JPHS MYLL LHYS` IPYK LU[Y` PU 9=Z VU KPZWSH` HYL YLX\PYLK VYKLY [V JVTL IYV^ZL HUK [V OH]L [OLPY HPY JVUKP[PVUPUN [OLU IL PU [PTL MVY :\WLY YLTV]LK [PYLZ KLĂ… H[LK HUK )V^S RPJR VɈ :WVRLZTHU W\ZOLK PU[V ZVTL VM [OL 9L]PL^ 9= JVS\TUPZ[ 8\VUZL[ O\[ I\PSKPUNZ 1\SPHUUL *YHUL ^HZ [OL MLH[\YLK ZWLHRLY â– ;OL WYL]PV\Z 9= :OV^ WYVTV[LY KLJPKLZ â– :OV^ L_WHUKZ PU[V (N [V KPZIHUK [OL ZOV^ HM[LY I\PSKPUN * ;OH[ `LHY HSZV SV^ H[[LUKHUJL ZH^ [OL HYYP]HS VM [OL *HZO â– 7YVTV[LY :[L]L *VK` HUK 1PT *V[[LY H -HPYNYV\UKZ THUHNLY TLL[ ^P[O [OL 9= KLHSLYZ HUK KLJPKL [V YL]P]L [OL 9= :OV^ 4LKPH ZWVUZVYZ HYL IYV\NO[ PU HUK H[[LUKHUJL KV\ISLZ

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RV Show

Hello RVers!

Welcome to the 30th Anniversary of the Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale. This is the Biggest RV Show in the Northwest and we have YOU to thank for it. Thirty years ago just about 1,000 people came to the show. Now, more than 12,000 of you have enjoyed the Show‌ WOW !

So that means there have been 30 years of innovations and 30 years of bringing you incredible RV buys. Here at the Show, you get to compare models, and best of all, you have dealers competing for your business and giving you the best prices possible.

This year’s show is the largest RV Show ever, and again proudly sponsored by The Spokesman-Review. Visitors will have 10 buildings to explore, all packed with RVs and accessories. Make sure you make it through the tunnel to see the entire show. In addition, you will ďŹ nd hundreds of RVs outside.

The INW RV Show and Sale happens just once a year. Over four days, RV dealers show off what’s new in their industry. Best of all, all the dealers have special RV Show pricing you won’t see any other time of year. Look for the 30th Anniversary RED TAGS on RVs for even greater savings!!!

Here at the INW RV Show, we always like to say, “Investing in an RV is really investing in your family.� With an RV you can go anywhere with your family, stay anywhere with your family and make incredible memories that will last a lifetime. Plus gas prices are still low, yet another reason that RV ownership is a smart idea.

From travel trailers to big diesel pushers, the INW RV Show has something for everyone.

Don’t forget to register for the Spokesman-Review’s GIGANTIC GAS GIVEAWAY! They’ll be giving away $100 gas cards every two hours during the show.

You could also win a trip to New Orleans, Las Vegas, San Diego, The Grand Canyon, Palm Springs or an Alaska Cruise from Key 101 and 93.7, the Mountain. Plus, buy an RV and you’ll get 30 seconds in the Jamison Hook Allstate Insurance Cash Machine.

Thank you for a great 30 years. We appreciate you coming to the Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale and your 30 years of support!

Steve Cody and Jim Cotter Show Promoters www.spokanervshow.com

The Inland NW RV Show program is a product of: The Spokesman-Review Kathleen Coleman, Director of Marketing & Business Development Sarah Little, Sales Lead Joe Butler, Editor Harold M. Stein Jr., Graphic Design Contributing Writers/Photographers: Don Adair, Penny Simonson, Dan Webster, Linda Ball, S. Michal Bennett, Renee Sande, Staci Lehman, Jean Arthur

T

he current RV Show journey began in 1992, when Steve Cody, a former radio broadcasting group co-owner, took the show’s reins and set out to take the event to a whole new level in terms of quality and quantity. “I’d never put on a show like this in my life, but I ďŹ gured I could do it,â€? said Cody, who worked for 30 years for Citadel Broadcasting.

He did have a head start; he was friends with many of the local RV dealers as well as many radio, television and newspaper associates. He also found plenty of experience in the form of Jim Cotter, who worked at the fairgrounds and was an invaluable asset. Jim became the Show’s co-promoter in 1996.

Today, 30 years later, more than 13,000 visitors attend the show and check out hundreds of RVs. It’s considered one of the BIG three annual events at the fairgrounds and one of the major RV shows in the Western U.S. The show has experienced rain, snow, sunshine and even blizzards. Guests always stay warm inside, and tunnels also connect the different buildings.

Exhibitors also like being part of the show. There has been a lengthy waiting list for vendors and RV dealers for every show since 1996.

Some visitors love coming and daydreaming about someday taking a trip in an RV, others are ready to make that dream happen by talking to the different dealers.

Q A

: What are the advantages of buying at the INW RV Show and Sale?

For this year’s 30th annual show, Cody said there’s plenty of excitement awaiting visitors.

: This show has six gigantic dealers in it, displaying hundreds of models, brands and styles. Not only is there a huge selection, but it’s easy to directly compare options and prices. You will never get a better price on an RV!

two hours. ■Drawings for a Sunny Destination trip to warmer, exotic places like Hawaii, New Orleans, Las Vegas, an Alaska Cruise, Key West or San Francisco – thank for support, Key 101 and The Mountain. ■The return of the Jamison Hook Allstate Insurance Cash Machine, where you can stand inside the booth and catch as much ying currency as you can in 30 seconds. ■Fun for everyone.

Q A

: Who attends?

: The RV Show draws people from all over the Northwest including Montana, western Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Canada. We see some of the same faces, and new people. Some guests tell us that they wait all year for this show because of the great deals. Vendors also come from all over – some think of it as the ‘13th month’ because January can be slow. This has become one of the major RV shows in the Western U.S. We love seeing everyone!

For some customers, it may take two years to actually decide to buy so they may look around one year and come back next year.

Sometimes current owners want to see what’s new or what they can add to theirs.

It gets crazy – we sometimes

â– Six huge dealers and 40 vendors. â– A gas giveaway sponsored by The Spokesman-Review where visitors can win $100 gas cards every

they can help. Walk around – it takes about 2.5 hours to see everything. It’s great to compare prices. For instance, for the same price of a tent trailer, you can get a regular trailer. You can haul a little car with some models.

Take a look at everything you can have with your RV. You really ďŹ nd so many different styles in every price range, from $5,000 to $300,000.

sell $7 million in RVs and accessories in four days.

Q A

: Who buys RVs these days?

: Everyone! When we started doing this, customers were mostly retired, 65-plus, or maybe hunters. Now, the majority of buyers are young families. The hope is that owners get into their ďŹ rst RV at around age 30, and keep on moving up all their lives. Many people are trading in their old RV for a bigger, better newer model.

Appraisers are on hand to help determine trade in values. We still see many retirees, some who have sold their homes and want to move around the country.

Q A

: Any advice for people considering a purchase?

: Visit all the dealers. Don’t be afraid to tell them what you want and what your RV needs are to make sure

Q A

: Can I get ďŹ nancing at the RV Show?

: Yes! Find your perfect RV then get one of the BEST interest rates in history on your RV.

Q A

: Will factory reps help answer questions and give better prices?

: Yes! They can answer any question you have and Yes! Many of them are offering one-time show pricing, making it appealing to act now.

Q A

: What about gas mileage?

: If the average owner drives their RV 2,000 miles a year, at 15 miles a gallon, that will work out to be about 130 gallons of gas. At $2.30/ gallon, a year’s vacation cost you about $299! WOW! With your RV, you’ll have all the comforts and can go anywhere you want at your own pace. RVs can be considered an investment in your family. : Can you rent an RV and try before you buy?

Q A

: Yes! We have vendors and dealers at the Show that rent RVs. Once you try RVing, you will be hooked for life‌. and want to BUY one!. The top reason is the great RV show prices and selection: dealers are really dealing.

Plus we have so many places you can take an RV in the Inland Northwest. Your RV adventures can start 20 miles down the road.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

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The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

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Long, windy road for RV innovation and styles over the last century

By Don Adair Marketing Correspondent

I

T’S NOW BEEN 101 years since the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company built the ďŹ rst motor home.

The 1910 Pierce-Arrow Touring Landau featured a backseat that folded down into a bed. It included a chamber-pot toilet, a sink that folded down from the back of the chauffeur’s seat and a telephone which the campers used to communicate with the chauffeur.

No word on where the chauffeur bunked.

Those were entrepreneurial times in the nascent personal mobility business and within a few years scores of manufacturers were trying their hands at the new “touring� industry.

A handful of auto-touring strategies emerged in those early years. Several builders followed Pierce-Arrow’s lead by modifying the interiors of existing cars.

Others devised ways to attach tent-and-bed kits to a car’s running board.

The L.F. Schilling Company, a leader in the tent-and-bed movement, promoted its canvas and steel-frame assembly with the suggestion that owners prepare themselves for sleep inside their high-roofed landaus before slipping through the car door and into bed.

The company noted owners might enjoy two-bedroom convenience with a second kit on the opposite running board.

Its marketing efforts bore a remarkable similarity to today’s advertising slogans: “Get All the Joy Out of Life.� “Stop where you want and stay as long as you like,� reads the long-ago newspaper ad for the Auto Camp.

Along the way, serious auto tourers — especially those living in the West, it seems — began using conventional trailers to bring along their camping gear.

From there, it wasn’t a big step to the ďŹ rst folding tent trailer.

The Detroit Trailer Company was founded in 1913 to build auto trailers. Among its early products was the Model A, a trailer that

Popular Mechanics ad for Pop-Up Camper, circa 1910.

of food on gas stoves — held its ďŹ rst rally in Florida.

The Tin Can Tourists had an ofďŹ cial song and a secret handshake and, by the mid-1930s, This motor home popularized the their number RV industry. The 1967 “eyebrowâ€? had swollen Winnebago was one of the ďŹ rst to 150,000. motorized RVs and was the ďŹ rst popular The advent of World War assembly-line-built motor home. It’s a I brought the 19-foot motor home with a six-cylinder Only wealthy people could afford the stylish Pierce-Arrow Ford chassis. Designed to sleep up to six production of luxury “Touring Landau,â€? which had tooled leather upholstery, an people on three double beds and priced goods to a on-board bathroom and a telephone between the chauffeur at about $5,000, it started the rush to temporary and passengers circa 1910. halt. Camping affordable motor home production. could be modiďŹ ed to accept a enhance the RV experience for had caught removable canvas top, a spring the public’s fancy, though, and the everyday buyers. bed and an optional ice box. industry recovered quickly. In 1922 Great examples include the a Denver campground in Denver That effort appears to have space-expanding power slide-out offered 800 campsites, a ninebeen short-lived as Detroit Trailer and central air conditioning, both hole golf course, a hair salon and shifted its focus exclusively to of which debuted on 1990s-era a movie theater. business-class trailers, says RVs from the Newmar Corp. amateur historian Joel Silvey, It was a temporary reprieve, Now, as the industry enters its who documents the evolution though, as ďŹ rst the Depression second century, RVs are more of the tent trailer at www. and then the Second World affordable, comfortable and popupcamperhistory.com.

War slammed the door on the durable — and better equipped — production of consumer goods. than any before them.

Instead, says Silvey, it was During the Depression, travel William Campbell and his Los They’ve traveled a far distance Angeles-based Campbell Folding trailers were as likely to be used from William Campbell ’s original Camping Trailer Company that, in for shelter as for recreational design, notes Joel Silvey, but purpose. During the 1914, won the ďŹ rst patent to build his Combined Camping OutďŹ t a purpose-built pop-up tent trailer. war years, some and Box deserves credit as the His Combined Camping OutďŹ t and trailer companies template on which an industry transitioned Box comprised a trailer-mount was built. to wartime box-spring bed, with storage manufacturing beneath, and a large, adjoining and built units tent room. that served as “This design would become mobile hospitals, quite popular in the 1950s and prisoner early 1960s, dominating nearly the entire camping trailer market,â€? transports and even morgues.

Silvey writes on his website.

The industry What could be better than a 1970s motor home decked out in Shortly, a bevy of better-funded emerged from avocado and harvest gold ďŹ nery. These vehicles were all the competitors — “economic the war years opportunists,â€? Silvey calls them things people love or hate about the tastes and palette of stronger than — muscled Campbell aside with the ‘70s tied up into one neat package on wheels. ever. The baby claims of having been ďŹ rst. boom, a strong “It was a bit of a power play,â€? he post-War economy and the new says; “the little guy was getting a interstate highway system spurred bit of the shaft from the industry.â€? demand for travel trailers.

By 1916, no fewer than seven Self-contained motor homes of Campbell’s competitors were rolled onto the scene in the ‘50s, producing tent trailers, with names but early models were nothing like the Shattuck Trailer, the more than limited-production Prairie Schooner and the Komfort novelties. One 65-footer weighed Kamping Trailer.

18 tons and had 10 wheels, two On a parallel track, the nascent bathrooms and a swimming RV business got a big boost pool with diving board. Buyers in 1913, when a group of notecoughed up $75,000.

The avocado green and harvest gold worthies — they included Thomas The ďŹ rst pop-up pickup camper upholstery would seem questionable Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey appeared in 1958 and full-scale to our eyes. These colors and wood Firestone and the naturalist John production began in 1963. paneling was “inâ€? during the ‘70s.

Burroughs — began holding In 1967, Winnebago launched annual car camping trips. The selfthe ďŹ rst mass-production motor proclaimed Vagabonds slept in home, with ďŹ ve models ranging tents and meals were cooked in a from 16to 27-feet long and customized Lincoln truck. priced from $5,000.

The tradition, which helped Over the next decade or two, popularize the use of the manufacturers labored to outdo automobile for overland travel, each other with headline-grabbing lasted until 1924. features like saunas, hot tubs and Others followed their lead. In entertainment centers.

1919, a group of campers calling Finally, though, they’ve shifted themselves the Tin Can Tourists their attention to building quality — for their practice of heated cans products with features that

Enter to WIN a

Sunny Destination Vacation The Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale, Key 101 and The Mountain want to send one lucky show guest somewhere cool – or maybe hot – this year!

The winner of the Sunny Destination Vacation trip will get their choice of six lovely travel spots around the U.S., including round-trip airfare, lodging and some other surprises.

7VM _QVVMZ _QTT JM ZIVLWUTa LZI_V NZWU ITT MV\ZQM[ ZMKMQ^ML IVL _QTT JM IJTM \W KPWW[M NZWU"

ÂŒ LIa )TI[SI KZ]Q[M ]X \PM QV[QLM 8I[[IOM ÂŒ LIa VQOP\ \ZQX \W 6M_ 7ZTMIV[ ÂŒ LIa VQOP\ \ZQX \W 8ITU ;XZQVO[ ÂŒ LIa VQOP\ \ZQX \W 4I[ >MOI[ _Q\P [PW_[ QVKT]LML ÂŒ LIa VQOP\ \ZQX \W ;IV ,QMOW ¡ WV \PM JMIKP ÂŒ LIa VQOP\ \ZQX \W \PM /ZIVL +IVaWV _PQKP QVKT]LM[ PW\MT QV .TIO[\INN \ZIQV \W \PM /ZIVL +IVaWV IVL I LIa QV 8PWMVQ` To enter the SUNNY DESTINATION VACATION drawing, pick up a KEY101/The Mountain contest card at the Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale. Text the word “RVSHOWâ€? to the number on the card by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, which enters you into the drawing. The drawing takes place no later than Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.

No purchase is necessary and you don’t need to be present to win. The Prize has no cash value/no prize transfers.

For more information or any questions, visit the Sunny Destination Vacation booth at the RV Show and Sale or talk to an RV show staff member.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

5

RV Show creates great memories for employees

By Renée Sande Marketing Correspondent

way. It is heads down and hours of nonstop cashiering,” says Mills.

She said the real crowds start on T WAS 1991 and the Inland Friday so if you can get there on Northwest RV Show needed a Thursday, your entry fee of $8 is good reboot. Only few thousand people were all weekend long. (Doors open at noon coming through the gates.

Thursday).

When the original organizer decided Chris Cody, Steve’s son, has been to call it quits, Steve Cody and Jim helping out with the show since 1992 Cotter saw an opportunity to put some when he was 12 years old. He said the air in the event’s tires, so to speak. crowds have increased every year, and They took the show over, signed new one of the biggest draws since 2006 has sponsors, and doubled the numbers being the cash machine. of RVs on display, and also doubled “In years past, the sales were attendance. consistent and I’d be at the cash By 1996, the show had grown so big machine for a sale here and a sale that Cody had to create a waiting list of there but now the show has grown to a dealers and other vendors, something point that I don’t really leave the cash that he still maintains today. machine for 45 minutes to an hour at Cotter said everyone has been excited a time—there are just so many deals about the show’s success. being made.”

“The show is more than six times RV buyers at the show are given 30 bigger than when it started,” said seconds in the cash booth—with $1 to Cotter. “There’s our core group of $50 bills flying around. Grab as many dealers that have been there for a long handfuls as you can and pass it out the time, and vendors…we just make slot to a person waiting on the outside. sure they get donuts and coffee every No worries if you come solo; dealer morning and that everyone gets off on personnel have often been known to the right foot and we just have fun.” stand in as teammates.

Last year, over 12,000 attendees The dealer who sold the RV then cuts walked the fairgrounds in search of a check for the amount collected and their next big toy. sends to the buyer after the show. Chris “It’s fun to visit with the folks says he’s seen anywhere from $17 to coming through; they all have stories to $297 collected. share, everybody has something funny “It’s fun for me because everyone’s to say, and everyone thinks they’re excited about buying a new trailer and original by saying they’re 12 years then I get to throw some money at old,” laughs Lyla Mills, who has been a them.” cashier at the show for 21 years.

Over the years, the size of RVs has She likes to talk to everyone who grown, as well. comes in, but said the admission lines “Historically, RVs have grown larger can get pretty big at peak times. and larger and larger,” says Chris. “It’s “If I had to go to the police station pretty amazing to watch these guys and identify someone who came put all the RVs in. [The dealers] have through the line, there would be no learned how to use the space well—

I

they’re literally separated by inches,” says Chris.

Steve recalls when they took over the show in 1992, they had to flatten tires and take off AC roof units to get them into the buildings which didn’t The 2005 RV Show staff includes , from left, Sarah Cotter, have enough Gary Cotter, Steve Cody, Jimmy Cotter, Jim Cotter, Chris Cody. clearance. for $149/mo. When you look at that “In 1992, the Fairgrounds buildings payment, it’s pretty affordable to take were small.... it was the Main your family camping.”

Fairgrounds building and three New technology also allows us Quonset huts. And now the RVs have to connect from almost anywhere, just gotten bigger,” he said. traveling around the country for weeks Vehicles have also become lighter and at a time makes it a much less daunting more efficient, as well. prospect.

“There has been a huge change Wayd Foster, Sales Manager at in kitchens, including full-size Liberty Lake R n’R RV, says no matter refrigerators, professional ranges and the age, what doesn’t get old is the some even have fireplaces,” Cody said. happiness they get to be a part of.

There are more slideouts in RV’s...

“It’s what I love about the business. even in travel trailers and campers. But Nobody needs them so whether it’s they’re lighter than before. Many can their first one of they’re moving up, it’s be pulled with an SUV.” a happy occasion.”

These features make them even more R n’R RVs has come to regard the appealing to a different demographic show as a jump start to its year and than traditional purchasers. More than expects to sell between 60 and 70 RVs half of RV buyers are now under the at the show. age 45, according to the RV Industry “It’s a nice break during those slow Association of America. winter months,” Foster said. “It’s a huge “I’ve seen it go from retired people shot in the arm for the dealers and only to the young families that have really starts our year as a lot of business children, like myself,” says Chris. later on happens as a result of people “Another reason for the younger seeing us at the show. And it’s just a demographics is that you can get into lot of fun. Steve and Debbie are great 15-year financing with a travel trailer folks; I look forward to it every year.”

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The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

6

Get your motor running, & head out on the highway and the desire to fulfill a dream or pursue a call to adventure. Safety, serviceability and comfort top the list for that market, but camping accessories that add personal touches are just as important, as they make the space their own.

“We have seen a greater variety of products our vendors offer at the shows” Cody says, taking heed of the number of women who are buying and personalizing their own recreational vehicles. “I overheard one woman say she’d rather have a trailer than a big old ring on her finger.”

Perhaps the couple in the movie should have planned a little better before heading out on the highway. Born to be wild, if only for a little while - traveling in their recreational vehicle allowed them to break free of whatever confines the working world was holding them to at the time.

Because America has, and will continue, that love for camping and for traveling and that feeling of being free - keeping the persistent dream of RV ownership alive, something that bridges generations.

Sales trends show that RVs are popular with all ages, especially the 18-30 age group.

By Penny Simonson Marketing Correspondent

T

HERE IS THIS MOVIE, “Lost in America,” from 1985, where a husband and wife in their 30s decide to quit their jobs, buy a motor home, and live as free spirits, cruising America.

After losing their nest egg at their first stop, Las Vegas, they find themselves tapped out and driving aimlessly down the interstate.

The husband sees an exit sign and says, “My foot’s asleep, let’s live here.”

Played for laughs, of course, but that generation - the Baby Boomers - have long dreamed of dropping out and turning on to an adventurous lifestyle. And certainly now, as they represent a massive retiring workforce that can freestyle a little, it is one reason they continue to lead the market in buying and using RVs. However, other demographic groups are also not far behind Baby Boomers in appreciating the freedom that a motor home or camper can offer, including their Gen X kids and millennial grandkids.

In some cases, younger purchasers are buying RVs to play in but still sticking to their day jobs.

According to a recent University of Michigan study commissioned by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, ownership is increasing in many age groups.

“Although a leading force behind RV ownership’s upswing is the enormous Baby Boomer generation, more RVs are now owned by those ages 35-to-54 than any other group. More than 11 percent of U.S. households headed by 35-to-54 year olds own an RV, exceeding the 9.3 percent ownership rates of those 55 and over.”

Steve Cody, owner of Del Creek Productions, the Colbert-based company that puts on the annual Inland Northwest RV Show, has seen similar interest locally, and adds another interesting statistic.

“There is no question the numbers are strong in both of those age groups, but there has been huge advance in the 18- to 30year old demographics as well. It will be the millennials that will fuel the industry in years to come.”

Owing to the advancements in technology - and the ease with which the modern generations harness and employ it, the opportunity for traveling and enjoying the outdoors while still being tethered electronically is possible, even offering owners the ability to earn a paycheck from anywhere.

A report from KOA, which offers campgrounds found near freeway exits across America.

Regardless of the buyer, the right vehicle can easily be found - plus plenty of options to suit everyone’s liking, whether it is family vacations, travel dreams or retirement plans.

Large or small, the right rig with the right number of beds and the perfect floor plan is available.

Plus low gas prices, along with favorable interest rates, are enabling more Americans to have a financially accessible way to afford more outdoor activities.

“Buy what you can now, with plans to grow into what you’ll need later,” advises Lewis Agajanian of R n’ R RV. “As your needs change, you’ll discover what features, or size increase, you’ll want in the next one.”

Cody agrees, saying, “We call it investing in family.”

Industry watchers also report that towable trailers are gaining in popularity among younger RV enthusiasts, as they don’t require owning a super-sized, gas-guzzling tow vehicle or a large parking space for storage.

Small teardrops with rear kitchens have become popular for tailgating or weekend camping. There is a countless selection of vintage-inspired trailers and RVs prevalent in the market, easy to tow campers with a throwback vibe, combining fun aesthetics with sensible practicalities and modern options.

Cody says this “retro glam” look is being sought after by a sometimes overlooked market - women RV owners. “Only a few years ago, a single woman purchasing and traveling in a motorhome or pulling a trailer on her own might have been rare, yet today female solo RVers are quite common.”

And for a host of reasons: retirement, widowhood or divorce, with emptied nests

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ONE OF THE favorite parts of the Inland Northwest RV Show is the Jamison Hook Allstate Cash Machine.

Anyone who buys any size or type of RV at the annual show gets 30 seconds in the machine.

That’s 30 seconds of standing in the middle of a pile of whirling bills of different denominations, with the goal of grabbing as much as you can in your limited amount of time.

Whatever you grab you can keep, which makes it a nice treat.

Show owner Steve Cody said the Jamison Hook Allstate Cash Machine is fun and a nice treat. People who have made impressive

purchases of the biggest RVs around track him down to make sure they get their time in the machine.

It’s also a good time to watch and cheer for people taking their turn in the machine.

Cody will make announcements throughout all three days of the show that someone will be entering the cash machine shortly, and any interested spectators can move to that area.

Since so many RVs are sold during the RV Show, there will likely be many opportunities for visitors to watch the fun and see how much cash people can emerge with.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

7

RV seekers can find plenty of variety

By Dan Webster Marketing Correspondent

Y

OU SEE RECREATIONAL vehicles everywhere you look. They come in every shape and size, from tiny compartments attached to or towed behind trucks to humongous, selfpropelled vehicles that resemble a Greyhound bus.

RVs aren’t just part of an industry. To those who swear by them, they’re an actual lifestyle.

“I just can’t imagine a different way of life I’d prefer,” a writer in the RV-themed Wand’rly magazine declares, “and so I prefer to not imagine and just live it instead.”

What, then, does RV life entail? It’s limited mostly by your imagination – and, of course, your finances.

Let’s begin to answer that question by dealing with prices – though with a caveat: RV prices vary from state to state, dealer to dealer; the smart consumer does due research before completing any deal.

Basically, motor home RVs come in three basic categories: Class A, B and C. Class A RVs are the big ones, about the size of a bus, and can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $800,000 (or more), depending on what features you order. (All estimated prices listed here are for new, not pre-owned, vehicles.)

Class B, more like camper-vans, run from $40,000 to $125,000.

Class C, or mini-motor homes, range in price between $50,000 and $140,000.

Then there are RVs that are towed or consist of a camper shell atop a pickup. The kind of towed travel trailers known as fifth wheels range from 23 to 40 feet

Part of the appeal of the RV market is that there is such a range of sizes and styles. in length and can cost anywhere from $26,000 to $100,000.

Camping trailers are generally smaller, anywhere from 12 to 22 feet, and some models boast popup features that expand space when parked (prices generally range between $8,000-$23,000 – a little less for pop-ups).

in your front door, sitting in your favorite easy chair, flipping a switch and driving away.

And depending on how much you’re willing to spend, motor homes can offer as many additions as you can imagine.

I’ve attended tailgating parties at football games in RVs that Depending on the size and make have everything from multiple sliders (side sections that, of the shell and the truck it is when expanded, provide more attached to, campers with shells interior space) to full audio-video on a pickup bed could cost as entertainment systems (including little as $3,000 and as much as wireless capacity) to built-in $50,000 or more. barbecue compartments.

What are the advantages of Other than the fact that you each? The benefits offered by need a vehicle powerful enough to motor homes are obvious. Besides their size and comfort, they are all- tow them, 5th wheels offer many similar options. Driving them may in-one packages. It’s like walking

be a bit more of a challenge. But I have a friend who owns a topof-the-line model travel trailer and has towed it all around the West, from national parks in Wyoming and Utah to various locations up and down the coast.

His wife regularly posts pictures on Facebook of them hiking, camping and – maybe most of all – enjoying cold drinks as, at the end of the day, they watch the sun set. It’s hard not to feel a bit jealous.

Smaller motor homes, campervans and truck campers, though clearly requiring more limitations on space, don’t necessarily mean that owners need to scrimp on quality options. Some top-of-the line options offer sliders and full bathrooms, not to mention queensize beds and full kitchens.

Again, in terms of RVs, whatever you imagine can be had for a price. The nice part is that even budget travelers can find a way to enjoy life on the road.

Just blend your imagination with financial sense and that road is yours.

Jo and Alan McDonald’s Tailgating Headquarters

By Staci Lehman Marketing Correspondent

“A

LAN ALWAYS says you can’t hit a moving target,” said Jo McDonald of her husband’s preference for life on the move. The ironic thing is that the Alan and Jo’s home on the road actually looks a lot like a target. The 18-foot retro-look trailer is painted bright red and white and has rounded corners, red wheels and whitewall tires.

A color scheme that was no spur-of-the moment decision.

“I wanted something that made a statement,” said Jo. She also wanted something that would be perfect for tailgating at the games of both her and Alan’s alma mater, Eastern Washington University. A couple of EWU stickers, flags, lights, windsocks and fire pits, and the little trailer becomes EWU tailgating headquarters for the McDonalds plus a group of almost 20 friends.

The trailer also attracts other curious tailgaters.

“Everyone wants to see inside it,” said Jo. Which is also the case when they travel to other places as well. The trailer’s vintage look often fools people though.

“Last week we were in Sacramento talking to a guy we met and he said ‘I bet that’s a 1956,’” said Alan.

He was about five decades off. The McDonald’s bought their 2018 trailer from Blue

Alan and Jo McDonald with Mica Dog RV not too long ago and have already pulled it thousands of miles around the country. Both having retired from education, Alan as an administrator and Jo as a counselor in Mount Vernon, they have time to travel.

Although they have a different agenda than many RVers. The McDonalds now live at Newman Lake and feel there aren’t a lot of places more pretty. So instead of searching out idyllic natural areas to camp, they use their trailer to see urban sights.

“We don’t go to state parks or to look at beautiful scenery… We’ve got all this here,” Jo said, gesturing to the lake outside her window.

“We go to see the cities.”

In fact, when interviewed, their trailer was in Sacramento, California, while the McDonalds were back

home in Newman Lake.

They towed it to California, spent a couple weeks enjoying warm weather with friends, then drove home to spend the holidays with family. Later this winter they will drive back down to pick up their trailer and resume their travels.

“We’re not snow birds, we’re yo-yos,” said Jo. “We’re gone, then we come back, we’re gone, then we come back,” added Alan.

A pattern that’s not new to either of them.

“We have RVed in some way or form all our life,” said Alan. When their kids were young, they traveled around the country one summer for six weeks in one of the small “Dolphin” minihomes made by Toyota.

“We just seemed to always have something to get away in,” said Alan. “We’ve had everything from 30-foot class A RVs to campers and trailers. So we’ve tried it all.”

What they say fits their lifestyle right now is a smaller trailer.

“We can be ready to go in 15 minutes,” said Jo. They also say that the trailer has everything they were looking for: a bed you can walk around, a bathroom and a kitchen; a necessity because Jo loves to cook.

And they’re definitely getting their use out of it.

“I’d say we’re in it 120 days out of the year,” said

Alan of the trailer.

“We’ve already stayed in it a month straight,” added Jo. Despite the tight quarters, the McDonalds say it hasn’t impacted their 47-yearmarriage negatively.

“We’ve learned to live in small places,” said Jo, describing their trailer as a “two-person trailer”. Well, two people and a dog.

The McDonald’s rescue Labradoodle, Mica, loves the trailer as much as they do.

“We open the door

and she jumps right in,” said Jo. Apparently she loves traveling as much as her owners. Possibly for different reasons though.

“I think the best thing about RVing is we’ve met so many fun, interesting people,” said Alan. “I think it’s the friendships you develop.”

Photos courtesy of McDonald family

8

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

Hot products RVers need The RV life: is it Every seasoned RVer relies on a for you? Couples carefully chosen assortment of accessories. Some are can enjoy travel, after-market meant to make the road life more comfortable, some make it safer and togetherness some make it more productive.

By Linda Ball Marketing Correspondent

T

HE RV LIFESTYLE means different things to different people, including two couples who been able to balance the fun of RVs with the togetherness that’s often required.

Walt and Lili Mae Myers Brandon, Ryder and Natalie Bligh. are on their sixth RV. Photos courtesy of the Bligh family Now retired, they have owned Then there are owners like some sort of recreational vehicle Brandon and Natalie Bligh, who since 1973, starting out traveling are in the early years of their life casually. Today, RVing has together. With an adorable 3-yearbecome their life, aboard their old son, Ryder, they lived in their Holiday Rambler Scepter, which 32-foot Rockwood Windjammer they bought seven years ago.

by Forest River for about It has all the comforts of a three years, while Brandon’s stationary home, including four work took him on the road. slide-outs. Even though it’s large Though they’re now settled in

by RV standards, Walt said it’s a home in Hayden, Idaho, the really only big enough for two RV is still parked in front, and people living in it full-time.

Ryder still calls the rig “home” They have been full-time when he sees it out the window.

RV dwellers since they retired Brandon said the RV was from farming in August 2016. comfortable enough when Natalie They enjoy the outdoors was expecting, , but when Ryder and meeting new people. came along and became mobile, Before taking the plunge “it got tighter.” Plus they also have into full-time RV life, they a dog, Moose, to add to the mix. lived on a 2,800-acre farm The Blighs started living on near Havre, Mont., about 100 the road by renting apartments. miles north of Great Falls.

Then they purchased their RV While they roam the country, in May 2014 in North Dakota their son now farms the land, where Brandon was working. and their grandson takes From there, they moved on to care of the house. The farm Anaheim, Calif., where they lived remains home base. in a RV park where they were Like so many retirees who able to hook up to public utilities. travel in an RV, they have become Only 3 miles from Disneyland, snowbirds and are currently they were able to experience based in the Phoenix area. the nightly fireworks from the They’ve been park, and take Photos courtesy of the Bligh family there since midtheir young son October and will to Disneyland stay until the regularly. middle of April.

After eight They traveled months, they the Alaska were off to Highway in Montana for 2000, visiting four months, Valdez, Seward, then back to Anchorage, Porterville, Calif., Fairbanks, where for another they played eight months. golf. The couple The perk even camped there was the on the Homer close proximity Spit and went to the Sequoia fishing. They’ve National Forest yet to cross the where they could Mississippi, but hike and enjoy that could happen the scenery on in the future. weekends.

Max watches the road Their Holiday It was on this Rambler trip where they blew a tire in the Scepter runs on diesel. Walt middle of Nevada, 100 miles said they can go a week without from any town. Fortunately dumping grey water or waste, they had a spare, but Brandon but where they are now, they said it was “interesting.” can hook up to public utilities.

Another challenge, Brandon The RV has a 110-gallon water said, was finding a place to tank that will last a couple of stay with the RV. In California weeks Walt said. Likewise, right especially, the rent for a space now they’re hooked up to local could be quite expensive. power, but with an 8,000-watt They were paying $795 plus generator, they can go a long way. utilities to live in Anaheim.

Both Walt and Lili Mae are The Blighs still have their 85 years old, and said they are RV as Brandon nears the end too old to water ski or boat, of a six-month probationary so their RV is a great outlet period in what looks to be a for their sense of adventure. permanent position. But just in “Hell, I gave the boat to case, they’re hanging onto the the kids,” Walt said. “It’s Windjammer in the event they just a lazy life right now.” may decide to hit the road again.

By Don Adair Marketing Correspondent

Extend-A-Line Clothes Dryer Unless you’re tooling around in a Class A motor home outfitted with a washer and dryer, this device is a musthave. Attach the Extend-ALine to your rig’s ladder and in moments your damp clothes are out on the “line” drying in the fresh air. Each of the Extend-a-Line’s six arms can handle up to 10 pounds of towels, swimsuits and clothes on hangers. Its plastic body and chrome-plated arms are rust-resistant and a wall-mounted bracket is included for use at home or for RVs without ladders.

Outdoor Reversible Patio/RV Mat Fashioned of colorful woven polypropylene, this reversible patio/RV mat from Kotulas withstands rain, sun and heavy foot traffic. It folds and packs easily and can double as a picnic blanket — or for claiming your spot at a concert.

Secure it to the ground with corner tie-downs and tent stakes and, when it gets dirty, turn the hose on it.

Composting Toilet Go easy on the planet and eliminate your need for holding tanks and pump-outs with a composting toilet. This unit from Nature’s Head cleverly separates fluid and solid wastes for odor-free operation and easy disposal. A terrific solution for boondockers.

Rapid-charging Mini Solar Device Charger Today’s road warrior is likely to carry at least one device that needs regular charging — and often more than one. A portable solar charger is a nifty solution, but what happens when the sun refuses to shine or you’re parked in a shady campsite?

The Solio Xcellerator solar panel is designed to deliver a rapid charge to its battery pack even in low light conditions.

Folding Bicycle There’s no beating a bike for getting some exercise or running a short errand. Because for most travelers space is limited, a folding bike like this model from Dahon can be a perfect solution.

Micro Blender There isn’t an RVer on the planet who isn’t always trying to make the most of small spaces. Which makes a single-serve micro-blender a powerful addition to any space-challenged galley. Whip up a quick sauce, a smoothie or an adult beverage.

Terminix AllClear Mosquito Mister Lantern Drive away mosquitos with Terminix’s AllClear Mosquito Mister Lantern with Naturals.

Terminix claims the Mister Lantern repels more than 95 percent of biting mosquitos from areas of up to 300 square feet.

It operates for up to 10 hours on four AA batteries and its all-natural lemongrass formula is safe for pets and kids.

Trailer Tray This tongue-mounted tray from Stromberg Carlson is the industry’s first-ever trailer-tongue cargo system. It supports up to 300 pounds and adjusts to fit most “A” frame trailers.

Recovery Strap You could spend the rest of your life never needing a good recovery strap.

But when you do — boy, do you ever. The next time you’re stuck on a muddy road, waiting for a tow and a hefty bill, you’ll wish you had a Bulldog heavyduty recovery strap.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

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The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

Why some RV owners prefer ‘boondocking’ to more remote destinations

By Don Adair Marketing Correspondent

W

ILL YOU BE TUCKED away, alongside a whispering creek in a wooded state park? Laughing children wheel by on bikes. The aroma of burgers hangs in the air.

Maybe you see yourself poolside at an RV resort, cocktail in one hand, tablet at the ready. Using the park’s free WiFi connection, you touch base with the office and check the markets. Later, you’ll drive into town to meet friends for dinner.

Or maybe a more primitive scene tickles your fancy. You’re out on public land. No electrical hookups, hot showers or cell coverage.

You’re on your own; not another soul in sight.

Or you’re hanging with friends, dirt bikes and quads in tow, amped for a rowdy weekend in the dirt.

Take your pick. There’s an RV for every dream.

But no matter which scenario turns your crank, you almost certainly will one day face the big question. With apologies to the Bard: To boondock or not to boondock. That is the question.

Also known as dry-camping, boondocking is RV jargon for going off-grid. Boondocking RVers forsake the campground’s power outlets, heated showers and pump-out stations for other, more solitary pleasures.

They’re ready and willing to live by their own wits and resources.

For most travelers, boondocking is not an either/or proposition. It’s the rare RVer who hasn’t bedded down in a Walmart parking lot or found a wide spot by the side of the road for the night.

As long as the propane holds out and the holding tanks have capacity, even the most parkbound RVer can manage a night or two on their own.

Often, the boondocker is “the person with the toy-hauler or the

fifth-wheel,” who’s taking the dirt bikes or the quads out to play, says Jerry Wagner, general manager at R n’ R RV Center in Liberty Lake.

The extra fuel they carry to power their toys can also be used to power a generator.

Their rigs’ high-capacity holding tanks can keep them in fresh water for days and handle several days’ worth of waste.

At Airstream of Spokane, coowner Nick Dietz says even the venerable builder of upscale trailers sees opportunity in the dry-camping market. Airstream’s new 16-foot Basecamp trailer can be outfitted with solar panels, double batteries and oversized propane tanks.

That doesn’t solve the wastewater issue, but there are work-arounds, says Leo Vera, a Hayden, Idaho, resident who regularly dry-camps in his new Basecamp.

Vera runs a startup that sets up and operates electric-bike networks for the use of employees of large firms located in congested areas. The company is active in the Bay Area south of San Francisco and Vera often finds a spot to camp alongside a reservoir or off a quiet two-lane road.

“I have an extra battery and solar panels and can stay out up to a week at a time,” Vera said. However, he added, “Waste water is the limitation.”

Because free pump stations are at a premium in the area, he often pays to use a private pump-out facility.

More often than not, boondockers camp on public lands managed by the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, where “dispersed camping” rules are in force. Campers are allowed to stay up to a set number of days before being required to move on.

The Bureau of Land Management manages Long Term Visitor Areas where boondockers may pay a nominal fee for stays of up to six months. These areas generally offer such basic services such as dump and trash.

Campers are expected to be self-contained to set up camp no further than 150 feet from the nearest roadway and no closer than 100 feet from a water source.

To preserve the land in its natural state, campers are encouraged to use existing campsites and fire rings.

Veteran boondockers recommend inquiring with the Forest Service or BLM to determine the availability of dispersed camping sites. Google Earth can provide a helpful upclose preview of the area.

Because campsites are not groomed or leveled, dry campers should carry leveling blocks.

To avoid the need to run a generator, many equip their rigs with solar systems and carry portable propane heaters, install LED lighting and cover windows with reflective insulation.

Serious boondockers install battery monitoring systems, insulate their water heaters and develop elaborate strategies for conserving water and energy.

Dry camping requires extra effort and preparation, but boondockers agree the payoff justifies every bit of it.

Exploring Oregon’s North Coast by RV

By Jean Arthur Marketing Correspondent

W

HALES. BIRDS, Lighthouses.

Waves. The Oregon coast’s 363-mile shoreline froths with wild places for RV-ing beachcombers.

When I was a child, my family owned a small travel trailer, a 1960s edition Forester. They rented a slip in the beach town, Twin Rocks, just south of Rockaway. Lots of childhood memories were created on the 7-mile-long Rockaway beach.

My husband and I revisit Rockaway—in significantly better digs—each summer and find that the Oregon coast had changed little.

The north coast, from Astoria and the Columbia River’s split of Washington and Oregon, to Seaside, Cannon Beach, Rockaway and Tillamook, offers rugged cliffs, mileslong sandy beaches and eateries.

Rockaway’s charm always tries to seduce us to stay. RVers can find four campgrounds edging town from the Jetty Fishery Marina & RV Park to the Shorewood RV Park, Kelly’s Brighton Marina and even the rustic Barview Jetty County Campground. The seven miles of sandy beach lure us to explore tide pools, jetties, eateries and lighthouses.

Oregon has 17 coastal state parks with RV campgrounds.

After morning jogs on the beach, we explore Rockaway, a community of about 1,400 yearround residents. We lunch al fresco at the Sand and sample ice cream at Schwietert’s Cones and Candy before heading back to the beach.

The kids fly kites, purchased in Cannon Beach’s kite shop. Sometimes the wind is too strong, so we tuck ourselves between of hillocks of beach grass and soak in the sun.

We meet up with extended family, some staying at hotels and condos in Rockaway, and enjoy splashing in the creek that runs through town. We visit the Rockaway Beach Chamber of Commerce where a train idles.

From late Photos courtesy of Jean Arther May through the end of September, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad departs the depot at Rockaway Beach Wayside and Pirate Ship Playground hourly, choo-chooing southward for 20 minutes, then a break, then turning A popular destination for RVers is the Oregon coast. around.

“Fish fry tonight,” the tired The 1910 Heisler Steam Locomotive fishermen declare as they take pulls open-air cars between Rockaway afternoon naps on the beach. and Garibaldi at about 10 miles per One of the great pleasures of the hour, tooting its horn while people Oregon coast is a beach bonfire that on the beach or in cabins wave. includes fresh seafood and s’mores. We As the train passes Tillamook buy firewood and plunk lawn chairs Bay, we see bald eagles, great blue until the embers no longer glow, then herons and cormorants. During douse the last of the smoking logs. the break, there are playground Another tradition is whale watching. adventures, snacks and ice cream.

While this trip didn’t include any The Oregon coast holds many gray whale sightings, we look every surprises. In Rockaway is The Cedar morning. There are several good Old Growth Nature Preserve, a whale-watching spots like Neahkahnie 45-acre wetland with one of the Mountain between Rockaway and biggest western red cedar trees Cannon Beach at mile marker 40.5. in the region. A 0.4-mile trail on Another spot south of Rockaway is boardwalks and log slabs explores the at Cape Meares State Park. Here, the primeval swamp among coastal Sitka Three Capes Scenic route provides spruce, salmonberries and salal. a 200-foot headland above the Another hiking area, Oswald ocean for views of Cape Lookout, West State Park, 21 miles north of Cape Kiwanda and Cape Meares, Rockaway Beach, features a 2,474which hosts the largest colony of acre rain forest, Cape Falcon and nesting common murres. There’s a Neahkahnie Mountain. Surfers hike short hike to a bluff overlooking the the Short Sands Trail to Smuggler Cove, one of my teenage hangouts and Pacific that offers another whalewatching point, and where visitors now where my son catches waves. see and hear seals and sea lions.

One early morning, my husband Birding is a given on the Oregon and cousin join Garibaldi Charters coast.

Astoria Twilight Creek Eagle for deep-sea fishing, departing Sanctuary, 2.5 miles east of Astoria, from Garibaldi, 7.5 miles south of is a tidal wetland sanctuary of oldRockaway. They drop crab pots in growth forest where bald eagles Tillamook Bay then head out further hunt.

The Corps of Discovery noted to catch black rockfish and lingcod.

the wildlife in expedition journals.

In Gearhart at the Necanicum Estuary, we see great blue herons, great egrets and osprey. On Cannon Beach’s Haystack Rock, hundreds of birds mate, nest, fish and perch.

On other Oregon coast trips, we’ve discovered history at the Fort Clatsup National Memorial where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent a damp winter in 1805-06.

A reproduction of the original fort offers educational information.

After all that exploring, our group spends an afternoon in Cannon Beach.

RVs find parking just off of downtown or at the Tolovana Park wayside, where we park and beach walk to Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, Cannon Beach Book Company, arts galleries, jewelry stores and boutique shops. The guys head into Brews and Screws, which just might be the most popular hardware store: screws up front, brews in back.

We meet up at Pelican Brewing Company for dinner and live theater at the Coaster Theater Playhouse.

Oregon’s north coast has many activities from the Garibaldi Museum of Maritime History to the Rockaway Beach International Police Museum.

Up and down the coast, we find lots of places to sample goodies from the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the Blue Heron French Cheese Company, and several wineries and brewpubs.

We enjoyed exploring the area around Cape Disappointment and North head in Ilwaco, Wash., that includes a Historic Landmark Lighthouse. Nine Historic Landmark Lighthouses dot the Oregon Coast from Tillamook Rock to Cape Meares Light House and further south, Yaquina Head, Yaquina Bay and Heceta Head and others.

We find so many adventures on the Oregon coast that we return annually for more fun.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Explore Rockaway Beach rockawaybeach.net/places-tostay/camping-rv-parks/ Oregon has 17 coastal state parks with RV campgrounds oregonstateparks. org/index.cfm?do=visit.dsp_find

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

11

Why you should consider renting an RV

By S. Michal Bennett Marketing Correspondent

T

HERE ARE MORE recreational vehicles on the roads and in parks and campgrounds this year than any time in the last 40 years.

RV sales increased 15 percent in 2016, and, although the numbers aren’t in quite yet for 2017, they are expected to continue to grow.

One of the most significant things about the increased popularity of RVs is that younger people are more interested than in the past. The average age of RV buyers in 2016 was 35-54 – definitely not retirement age!

The perception of RVs has also shifted from a Golden Years accessory to an affordable vehicle that anyone can use to get out there that contains all the conveniences of home and often the latest technology.

However, buying an RV can still be a financial investment, especially if you’ve just graduated, are buried in student loans, or you’re a young couple with or without kids.

So while ownership grows, another group is also on the rise: renters.

According to a 2016 survey done by the Recreation Vehicle Rental Association, the rise of the rental market is rivaling the buying market. Renting offers convenience, affordability, flexibility, and short-term commitment, and it’s still cheaper than airfare and hotel booking.

Why Rent?

First, you get the space, amenities, access, and privacy of a hotel suite for a price that is comparable to any hotel. A decent-sized RV rental can start around $150 a day, which often includes kitchen stuff, toilet paper, linens, and more. Just the fact

that you have your own bathroom and kitchen can be considerable appeal who aren’t totally fans of roughing it in the woods.

You get to decide when and what you eat, and you don’t have to worry about strangers on the other side of the wall like in a hotel. You can brew good coffee that doesn’t cost you $6 a cup. You can put your clothes in the closet, your books on the shelf, and your climbing gear inside the bench, and don’t have to unpack and repack a suitcase for your entire vacation.

You don’t even have to bring a suitcase, if you don’t want to, or worry about the cleaning staff pawing through your stuff. You can play indoor music as loudly as you want, except maybe at a busy campground. And, if you are feeling adventurous, the woods, mountains, or ocean – or all three – can be right outside your door every morning.

RVs also make travel more enjoyable and road trips far less cramped. If you have kids, an RV provides space and comfort to keep them occupied, fed, emptied, and possibly safe and at peace for longer stretches of time. Fewer changes in your core travel environment also mean fewer grumpy moments and more room for flexibility in schedule and experiences. You’ll also meet new and interesting people, because the RV world isn’t just for retirees anymore.

Finally, renting a camper is a short-term commitment, kind of like visiting distant family. They are fun to be with and you love having them in your life, but at the end of the day, it’s nice go home.

Renting different types of RVs can also be a chance for you to consider if you want to own your own some day and what type.

Mark your calendar for 2018 Motorcycle Show

Rental Basics To look into renting, first check with a local dealer, since not all of them have rental fleets.

In the Inland Northwest, RVs Northwest sells and rents RVs, ranging from motor coaches to motor homes to Winnebagos to camper trailers, with full details, including pictures and floor plans, available online.

Add-ons can include a linen kit (beds made, towels, and laundry services), a kitchen kit (pots, pans, dishes, soap, paper towels, and more), and a camping kit (camp table and chairs).

You can also glamp up your experience with WiFi. The fee for an airport pickup is comparable to a taxi or Uber, and free parking for your vehicle if needed. You can even test drive vehicles to see which one works for you, or in some cases, if you’re hooked, you can use some of your rental payment toward a purchase.

According to General Manager J.R. Tofte, a third of their renters arrived have come from destinations around the world with a plan to take their rental RV to Yellowstone National Park or Glacier National Park.

There are many RV rentalonly companies scattered throughout the Northwest.

Northwest Adventure Rentals (nwadventurerentals.com) in the Seattle area offers pick-up service only. It has a refundable security deposit, a 5-day minimum during the summer (3-day otherwise), mileage fees

after 100 miles, charges for some generator use, and extra fees for excessive cleaning after return.

In other words, make sure you read any rental details carefully before you pick up your RV. Places like Happy Campers in Billings and North Idaho RV Rentals in Sandpoint not only provide pick-up units, but also delivers and sets up your RV at a park or campground of your choice within a certain distance.

Another way to rent an RV is through the nationwide website RVshare.com. It’s something like VRBO or AirBnB for RV owners and dealers. Just enter the location where you want to start your RV adventure and your dates, and the site gives you a selection of RVs available.

Fees, mileage, cancellation policy, rental restrictions, and other information are all listed online, along with contact information. Make sure you read the details and check reviews.

Lastly, some resorts, lodges, and RV park resorts will rent travel trailers or RVs outside of their permanent accommodations.

The Caravan Tiny House Hotel in Portland is a one-of-a-kind hotel in the heart of the city that rents teardrop trailers for travelers who want a cozy way to explore Oregon and Washington. To rent, you have to have a vehicle with a 2-inch ball hitch that can tow 1,000 lbs. and a 4-pin or 7-pin connector for brake lights. Otherwise, these are simple, lightweight rentals, and Caravan is very easy to work with. (tinyhousehotel.com)

The Road to Adventure Has Never Been More Comfortable.

A favorite annual spring event in Spokane is the Inland Northwest Motorcycle Show and Sale, Spokane County Fairgrounds March 9-11.

The 15th annual show promises an assortment of new and used bikes from local dealers, plus a variety of gear, accessories and other must-have items for bike owners and bike enthusiasts.

Financing is also available for people want to buy on the spot.

Visitors will be able to check out the latest and greatest motorcycles and enjoy some showonly deals from local vendors.

Plus there will also be info about motorcycle-friendly travel destinations throughout the region, which can be useful for those planning future runs and road trips in 2018.

Other fun at this year’s show includes the Budweiser Biker Bar, where visitors can take a break from browsing to have a cool drink; a shoe/boot shine area; an indoor swap meet sponsored by Northwest Classic Motorcycle Club; and the return of Toyota’s Great Gas Giveaway, where gas

cards are raffled off hourly.

The fan-favorite IAWSHARK Indoor Poker Run also returns, where players can win cash for the best or the worst hands.

Show guests with impressive facial hair can enter the Beard and Mustache Competition.

Organizers are proud to bring back the Seattle Cossacks Motorcycle Stunt and Drill Team, which will perform daily.

Performances are 5 p.m. Friday, noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Bike owners can also enter the KKZX/Westside Motorsports Bike-Off, where trophies and prizes are awarded to the top motorcycles in each class.

Show hours are 3-8 pm. March 9, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. March 10 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 11. Tickets are good for all weekend and are $10 for adults, $5 kids 6-12 and free for 5 and under. (Cash only.)

For more info visit spokanemotorcycleshow.com

Stop by our booth # AGC to tour the ALL NEW Lance, Coachman Catalina, Coachman Freedom Express, A Liners, Liberty Outdoors, Campers, and Trailers! We have a huge selection of in stock inventory, including pre-owned models! sales@parkway.com 1121 S Frontage Road Deer Park, WA 99006 Phone: (509) 276-2925

www.parkwayrv.com

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

12

Visiting Montana’s hot springs Your RV can take you close to great soaking spots

By Jean Arthur Marketing Correspondent

A

N RVER’S SPRING visit to Montana may include 90-degree afternoons one day and snow the next. Snow boots and shorts, puffy coats and tank tops should join a snow shovel and sunscreen on the packing list. And when staying at or near hot springs, the warm-up is as delightful as the cool-down.

Despite the unpredictable weather, spring in Montana can offer RVers uncrowded recreation and near-empty campgrounds.

The state’s most developed hot-spring resort, Fairmont Hot Springs and the Fairmont RV Park near Butte and Anaconda, offer year-round splashing. The fullservice RV park and cabins are just of I-90 in Gregson. Visitors can find 133 sites, a general store, three teepees and a recreation center, plus military discounts.

Hiking and mountain biking in the Anaconda-Pintlar Mountain range is just out the back door.

New trails wander through Anaconda and Crackerville, and many are handicappedaccessible including the new L.F. “Lorry” Thomas Wildlife Area.

Nearby recreation sites include the Old Works Golf Course, the World Museum of Mining, Bannack State Park—a mining ghost town—and Georgetown Lake—a bit chilly for swimming now but popular for fishing.

The town of Anaconda is great for explorations from the antique shops to the visitor center. Smelter City Brewing on Main Street in the historic Electric Light Building serves lagers to stouts and is a dogfriendly establishment too.

Down the street, Donivan’s Restaurant Pub and Casino serves giant burgers and has more than a dozen brews on tap.

It’s the healing hot waters of Fairmont Hot Springs, however, that draw visitors from around the globe to the 155-degree water that must be cooled. Kids love the 350-foot waterslide and parents love the indoor and outdoor pools, which remain open 24 hours a day. fairmontrvresort.com/ and www.fairmontmontana.com/

Quinn’s Hot Springs & U.S. Forest Service Cascade Campground Fly fish in the morning on the

Clark Fork of the Columbia River and soak at riverside at the historic Quinn’s Hot Springs, 18 miles northeast of St. Regis.

Quinn’s, known to the local Native Americans for centuries, became a resort in 1885. Its latest remodel includes a restaurant, tavern, and luxury cabins on the river, plus six chemical-free pools. The natural hot springs mineral pools vary from 88 to 106 degrees. One pool, a chilly 55-60 degrees is super for hearty polar plunges.

Visitors should check the website for days and hours that pools are drained and cleaned and therefore temporarily closed.

Non-lodging guests pay $11 to $13 per three-hour soak.

Nearby is the U.S. Forest Service Cascade Campground, open for RVers May-October.

The campground, on the Lolo National Forest, is across Highway 135 from the river The Iron Mountain Trail climbs from the campground for seven miles to a ridgetop and is part of a historic 1887 wagon road originally built as a route to haul silver ore.

Fly fishers find brookies, browns, rainbow and westslope cutthroat trout, plus whitefish and northern pike. Above, bald eagles, osprey and kingfishers join resident elk, bighorn sheep and lots and lots of deer.

Cascade campground www. fs.usda.gov/recarea/lolo/ recarea/?recid=10304 and quinnshotsprings.com/

Symes Hot Springs Hotel and Mineral Baths North of Missoula in Hot Springs, is Symes Hot Springs Hotel that includes cabins with two full RV hookups and several partial hookup sites as well as sites with no hookups.

Symes began operating in 1928 with a Mission-style hotel with 20 baths and a doctor. Now, the remodeled and expanded facility offers a music venue as well as sunroom, private soaking areas and outdoor pools. A restaurant, espresso bar and massage facilities accompany the no-smoking property and curative-waters resort, 74 miles northwest of Missoula on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The three outdoor pools range from 95 to 107 degrees, and are open daily 7 a.m. to midnight.

Some visitors believe the mineral

Win gas and more from

The Spokesman-Review VISITORS TO THE Inland Northwest RV Show and Sale usually come away with all sorts of great ideas of places to travel to along with plenty of choices for exciting vehicles to visit them in.

But what’s even cooler than that? Getting a gift card for $100 worth of gas, which is possible by entering a drawing that takes place every two hours at The Spokesman-Review booth all three days of the show.

Anyone above age 18 can enter ; no subscription or purchase necessary.

water has healing properties.

Also in Hot Springs is Alameda’s Hot Springs Resort, where the natural mineral waters flow into private baths in the motel rooms—no outdoor pool is available for day visitors, just for overnight guests. symeshotsprings.com/ and alamedashotsprings.com/ Additional camping and travel information can be found at glaciermt.com/

Lolo Hot Springs Just outside of Missoula, Lolo Hot Springs has attracted Native Americans and early European explorers including members of the Corps of Discovery, Lewis and Clark’s expedition.

Today, Lolo Hot Springs, 40 southwest of Missoula on Highway 12, has pet-friendly cabins next to the RV park and tent camping areas.

There are horseshoe pits, volleyball nets, bonfire areas and a shower house near the bar, restaurant and casino.

Visitors also enjoy the 18-hole Folf course, rafting and kayaking on the Lochsa River, over Lolo Pass in Idaho, and hundreds of miles of hiking, biking or skiing/snowshoe trails in the Bitterroot Valley and Lolo Pass.

RV hookups are available year-round. The hot springs offers senior discounts. lolohotsprings.com/ or destinationmissoula.org/

Bozeman Hot Springs and RV Park Eight miles west of Bozeman on East Gallatin Road, Bozeman Hot Springs first opened in 1879 with five private bathing rooms and a plunge bath. Today, 12 pools, a fitness center and remodeled locker rooms entertain visitors from 5:30 a.m. until closing at 11 p.m. or midnight on Saturdays, with exception: The hot springs spa is closed Fridays from sundown to Saturdays when it reopens at sundown.

The RV park and campground remain open year-round, adjacent to the hot spring soaking facility.

RV amenities include 30- or 50-amp connections, fire rings, sewer hookups and picnic tables.

A day care, snack and juice bar and tanning beds are near the Amazon Rainforest Room wet sauna, where moisture befits people trying to escape the dry outside. There’s also the Sahara Desert, the dry cedar-lined sauna. bozemanhotsprings.co/

Yellowstone National Park Just across the Montana boundary into Wyoming is Yellowstone National Park, which offers daytime soaks in the Boiling River between Gardiner, Montana, and Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming.

RVers camp 2 miles south of the Boiling River in the Mammoth campground along the North Entrance Road. The road and the campground are open year-round, but visitors must purchase a park pass or national parks permit in addition to a camping permit.

The 85 sites lack hookups although flush and vault toilets are available. Most RV sites are pull-through, up to 75 feet. At 6,200 feet elevation, spring temperatures vary from 80 degrees to near zero.

Campers must adhere to food storage regulations: all food must be stored inside or in the provided bear-proof food storage boxes. Bison, elk, deer, bear and wolves live here so campers should carry bear spray and know how to use it.

To soak in the confluence of the Boiling river and the Gardner rivers, visitors must use the designate parking lot, which is near the 45th parallel, and then walk a half mile to soak area. Swimsuits are required although there is no changing room. A pit toilet is available at the parking area.

Where the river boils out of the ground, temperatures reach 134 to 139 degrees. A few feet later, the Boiling joins the Gardner River.s igns along the boardwalk from parking to soaking warn of wildlife and scalding burns.

The road toward Old Faithful is closed just beyond Mammoth Hot Springs until late spring, but the route east from Mammoth to Cooke City remains open year round. Here, bison herds search for signs of spring grass. Elk herds browse. In the Lamar Valley, wolf packs await pups born in May. Grizzly bear emerge a few weeks earlier than sows and cubs. Early spring caddies hatch or blue-wing olives attract native cutthroat trout—and fly fishers once the park’s fishing season opens Memorial Day weekend. www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit mammothhscg.htm For all Montana travel information,see www.visitmt.com/

You don’t even have to be present to win.

Entry forms can be found at The Spokesman-Review booth, which is near the main entrance. This is also where the drawings will take every two hours.

Odds or winning vary depending on number of tickets submitted each two-hour period.

While you’re at the booth, you’re welcome to learn more about how to stay informed with the area’s prime news source, whether you’re at home or traveling through the country, perhaps in an RV. Plus, there are a variety of prizes and other incentives available for new customers.

For complete rules, visit the Info Booth at the show entrance or come by The Spokesman-Review table.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

13

Newer owners enjoy learning the ropes of RV life Airstream Base Camp

By Don Adair Marketing Correspondent

F

OR THEIR INAUGURAL RV journey, Mark and Terry Rathbun didn’t go far.

Good thing, too.

“We forgot the coffee cups,” Terry Rathbun says, laughing at the memory.

“We had bowls; I asked Mark if he wanted his coffee in a bowl.”

No harm, no foul. Especially considering the Rathbuns, who call Liberty Lake home, had journeyed only as far as the Liberty Lake County Park.

“We went home and got the cups,” said Mark. “We were only a mile-and-a-half from home.”

Last year, the Rathbuns purchased a 25-foot Airstream travel trailer.

Their Liberty Lake adventure was the shakedown cruise. Like most newbies, they wanted to ease into the process.

“After our trailer arrived, we went through the standard three-hour orientation session,” Mark said. “But for our first trip, we wanted to go somewhere close, where we could check out all the systems.”

“It was scary at first,” said Terry. “The hitch makes a lot of noise and you have to make sure you block your tires. I was really worried about dumping the tanks, but that was probably the easiest part.”

With the systems mastered and the coffee cup snafu in their rearview mirror, the Rathbuns had a great first trip.

“All the neighbors came to visit us,” Terry said, laughing. “And, as it turned out, we parked right next to another Airstream.”

Their newfound temporary neighbors had been on the road for five months, with two children in tow. As RVers will, they regaled the Rathbuns with tips and travel stories.

The Rathbuns have now been out on four adventures. Their second trip took them to Deer Park and they’ve since travelled to Seattle and Walla Walla.

Twice, they have landed next to fellow Airstream owners.

“Every time we go out, people tell us things we need to know,” Terry said.

“Everybody’s helpful,” echoed Mark.

“It’s a very friendly community.”

In the early years, the Rathbuns were tent campers.

“We camped out a lot,” Terry said. “We spent our honeymoon camping on the Oregon coast.”

But, with time came a growing desire for comfort. At some point, the RV lifestyle started to sound appealing.

“We’d been to the RV Show before,” Terry said. “Last year, we hit the Airstream booth. One reason we settled on Airstream was because it occurs to us they’re very well built.”

After sampling a few models, they settled on the 25-footer. They equipped it with an awning and a back-up camera but took a pass on the solar package.

The Rathbuns travel with a dog and a cat and needed a way to separate the pooch from the cat’s litter box. Airstream of Spokane answered the call, hiding the box beneath the table and behind a barrier with a hole large enough for the cat to slip through, but too small for the dog.

The Rathbuns tow their coach behind

a Ford F-150 powered by a turbocharged 3.5-liter Ecoboost engine that makes 350 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.

“I was hesitant about having a six-cylinder engine, but it has been strong and smooth,” Nick said. “It has just been a real dream to steer this thing; it’s nice and stable.”

Backing the trailer into tight spaces hasn’t yet become second nature, he said. “It’s kind of hard to say ‘Let’s go practice parking.’ ” Still, “We kind of feel we can go anywhere now,” Terry said.

Having finished their first season, the Rathbuns are already researching next year’s travels.

“We haven’t seen all the national parks and it would be fun to see them,” she said. “And we’re golfers, so we can always find places to go golfing.”

The best part? “It’s like you’ve taken your home on vacation with you,” she replies.

——————One hundred million people in the U.S. live within 10 miles of work and the vast majority commute by car.

In congested regions, such as the tech hub south of San Francisco, all that vehicular traffic strains the infrastructure, stresses drivers and results in countless hours of lost productivity.

Those are the challenges Leo Vera, of Hayden, Idaho, and his partners set out to address when they entered a startup competition sponsored by Verizon.

“We proposed to create electric bikesharing programs for corporations,” Vera said. “We would install charging stations on campuses and provide and maintain the bikes. Employees could take the bikes home with them, so we’d get a lot of traffic off the roads.”

Verizon loved the idea and provided initial funding for the company that became known as Swift Mile.

Now, Vera estimates he spends 50 to 75 percent of his time on the road servicing Swift Miles’s electric-bike networks.

In the beginning, he would fly to San Francisco and make his rounds in rental cars. It wasn’t long before he grew weary of airports and airport delays, though.

The most obvious solution was an RV he could travel in and use as a mobile office.

“We looked at all the different models and finally settled on the Airstream Basecamp,” he said.

He estimates the cost of the 16-foot Basecamp at more than twice the price of the other options. But “we didn’t know if we’d like it and might want to sell it, and we knew the Basecamp would have good resale value.”

The likability concern resolved itself on a five-week, 8,000-mile trip in August.

Vera’s ultimate destination was Verizon’s New Jersey headquarters, but he also wanted to see clients in Buffalo, New York.

On his way to Buffalo, he overnighted in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Chicago.

Having finishing work in Buffalo, he caught a Steelers game in Detroit, Michigan, made a meeting in Morristown, Tennessee, and then drove to Bethesda, Maryland, for a bike-sharing conference.

He finally met up with his partners, who had flown to New Jersey,

for their Verizon conference.

“Verizon loved the Basecamp; they thought it was perfect for a startup,” he said.

He returned to Northern California for work via the southern route — St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff, Los Angeles.

“The trip was business and pleasure mixed, and if I’d flown to all those stops, it was probably a $5,000 journey, with flights, rental cars and hotels.

“With the Basecamp, I probably did it for $1,000. And it was a really neat adventure.”

He has since returned to his normal route, which takes him south to California through Bend, Oregon.

A favorite stay is the Pelican Point RV Park in Half Moon Bay, California, which is surrounded by the Ritz Carlton’s Half Moon Bay Golf Course.

“It’s $75 a night, with ocean views,” Vera said. “And you can walk to the hotel for drinks or dinner. It’s kind of a beautiful mix of lifestyles.”

More often, he’s find a spot on public land next to a reservoir, or alongside a quiet two-lane road, where he’ll spend an ad hoc night or two off the grid.

“I have an extra battery and solar panels and can stay out up to a week at a time,” he noted.

Vera’s partner Corrida Misener and their pug Tito sometimes join him these days. And, while the Basecamp is a tight fit for two, Vera heads off to work in the Ford F-150 tow vehicle, while Misener stays behind to work at her job as a real estate appraiser.

No matter where they end up, he said, people want to know about the Basecamp.

“It’s kind of a Buck Rogers futuristic timecapsule and people always ask questions.”

He figures that he may at some point move up to a larger coach, but Vera is convinced the RV lifestyle is the only way to fly: “If you travel a lot, it’s high-end travel, it’s not roughing it in any way.”

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

14

RV buyers getting younger, but all ages still love them

By Don Adair Marketing Correspondent

A

NEW GENERATION of buyers is changing the complexion of the RV industry.

In 2016, more than 30 percent of new RV buyers had children under 18, driving demand for RVs that are lighter, smaller and more affordable than the big rigs older buyers still favor.

“We’re selling more and more towables to younger families,” said Jerry Wagner, general manager of R n’ R RV Center in Liberty Lake.

For some, smaller trailers represent a natural transition from tent camping.

“For the young family market, camping is what it’s all about,” Wagner said.

“Parents want get the kids away from phones and video games, to get them outside to enjoy nature.”

Young buyers want RVs that are light enough to be towed behind a small SUV or light-duty pickup.

“Teardrops have gotten very popular,” Wagner said. “We carry the nuCamp T@B and they can’t build them fast enough.”

The 15-foot T@B includes a small galley, private toilet and fresh, gray and black water holding tanks. It can be outfitted with the outdoors-oriented Boondock package or the luxury Sofitel package.

To make the most of diminutive floor plans, builders incorporate spacesaving features like retractable bunks and are designing larger and more flexible sleeping and dining areas.

To reduce cost and weight, some eliminate showers and toilets from their small towables.

The new youth movement amplifies an existing trend toward smaller and more efficient RVs, some of which can double as daily drivers.

“Class B motor homes have been extremely popular over the past year,” Wagner said.

Based on van platforms built by the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Ford and GM, Class B rigs are large enough to accommodate a couple but small enough to be driven in city traffic.

“A lot of couples are looking for something they can use as second vehicle,” Wagner said. “People are using them to go to the lake or to travel around the country.”

These travelers may camp less than traditional RVers, he said, alternating

RV travel makes financial sense over airfare, motels

By Dan Webster Marketing Correspondent

Airstream Basecamp campground visits with hotel stays.

Class B owners can satisfy their outdoors itch by adding a bike or kayak rack.

Class B manufacturers are upping their comfort game, too, with amenities like hardwood cabinetry, residential-grade flooring and solid-surface countertops.

Even Airstream, which has tended to cater to older and more affluent buyers, is responding to the trend with new products.

“We are definitely doing some smaller and lighter-weight products,” said Nick Dietz, who co-owns Airstream of Spokane with his wife Karyn.

Last year, Airstream debuted a redesigned version of its small Basecamp trailer. The 16-foot Basecamp features Airstream’s traditional all-aluminum construction and upscale amenities in a floor plan that seats five and sleeps two.

The Basecamp is outfitted for the tech-savvy traveler. It’s prewired for solar and includes a lockable technology dock with USB ports for easy device charging.

This spring, Airstream will drop another small, lightweight trailer.

Fashioned of durable molded fiberglass, the 16-foot Nest will target outdoor enthusiasts. It’s set up to accept solar and will include LED lighting, stainless steel appliances and a queen-size bed.

The plan will include a small “wet” bathroom with toilet and shower, a space- and water-heater, a water pump and fresh- and gray-water tanks.

Technology continues to make its mark on the RV industry in other ways as well. Some builders have begun equipping their products with “smart home” systems that allow owners to set interior temperatures, adjust lighting and deploy awnings using a touchscreen controller.

Meanwhile, growing numbers of RV parks are adding WiFi and satellite TV to their amenities. Online booking systems make it possible for RVers to plan their stops on the fly.

stop, there you are: in the comfort of your home away from home.

■ Savings: Stayed in a hotel lately? If HENEVER YOU’RE AT a gas you can get a room for less than $100 station, you’re likely to see a night, you’re probably not going to someone fueling up a recreational sleep well – for a variety of reasons. vehicle. And as you watch them stand Staying in an RV park can cost half there, pumping gallon after gallon that much, half again as much in state into their rig, you might be tempted to or national parks and free at designated think: better them than me. rest areas (if not at some Wal-Mart But then you might parking lots). also wonder: why do ■ Eating out? Unless you’re they spend all a fan of Costco hotdogs that money (no offense, Costco), on gas when eating even at fastthey could food joints can travel more be expensive. economically?

But if In, say, their you buy car? Why your own do they groceries and drive that prepare your own meals, beast when you’re money ahead. they could ■ Pet-friendly: On a recent flight, travel more I sat near a guy who had brought his expeditiously? In, say, an airplane? dog on board. The little thing slept the Pose those questions to an RV owner whole way in a specialized pet carrier. and you’ll likely start an argument.

I suspect the animal had been given Because as they’ll tell you, even with a sedative, though I didn’t ask. Then fuel costs – not to mention the basic again, maybe the guy’s dog was just purchase price – traveling in an RV naturally mellow – a far cry from many actually saves you money in the long other dogs I know. Most pets would run. find travel in an RV far preferable Let’s look at just a few reasons why. to flying, no matter how short the ■ Comfort: Traveled on a plane experience. This should please owners, lately? Remember the long lines, hidden too, especially those who consider their fees, cramped spaces and second-rate animals less as pets than as members of food (which often costs extra)? Yes, you the family. show up at your destination faster. But ■ Awareness of the outside world: upon arriving you’re often a physical, Yes, I’ve seen a number of wonderful if not emotional, wreck. Parents know sights through small airline windows. this well enough, particularly those Mount Fuji for one. The New York with children who have trouble sitting skyline for another. But driving in an still for more than five minutes at a RV affords you the opportunity to time. actually stop and smell … well, roses if Traveling in an RV, either a motor they’re available and everything else if home or towing a trailer, is like taking they aren’t. Try that in an airplane. The your home with you. While one only thing you’re likely to smell there is person drives, the others can do what the fast food somebody else smuggled they want – even if that means doing on board. And that’s if you’re lucky. nothing more than plugging in and So, one final good thing about RV tuning out. Or napping. When you travel: windows that open.

W

There’s no place like home away from home Since 1931

Airstream of Spokane Authorized Sales and Service 7611 E Boone Ln, Spokane Valley, WA 800-562-8015 • 509-534-8599

www.airstreamofspokane.com

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

15

— will help you avoid potentially expensive errors later on.

Don’t get stuck in an overpass or rip the AC unit of the top of your rig in a strange city, because you don’t know how tall your vehicle is. It would also be good looks like in them — especially to know the width of your vehicle in identifying your blind spots. when traversing tricky road “Sometimes the easiest construction. And make certain handling of your RV will be your tires are properly inflated, as when you’re cruising down the well, as tire pressure can affect highway,” said Agajanian. stopping and maneuvering.

But you can’t always avoid small Luckily, we live in an age where streets, one-way roads or treethe answer to any question can lined avenues – and that’s when be accessed somewhere in an the size of your RV becomes internet cloud - information on glaringly apparent. You need to any subject with just the right practice patience when merging search wording and the everand yielding because your RV is present click on a computer key. bigger than a car, and if you’re Take advantage of that to find towing, remember you are twice RV driving safety tips, learning as long. That affects how you opportunities, the specifications enter into and complete a turn of your particular recreational without clipping any obstacles. vehicle - even instructional When you are behind the wheel videos on learning to drive one. of your RV or towing a trailer, it is You’ll also need to learn if always important to make good there is a special driver’s license use of your defensive driving skills. requirement in your state. Likely “Drive attentively, with minimal not, as a CDL (Commercial distractions,” Maillet emphasized. Driver’s License) usually pertains to operating a vehicle on a “Turn off the tunes, gag the gabbing, pen the pup or whatever commercial basis. There are, however, some requirements in else you have to do to keep your mind on the road and on your rig.” some states that takes GVWR (gross weight) into consideration Regardless of the size of your and may stipulate special recreational vehicle, the more licensing, so you will need to knowledge you get under your know if that applies to you. seat belt about your personal Do your homework and practice vehicle, the more confident what you learn. Stay alert, plan you’ll be when you hit that ahead and just be aware that open road to adventure. you are one of the bigger rigs Being familiar with the when traveling, and to respect vehicle’s equipment and that responsibility for the safety capabilities — most importantly of your family and for those with its clearance height and weight whom Jellybean shares the road.

Safety never takes a vacation

Dealers help new RVers

By Penny Simonson Marketing Correspondent

T

HE FAMILY IS ecstatic; they’ve talked about nothing else for the days and weeks leading up to the RV Show, and they were right there, cheering you on during the purchase, as the sales associate went over a host of features on your new recreational vehicle, rapid-firing a lot of technical terms over the family’s shouts of joy.

Then he handed you the keys to Jellybean. (Yes, you wanted to call it Easy Rider, but your 5-year-old won the coin toss).

Now you’ve crawled behind the wheel of that big, beautiful machine with the silly new name and settled into place. That’s when you glance in the rearview mirror and suddenly realize you are responsible for a house traveling down the road, carrying your loved ones. And perhaps how little you know was looking back at you in the mirror.

Not to worry, no reputable RV dealer would let someone leave the lot without some training, and will no doubt even offer a specialized driving course taught by qualified instructors.

“If you have any experience driving a truck or SUV, you can easily adapt to the greater size, weight, and height of a recreational vehicle,” said Lewis Agajanian, of R n’R RV

in Spokane. “For starters, just remember you need more time to get moving — and more room for turning, passing and stopping — whether you are towing a camper or driving any size motor home. But it is incredibly easy to adjust, given all the safety features on today’s models.”

And besides, learning to drive motor homes is not that difficult, which is one reason they have become so popular.

“Try to relax,” said Robin Maillet who teaches safety classes at large camping events for the women’s outdoor adventure group Sisters on the Fly. “It’s not going to be as bad as you think it is. Find a large empty parking lot for your first solo behind-the-wheel experience.

Start slowly and pay attention to how your vehicle handles and responds to turns, acceleration and stopping. Use a light pole for a corner, and carefully practice tight turning and backing up.”

“And if your relationship with the one you love can withstand it, learn to use a spotter and agree on signals, not screaming,” she adds.

The way you approach driving situations like traffic, parking, and maneuvering unfamiliar streets changes when you are driving an RV. Agajanian stresses learning to trust your side mirrors and what a situation

Financing can open doors to RV ownership Loan process for RVs different than autos hope you L get more than excited at this year’s RV Show. They want you OCAL RV DEALERS

to get so fired up about how an RV can be part of your world that you’re ready to make a purchase.

To make this process even easier, many dealers will have show-only deals and the ability to get financing right away.

Or, if you want to think about it, that’s OK too – you can always get deals and financing through dealers the rest of the year, which can be easier for many families to budget over several years instead of paying for the whole thing right then and there.

If you’ve never purchased or financed an RV before, the process and some of the terms are a little different than a car. An RV purchase can also be seen as an investment in your family as well.

Here’s a quick overview of how to get started, with the end result being the opportunity to head out sooner rather than later.

■ Credit Score: Dealers may start with this first to see how much money you can qualify for and what terms and interest rates. The better the credit, the lower the rate, which potentially means lower payments or a shorter pay-off term. Checking out your credit report can be an opportunity to address some problems in your past, such as bills that are still considered unpaid or items you believe are errors. Generally better rates are available for those with at least at 640, but there may be special programs or a larger down payment may be required for someone with weaker credit.

■ Extra costs: In addition to the direct costs of the RV, including monthly payments if it’s financed, owners need to consider extra charges, such as insurance, fuel, maintenance/upkeep, and storage needs. Some neighborhoods may not allow long-term RV parking, which requires someone to park their rig elsewhere when not in use. Winterization may be required as well to make sure it’s in good shape for the coming of spring.

■ Terms: RVs can have longer terms, from 48 months up to 20 years, and loan amounts can vary, from a few

thousand to more than $100,000.

■ Down payments.

No money down’ deals are great, but others may require more money up front to make a loan happen, often 10 percent.

■ Interest rates: Rates can range from 3 percent to 17 percent.

■ Paperwork A dealer will likely want to see financial information, including pay stubs, tax returns, employment information and bank statements.

Though it’s fun to browse, financial experts suggest having an idea of what type of RV will work for you and your family’s lifestyle.

This will also guide you on price ranges, interest rates and financing information. For instance, Class A-C generally will cost more than towable RVs/trailers.

Used RVs may not be available for financing if they’re more than 6 years old or have more than 50,000 miles.

Visitors to the Inland NW RV Show and Sale can find a variety of financing options.

The Spokane RV Show is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Sunday, January 14, 2018

16

Find Your Way Around the RV Show

DEALERS

BOOTH #

Airstream______________________________________________102 Freedom RV____________________________________________Bay 2 west, 202, Ag A, Ag B Parkway RV____________________________________________Ag C R n’ R North____________________________________________Bay 1 west R n’ R RV Liberty Lake__________________________________Bay 3, Bay 4 RVs Northwest_________________________________________101, Ag D, Multi A

VENDORS

BOOTH #

Action Track Chairs______________________204 Bath Fitters_____________________________210 Celebrity Lips___________________________5 Christina Pines__________________________25 Chuck’s RV_____________________________12 Cutco Cutlery___________________________18 Dish Network____________________________21 Cutco Cutlery___________________________18 Dish Network____________________________21 Fleet Paint_______________________________15 Freedom RV____________________________202 Fun Unlimited___________________________33 Get Out Fire Solutions___________________26 Glacier KOA____________________________27 Go Wireless____________________________209 Hidow Massage________________________208 Klinks Resort___________________________13 KM Resorts_____________________________10 Little Diamond Resort____________________203 Merill Lynch_____________________________34 Northern Quest RV Resort________________11 No. Spokane RV Campground_____________16

VENDORS

BOOTH #

Port-A-Cover_________________________14 R n’ R RV____________________________32 R n’ R RV Parts_______________________103, 211 Ray’s Truck Service____________________30 Renewal by Anderson_________________20 Rescue Tape_________________________9 Rise n’ Thrive_________________________7 RV Village Resort_____________________23 Scentsy______________________________24 Scott Chiropractic_____________________35 Securit Self Storage___________________17 Spokane Home Sitting________________206 Spokane Power Tool___________________19 Spokesman Review____________________28 St Eugene RV Resort___________________207 Steel Structures_______________________29 Toby’s Battery__________________________6 Two Rivers Casino______________________4 Washington Auto Carriage_______________22 Washington Parks______________________31 Webb Slough Racing_________________1 Wine Country RV Park________________205