A “knockout punch” for the RV industry?

Spring 2025… RV sales nationwide are almost non-existent. RV Dealers are LOADED “to the gill” with inventory – that’s going nowhere. The RV industry literally is “flat on its back” with FEW buyers – and loads of sellers. Many (most?) of these sellers are “upside down” as they owe (far) more (to their lender) than their camper is worth.

NOW… Just when it looked like things can’t get any worse… The RV world is facing a “self-inflicted” wound. A lawsuit has emerged that could be a knockout punch for the industry.

As if confidence many RV’ers have in their RV Campers couldn’t get any worse…

This lawsuit against Grand Design and Winnebago has been launched.

I’ve got to share… As an RV Concierge, I assist RV buyers in purchasing the RIGHT camper at the BEST possible price, I often find myself addressing the belief expressed by many that (when referring to RV’s) “they’re ALL crap.”

Honestly, it’s an understandable perspective. The largest RV manufacturers (of both towables and motorhomes) all too often produce a product that at a minimum is trouble prone and… in many cases, these campers will never be truly functional or trouble free.

Note: Enjoy the photos in this post. They depcit recent journeys and explorations. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the post detailing that journey!

Bryce Canyon

There IS Good News…

I believe there are a FEW manufacturers in each category (type of RV camper) who DO make a genuinely better product than “the rest.” Unfortunately, unless you’re “in the know” you may not even encounter these manufacturers at most RV dealerships. This has occurred because of flooring agreements where certain manufacturers effectively take-over a dealers lot and populate it with their campers.

Truth be told, helping my clients avoid troublesome brands this is a significant part of the value I bring to the table for my Concierge RV Buying Clients.

Given the overall “state of affairs” in the RV industry…

A lawsuit was almost inevitable. Recently, a class action lawsuit was filed by Weitz and Luzenberg against Grand Design and Winnebago. The lawsuit alleges frame flex (failure) in multiple lines of Grand Design models. In my experience, it appears to be limited to the larger (40 ft+) and heavier towables built by Grand Design. Winnebago is named as they are Grand Design’s parent company.

The particulars of the lawsuit allege that Grand Design was aware of the issue prior to consumer purchase. Further, to add fuel to the fire, the suit alleges Grand Design did not stand behind or adequately stand behind their campers once the problem emerged. Additional details and particulars related to the lawsuit can be reviewed by clicking the link in the previous paragraph. Also, in the video above, I share additional insights.

Zion

An interesting irony

It’s interesting to me that Grand Design is being sued for frame failure – which to me is ironic as they DO NOT MANUFACTURE FRAMES. The fact is that Lippert makes the frames for the majority of towables on the market today. Lippert however (and I personally spoke with Jason Lippert regarding this issue) maintains that they build the frame for each manufacturer’s model based upon the specs given to them by the RV manufacturer. In this case, Grand Design.

In other words, when the RV manufacturer commissions Lippert to build a chassis (frame) for a particular model, they consult with Lippert to (ideally) ensure the frame supports what the RV manufacturer intends to build on top of the frame. Lippert however does NOT control what is ultimately built on top of their frame once it is delivered to the RV manufacturer. Jason, in our conversation maintains that they have an extraordinarily low frame failure rate coming out of their manufacturing facilities.

The bottom line as I see it, in this situation it is the “end user”, namely the campers owner that has made a major life purchase – and has now failed to perform. Purchasing an RV camper is often built upon years of dreams and “bucket lists” and one that is now unusable and some claim not repairable.

I’m not an engineer, so it’s beyond me as to who is to blame here – or whether the affected campers can be adequately repaired. Of course, being a “born cynic” from New Jersey, it would not surprise me in the least if the current lawsuit were to expand (at some point) to cover more manufacturers within the RV industry. In other words, the lawsuit against Grand Design *might* be just the tip of the iceberg.

Consumer confidence and peace of mind

Confidence and peace of mind are a BIG DEAL! Allow me to look back upon my own experiences with recent major purchases. Since 2011, I have owned 3 Ford trucks. Most recently a 2022 F350 diesel. It currently has about 41000 miles. I can easily count on one hand the number of warranty issues I’ve had with ALL 3 trucks combined over the years. In other words, my expectation each morning when I start my truck is it will run and operate in trouble-free manner. Well over 99.9% of the time, that expectation has held true.

When it comes to RV campers, I have owned four. Two motorhomes and more recently, two fifth wheel towables. While more problematic than a truck, they’re also more extensively equipped. For example, my truck doesn’t have a refrigerator, a hot water heater, landing gear, etc. So, a certain level of “TLC” is expected to be needed for a camper that is above and beyond that for a truck. That said, there ARE limits!

Two Major Lessons…

Through my experience while working at an RV dealership between 2014 and 2017, I learned two major lessons:

• some RV’s are FAR more “trouble-prone” than others
• many of the trouble prone campers are constructed using the cheapest possible materials and then slapped together with the least effective construction techniques

Again – this is NOT the case for ALL RV manufacturers. If you peruse my RV Clients reviews (go HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page), you’ll find one common theme: There are no complaints about the RV camper I worked with them to purchase. That is because I know who the “better players” are in the industry. In fact, there are NO complaints period!

Those who produce a camper (ANY type of camper) that is far less troublesome, offer the end-user far more “peace of mind.” As an example, I have lived (full time) in my Outdoors RV fifth wheel trailer now for over 7.5 years. On a typical day, there are NO problems with it. I firmly believe that is due to good engineering, solid choices in materials when it was constructed and sound construction techniques. I must note, Outdoors RV is NOT the only RV manufacturer in the RV industry who builds a solid product.

On the other hand, when you look at the MAJORITY of the campers being sold these days, the buyer (often unknowingly) is walking (running?) into a hornets nest. They are literally purchasing aggravation and eventually walk away with a jaundiced view of the entire RV industry.

A word about preparing for what’s likely coming…

In these times of significant economic UNcertainty… Did you know that 11 States have approved GOLD as legal tender? Gold’s advance seems to have paused… will it resume its uptrend? IF it does, you’ll want a truly FUNGIBLE form of gold. Introducing…

Have you heard about Goldbacks? Goldbacks are a VERY “fungible” (exchangeable) form of Gold. They literally look like a “bill” (see video below) and can be used for regular purchases. There’s also a market for buying and selling them. They have risen in value as Gold has increased its spot price.

To learn more about Goldbacks and perhaps purchase some, go HERE to my preferred vendor. I keep a stash on hand for the day when the greenback crashes.

Back to the RV Industry… Is there a ‘tipping point’ coming?

This is why it’s important for ALL “players” in the rv industry to first acknowledge that the consumer is making in many cases one of the most expensive purchases of their lives. This is true regardless of whether its a dealer who has face to face interaction with the consumer directly, or the RV manufacturer itself or parts manufacturer who (in most cases) never meet the end user directly.

I don’t know where the “tipping point” is, or whether it will ever occur, but I know this: There is a lot of “turnover” in the RV industry. It happens every time a consumer purchases an RV camper, gets burned, gets rid of it (often at a massive loss) and then decides “never again.” In my experience, this happens ALL TOO OFTEN.

Common wisdom suggests that bad news travels far farther and faster than good news. Every time an RV owner feels “screwed”, they ensure that “everyone” knows it. I ask, how long can this continue before would be buyers – just won’t? This is why I say this lawsuit has the *potential* to be a knock-out punch to the industry.

Summary Thoughts – and Upcoming RV Life Posts to share…

If potential RV buyers disappeared, it would be ashame. I’ve been “on the road” for nearly 14 years and enjoy “RV Life” immensely. I have no plans to exit the RV lifestyle anytime soon.

In the coming weeks I plan to bring to you posts covering

• Parowan Petroglyphs (in Southern Utah)
• The San Rafael Swell (recent journeys with Isaac in Central Utah)
• Exploring “slot canyons” (Cathedral Gorge) and more in Eastern Nevada (again with Isaac)
• A National Wildlife Refuge and desert oasis in Nevada
• Two living ghost towns (with tours of a haunted hotel and high school) in western Nevada
• Austin and Eureka Nevada (with tunnels under the town for various mostly nefarious purposes!)
• An organic farm in Southern Idaho that you and I can purchase from

All that over the past few weeks – and soon… a re-visit to Idaho Falls and Ririe, Idaho then perhaps some time in Wyoming before landing in Vernal for a hernia fix and a few weeks to recuperate. Bottom line… stay tuned!

RV Accessories – its RV’ing season!

Oh, and need RV Accessories? It IS the season after all! These are priced right and time tested (by me)…

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