RV News: Gulf Stream’s Compact Conquest, RVs for World Cup Travel, and More
Other news this week includes a new Newmar Freedom Aire floor plan, the RV industries best April Fool's Day pranks, and a collapsable cooler from Coleman.
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Getty
The end of the week is here, which means it’s time for our weekly rundown of the latest news from the RV industry. From new rigs and fascinating trends to the latest gear and accessories, here are the most important stories from the past seven days.
Photo Credit: Gulf Stream
- Gulf Stream Launches Compact Conquest 6215LE Coach: If you’re in the market for a small and maneuverable Class C motorhome, Gulf Stream Coach may have exactly what you’re looking for. This week, the company debuted its Conquest 6215LE model, which is its smallest motorized rig ever. The coach rides on a Ford chassis, measures just 21′ 6″ in length, and yet still has room for four thanks to a cabover bunk and a U-shaped dinette that converts to a bed. Learn more about this new floor plan at the Gulf Stream website.
Photo Credit: Newmar
- Newmar Model Year Updates Include New Freedom Aire Floor Plan: Back in February, Newmar Corp held its annual dealer meeting in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where it outlined everything coming for the 2027 model year. Those announcements were shared under an embargo, which lifted a few days back, giving us a glimpse of what’s to come from the luxury coach maker. At the top of the list is a new “Signature Experience” package for buyers of the company’s top-of-the-line King Aire model. But also of interest is a new floor plan for the Freedom Aire compact Class C motorhome. The Freedom Aire 2512 includes twin beds in the rear, a full-size bathroom, galley kitchen, and theater seating, with a single slide-out. An optional lithium battery upgrade adds 960Ah of storage and a 3000W inverter. RV News has further details here.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
- SkyDream Comes Out of Stealth at Silicon Valley Launch Party: Last week, RV startup SkyDream Caravans revealed its plans for a North American—and global—launch at a press event held in San Jose, CA. The Chinese company has big plans to produce and sell high-tech travel trailers starting in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand by Q4 of this year, with the first of three models—the Space Camping towable—leading the way. In case you missed it, we were on hand for the event and shared our detailed thoughts here.
Photo Credit: welcomia/Getty
- RVs are Popular Options for World Cup Travelers: The biggest sporting event in the world—the World Cup—is set to take place in North America this summer, with games getting underway on June 11 and running through July 19 in a variety of cities across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Naturally, hundreds of thousands of people will be visiting those locations to cheer on their favorite teams, which makes finding hotels, house rentals, and other accommodations very hard to book. But a new study from RVShare and Campspot shows that RVs are a viable alternative, with plenty of options to rent a rig and book a campsite close to the action. According to the report, most hotels are already booked solid, with the few remaining demanding exorbitant fees. The published data shows how renting an RV and camping is much more cost-effective, with added flexibility for travelers. Check out all the info here.
Photo Credit: Kraig Becker
- Backroads Travel Boosts National Park Trips by 12% Due to Growing Demand: America’s national parks continue to be a big draw with travelers. This week, adventure travel company Backroads announced that it is boosting its active itineraries to the national parks by more than 12% this year. The move comes as the brand sees growing demand for guided tours to places like Joshua Tree, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and other destinations. This trend highlights what the National Park Service itself has noted, as near-record numbers of visitors make their way to these iconic places on an annual basis.
Photo Credit: Ryan Stone.
- The Dyrt Lists the Best Place to Camp Near America’s National Parks: Speaking of the national parks, this week The Dyrt (with a little help from Girl Camper) announced its selection of the best places to camp nearby those iconic destinations. The online campsite discovery platform says it knows that booking campgrounds in the actual parks can be challenging, but there are plenty of options nearby that are worth your time and money. For instance, the brand recommends Big Creek Campground near Glacier National Park in Montana and Smuggler’s Den Campground in Maine, not far from Acadia. That’s just the very tip of the iceberg, however. For the full list, you can click here.
Photo Credit: Awaken RV
- Patrick Industries Reveals High-Tech Design Studio: RV, boat, and ATV component manufacturer Patrick Industries launched a new state-of-the-art design studio this week. Dubbed “The Experience,” the centerpiece of this high-tech project is a 50′ x 14′ (that’s feet, not inches) LED VR screen capable of displaying RVs at a 1:1 scale. This makes real-time collaboration and design an interactive affair, allowing designers and customers to change colors, add or remove features, rearrange floor plans, adjust lighting, and more. The new studio is located at the company’s headquarters in Elkhart, IN. Find out more here.
Photo Credit: Yakima
- Yakima Launches New Bike Racks for Easier Access: There is no question that RVers and overlanders love bringing their bikes along on their adventures, and the latest line of bike racks from Yakima are designed to make that process easier than ever. The new StepUp, StepUp Swing, and HoldUp are built to securely transport your two-wheeled rides, while also allowing easy access to the bed of a truck or rear cargo hold on an RV. Each rack has room for two bikes and can support 60-65 lbs. per bike, depending on the model. Check them all out here.
Photo Credit: Coleman
- Coleman Now Offers a Collapsible Hard Cooler: A good cooler is an essential piece of gear for any camping trip, but the latest model from Coleman brings a neat trick that makes it indispensable for use anytime, anywhere. The new Snap ‘N Go cooler comes in 35-, 45-, and 55-quart sizes and can keep its contents cold for up to 64 hours. And when not in use, the hard-sided cooler collapses down to just 1/3 of its normal size, making it easy to pack and store. Available in three colors (Sky Blue, Sapphire, and Mussel) with prices ranging from $200-$240 used on size. Our friends at GearJunkie have a review here.
Photo Credit: Patrick Industries
- The RV Industry Celebrates April Fool’s Day: April 1st isn’t one of our favorite days on the internet, as a slew of silly—and often just plain dumb—stories make their way out into the ether in a vain attempt to dupe readers. That said, it does appear to be a popular date within the RV industry, as several brands took the time to pull an April Fool’s prank. Our friends at RV Pro have a complete roundup of these offerings, which includes Keystone RV announcing a new “wildlife mode” for its rigs, Awaken RV sharing a brand partnership with Adidas, and Lippert revealing the Lippert SafeExit AirSlide. Check out the entire list here.
That’s all for this week. See you next Friday for another recap of the biggest stories from the RV and camping industries.
Kraig Becker is a writer in the RV, outdoors, and adventure travel space. Over the course of his career he has contributed to such outlets as Popular Mechanics, Outside Online, Business Insider, TripSavvy, Digital Trends, GearJunkie, The Adventure Blog, and countless others. An avid runner and cyclist, he enjoys camping, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and just about any other outdoor activity. His travels have taken him to seven continents and on many amazing adventures.
