RV New: Storyteller Overland Acquires TAXA, Grand Design’s First Motorized RV, and Toyota Updates the 4Runner at Last

There's a lot of ground to cover in this week's update.

April 12, 2024

Image Caption: Photo Credit: TAXA Outdoors

It’s time for our weekly round-up of the latest news from across the RV and camping industry. Here are a few important things you should know about from this past week:

Storyteller Overland Acquires TAXA Outdoors: The biggest story of the week is the announcement that Class B adventure van manufacturer Storyteller Overland has acquired TAXA Outdoors. The two brands share a focus on the active, overlanding, and off-road camping markets, delivering rugged motorized vehicles and overlanding-focused towables, respectively. This move brings the two companies under the same umbrella to offer a wider variety of options to customers in the quickly-expanding adventure vehicle space. To learn more about the merger, read the announcement on the Storyteller website.
TAXA Announces Limited Edition Eclipse Mantis: While we’re on the subject of TAXA, the company also made headlines this week for announcing a limited edition eclipse version of its Mantis travel trailer. Dubbed the Dark Sky Mantis, this model offers the same features as the original version but comes with a black color scheme with a custom matte wrap, special graphics, and matching dark wheels. It also ships with all of the overlapping upgrades already installed, including improved ground clearance, axle-less suspension, all-terrain tires, and more. Just how limited is this limited edition? It will only be on sale from April 8-15, 2024, with an MSRP of $45,750.
Grand Design Teases First Motorized RV: Grand Design is known for making some of the best travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and toy haulers on the road, but now it’s ready to try its hand at a motorized RV. This week, the company announced the new model called the Lineage, which is set to debut in July. A brief video gives us a glimpse of the Class C model, which rides on a Mercedes chassis. Other than that, not much else is known, so I guess we’ll have to be patient a little longer.

Photo Credit: Toyota

Toyota Unveils All-New 4Runner: Not all of the new vehicle announcements came from within the RV industry this week. On Tuesday, Toyota delighted thousands of fans by taking the wraps off the long-awaited 2025 4Runner—an off-roader that has gone more than a decade without a meaningful update. The new model gets a more angular design befitting Toyota’s modern design language. Gone is the V6 engine, as well, replaced instead with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged motor or an optional hybrid motor. TRD Pro and Trail Hunger versions should ensure it is an off-road beast. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Dometic Launches Front Runner Pro Bed Rack System: Dometic’s Front Runner brand continues to innovate in the overlapping and off-roading space. This week, the company launched the Pro Bed Rack System, which is built to help owners organize and access their important gear without sacrificing valuable bed space. The new line of products includes multiple accessory channels and T-slots, making it easy to install a wide range of Dometic accessories, while fixed-top cross bars bring added stability and support. The Pro Bed Rack System is compatible with a range of vehicles, including the Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator, Toyota Tacoma, and more. Visit the product page for specific details and pricing.
EXPLORE Act Passes House of Representatives: This week, the historic Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act passed through the US House of Representatives, clearing its first hurdle to becoming a law. The bill aims to improve access to public lands, bring modern technology to national parks, forests, and other areas, and streamline the permitting process. It also includes money earmarked to improve campgrounds and other infrastructure, support gateway communities, protect rock climbing routes, and build new bike paths. The piece of legislation now moves onto the Senate, where it will join a companion bill that could further enhance its scope. It is expected to pass with bipartisan support before heading to the President’s desk.

Photo Credit: The Dyrt

Half of Campers Bring Dogs With Them: This week’s roundup of camping news wouldn’t be complete without at least one stat from The Dyrt’s 2024 Camping Report. This week, the campsite discovery platform revealed that 53.7% of respondents bring their dogs with them on camping trips. Cats aren’t always left out of the mix either, although just 5.8% say they bring their feline friends along. To accommodate those pet-living Dyrt members, the website lists its picks for the most K-9-friendly campgrounds each year.
Reminder: All National Parks are Free on April 20: This week’s public service announcement is a reminder that all of America’s national parks will be fee-free on April 20. That date kicks off National Parks Week for 2024, and to celebrate, the Park Service is letting everyone in at no cost. Campsites still require a fee and an advanced reservation, however, so keep that in mind if you’re heading to your favorite park next week.
Roadtrippers Adds New Tools for RV Trip Planning: Roadtrippers has always been an essential tool for planning a long-distance drive, but now it is even better. This week, a press release announced a slew of new tools coming to the trip-planning tool, including integration with Campendium, Togo RV, and Overnight RV Parking to provide more vehicle-specific options for where to stay. Other upgrades include the Extraordinary Places database for finding unique points of interest en route and a connection to more than 38 million itineraries planned by users to help generate thoughtful and more fun road trips. All told, there are more than a dozen new additions to the Roadtrippers platform, bringing added value to the service.
2024 National Go RVing Day Set for June 8: The 2024 edition of Go RVing Day will take place on Saturday, June 8. The annual event—first launched in 2021—encourages RVers to share the benefits of the RVing lifestyle. To celebrate, many campgrounds, RV manufacturers, and other industry organizations will announce events, gatherings, discounts, and other activities. To find out more, click here. And stay tuned for further updates.