RV News Weekly Round-Up (September 1, 2023)
Grand Design Hits Major Milestone, Mercedes eSprinter Gets a Price Tag, and Hot New Towables from Winnebago and inTech
Image Caption: Photo Credit: Mercedes Benz
Each week there is far more news from the RV and travel industry than we have time to cover. To make up for that, every Friday, we offer a roundup of the most interesting and important stories that you may have missed over the past seven days. Here’s what you need to know:
- Grand Design Ships 250,000 RVs: Grand Design hit a major milestone recently when the 250,000th RV rolled off its assembly line. Founded in 2012, the company has been on an upward trajectory, building a reputation for high-quality, well-built, and designed travel trailers, fifth-wheels, and toy haulers. Find out more about this landmark achievement here.
- Mercedes Sets Price for eSprinter: We’ve known that the all-electric Sprinter van from Mercedes Benz has been coming to market for a while now, but some of the details have remained murky. This week we learned the starting price of the vehicle, which according to The Verge, will carry a price tag of $71,886. That’s considerably more than Ford’s E-Transit and the Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Expect that difference to be reflected in the price of future Class B models.
- Winnebago Reveals Affordable New Travel Trailer: This week, Winnebago announced one of its most affordable products ever when it revealed the all-new Access travel trailer. The well-appointed towable has a surprising array of features and amenities, including factory-installed solar panels, electric leveling jacks, and four spacious floorplans. Best of all, its starting price is just $29,600. Check out our coverage here.
- InTech Launches a New Towable, Too!: While we’re on the topic of new travel trailers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the new Sol Dusk from inTech. This 21-foot towable has a GVWR of just 4,800 pounds, comfortably sleeps four, and has a stylish, modern interior. It starts at $44,940. Learn more on the company’s website.
- Microsoft Patents ‘Smart’ Backpack: If you’ve ever wanted your backpack to be able to do things like create calendar events, provide to-do reminders, and answer questions like Siri or Alexa, you’re in luck! Microsoft has patented technology to create a “smart” backpack that can do all of that and more. The pack’s design includes a built-in camera, a speaker and microphone, wireless internet, and a microprocessor. The goal is to create a connected device that can scan the environment around you, interact with other devices, and provide navigational information. Presumably, it can also carry things on hikes, commutes to school or the office, and when traveling. Read more about this unusual product at GearJunkie.
- Hipcamp Can Now Alert You of Last-Minute Campground Vacancies: Online campground booking site Hipcamp has joined forces with Campflare to bring real-time vacancy alerts to RVers and tent campers. The collaboration sees Hipcamp integrating Campflare’s APIs into its platform, allowing users to receive updates on their mobile devices when a campground has last-minute vacancies. Considering how challenging it can be to book a campsite these days, that should prove very helpful. The details are spelled out in this press release.
- KOA Joins Forces with Meadowlark Brewing Company: This week, Kampgrounds of America announced that it was joining forces with Meadowlark Brewing to release the first-ever KOA co-branded beer. Both companies are located in Montana and collaborated on creating a brew that is described as a “hoppy India Pale Ale with citrusy and earthy notes.” What’s the name of this enticing drink? Why, Happy Camper IPA, of course! Read more here.
That’s all for this week. Join us next Friday for another round-up of the most important RV news stories.
