RV Shipments on the Rise
1st Quarter Shipments of 2021 Shows RV Sales Growth, Popularity in the US.
Image Caption: Nov 6, 2019 Mountain View / CA / USA - Campers and RVs parked close to each other on a public street in Silicon Valley; symbol of the housing crisis existing in the San Francisco Bay Area
In March 2021, RV shipments in the U.S. were up 79 percent from that same time in 2020, according to RV Industry Association. Additionally, more than 148,000 units were sold nationwide in the first three months of 2021. These numbers beat record-highs set in March of 2018 by 5% in shipments and 10% in sales.
“When we looked at the motivations for purchasing an RV over the past year, we found the reasons were the same as they had always been for buying an RV: the love of road trips, a desire to travel in comfort, wanting to explore the great outdoors, and the ability to use an RV as a basecamp for other outdoor recreation activities,” said Craig Kirby, RV Industry Association President
And the recent popularity, Kirby asserts, is part of the same growth the RV industry has been experiencing for the last 40 years, far predating the pandemic.
“While many new buyers reported the pandemic did have some impact on their decision to purchase, the survey results showed ‘restriction on other travel due to COVID’ came in fourth from the bottom of the list,” Kirby said. “This really shows that people didn’t buy RVs over the past year because there weren’t any other options, they bought RVs because of the endless opportunities RVing provides to travel and get outdoors.”
The past 10 years have seen a 26 percent increase in RV ownership, according to a “GoRVing” survey. Further, almost a quarter of current RV owners are now under age 35, with the majority planning to purchase a new RV in the next 5 years.
