If there is any indication that the economy is picking back up, it's this: People are buying RVs again.
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association forecasts that some 230,300 units will be shipped to retailers this year. That's an estimated 39 percent increase over 2009.
Locally, RV dealers are seeing sales climb -- reflecting a national expectation that more people will hit the road this summer.
The motor home and travel trailer industry all but stopped manufacturing in recent years. Gas was costly. Banks weren't lending. Consumers weren't spending.
Oregon's RV sector was hit hard. Manufacturers in Coburg and Junction City filed for Chapter 11 last year and laid off thousands of employees.
But dealers are now confidently restocking inventories, saying the worst is in the rearview mirror.
'Our industry is optimistic right now in terms of the future," said Darin Porter of Porter's RV in Coos Bay. Without disclosing sales figures, he said business is up from this time last year.
Gib's RV in Coos Bay is rolling, too.
'The economy is starting to make that turn," said owner Bill Leslie.
Lindsay Hargett, sales representative for Guaranty RV Super Centers puts it this way: 'We had the recession before the recession and we're the first to come out of the recession."
Hargett was one of several RV salesmen at The Mill Casino-Hotel & RV Park's RV Jamboree.
Guaranty has sold hundreds of RVs so far during its three-month tour around the state, he said. It's the kind of sales performance reminiscent of 2004.
Big, gas-guzzling motor homes are turning around slowly. But travel trailers are quickly pulling the industry out of the ditch.
According to RVIA, about 24,600 units were delivered to retailers in April, up 2.5 percent over March and 85 percent over that same time last year. Of those deliveries, 22,000 were towables.
'I think that has to do with finances," Porter said.
A new motor home typically costs $60,000 to $100,000, while the price tag on a new travel trailer is around $15,000 to $30,000.
'The majority of customers already have a tow vehicle," Porter added. 'They already have that part of the equation."
Leslie offered this observation: 'I think the positive part is people might not be 100 percent confident, but they're turning a corner. They're beginning to dabble again."
Gib's stopped selling new motor homes in 2007.
Both dealerships say used motor homes are still viable.
'There has always been a good market for used," Leslie said. 'Always will be."
RVs and retirees
RVs have always been strongly associated with retirees, and that's still the case. This market is growing every year, and the industry expects to grow along with it, Porter said.
Leslie, however, is seeing more younger customers buying trailers -- a trend partly driven by the poor economy. Some customers, he said, plan to make RVs their full-time homes.
'They're lowering expenses to get them through the storm," Leslie said.
He estimates about 20 percent of his customers are seeking frugal living arrangements.
In many cases, making payments on a trailer is cheaper than paying rent, and it's certainly cheaper than a mortgage. Renting a space costs only $200 to $300 a month. They won't have to pay property taxes, either.
Home on the road
While RV sales are improving, RV park managers report mixed booking rates.
'There's definitely been a downturn in the past two years," said Patrick Conlon, owner of Kelley's RV Park on Cape Arago Highway.
He hasn't seen a noticeable improvement in the travel climate so far this year, but he isn't exactly in the vacation business, either. Many of his tenants are permanent, he said.
But he is getting a lot of calls for Fourth of July reservations for the spaces he has available, if that's any indication, he said.
Bob Truppa, a manager at Midway RV Park, said bookings are down slightly compared with last year. The 57-space park had seen consistently solid bookings in years past.
'If we had 100 spots, we could have rented them all," he said. 'This year, I shouldn't have five (spaces) opening tomorrow, but I do."
He expects things will heat up in July, August and September.
RV park occupancy rates at The Mill Hotel-Casino are strong so far this year. The first five months of 2010 are up more than 5 percent compared with the same period last year, said spokesman Ray Doering.
'The fact we went up 5 percent shows an interest in RV travel and interest in our park," Doering said.
