On Sunday Jan 13, 2013, we attended the 25 Annual Manufactures RV Show at the Alameda County Fair Grounds. We always like going to RV shows to see whats new in the RV world. It gives us a first class hands-on experience which we find better than any online or magazine review could give. So, lets begin.
Lets start with ticket purchase. They did provide an online coupon to save $2.00 per person which was nice. A little bit of savings never hurts, however, you better be prepared to have your email address bombarded with the offers. That's why you give them a fake! We printed our coupons and headed off to the show. The only unfortunate experience we found here was that there was no online ticket purchase. You could only buy them at the show AND they only accepted cash. We've seen better.
So when we arrived at the fairgrounds we were greeted with a booth to pay for parking. No problem, we figured as much. Ten dollars to park! Again, only accepts cash. We thought that was kinda steep. Especially when they wanted us to park in a dirt lot. Hey, at least it was close to the entrance.
Once inside we were bombarded with the product booths. Which is fine if only they were for products that were related to RVing. Instead the majority of the booths were for upgrading your home and not the one on wheels. We just smiled and said no thank you, we rent, and moved on. But once we made it through the labyrinth of booths and red carpet, we were greeted with a wide array of RV's just waiting to be viewed.
All the RV's were inside; which was very nice to get out of the elements. Every style one could imagine was there. Class A and C motor homes as well as Class B conversion vans. Travel trailers and fifth wheels, along with pop ups and tent campers were available for view as well. It goes on and on. We saw that the majority of manufactures were there including Winnebago and Airstream. We were in awe at the sight of so many RV's in one place. Which made us wonder whats new for 2013?
Well whats new for 2013 is an improvement in style from the previous designs especially in the toy hauler lines. Toy haulers are RV's that have a "garage" at the back of the rig to store your ATV, dirt bike, golf cart, etc. It seemed that those types of RV's were marketed to young families that really were not into the camping experience rather the off-highway vehicle (OHV) weekends. And it showed in the RV's graphics scheme and overall look of the rig. Now RV manufactures of toy haulers are looking at a more conservative and higher quality both inside and outside the rig. Gone are the checkered flag graphics, they've traded for a more sweeping complementary color package for the exterior. Gone are the chrome and black leather interior for warmer wood tones and inviting family home feel. We felt that the toy hauler has finally grown up.
Another improvement we found was from Cruiser RV. They came out with a new line of travel trailers called Fun Finder. They are a recycle of their Fun Finder X line in terms of sizes and floor plans available but with some differences we found both good and bad. It was nice to see that Cruiser RV upgraded the feel inside the coach with warm wood tones with brushed metal hardware for their cabinets. And their exterior color schemes and graphics package shows a more elegant and refined look as well. The quality of construction is the same using lightweight materials and attention to detail you would find in most of what Cruiser RV makes however, there are some drawbacks to their new designs. For starters, is the lack of a front window on all the floor plans for the Fun Finder line. Windows bring light into the RV and we know from experience (owning a Fun Finder X) that there are not enough windows to begin with. So, it was unfortunate to see that Cruiser RV removed one, really giving a dark feel to the inside of the RV. Another unfortunate note is the downgrade in appliances. They still use quality products but went for an all black look instead of the brushed aluminum look which again adds to that already dark cave feel when you step inside the rig. But the new line is wider and taller but still is lightweight enough to be towed by most light-duty pickups and most SUV's.
This brings us to our best and worse in show.
For our best in show we decided to go with another travel trailer. The 2013 Creek Side 20FQ by Outdoors RV. It is a perfect combination of style and functionality together with floor plan layout and weight control that made this travel trailer our pick. If you are new to the RV lifestyle and don't have much to spend then check out the 20FQ. It features a walk around queen bed up front with full bath with shower about mid way down the RV. A full kitchen with dinette completes the back portion of the RV. With amble storage both inside and outside the RV and plenty of room left over for people to move around inside it makes one wonder how did Outdoors RV accomplish all this without the need for a slide-out. Check out their web site to learn more: http://www.outdoorsrvmfg.com/creekside/model.php?id=126
The worse in show had us scratching our heads wondering why is it that when an RV manufacture has a blank canvas of an interior and can plan a layout anyway they want to, they decide to go the cheap route and make it look like it was put together from IKEA. Well that's exactly what KZ did when they brought out the 2013 Spree Escape. With rough corners and ill fitting transition seams between components the Escape looks like something that was put together over one weekend using parts found in the RV section at your local big box store hoping they would fit perfectly and nobody would notice. Don't believe me? Check them out for yourself: http://www.kz-rv.com/spree-escape/index.html
Until next time...
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