Camp-land RV spokesman Scott 'Otto' Ourednik opens one of the camping trailers on the lot at the dealership in Burns Harbor. Staff photo by John Luke
Munster resident Kimberly Monts O'Banion bought an RV last summer and is thankful she did after the coronavirus pandemic has raised concerns about the safety of air travel and cruise ships.
"I am so happy we did. We get to stay in our own little bubble on vacation," she said. "It is great. We are headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for our big trip this summer. We will go on other little trips hopefully."
This has been shaping up to be the "summer of the COVID camper" with RV sales accelerating in Northwest Indiana and across the nation. Local RV dealerships said they've seen a surge of interest and many first-time buyers as many people cooped up in the house during stay-at-home orders look to go on vacation and travel while still practicing social distancing during the pandemic that has killed more than 118,000 Americans thus far.
RVs let families get out and see the country while still self-isolating, since they include their own living quarters complete with bathrooms and kitchens.
A RV Industry Association survey estimates 46 million Americans will take a RV trip in the next 12 months. About 51% of those planning to travel via RV said health concerns increased their interest in RV camping.
“As states across America continue to open up, more and more consumers are looking for ways to get outdoors and recreate responsibly,” RV Industry Association President Craig Kirby said. “RVs provide a great way for consumers to enjoy vacations with their families, while still adhering to social distancing policies that are likely to remain in place in some fashion moving forward.
"As we approach the start of summer, the RV industry is seeing both very strong retail traffic, as well as sales, especially with first time buyers. There is such a variety of RV products, that there truly is an RV for every consumer at every price point.”
RV dealerships like Pete's RV Center in Schererville have implemented new safety guidelines such as requiring social distancing, face masking, hand sanitizing and appointments as they see a rise in interest in "COVID campers."
Pam Argostino, president of Camp-World in Burns Harbor, said business was at least 10% to 15% up over an already strong 2019.
"We're seeing a ton of traffic, a ton of people buying, and a ton of people making appointments, which we're doing now for safety," she said. "People are looking to get out to the campgrounds. It's crazy. We can't keep up."
People have been flocking to the third-generation family-owned business in Porter County to buy a wide variety of RVs, including travel trailers, six-wheel campers and smaller motorhomes. Many are first-time buyers.
"We know they're first-time buyers because they have nothing to trade in," she said. "We need more used. Our used (inventory) is very thin."
RV manufacturers, clustered mainly in Elkhart in northern Indiana, has been ramping up production to keep up with the surge in demand. They have added Saturday shifts and narrowed their models to best sellers to increase production volume.
"When the manufacturers reopened, they had no idea what to expect," Argostino said. "But they've been going like gangbusters."
Argostino said she isn't going to overstock by doubling inventory but is cautiously optimistic.
"There's a groundswell of customers keeping our employees working," she said. "Demand is so high we brought back everybody and are fully staffed. We didn't have to lay off anybody."
Darryl Searer, president of the RV Museum and Hall of Fame in Elkhart, said the RV industry saw record sales in May. Dealerships in Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado and Arizona all reported record sales volumes.
"Millennials and young people with families are buying RVs," he said. "We've been cooped up for 60 days and people want to travel with their own food and bed and schedule and be their own boss. You can take a RV to national parks or to tailgate at football games, whatever your passions are."
Manufacturers in Elkhart and southern Michigan have been working overtime to fulfill orders to meet pent-up demand, Searer said.
"With everything that's happened during the pandemic and with worldwide travel restricted, people would rather stay in the United States with their own bed and their own food," he said. "You can travel in your own backyard and still practice social distancing."
Queries have doubled and sales have shot up by at least 50% at Recreation Plantation Inc. in Lynwood, just across the state line. The RV dealership has been family-owned for the past 33 years, and is now run by Ray, Leann and Brandon Benninger.
"About 70% of the time is first-time buyers," Ray Benninger said. "With the COVID-19 crisis, people see us as the only way to safely travel."
Recreation Plantation has not seen such a spike in interest among first-time campers since people stopped flying after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We get call after call that bring up flying and the cruise ship situation," he said. "People are flocking to our industry because it's your own bed, your own bathroom and your own food. There are no motel rooms. You can practice social distancing at campsites and still hike and fish. You're not standing in line at somewhere like Dollywood."
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