Actually Having Inventory!

[Cathy P.]

I have noticed that at least 3 of the manufacturers: Oliver, Casita and Escape, have some, not that many though, "inventory" units. Casita has their units listed on the fiberglass rv 4 sale site and the other two have listings on their websites. I think, and hope, that this will work out well for them and should help those that don't want to wait forever to get a brand new trailer!

I wonder if this will become a trend. For those that don't need something more "custom", it could be a winner!

[Jon in AZ]

I noticed the Casita ads, first time I’d ever seen that. It certainly points to a softening of the RV market. Just heard Scamp is running 6 months out, down from a peak of 15 months.

The RV industry is highly cyclical. Molded fiberglass, due to limited production capacity, is less drastic in the ups and downs but not invulnerable.

[trainman]

I think you will find that these so called inventory trailers come from buyers that their trailer is already in the production process and they that can't complete the purchase for whatever reasons. Since the top five fiberglass manufactures run there production lines at full production and the wait times can run from 3-12 months I doubt they are building extra trailers for sale.

trainman

[Fred762]

Escape is planning..[I heard]..to open a US distributorship+ manufacturing facility IN the USofAye soon. It is reportedly to be somewhere in the South West..maybe in the Phoenix area. I figure it will be announced the day AFTER we pick up our new Escape21.... in Canada later this year.

[cpaharley2008]

Going to Canada and visiting the Escape factory in Chilliwack was always an enjoyable trip. Meeting the people who work on your trailer as well as seeing the area is memorable. We have done it twice and would do it again.....

[Cathy P.]

Another possibility is that those needing a lighter weight, small TT have turned to the stickies. Since the introduction of the R-Pod and "clones" of it hit the market, the big manufacturers (Jayco, Starcraft, Keystone, Aliner, Winnebago come to mind) are pretty much all producing their version, including Airstream with their Base Camp unit.

I didn't say these were comparable in any way with the exception of being lighter weight and small TTs, which is why we are looking for a molded fiberglass as our last since it will "outlive" us, the stickies wouldn't unless we get real unlucky!

[thrifty bill]

I think it is a combination of cancelled orders, expanded production, and a recent downturn in the RV business after year upon year of record sales.

Lots of broke baby boomers approaching retirement. They may be curtailing spending or at least thinking twice.

While we all here recognize the quality and value of the molded fiberglass trailers, there are cheaper options out there.

Anyone remember the time that people would get on a waiting list to buy a new Harley, and then turn around and sell their spot on the list for thousands of dollars!

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Cathy P.

Another possibility is that those needing a lighter weight, small TT have turned to the stickies. Since the introduction of the R-Pod and "clones" of it hit the market, the big manufacturers (Jayco, Starcraft, Keystone, Aliner, Winnebago come to mind) are pretty much all producing their version, including Airstream with their Base Camp unit.

I didn't say these were comparable in any way with the exception of being lighter weight and small TTs, which is why we are looking for a molded fiberglass as our last since it will "outlive" us, the stickies wouldn't unless we get real unlucky!

I think you are correct in that people are going for the alternative units that are light in weight but have a fiberglass skin on them. Those companies advertise a lot and don't have a long wait list. The wait list is the biggest issue for the loss of a sale as people want instant gratification. I can't fault them for wanting to go camping the same spring and summer they decide they are ready to buy a travel trailer.

Not every one buys into the theory of a life time purchase. For instance if I could afford to buy a brand new travel trailer why would I even care about "life time" at 70 years old? My "life time" of use is about as long as one would expect a trailer such as an R-pod travel trailer to last. In fact it would likely outlast me as I don't know that my health would allow me to do a lot of solo travel in my 90s. The modern adhesives and caulks are much better than ones used in years past so those will last a life time unless a trailer is badly abused or damaged. It is not as if there are not any leak issues with molded fiberglass trailers. Anyone who reads this forum will quickly understand that many of them have leak issues.

[Iowa Dave]

If you drive interstate 80 and you drive Eastbound from Iowa to South Bend Indiana before you turn south to hook up with Highway 30, you will meet contract tow vehicles coming out of the Elkhart Indiana area. Over the past three or four years I have absolutely noticed a shift in the size of trailers being delivered to dealers. There are now a lot of dually pickups with a flatbed trailer hauling two or even three short stickie travel trailers. I’m still seeing a lot of big fifth wheel trailers but not near as many regular travel trailers in the 24 foot plus category. The frequency of “Retro” trailers has declined also. Granted, this is non scientific observation but like anything else, it’s not that hard to sense a trend and break into Dylan’s “Times are a changin”
Iowa Dave

[Glenn Baglo]

Every time I drive out to Chilliwack and pass lots with hundreds of unsold RVs I get this sense of doom. All those RVs and their new owners are going to be looking for campsites.
There was a new storage lot I'd not seen before. Hundreds of RVs waiting to move ( I presume ) to the RV dealers.

[Iowa Dave]

Hi Glenn
We have a small storage facility about two miles east of us and there’s two big ones in town that I drive by several times a week. There might be 40 trailers in the small one near us. At no time are there more than 10 trailers out of their spots. Lots of people have so many toys they don’t have time to use them all.
Iowa Dave

[Glenn Baglo]

I guess the consolation is that most of those RVs are 'stickies' so they won't be around all that long.

[Raz]

Some years ago Casita advertised available trailers on RV trader. It was about this time of year. Past discussion has suggested cancelled orders and production to keep the employees with pay checks when the wait list was all caught up. With an economy based on low interest rates and affordability based on low monthly payments, things have to slow down sooner or later. Working three jobs to pay the debt doesn't leave much time for camping.

[Cathy P.]

At 65, I still want something that will last at least 30 years, because I am an optimist! I have been in the stickies forums doing research, and they are not getting better. Delamination is thriving and all too often the electrical wiring, plumbing, etc. has not been correctly installed or the wrong size of something has been used leading to dangerous situations. Actually, I have seen a revival of the aluminum sided trailers, and I suspect that has to do with the many cases of delamination (the separation of the wall sandwich that was glued together, and basically a death sentence for the trailer). I am aware that the fiberglass molded trailers can leak, but they can also be repaired when they leak. We have owned 9 stickies and are currently dealing with issues, and this is not an entry level model, but a Hi Lo that when new ran about $30,000 in 2010 - we bought it used, like new and...................

I think it is probably a combination of things, but I still think it will be a win to have stock inventory, but if they get ahead of themselves doing that, it could be a problem as they outlay too much capital and the sales don't happen - saw another manufacturer do this, not good.

I was hoping with this thread to let people know of the available units should they be looking. Some, like me, would probably prefer to see exactly the unit they are getting without the hassle of a down payment and a long wait.

[Jon in AZ]

I agree. For years it has been a seller’s market. Regardless of whether the listed units were built on spec or cancelled orders, it points to a contraction in the RV industry and good news for buyers. I doubt you’ll see heavy discounting in molded fiberglass, but you will see more units for sale, shorter waits, and a slight softening of prices, or at least a slowdown in the steep increases of recent years.

I also see the market reaching saturation among retiring Boomers, acres of excess inventory, and new production tilting toward Millennials. They should mean better times for smaller RV of all types.

It seems an odd time for Escape to expand, unless they’re going to bring back smaller models with more modern interior design and 21st century technology.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Fred762

Escape is planning..[I heard]..to open a US distributorship+ manufacturing facility IN the USofAye soon. It is reportedly to be somewhere in the South West..maybe in the Phoenix area. I figure it will be announced the day AFTER we pick up our new Escape21.... in Canada later this year.

We were at a Casita Rally in Texas in Oct. 2019 and Escape was there and was talking about there new models and there interest in setting up a sale office in the Texas region, somewhere along I-35 from Dallas to Austin. Reason for Texas is, more Escape's are sold in Texas then any other state. They would stock new trailers for sale as well as a service department, this would be owned and run by Escape and would not be a franchise dealer.

trainman

[vin]

Quite a number of years ago I bought a beautiful 25' sticky. After 1 year there was not one thing my hands had not touched and I had receipts to prove it. Me and camping world were on a first name basis. Gladly we said goodby to our t.t. which was then ready to camp in. During that year the only time it left our house was for a water test at camping world. Our 21' Escape "Classy" will be with us for the duration.

[Cathy P.]

I noticed this morning that Helio has a selection of 5 of their trailers listed on RVTrader.

The definite upside to stocking inventory is for buyers (more like me than not) being able to not advance a down payment. I fully understand the reason a substantial down payment is necessary, but it is very hard for me to part with money without immediate gratification, and my trust level in others and their business sense isn't terribly high these days.

[vin]

We purchased a 2019 Ram as a t.v. for our new 21' Escape. ONE year with no company interest in helping to fix a major problem, the Ram was gone. A very expensive experience for us that could have been solved if corporate was interested. They weren't. Our experience with Escape has been 5 star. You have a one on one with a company who cares about their product. I am 10 yrs. older than you and I still like the 30 year thing. Thats real optimism.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by vin

We purchased a 2019 Ram as a t.v. for our new 21' Escape. ONE year with no company interest in helping to fix a major problem, the Ram was gone. A very expensive experience for us that could have been solved if corporate was interested. They weren't. Our experience with Escape has been 5 star. You have a one on one with a company who cares about their product. I am 10 yrs. older than you and I still like the 30 year thing. Thats real optimism.

Our new 2019 Ram has been a perfect vehicle for towing our 2019 Oliver, I have meet many new Ram owners that are totally happy with their new 2019 Rams that tow many different travel trailers. I guess someone got a bad one, or did they.

trainman