If you’re looking for a positive blog post, you might want to back out of the site today! It is a bleak year for RVIA Shipments.

The RVIA’s November report of manufacturers’ shipments found that total RV shipments ended the month with 23,573 units. This is a decrease of 6.3% compared to the 25,160 units shipped in November 2023.

It’s important to remember that 2023 was a horrible year for RV shipments, so that makes the number of shipments even worse that you might think. 313,000 shipments took place in 2023 compared to 493,000 in 2022.  So, when we talk a decrease in monthly shipments over 2023, you can see where the RV sales are headed…in the dumper.

In fact, this year’s number are much lower than pre-covid numbers. 2019 shipments were 406,070.  RVIA can always paint a rosy picture, but my opinion is that the RV industry is in real trouble.

Towable Market

So, let’s talk about the towable market.

Travel trailers are down 2.5% comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023 but up 15.6% over 2023 for the year to date.

Fifth wheel Trailers are down 9.6% comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023, and up only 1.2% over 2023 for the year to date.

Folding Campers are down 16.6% for the year

Truck Campers are down 8% for the year.

Motor Homes

All motorhomes are down double digits when comparing November of 2024 to November of 2023.

First, Class A’s are down 32.5% for the year

Second, Class B’s are down 30.9% for the year

Third, Class C’s are down 17.7% for the year

Now it’s time for me to give my opinion on why the RV industry is in the shitter.

  1.  The quality is horrible, pretty much across the board of manufacturers. Sure, there are some RV’s that are made better than others. However, not a single unit exists that I would ever buy without a third-party inspection.
  2. The standards are loose, thanks RVIA. What passes as acceptable would never fly in any other construction.  Pex to flexible plumbing connections, wiring that differs depending on the installer, axles and springs that just meet the GVWR of the trailer. Not to mention the dreaded frame flex issues.
  3. Social Media is finally exposing all of this, and has led to the NHTSA getting involved in the frame flex problems. While not exclusive to Winnebago/Grand Design, but certainly they are a big part of it.
  4. Social Media has educated folks on the current state of affairs in the RV industry. I think that is making folks pull back. Certainly, a nice tent almost looks like a better option when you see new owners showing their 200,000 dollar class c or 100,000 dollar fifth wheels falling apart.

I’ve said many times that I would love to see the RV industry do well. The only way I see that happening is if the RVIA makes a top-down change, implementing new and better standards along with real quality control on the factory floor.

It may be time for the NHTSA to regulate towables, and the RV industry is certainly heading in that direction.

On a side note, HUD exempts RVs from its residential building codes. Why? Because they only recognize RVs as intended for temporary use—guess who helped make that happen: the RVIA. That needs to change.change.

What a mess!