Just how muddied the RVing waters have become can be seen later this month in Colorado, where two unrelated events will illustrate the growing complexity of what was once a recreational niche. The first is The Great American RV Show, set to run Aug. 17-19 in Colorado Springs; the second is the opening of the Love’s Travel Plaza & RV Park in Canyon City, tentatively scheduled for Aug. 24.
The Great American RV Show traditionally features scores of travel trailers, fifth wheels and motorhomes, not to mention factory representatives, manufacturers and dealers, all offering Incredible Deals as they try to move last year’s models out of inventory. This year’s version, however, for the first time will include—tiny homes. As in, not RVs but small cabins on trailers. As in, little houses that don’t necessarily conform to RV standards but are too small to be covered by national standards for manufactured homes. Which could be a problem, for any number of reasons.
Why an RV show would diversify its portfolio this way isn’t exactly clear—if tiny homes, why not houseboats, for example—although it’s noteworthy that the factory and showroom for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, one of the industry’s leading manufacturers, also happens to be located in Colorado Springs. But a spokesman for AMP Expos, the organization behind the RV show, explained the change by recasting the show as “an exceptional event focused on sustainable living.” Or as he further elaborated, “We believe that by showcasing the possibilities and benefits of alternative housing options, we can inspire individuals to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and contribute to a more attainable future.”
RVing, in other words, should no longer be viewed as merely a recreational pursuit. It is instead just one segment of a much broader spectrum of “alternative housing options” devoted to “more sustainable lifestyles.”
It’s debatable whether tiny homes, cute as they are, can support “sustainable” lifestyles in any meaningful sense. As I’ve written before, they’re neither RV fish nor housing fowl—too heavy and cumbersome to be readily mobile, yet too small and limited to provide adequate housing for most people for any extended period of time—and never mind their exorbitant cost. But there’s no question that they fit right into the trend of RVs becoming housing of last resort, no matter how unsuitable they are for that purpose, as the continued high cost and inadequate supply of conventional housing leave growing numbers of Americans scrambling for any kind of shelter at all. It can be argued, therefore, that the Great American RV Show is just adapting to a changing reality—although in that case a name change also is in order. Maybe to The Lesser Attainable Future Show.
Meanwhile, the other end of the RV spectrum is being embraced by Love’s, a nationwide chain of more than 660 truck stops and convenience stores in 42 states, with more popping up all the time. Recognizing that the pandemic-driven demand for RV sites was rapidly exceeding supply, Love’s started adding small RV parks to its existing locations a few years ago, most with 15 to 30 spots and only basic amenities, and now has nearly 40 such mini-parks around the country. Apparently they’ve done well enough that Love’s is doubling down: the Canyon City park will have more than 100 full hook-up sites and the standard restroom and laundry facilities, but also a dog park, pickleball and basketball courts and several gazebos.
Best of all, nightly rates at all the Love’s parks range from $37 to $48, or roughly half the going rate at most commercial campgrounds.
One of the more interesting things about the Love’s move is how it’s being viewed by management. While AMP Expos is reframing RVs as part of a broader housing spectrum, thereby diluting the RV concept, Love’s is moving in the opposite direction. “It is not an ‘RV park,’ it is intended for campers,” the Canyon City travel plaza’s general manager, Dave Paulson, told a reporter from the Cañon City Daily Record. “We are really dedicated to providing a great place for people to come and camp for a couple of weeks or a month and enjoy all the great things Colorado has to offer.”
The undefined distinction Paulson draws between campers and those who stay at ‘RV parks’ presumably comes down to length of stay: nobody is going to “live” at a Love’s, where 28 days is the max, although relatively few RVers stay in one place that long. But as more people seeking “alternative housing options” crowd into conventional RV parks, gradually transforming them into trailer courts and tiny home/park model subdivisions, the Love’s alternative will provide a much-needed relief valve for everyone else—and underscore the importance of a business staying focused on core competencies.
One final thought: as Love’s continues its expansion, it may within a few years become second only to KOA as the country’s largest RV park chain. Interestingly, Love’s then will have occupied the niche KOA tried to secure with its controversial brand segmentation, the lowest-tier KOA Travel campgrounds shouldered aside by dozens of newer, lower-priced competitors from a company that sells gas, doughnuts and coffee.
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