2023 RV and Sportsman’s Expo

January and February are difficult months for me. Once the holidays are over I’m ready for spring to arrive so that I can get outside to explore. Of course, here in Utah we’re still in the middle of ski season. This is a sport that I don’t take part in. I’ve wanted to do the snowmobile thing, but I really can’t afford another hobby. So, I grumble around for two months waiting for the opportunity to get outside to soak up the sun and go camping. It’s frustrating, but at this point it’s almost a tradition and until I can find a way to move to a nicer climate, it’s a tradition that will likely continue.

The good news is that February kicks off a sort of convention season here in Utah that include boat shows, RV shows and an off road show. Much like the snowmobile problem, boating isn’t my thing, but I do like to go to the RV show. Are you in the market for a new RV? No. We purchased a used motorhome a year ago and it will serve us for the next few years. Then why would you go to an RV show? Well, two reasons. First, it gets us out of the house. There’s nothing worse than just sitting around waiting for something to do. This gives us the chance to move around a little and it gets us excited about the coming camping season. The second reason is a little more…geeky. I like to keep up on the trends.

The RV show gives people the chance to walk through the new offerings from RV manufacturers all in one place. New floor plans, accessories and colors are all on display and there are plenty of sales representatives available to answer any questions that you may have. Now, this can be good or bad. The thought of being surrounded by so many salespeople may sound intimidating, but my experience this year was very positive. Most of the RV dealers in the state are on site wanting to help get you into your dream RV, but with the exception of one person, no one seemed to be trying to push me into buying anything which is nice.

The interior color schemes of this year’s RV’s are definitely leaning to bright, white and gray colors. I don’t mind these colors, but I’m also a little old fashioned so I prefer my RV’s a little more to the lighter brown colors, but Misty seemed to love them. I did notice that flat top, cast iron grills are becoming popular too. It used to be BBQ grills, but the versatility of a flat top grill makes it a great option for RVers, so it seems many of the manufacturers are supplying their rigs with them. They really are nice. We have one that we take with us and I like it a lot.

I was disappointed with the lack of motorhomes at this years show. It seems that the same supply chain issues that are plaguing the automotive industry (and let’s face it, everything else) are also hitting the RV industry. On top of that, dealers are limited on the amount of rigs they can bring to this RV show. A show that is primarily indoors. So they are forced to bring the best of the best and if you want to see more, you have to head over to the dealership. This isn’t unusual, but it might be a little discouraging for those coming to a show to look exclusively at motorhomes. Luckily for us, we already have our RV and we aren’t planning to replace it for a few years. Perhaps the supply crisis will be over at that point. Only time will tell.

RV’s weren’t the only things to see at this year’s expo. There were plenty of vendors selling gear for those of us that of G.A.S. That stands for “gear acquisition syndrome” if you didn’t know. I may or may not be guilty of having this condition, but that isn’t really important right now. What is important is having these folks there to assist new and current RV owners in getting set up with all the accessories that come with owning RV's. Yes, buying the RV may be expensive, but outfitting one is equally bad and some of these things you have to have. That sewer hose doesn’t just come with your rig ya’ know. Like the dealers, these guys are only showing off a tiny fraction of their inventory, so plan on visiting them often after you purchase that shiny new rig. We also managed to pick up some new literature to help plan out our next adventure and got a peak at some new E-bikes. These things are quickly becoming a requirement for RV owners for some reason, but whatever.

We got out with minimal damage. The guy that got us was selling towels. Now that may sound silly, but these towels are special. These towels are from a company called Onda. These micro-fiber towels soak up water better than the Brawny man and they dry super fast. They come in a variety of sizes and the one I’ve used the most since we purchased them is the Onda Fit towel. It’s about 18” and is meant for an exercise towel. I bought two of them and I love them. They are antimicrobial and they roll up into tiny bundle that makes storing them in an RV super easy. That is why we bought them. They are expensive, so fitting out the entire house might not be a good idea, at least not for us, but they’ll do just fine in the motorhome. We’ll do a more in depth review of these after we’ve used them a little more in the near future.

Okay. That was this year’s RV show in a tiny, bite sized portion. Did we need to go to an RV show? Nope. Did we get off the couch and spend some quality time together? Yes. We used our interest in RV’s to spend time together and kept up on the current trends in an industry that we are interested in. We’ll call that a win. You can “sees'“ more about the show here. Thanks for swinging by and get out there and have an adventurous week!

Brandan