Duluth News Tribune: Camper Van Segment Continues to Grow
A Winnebago Revel Class B motorhome in Utah. Smaller, Class B motorhomes are gaining in popularity among couples of all ages, with a smaller footprint and better gas mileage than larger motorhomes. Contributed/Winnebago
In the 2020 movie “Nomadland,” actor Frances McDormand plays an itinerant widow who lives out of her panel van, with a mattress thrown in the back for her bed and a bucket for her bathroom.
Yes, the movie won Oscar awards. But it may have been a bit misleading on what the modern camper van really looks like inside and out, according to the Duluth News Tribune.
In fact, what many folks call camper vans, and what the RV industry calls Class B motorhomes, have become the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. RV market in recent years.
“They are easier to drive. You can park them on a city street without much problem. They don’t take up a lot of space — at home or in a campground,” said Monika Geraci, spokeswoman for the RV Industry Association. “And they can go places bigger RVs can’t go.”
A decade ago, in 2012, only 2,100 of the Class B models sold in the entire U.S. But during the peak pandemic rush to get outdoors, in 2020, sales jumped to 7,200. By 2021, they hit 13,823 and in 2022, Americans purchased 17,026 of the camper vans, a 23.1% increase in year-over-year sales.
“They are still a very small percentage of all the RVs sold, but they keep growing,” Geraci said. “There is a segment of the population that is really attracted to the smaller size and advantages of the Class B.”
Source: https://rvbusiness.com/duluth-news-tribune-camper-van-segment-continues-to-grow/
