The Dashboard: The Latest in RV Tech, Gear, and Intel From the Road for April 2024.
Eyes On…
Photo Credit: Keystone RV
Keystone’s New Bike Bunker
About two-thirds of all fifth-wheel owners either travel with e-bikes or want to, say the number-crunchers at Keystone RV, one of the biggest manufacturers of towables. So, designers built a slide-out bike garage into a new floor plan (3623EB) of Keystone’s popular Montana model, with room for two e-bikes, a clever fold-down rack system, and an outlet to keep those sleds juiced.
Photo Credit: Westfalia America
The Rebirth of the Westy
More than two decades after the last Westfalia camper van rolled off the assembly line, the brand is set to return to North America. Built on a Ram ProMaster chassis, the Westfalia Wave evokes the sensibilities of its ancestors while incorporating modern tech like a Truma Combi furnace/water heater and 600-amp-hour house batteries.
Happenings
April 3–9 Vintage RV Rally SE2024 – Mineola, TX
That’s SE as in “solar eclipse”—one of a zillion RV rallies held this week in the path of totality, between Texas and Maine. This one’s for vintage Class A owners, who’ll pass pre-eclipse days with a flea market, frisbee tourney, pineblock derby, and more. vintagervrally.net
April 11–14 DFW RV Party – Arlington, TX
AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, hosts one of the circuit’s livelier RV shows, with thousands of new and used vehicles, special guests (turns out Cowboys—and their cheerleaders!—love RVs), bands, and a BBQ cookoff. dfwrvparty.com
Photo Credit: Simone Arora (Weird wild)
April 18–22 Weird Wild West – Bisbee, AZ
From the opening sunset howl to the outdoor Burnerella art bazaar to the ceremonial beheading of the Alice in Bisbeeland queen, this high-desert gathering for overlanders, vanlifers, and other itinerants leans into its name. weirdwildwest.net
Outlook
“We are in the new golden age of camping. … Campers have more options than ever before.”
—Kevin Long, CEO of booking and review platform The Dyrt, announcing the brand’s 2024 state-of-the-industry analysis, which reports that 21.8% of campers last year tried motorhome and/or trailer camping for the first time.
Solar Stat
Photo Credit: Wildsam
The year-over-year increase in Arkansas and Vermont campsite reservations on Campspot.com for the days surrounding the April 8 eclipse. This according to Forbes, which also reported big leaps in other states along the path of totality.
New Gear Watch
Photo Credit: Scosche
More Power To You
Dead vehicle batteries are less of a bummer with the Scosche PowerUp 2000, which can jump-start vehicles with up to 8-liter gas engines or 7-liter diesel motors—even when the battery is completely drained. Not bad for a gadget the size of a smartphone and fits in your glove box. $150. scosche.com
This article originally appeared in Wildsam magazine. For more Wildsam content, sign up for our newsletter.
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