- A staple of the American road trip,
a tiny house on wheels, a mobile bar, a glamping shelter,
an icon of the hippie movement.
Is there anything recreational vehicles can't do? No.
(upbeat music)
RVs have been around for more than a century,
but right now they're more popular than ever.
Today, we're going to look at the history
of the recreational vehicle, where it came from,
how it came to represent the American dream
and why it continues to surge in popularity.
How did that happen?
Let's hit the road and find out.
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- Well, this bit is over now then I'm exposed.
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- Now let's get back into it.
In post revolution America, covered wagons
were being used as settlers headed out West
and travelers in Europe, used them to live on the move,
inspiring some of the first RV campers in America.
But we used horse power instead
of horsepower because horses.
Before RVs, people camped in private rail cars
and the early RVs has provided more privacy and freedom.
Known as auto campers or camping trailers at the time,
these vehicles were dovetailed nicely with a 1915 movement
for Americans to return to nature.
Camping was marketed as a way to escape noise, crowds
and urban life and appreciate nature.
I think something similar is gonna happen pretty soon.
I don't like being cooped up.
Pierce-Arrow's Touring Landau debuted
at Madison Square Garden in 1910.
It had a backseat that folded into a bed,
a sink that folded from the chauffeur's seat
and a chamber pot.
Why isn't the driver's seat a chamber pot?
That's where I'd want it.
The word Landau means a type of carriage
and if you saw our video on different kinds of cars,
you probably already knew that.
Although it's been about a century
since they dominated the road, you may have seen one
of these recently.
Prince William and Kate Middleton went home
from their wedding in a very opulent landau.
I don't know if they had the chamber pot in there.
RVs became better known to the public
when the Conklin family converted a bus
into a double deck motor home that the New York Times
called a land yacht.
The idea was clear.
These vehicles could smooth out the roughness of camping,
which would prove to be the ticket for success
as luxury became as American as an Apple pie.
Ironically, the American desire to escape the pressures
of modern life led people to nature,
where they also wanted to enjoy the comforts of modern life.
But how could the everyday person attain such a luxury?
It wasn't long before manufacturers offered some solutions.
Anheuser-Busch, you know, the beer guys,
were losing a lot of money
because they couldn't sell beer during prohibition.
So they pivoted to making RVs.
Refrigerated boxes that were
used to schlep beer were sitting around not being used.
So Anheuser-Busch created a kit
that could be assembled under the chassis of a Model T
converting it into a motor home called the kampkar.
In a time where hotels were more expensive
and harder to find an independence was an expanding idea,
the kampkar made a lot of sense.
By the '20s RV camping clubs were popping up all over the US
despite the unpaved roads and limited camping facilities.
With the economy booming,
several manufacturers were making motorhomes,
including Hudson Essex's,
Pullman Coach and REO Speed Wagon Bungalow.
These vehicles were large and could only travel
on auto friendly roads,
so they became a less common choice
than detachable trailers.
That didn't stop a group of travelers
called the Tin Can Tourists named
because they heated tin cans of food
on gasoline stoves by the roadside.
I wonder if they ever read Watchman.
They formed the first camp, that killed by the way,
for one person,
they formed the first camping club in the US,
holding their inaugural rally in Florida in 1919.
They had an initiation an official song
and a secret handshake.
They're basically stonemasons.
The 1929 stock market crash and the depression
put a damper on the RV industry,
although travel trailers did see a surge in popularity
as inexpensive homes, which we're seeing nowadays kind of.
So how did RVs transform from novelties
to America's sweetheart?
The answer is in those patriotic postwar years.
Play me in.
("The Star-Spangled Banner")
The end of World War II saw a boom in the workforce,
consumerism, car culture, suburban expansion,
and the advent of the interstate highway,
as well as improved roads and bridges.
All this left Americans itching to get on wheels.
I should probably have that looked at.
When GIs returned to their families after the war,
RVs allowed the freedom to travel anywhere,
get a good night's sleep and still enjoy a home cooked meal.
The combination of wanderlust
and patriotism made road trips, camping,
and by extension RVs, staples of American pastime.
After the baby boom,
the road trip became the default family vacation
and any parent who has spent an extended amount of time
in a vehicle with their children will tell you,
they could always use a little more space.
So how did primitive pre-war RV's turn
into the insanely high-tech rolling houses of today?
(upbeat music)
The combining of the trailer and the vehicle itself,
as well as the addition of plumbing and kitchen appliances
made a big difference in the evolution of the modern RV.
The family no longer had to stop for bathroom breaks
or get a cold drink.
At a time where faster and stronger hot rods
were all the rage, RVs followed, becoming more space-age,
and appearance and being built with the power
to keep up with cars on the road.
So who was making these innovative vehicles?
The longest running manufacturer still
on the road today is the easily recognizable,
Airstream with its aluminum exterior
and egg-like shape.
The 1950s saw creator Wally Byam hosting a caravan,
developing the first hot water system in a trailer
and releasing the 1958 Airstream International,
the first self-contained travel trailer not requiring access
to outside power.
This decade was also when the largest known motorhome
was produced for William McDonald,
who worked for an early RV and mobile home manufacturer.
His Flagship was 65 feet long with a foldout double deck
and a diving board with a four foot deep
portable swimming pool
that could be set up behind the unit.
It seems a little unsafe to have a diving board
at that depth.
I'm no lifeguard, I'm just saying.
The deck could even be used as a helicopter landing pad.
The company offered duplicates of the Flagship in 1953
for a hundred thousand dollars,
but no one took them up on their offer, I wonder why.
Even more accessible RVs than the Flagship
were still considered luxury items, so what changed?
Fiberglass bodies made RVs more lightweight
and accessible along with the advent of sliding windows
and potty drawers.
Pickup trucks were also becoming personal vehicles,
they weren't used just for work anymore.
Lightweight fiberglass camper shells were becoming
increasingly popular.
You could turn your regular old truck into an RV.
It was also the free love '60s
so hippies were rejecting the idea of staying
in one spot and had given new purpose to vans
and buses as temporary homes.
Groovy decor graced their mobile homes,
making RVs more eye catching than ever.
And I mean that literally,
they really loved turquoise back then.
In 1967, RV staple Winnebago began producing
what is it called America's first family
of motorhomes priced at around $5,000 each,
about half of what other RVs were going for.
This was an invaluable marketing move.
Even today, Winnebago is used as a catch all term for RVs
from any manufacturer.
Also making their way to the stores at this time
were the Volkswagen Westfalia camper vans.
A conversion of the Volkswagen Type 2 by Westfalia,
these camper conversions were available
from Volkswagen dealers
and also delivered via the Tourist Delivery Program
where a customer could pick up their van in Germany,
drive it around Europe, and then VW would ship it
to the customer's house, pretty cool.
By the end of the 1960s, RVs were everywhere.
On the road and as a symbol of American culture.
Traditions that are common with RV owners today,
like driving in national parks and music festivals,
started during this era.
The amenities being added around this time are what RVs
from hippie dwelling to a family vacation vehicle.
Instead of just being used for occasional camping trips,
RVs could now allow for destination travel.
RVs incorporated beds, mini kitchens, televisions
and eventually internet access.
These days they're even RVs with washer and dryer sets
satellite dishes, showers, baths, and ovens.
I wish I could have a washer and dryer set in my place
so I can do laundry instead of buying clothes every week.
There's a coin shortage.
I got it, I have to do this.
The 1970s continued the golden era
of motorhome development
as they increased in popularity
with more than a hundred thousand
being sold per year by 1972.
In spite of the economic challenges of the time,
manufacturers were growing
and advanced rigs we're being made.
General Motors got into the RV game
with the GMC Motorhome, which still sees use today
as a popular vintage RV.
By the end of the decade, the Kelley Blue Book,
for motorhomes listed more than 450 different brand names
that have been produced.
That's a lot.
How many RV manufacturers can you name?
Maybe three of them, yeah, try 450 (beep)
Developing technology in the neon '80s
put more RVs on the road as they became more affordable.
What better way to follow your favorite Hair Metal Band
than in a tricked out motorhome?
I can't think of many, except maybe by hot air balloon.
Manufacturers were adding more features all the time
to stay relevant and competitive with entertainment systems
and speakers becoming louder and better
and even offering RVs with saunas and hot tubs inside.
Seems a little excessive, but you know what, you do you,
you paid for it.
The Fleetwood Enterprise Bounder model was the first
to have a basement lifting the floor
above the wheel wells for more storage
and living space.
Though practical, this style didn't thrive
as consumers found it too ugly
in a time where luxury was more important than function.
Ironically though, the Bounder came back
into the public eye in recent years with the TV show,
Breaking Bad, as the setting
of Walter White's mobile meth lab.
Couldn't do an episode on the RV
without mentioning the best drama
of the prestige television era.
Ever since then RVs have only continued
to improve in the modern era.
They've conquered land and the sea might be next, you know,
with houseboats are practically RVs.
Customization is on the rise
and there are more RV choices than ever.
How do you know which vehicle is right for you?
Camper vans are exactly what they sound like,
a van you can camp in, like the VW Westfalias.
They can vary in size,
have additional sleeping areas or pop up tops that expand.
This is usually what you think of
when you see hashtag van life.
There are also pop up campers,
which are basically tents on wheels.
We've got truck campers,
these go in the back of pickup trucks
and offer a few more creature comforts.
You've got travel trailers,
which are small and towable campers,
which includes the compact, but adorable teardrop trailer.
I don't know if I'd fit in one of those.
Then of course you have fifth wheels
and these are larger trailers that require a big old truck
'cause they're thick boys.
- [Man] Damn boy, he thick.
- They usually require a gooseneck hitch,
sometimes they have a compartment on the back
where you could put your dirt bike, quad
and go out to the dunes.
Then we have our classic motorhomes.
There are different classes, but A is the biggest,
offering, the most space, the most power
and the most amenities.
You can find an RV that fits whatever lifestyle
you wanna live, but when it comes to powertrain options,
you need the right engine to get where you wanna go.
Getting these sometimes gigantic vehicles moving,
requires a lot of power.
And there's a lot of debate over whether or not gas
or diesel is the way to go.
But even more important than that is the torque
and suspension you're working with.
The Ford Triton engine is considered the industry standard
powering 80% of class Cs, and most class A motorhomes.
There are quieter and more powerful engines
like the Chevy Vortex, but the Triton is the goto
for most manufacturers.
Diesel engines offer even more power,
better handling and longevity,
but people will certainly hear your coming.
(engine roars)
It is loud.
Though there are a wide variety of engines powering them,
RVs have some of the highest horsepower on the road.
For the non gear heads out there,
what is it about RVs that make them so appealing?
Comfort and technology mostly.
Today's trailers and motor homes can offer
all the comforts of homes,
sometimes even more than your typical abode.
Fuel efficiency and environmental impact
are also important factors
as RV enthusiasts are big fans of going green.
This is probably why solar panels have been more popular
on RVs than they are on stationary homes.
Because of their versatility, the RV industry actually tends
to thrive in times of economic downturn.
Rent is expensive.
A lot of the time it's much cheaper to just live out
of your vehicle.
I actually made a video on it,
you can check it out right here.
Living in my car for a week, it sucked.
Still a large purchase,
we could see changes that make RVs more affordable
and there are still strides to be made in sustainability.
Keystone RV Company has designed a process
using Helium technology that can reduce a rigs weight
without sacrificing strength or capacity
that could be an important factor in these improvements.
When we look at how the RV industry evolved,
we can appreciate what it has become today.
Throughout their history,
RVs have resonated with Americans
and it's easy to see why.
They offer comfort, freedom and a way to get out of town
and venture into nature.
I'm excited to see what the future of RVs hold.
And while I'm not sure I'm ready to buy one personally,
I could use a road trip right now.
Let me know in the comments,
what kind of RV you'd like to have.
I think one of those toy boxes would be pretty cool.
My kind of RV is just skinning a race trailer
and then sleeping in that with your car outside
of the racetrack.
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Follow me @Nolanjsykes.
Be kind, I'll see you next time.