KARIN WILSON | at Re:Imagine, 1 November 2007
Going Down the High Road
The days of "roughing it" are gone for a growing group of all year round road warriors. Karin Wilson finds the new Rvers are travelling in style.
When most of us were kids, camping meant packing up the wood-panelled station wagon crammed full of sleeping bags, a few thermos containers filled with ice, and then stuffing in one big fancy canvas tent with poles for mom and dad plus a few orange sausage-like sacks which turned into teensy pup-tents for the little ones.
Once at the campground, kids would squeal off on their bikes, far away from the grunts, moans and bitter complaints as parents wrestled with each other over where to pitch the tent and how to get those plastic pegs into the gravel-packed ground. It was enough to drive most to drink - hence the coolers, more than likely filled with a few Old Style beers to boot. Aaah those were the days.
But then we all got tired of lying on mattresses that ensured every bit of gravel would embed itself into our skin over night. Threats of forest fires sparked an end to singing songs and toasting marshmallows around the campfire. Suddenly, those tents just didn't cut it. And we got bear conscious. It at this juncture that someone typically breaks down, and camping gear is relegated to the ubiquitous garage sale bin. However, not everyone packed away their dreams with the gear. Increasingly, many people, either with young families, teen families or moving into retirement refuse to say no to their favourite summer pastime -- and they're stretching the season throughout the year thanks to the recreational vehicle, and maybe even a welcome doormat or two at the local Wal-Mart parking lot.
The Changing World of RVers
According to a survey conducted by Go RVing, Canadians are embracing the RV lifestyle at an increasing rate - and Western Canadians are hungrier than most to get behind the wheel.
"The national study reveals that westerners continue to embrace the freedom and flexibility associated with the RV lifestyle," comments regional Go RVing Board member Jeff Redmond. "British Columbia RV ownership was among the highest in Canada, boasting RV ownership figures of 17 percent in the 2007 study."
The national ownership figures were released as part of Go RVing's 2007 National Market Assessment Report conducted by MRP Market Research Inc. The report was based on major national internet panel and 3,176 individual interview conducted nationwide.
Across the country, Go RVing estimates 14 per cent of Canadians own an RV, and despite the steady high price of gas, there's no sign those figures are going down.
"When gas went to one dollar and even above that we really thought logically it would have an effect on people," says Jason Friesen of Voyager RV in Winfield. "But that didn't happen because really RVing is a lifestyle thing, and if it's going to cost an extra $500 or $1,000 a year in fuel, that's not enough to make them stop enjoying the lifestyle."
So who is RVing? Just about everyone, but increasingly the baby boomers have decided flying isn't the only way to see the world. Driving can be just fine, and comfy to boot. Vehicles are now equipped not only with master bedrooms and kitchens boasting islands, but they're also decked out with the latest in technology - from pop-down DVD players for the kids, to GPS systems, televisions and enough power to keep everything going at once.
Younger families are joining in, and the boomers are looking for ways to be completely independent. New floor plans, with pull-outs that significantly increase the space when parked, are popular, as are plans that provide room for grandkids, even with separate bunkrooms. People in their mid to upper 50s want to travel, and many want to take their grandkids with them.
Manufacturers are also making trailers lighter than they once were, so that entry level trailers - some as long as 27-feet -- can be easily towed by an SUV. There's even the trendy T@B trailer, a teardrop shaped unit with a maximum weight of 1,615-pounds, designed to manoeuvre single-handedly and then park inside your standard garage.
Retired anthopology professors Dorothy Ayers Counts and David Counts, now living in Oyama, completed an ethnographic study of the RV lifestyle in 1997, and published the results in their book Over the Next Hill. At that time, they estimated 13 per cent of serious and full-time RVers were under the age of 55 - most of them without pensions who embraced the lifestyle as a modern-day equivalent to the travelling gypsies of Europe. In some circles, this group has formalized as members of Escapees RV Club (aka S-K-P), which now boasts 34,000 member families around North America.
"Some say that downsizing and stress forced them into a simpler life," the Counts found in their research.
It's not as easy to roam free today as it was then. Many private campsites have closed up, selling the valuable land to make room for high-end condos. But provincial campsites have made more room for RVers and even city councils are starting to see the value in the common practice of "boondocking", where RVs park in large city parking lots over night. Late last year city councillors in Prince George collectively thumbed their nose at local hoteliers who complained that RVers were choosing to park overnight. The city not only lifted the ban on RV parking, but extended the permitted time from 24-hours to 36-hours. Escapees RV Club hailed the decision as a "boondockers dream". As for city council, they claimed the boon to the tourist industry was just to hot to snuff out.
It's an odd contradiction perhaps that at a time when the nation is clamouring about greenhouse gas emissions that RVing could be on the rise, but there is a silver lining to this story and it has nothing to do with Airstream.
Efforts are underway to encourage lifestylers to take their impact on the environment seriously by using biological treatment products to deal with their holding tank waste - particularly important given that many campgrounds now prohibit the dumping of blackwater.
Given its 100-year history in North America (much longer in Europe), there's no question the RV lifestyle is an alternative many continue to embrace. Like humanity, it's question of how the lifestyle will adapt and evolve.
The RV Numbers
Just like anything in life, until you're part of something you never know how big the community really is.
According to Go RVing Canada, thousands of people across the country enjoy the RV lifestyle, and they may not be who you think. Here are some statistics that will get you on the road.
- Seven per cent of Canadian households own an RV
- There are more than 14-million RVs operating in Canada
- Canada has more than 4,000 privately owned RV campgrounds and parks;
- 50% of RVs are owned by people under the age of 55
- 40% of RV families have children
(Source: Go RVing Canada (www.gorving.ca), Envirozine - Environment Canada)
RV Glossary:
Arctic Package: A feature on an RV that adds additional insulation, storm windows and heat pads/strips for the holding tanks and water lines, to enable the RV to be used in cold weather.
Boondocking: Camping in your RV without water or electrical hook-ups.
Class A: a bus-style motor home that range from 24'-40' in length.
Class B: built within the dimension of a van but with modification to provide basic living accommodations. Models usually range from 16'-21' in length.
Class C: Motorhomes that range from 16'-32' in length.
Diesel Pusher: The term for a motorhome with the diesel engine mounted in the rear of the vehicle. Also know simply as a Pusher.
Fifth-Wheel Trailers: Towable RV that is designed to be coupled to a special hitch that is mounted over the rear axel in the bed of a pickup truck.
Fold-down: Also known as a "pop-up" or "camping" trailer. A towable RV in which the upper half collapse to make a compact, lightweight unit.
Full-Timers: RVers who live in their RV year around.
LoW - Loners on Wheels - one of the first organizations for single RVers;
Slideout: An option in many RVs where a portion of the unit can expand to create more room in the RV.
Travel Trailer: smaller versions can be towed by an SUV or pick-up.
(Source: Holiday World of Houston, www.holidayworldhouston.com)
Over the Next Hill
An Ethnography of RVing Seniors in North America
By David R. Counts & Dorothy Ayers Counts
Living either full or part time in a recreational vehicle has been an alternative lifestyle in North America since the 1920s. By the 1930s Wally Byam's Airstream company could not keep up with the demand for his self-contained "house trailers." And today "RVing" has become so widespread that, for perhaps two million retired North Americans, home is a recreational vehicle. In this book, anthropologists Dorothy and David Counts tell the story of their research living the life of RVing seniors in trailer parks, "boondocking" sites on government land, laundromats, and other meeting places across the continent.
The authors convincingly convey the feel of various RV lifestyles (boondocking, full timing, flea marketing and so on). But they also raise broad questions. Are there parallels to be made between the RVers of North America and the gypsies of Europe? Is there an association between RVing and socio-economic status? Why would people sell their homes and live on the road as nomads? The answers come from RVers who argue persuasively that they experience a greater sense of community and fewer of the emotional problems common to old age than do many who have chosen other forms of retirement living.
This edition expands the original 1996 text, including an extended section on working Rvers. An appendix offers information, resources and suggestions for people who want to try serious RVing but need help getting started. The authors include a list of websites providing resources and information for both experienced and novice RVers. The list includes sources for RVing families, single RVers, those interested in a particular kind of RVing style ("boondockers," for example), people who want to rent an RV, organizations for RVers with special interests (former military, Canadians, etc.). There is updated information on Canadian provincial residence rules defining eligibility for provincial medical care programs.
Copyright © 2007 Karin Wilson. All rights reserved.
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