RVBusiness, March/April 2020

RV Bells Whistles How Much is Too Much As a full timer I would be dishonest if I claimed to dislike technology and watching TV But you have to step back at times and evaluate necessities versus real need Do we really need four TVs in a motorhome I t took close to three years before I could force myself to bring along a TV in our first travel trailer That was back in the early 1970s I was convinced that RVs were designed to take people away from the daily grind and immerse enthusiasts into peaceful and quiet natural environments There was nothing more exciting than parking near a stream in a U S National Forest primitive campground and luxuriating inside a 20 foot travel trailer with some of the comforts of home Sleeping off the ground Having a bathroom with a real toilet shower hot water stove and refrigerator elevated the camping experience to one of pure utopia In a weak moment I purchased a battery powered TV with a 5 inch black and white picture tube I felt dirty Fast forward to 2020 Two bigscreen smart LED TVs tied to a sound system and a satellite dish with talking remotes and Alexa by my side And lets not forget streaming of Internet entertainment sites and the outside TV Add in a bunch of other electronic gizmos to keep us from using human intuition and interaction and the RV landscape resembles the script from the sci fi flicks we watched back in the old days when there was only over the air coverage When our bad days are tied to a lack of Wi Fi signals interruption of cell service and Bluetooth interference we have to consider When is enough enough As a full timer I would be dishonest if I claimed to dislike technology and watching TV But you have to step back at times and evaluate necessities versus real need Do we really need four TVs in a motorhome The case can be made in todays visual and social world Technology was supposed to be our friend and simplify our lives Remember when we were convinced that going paperless would give us more time for recreation and fun What a joke Just about all of us are hogtied to our laptops tablets and of course our 92 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 2 0 BY B O B L I V I N G S T O N phones We even get notifications letting us know how much time we stared into our screens during the month If the time went down we got the jitters Now were connecting our devices to systems and accessories so that we dont have to leave the comfort of our chairs to monitor appliance function manage accessories and make changes Dont get me wrong Im an early adopter and am addicted to electronic wizardry The future of wireless troubleshooting for example is bright and will undoubtedly modernize the repair and service process But not everyone is on board including those with low patience thresholds and or those who are challenged electronically Lately I have talked to a number of owners mostly of higher end RVs who have expressed frustration with wireless technology and complicated systems The resurgence of retro and smaller RVs with simplified componentry is definitely an indicator that a contingent of owners is still looking for back to basics experiences Much of the frustration with automated overload can be tied to user errors but lets be realistic electronic devices can get balled up and even fail so back up its OK to say manual under your breath systems are important Energy dependency is on the uptick as RV buyers crave conveniences that closely emulate their stationary homes Clearly the overwhelming majority of owners have marginal interest in spartan living quarters and basic appliances but how far does the industry have to go to meet these demands Case in point Do we really need a dishwasher in an RV Full timers will confirm but reality suggests that there are not that many dishes to wash on a daily basis Washers and dryers on the other hand are valuable considering the pressure on RV park laundry facilities and costs And many larger RVs are now equipped with three air conditioners and energy management systems Add in heated floors heat pumps induction cooktops and other 120 volt AC appliances and the trickle down effect lands squarely on the rates RV parks have to charge to maintain the facilities and turn a profit and of course ultimately the cost of RVs Ive often wondered why potential owners get so excited about a second half bath Unless youre obsessed with primping time spent in the bathroom should not rival hanging out in the living room galley or bedroom Yet just about everyone I encounter will consider that second bath for their next RV and those who have that feature are elated The extra toilet and sink are great if children are on board or when entertaining guests which limits traipsing into the master bathroom but most RVers get along seamlessly with only one unless everyone is on the same schedule Ramifications include the extra square footage and length to accommodate a bath and a half more complicated plumbing and of course the added expense Its hard to predict if and when the race for more complicated componentry and systems will wane Cost of RV ownership will obviously play an important role but at this point there doesnt seem to be resistance to higher prices as long as there is value And thats the key takeaway Build it right use quality components with low failure rates limit service frustration educate the buyers and the RV community will be the industrys best friends and spokespeople OK time to grab a beer open the outside TV compartment push the remote to extend the awning and be thankful the good old days are gone RVB LIVINGSTON REPORT Bob Livingston is the former group publisher and senior VP for GS Media and Events publishers of Trailer Life and MotorHome magazines and their respective websites After retiring from his publishers post in 2016 he started a consulting company that focuses on product development and marketing projects in the RV industry He and his wife Lynne spend most of the year in their fifth wheel trailer