Long gone are the days of your typical adventure of ‘camping’. Water soaked tents, inflatable mattresses that land you flat on the hard ground by morning and trying to keep a weeks’ worth of food in nothing but plastic totes and coolers. Now, some of you might find that the ideal way to spend a weekend – and to you, my hat goes off, but for others, the world of RVing is the way to go.
The RV Expo was held January 28th – 31st at the BMO Centre in Calgary, where event goers could find all types of recreation vehicles. I sat down with Dan Merkowsky, Show Manager to find out the scoop on the show and also what’s new in the world of RVing.
With the RVing season quickly approaching and the Canadian dollar not doing so great, people are looking for great places to explore right here in Alberta. Merkowsky share some amazing spots to check out practically in our own back yard.
“The best resort that we know of is the Old MacDonald Resort near Stettler. That is the best one as they have a petting zoo, tractor rides, parks, the beach is great. That’s probably one of the nicest resorts where families can go. They have a never sold out policy which means that whatever day you show up there, they’ll get you a spot – it may not be the best or most ideal spot – but they’ll get you in”.
Provincially, Merkowsky suggests Pigeon Lake saying that it is one of the nicest camping areas in the Province. “The just did a big refurbishment two years ago so the services are all up to snuff as far as Wi-Fi, power and they also redid the bathrooms which is always great”.
He went on to mention places like Slave Lake and Cold Lake that have great RV and camping spots. “In Alberta, there are lots of great places to be”.
Merkowsky has been in the RVing industry for nine years and spoke to the changes that he has seen over that period of time. “The demographics have definitely changed. The market at one time was ages 45 – 65 and now we’re seeing 28 – 65 as being the age range where people are getting into RVs. People are coming into the RV lifestyle are a lot younger and they are buying the units that are between $15,000 and $30,000. So they’re having a monthly payment of a couple hundred dollars a month if they’re financing”.
As the construction of RV’s has changed over the years, they are making the units lighter and with that comes some increased savings. Smaller vehicles can now tow larger units as they aren’t as heavy and also with that comes lower fuel usage – and if gas prices stay where they are today, well you see the affordability.
“We’ll likely see a lot more people get into RV units because of these factors and when these people are staying in Alberta, which they likely will be because of the dollar being upside down, we need some place to park these things and places to take them to.” said Merkowsky.
There are so many variety in types of RVs to fit every budget and need. “We’re seeing a lot more people that are getting into motorhomes and those are the older demographic that are retired and they now want to see the country coast to coast and we know they’re inheriting a lot of money historically, and they have double incomes so that category went crazy over the past two years. Then we’re seeing a lot of the entry level that are purchasing those $10,000 – $20,000 units for those that are moving away from tenting and into RVs”, explained Merkowsky.
Chestermere definitely has its large share of residents who already have the RVing bug. On any weekend and especially those long weekends, one by one the trailers or motorhomes start rolling out of town on that Thursday evening or Friday and on Sunday night they all come rolling home. But for those that haven’t caught the RVing bug, Merkowsky explains the selling points that usually get people interested in checking it out.
“People can’t always afford that typical travel – flights, resorts, etc. And what we’re telling people is that if you want to spend time with your family and friends, get an RV and head out to a campground and spend a weekend or longer. The affordability in RVing is suitable for everybody. It’s also a great way to unplug. You can leave the world behind you and spend quality time together, sit around the fire and tell stories, go for a hike or a walk, go fishing … all of that is unique – you’re not doing that if you’re going to Mexico. People can start off in a smaller less expensive model and test it out and if it’s something they enjoy, then they typically work themselves up into the larger more expensive RVs. But it’s that quality time with friends and family that really takes place when you’re RVing that makes it such a great choice”.
