What to expect at a small RV show
Before this past weekend, I had never been to an RV show before. I had always heard advertisements of the RV show at the state fairgrounds, but I never had reason to go. Now that we have our own RV, we figured we would go to check out the new inventory and see what the show is all about.
We decided to attend the Maryland RV Show and ordered our tickets in advance, saving $2 per ticket. The advanced ticket purchase was surprising because it was for a one-day pass anytime during the show. It was great not to have to worry about which day we had to attend. We went on a Friday, figuring it would be less crowded than Saturday or Sunday. Our local show is much smaller than many, so it’s only open Friday/Saturday/Sunday for two weekends, rather than being open all week. We arrived right about when the show was opening (10am), which was definitely a quieter time than we saw at any point throughout the day.
When we entered the first building, we were excited to see many different brands, sizes, and types of RVs on display. It was arranged by dealership, which is great for them, but I found it difficult to do anything but wander aimlessly, row-by-row through each model. There was no list of the brands or units that were available at the show, or a map showing which units were where.
In our case, we weren’t necessarily in the market for a new RV or looking for something specific, but if we were, I would have been very frustrated not knowing if the RV we wanted to see was going to be available on site, and to be able to compare similar models that might be in separate buildings, very far apart across the show. Several times throughout the day, we turned to each other and asked, “Didn’t we see this one before?” because between dealerships there were a handful of duplicate models on display. Our preference would have been to see the units either organized by Make/Brand or by genre.
We travel in a 32′ travel trailer, and it was a pretty quick purchase based on the inventory available at the time we purchased it. We were excited to see other models to see if there were other travel trailers that presented a better layout for our family (spoiler… for our needs, we didn’t come across a better layout in a travel trailer). We were also interested in some of the drivable RVs (class As, Bs, and Cs) to see whether they might ever be an option for us in the future. It was fun to walk inside different models, some great for overlanding, some tear-drops, some classic “Retro” RVs, and others we might never consider, but it was fun to fantasize.
We did find that within each dealership, they tended to keep like-models together, so we could explore all their Class As one after another, Bs together, and so on. Travel trailers definitely out-weighed any other type, but there was at least a sampling of other units.
One thing I’ll mention, which I was worried about beforehand, were the salespeople representing their dealerships. I expected to be approached all day and have to “fight off” salespeople who were looking to make a sale. That wasn’t the case at all. Most were available for questions, were very friendly, and left you alone to walk around each unit. We were intrigued by one unit, and there was a great salesman available to help us. He sat with us, didn’t pressure us, answered questions, showed us how things worked, and then let us walk away easily. While some would say thats a lost lead on his part, we would certainly seek him out on a future purchase because he didn’t leave us with that pushy sales feeling.
It was a great show if you just want to browse and you have no real plans of purchase. It may also be a great show if you know exactly what you want and you simply want to see it in person before making a purchase. I think it’s much harder for the person who is shopping for the right RV, as units are spread apart and if different dealerships carry different inventory, it’s a long walk in between. If you have time and patience, I’m sure it’s possible, but it’s probably better to make an appointment at a dealership and check inventory before you arrive. Just know that the RV Show seems like a far less pushy sales experience. If the timing of the event is right for you, it can be a much less stressful way to browse the rigs.
Given the size of the RV show, there were no classes, trainings, or social meet-ups. I think these would be really helpful and fun if you could explore them at one of the larger shows. While larger shows may be more overwhelming and even harder to navigate, they offer a lot of other amenities that we missed out on.
At our local RV show, they did have a section with some food vendors. Something baked with cinnamon smelled delicious, but we opted to bring a couple snacks and waters from home, and then go out to lunch in town before heading home. Having food on site was a great idea, and I’m sure it was a draw for many. In addition, they had an ice cream vendor, which I saw many kids enjoying. They do allow you to bring your own food, drinks, and bags, so feel free to bring something from home to hold you over.
One last thought I’ll share is to wear comfortable shoes with good grip, and please watch your step. Each RV is set up with their stairs down to walk in and out, but I was surprised how many stairs were wobbly or didn’t reach the ground so there was a huge last step down. Some had really great grip while others were very slippery. Some were surprisingly narrow steps or had poor grab-handle placement. In any case, they’re all different and you don’t know what to expect, so use the hand rails (if available) and go slowly. One added benefit to this, is that you get a great feel for which rigs may be a little more safe for entering and exiting (which is easy to overlook). Also, they have rugs down in the walkways, but in our experience they kept rolling and lifting under foot. For the most athletic and aware people, this is still extremely dangerous. I kept looking out for those with walkers and canes, and those simply not as sure-footed (to provide warning and possible assistance), as the rugs were uneven and getting worse as the day went on. Please take your time and look out for others.
It was a very good overall experience – frustrating at times, but really enjoyable to see models we haven’t explored and be able to see so much variety in one trip.
