What’s new from the “tow ‘n go” show?

Canadians love their Recreational Vehicles (RVs). Over the past 10 years annual sales of mobile vacation homes have more than doubled, to over 70,000 and climbing. At a total RV population of more than a million, that makes Canada's per-capita rate of RV ownership higher than it is south of the border, says Larry Boyd, executive vice-president of the Ontario RV Dealers' Association.

Since 1981, RV sales in Canada have grown every year except one — 2009, on the heels of the financial meltdown. Of course, the term RV covers a vast variety of size and formats, from small pop-up tent trailers that can be towed by a compact car, to palatial Class A motorhomes the size of large tour buses. According to Boyd, the self-propelled business has dropped off while the big growth is in towables — everything from the aforementioned tent trailers popular with young families, to giant fifth-wheelers towed behind heavy-duty pickups. Compact, delivery-van-based Class Bs are in decline because they can cost as much to convert as, or more than, some much larger Class As. Winnebago has a new 26-foot Class A that's based priced at around $70,000.

In January, our resident RV newbie (1995 VW Eurovan Camper) took in the Toronto RV Show, and reports here on some of the trends and products that caught his attention.