Camper Deals on Wheels

Coleman

If you thought you’d never buy a folding trailer or truck camper because it cost too much or it is just too heavy to carry or pull, you might want to think again. A staggering drop in sales recently means that you likely will find discounts at dealers. And the use of lighter materials on many models means that even those who drive a small pickup or light-duty SUV have a greater selection than they did just a few years ago. Manufacturers also continue to add more amenities in all trailer and camper categories. It’s reached the point where features on the high-end versions of these models match the premium features on offerings in the altogether separate travel trailer segment.

CAMPER COSTS. There’s plenty of good news for consumers when it comes to folding trailers and truck campers. That’s partly because the companies that make and the dealers that sell these products have struggled mightily during the recession. The credit crunch and spending reductions by consumers have triggered some dealers to offer discounts of as high as $3,000 in all camper and trailer categories.

But the chance to get a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a camper or trailer appears to have passed.

Manufacturers cut back significantly on production over the past 3 years. Deliveries of folding tent trailers and hard-sided folding trailers to dealers dropped to just 12,300 in 2009 from 34,000 in 2006, according to Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. Likewise, deliveries of pop-up and hard-sided truck campers plunged to 1,900 in 2009 from 8,200 in 2006. In addition, 180 dealerships closed since January 2008, according to The National RV Dealers Association. And it’s not clear how many of the roughly 2,500 dealers that remain have stopped selling truck campers and folding trailers to focus exclusively on larger and more-expensive RVs.

As a result, you won’t find many dealers who are desperate to unload inventory because they are overstocked. Two years ago, dealers offered discounts of as much as 35 percent off of MSRP on some RV and camper models. Today, you’ll find discounts of what amounts to no more than 10 percent off of MSRP, according to dealers whom we interviewed. In fact, some experts tell Consumers Digest that some dealers in northwest and southeast United States are selling campers and trailers for MSRP, because the demand is relatively high in those areas.

What’s more, since 2006, six manufacturers of truck campers and/or folding trailers have exited the market—including two companies that now focus exclusively on making larger RVs, such as motor homes and travel trailers. For consumers, this means that there are fewer brands of truck campers and folding trailers from which to choose.

The consequences are most obvious in the pop-up truck camper category, where just two manufacturers that have comprehensive national distribution are left—R.C. Willet and Palomino. The other manufacturers of pop-up truck campers limit their distribution to no more than three dealers nationwide or they provide only factory-direct sales. That means that you might have to travel at least 1,000 miles just to get a live look at a model. Plus, companies that sell direct from factory will charge a delivery fee, which can vary according to the manufacturer, the kind of camper or trailer that you purchase or the delivery destination. But you can expect to pay a fee of at least $1 per mile, which means that you’d likely pay at least $1,000 to have a camper or trailer shipped to your home.

WEIGHT AND SEE. The decline in sales of truck campers and folding trailers comes at a time when manufacturers are reducing the base weight on all truck campers and folding trailers and adding creature comforts, such as full indoor showers and larger sinks and refrigerators, to models in nearly all price ranges.