Why Millennials Are Choosing The Class B Camper Van
According to various 2020 reports, millennials are taking up the RV life, showing more interest in renting or buying RVs than any other age demographic.
Among the different types of RVs available on the market, the Class B motorhome, also referred to as the camper van, is a favorite among the age bracket and has seen a significant uptick in sales and shipments.
What is the motivation behind millennials and the RV life?
The motivation behind millennials and RV life is attributed to a number of factors, most notably the “digital nomad” or “work from anywhere” boom.
An initial report in June 2020 from Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom disclosed that 42% of US workers were transitioning to work-from-home status due to the pandemic. This business shift to remote work was another catalyst to the RV boom as renting or buying a unit offered the versatility for singles, couples, and families to work and/or study while also fitting in travel.
A recent survey conducted by Cairn Consulting on behalf of RVIA surveyed 1,220 travelers. The survey reported 29% of respondents had worked from an RV over the past 8 months. The survey also includes 42% of respondents indicating that they are considering working from an RV in the new year.
“We knew the interest in RVing from new consumers was strong this summer and that the ability to have the freedom to travel while controlling your environment and having fun has been very attractive to new and younger RV consumers,” said RV Industry Association President Craig Kirby. “Our latest survey validates what we have been seeing on RV dealer lots across the country. The desire to buy, rent, and travel in an RV is very strong, with RV purchase intent the strongest among Millennials.”
In the same RVIA survey, millennials expressed the highest probability of buying an RV at 31%. Generation Xers came in at 26% and Generation Zers at 21%.
Camper van sales are soaring
Dealerships saw an increase in millennials purchasing RVs from 2019 to 2020. For example, sales data from Thor Industries show that 21.8% more millennials purchased a Thor travel trailer in 2020 compared to 2019.
However, among the many RVs to choose from, the Class B motorhome seems to be the pick of the litter for millennials. Besides being compact and easy to drive, camper vans are becoming the new homes-on-wheels for digital nomads.
An RVIA November report (shown below) depicts a significant increase in camper van shipments compared to November 2019 output and other RV shipments.
There are many reasons why the Class B is considered a step above other RVs by prospective buyers, especially millennials. The following article, “The Little Camper That Could: Class B Sales Defy Economy” details why camper vans continue to soar in sales and shipments.
Learn more about the RV life
Regardless if you are a millennial or a baby boomer, if you are new to RVing and wondering how to go about deciding on the best RV for you, check out this video below by Trish and Marc of Keep Your Daydream. They pose 10 questions you can ask yourself to narrow down your search for the perfect RV.
Read more about Class B RVs:
Our first motor home was an 72 – 18 ft. Winnebago Brave on a Dodge Chassis with a 318 – 2 bbl carb 3 speed automatic transmission and a truck engine. It was 6 inches shorter than our 69 Chrysler 300 convertible.
What do you have now?