Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

akf15e · 02-22-2015, 04:25 AM

Went to a local RV show yesterday, first since we went to the same show back in 2009 where we bought our 3400RL. This is an annual event, attended by about 12 dealers, down from a few years ago.

Last month while shopping for our SOB, a number of dealers told us that they have cut back or eliminated attending shows due to high cost and low return. Yesterday was interesting because there was a noted difference in the inventory on the floor. In 2009 (interestingly in the throes of a recession) we were able to go through multiple brands of 5ers that fit our wish list and we could do almost literal side-by-side comparisons. There were several Montanas, Mountaineers and Cougars, a couple of Cedar Creeks and Cardinals, Jayco, some Heartland rigs and others I can't recall. This year there were no Montanas, no Cedar Creeks, no Big Horn, Big Contry, and just one Jayco Pinnacle (where I heard the salesman tell at least a dozen people it could be towed fine by a 250/2500 - dry pin weight 2490 lbs). The only Keystone presence we saw was an Alpine and a Cougar. There were no Montanas, no Big Sky, nothing. We did see GD with two 5ers, as well as a Mobile Suites. The MS seemed really out of place as the vast majority of rigs this year were TTs and budget 5ers.

I was also disappointed in the lack of vendors selling RV related goods. We saw food vendors, Sears selling S & B home improvement products, lots of places hawking time share RV lots, but not much else. We always love looking at RV specific gadgets and such.

Anyway, just an observation and thought that maybe the RV show, as a forum to sell rigs, is waning, which would be a shame. Also, the fact that there were more mid-high end 5ers at a show at the height of the recession kind of confused me. Maybe the business model has just evolved in the past 6 years and the aim is at the lower end of the market? There were also far less motorhomes this time around and they were the more "affordable" ones too - no 600K Newmars to be seen.

Anyone else see similar things happening in your neck of the woods?

02-22-2015, 04:25 AM	#1
akf15e Montana Fan Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Goldsboro Posts: 288 M.O.C. #9143	Are "local" RV shows a dying breed? Went to a local RV show yesterday, first since we went to the same show back in 2009 where we bought our 3400RL. This is an annual event, attended by about 12 dealers, down from a few years ago. Last month while shopping for our SOB, a number of dealers told us that they have cut back or eliminated attending shows due to high cost and low return. Yesterday was interesting because there was a noted difference in the inventory on the floor. In 2009 (interestingly in the throes of a recession) we were able to go through multiple brands of 5ers that fit our wish list and we could do almost literal side-by-side comparisons. There were several Montanas, Mountaineers and Cougars, a couple of Cedar Creeks and Cardinals, Jayco, some Heartland rigs and others I can't recall. This year there were no Montanas, no Cedar Creeks, no Big Horn, Big Contry, and just one Jayco Pinnacle (where I heard the salesman tell at least a dozen people it could be towed fine by a 250/2500 - dry pin weight 2490 lbs). The only Keystone presence we saw was an Alpine and a Cougar. There were no Montanas, no Big Sky, nothing. We did see GD with two 5ers, as well as a Mobile Suites. The MS seemed really out of place as the vast majority of rigs this year were TTs and budget 5ers. I was also disappointed in the lack of vendors selling RV related goods. We saw food vendors, Sears selling S & B home improvement products, lots of places hawking time share RV lots, but not much else. We always love looking at RV specific gadgets and such. Anyway, just an observation and thought that maybe the RV show, as a forum to sell rigs, is waning, which would be a shame. Also, the fact that there were more mid-high end 5ers at a show at the height of the recession kind of confused me. Maybe the business model has just evolved in the past 6 years and the aim is at the lower end of the market? There were also far less motorhomes this time around and they were the more "affordable" ones too - no 600K Newmars to be seen. Anyone else see similar things happening in your neck of the woods?