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RV Essentials and what RVers really want! RV Podcast #363

| Updated Sep 22, 2021

The RV Essentials of what people really want when buying an RV are as varied as the people shopping for them. But still, some clear trends emerge when you talk to enough of them.

In Episode #363 of the RV Podcast, we talked with a lot of shoppers at America's Largest RV Show in Hershey, PA this year and learned that in the almost two years now since COVID heard its ugly head and changed everything, camping has been one activity that helped many get through really difficult days.

To listen to the audio version of the podcast, you can tune in via your favorite Podcast App or listen right now on your computer or device by clicking the audio player below:

We also published a video version of the podcast on our RV Lifestyle Channel on YouTube. Click below to see:

Table of Contents for this Episode

The interviews on RV Essentials were just one part of our podcast. Here's a table of contents listing the time in the player that each topic comes up:

  • :30 Show Intro. Mike and Jen's whereabouts
  • 2:30 -The New Giveaway. We'll be giving away the new WaggleCam, that lets you see and hear how your dog is doing back in the RV while you are away. Not only that, but if he's a good boy you can use the app to dispense a treat, right from the camera! It's a $199 value. Besides the camera, we are also giving away a Waggle Pet Monitor (also a $199 value) that lets you get immediate smartphone notifications of the temperature inside your RV. Winners will be announced October 3. There are nine different ways to enter and you can do so as many times as you want. Good luck! Enter at rvlifestyle.com/sweepstakes
  • 4:20 – Photo of Early RVers
  • 5:30 – RV Motorhome Hall of Fame Exhibit of early camper from 1930
  • 6:25 – Photo of doghouse that looks like a camping trailer
  • 6:42 – Long lines at 5:30 AM at Zion National Park
  • 9:55 – Interview of the Week on RV Essentials
  • 28:47 – RV News: Glacier National Park Traffic regulation
  • 31:02 – RV News: Woman scalded at Yellowstone's Old Faithful
  • 32:45 – 13 foot high Class A crashes into 9 foot high railroad trestle
  • 33:50 – RVer hauling 5th Wheel tries drive through line at DQ. Major damage ensues.
  • 35:49 – RVTrip Wizard is tool to help find height hazards for RVers
  • 36:01 – Wildfires threaten giant Sequoia Trees in California
  • 37:02 – Monarch butterflies begin their migration. Here's a real-time map to track them
  • 44:14 – RV Question: What to do with a new RV heater
  • 47:47 – Hidden Campground Gem: Sweetwater Summit in Southern California

Where we did the interviews on RV Essentials

We did the interviews for this podcast at the 2021 edition of America's Largest RV Show (that's its official name) in Hershey, PA. The folks interviewed came from across the country. They ranged in age from their 30s to their 70s and were shopping for every type of RV you can imagine.

The 2021 Hershey RV Show was attended by 61,320 people, the second-best attendance ever, after the 64,000 who attended in 2017. The show, always an in-demand event because the industry uses it to showcase their newest models, was canceled last year along with most other RV events because of COVID.

More than 1,200 RVs were on display at the show, representing 30 different manufacturers. The displays covered an area larger than 33 football fields.

Here's a video we did on our impressions of the show:

The RV Essentials and Trends we identified

In our conversations with those attending the show, here are the RV Essentials the shoppers were most looking for:

  • Maneuverability
  • Light weight
  • Comfortable beds
  • Solar panels
  • Office space for remote work
  • Lithium batteries
  • Roomy interiors
  • 4×4 or All Wheel Drive
  • Power awnings
  • Road service provided for at least the first year
  • Larger tanks – black, grey and fresh water
  • Four season capabilities
  • Bigger refrigerators
  • Quieter air conditioners
  • Prewired hookups for cell booster antennas
  • 360-degree cameras
  • Ladders for easy roof access
  • Keyless main door locks
  • Real ovens
  • Better back-up cameras

What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments!

RV Essentials and what RVers really want! RV Podcast #363 1
What would you add to the RV Essentials list?

Mike and Jennifer Wendland's Yellowstone Travel Guide

At the top of every RVers bucket list, it is a place so majestic, so wild, and so big that it calls us to return, to explore, to get to know the diversity of its land and animals over and over again.

Everywhere you look are waterfalls, fast-moving rivers, geysers, sheer rock faces, towering lodgepole pines, all framed by mountains under the bright blue cloudless sky.

It’s spectacular for those who love the wilderness and getting up close and personal with it. Enjoy Yellowstone for RV travel.



RV Lifestyle recommends Harvest Hosts and CampersCard

harvest hosts review map showing locations
Harvest Host locations across North America

We LOVE Harvest Hosts! It’s a membership program that connects RVers with unique places to stay overnight for free, such as farms and wineries. Members pay an annual fee and can stay at any of the participating host locations for one night at a time. 

In exchange for the free overnight stay, members are encouraged to support the host location by purchasing products or services. This is a great way to save money on camping reservations while experiencing unique and memorable locations.

You can use this link and the discount code: RVLIFESTYLE15 you get 15% off Harvest Hosts annual membership.

The Harvest Hosts CampersCard is a NEW discount program we’ve already benefited from. You can see in the video above how we used it while camping out at an incredible hidden gem campground.

CampersCard members get benefits, including early check-in, late checkout, and discounts on nightly rates.


Mike Wendland

Published on 2021-09-22

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

One Response to “RV Essentials and what RVers really want! RV Podcast #363”

September 22, 2021at11:45 am, Holly said:

Beds long enough for taller people, 80″

Critical things needed:

Front, side mirror and rear cameras. I drive a 2021 Nissan rogue, which has this. It can show a composite 360 degree view from above. Would also like low front cameras, to see curbs, and low curb level rear cameras, the middle range ones, and ones that go up to look for trees overhead.

The rogue also has propilot, which is an amazing cruise control, that even drives the car for 30 sec, so you can look away from road briefly.

Enough Lithium batteries to run the microwave for short times, and other small appliances. Also enough to run the a.c. For at least a couple of hours would be wonderful.

Safe and happy travels to all.

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