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MC Fireside Chats - November 22nd, 2023
22nd November 2023 • MC Fireside Chats • Modern Campground LLC
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In the recent episode of MC Fireside Chats, hosted by Brian Searl of Insider Perks, a discussion unfolds about the RV industry with notable guests including Phil Ingrassia (President of RVDA), Eleanore Hamm (President of RVDA of Canada), Shane Devenish (Executive Director at CRVA), and special guest Mike Wendland from RV Lifestyle.

Mike Wendland, with his extensive experience in the RV lifestyle, shares his journey from starting a blog to expanding into a comprehensive multi-platform presence. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to changes in audience behavior and platform algorithms, highlighting the need for content diversification. Wendland's perspective is particularly valuable, given his direct engagement with a broad RV audience through various digital channels.

The conversation then shifts to the broader challenges facing the RV industry. One significant issue discussed is the quality of RVs, particularly those manufactured during the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020 and 2021). Wendland notes an improvement in quality post-2021 but maintains that quality remains a concern. This point underscores the industry's need to maintain high standards to ensure consumer satisfaction and industry growth.

Another critical topic is the state of campgrounds, both private and public. The panel agrees that the quality of campgrounds plays a crucial role in the overall RV experience. Brian Searl acknowledges the existence of both good and bad campgrounds, indicating that the impression they leave on RVers can significantly impact the industry's perception.

The discussion also delves into the challenges of RV servicing and the supply of parts. Eleanore Hamm from RVDA of Canada addresses the difficulty dealers face in finding enough qualified technicians. This shortage, coupled with supply chain issues, has led to extended repair times, affecting the overall RV experience. Phil Ingrassia adds that the industry is focusing on reducing repair event cycle times, a critical factor for customer satisfaction.

Mike Wendland brings up the seasonal nature of the RV business, particularly in regions north of the Mason-Dixon line. He notes the challenges dealers face in maintaining staff for peak seasons and suggests that more publicity about employment opportunities as RV technicians could help alleviate some of these issues. He also mentions innovative training programs, including those reaching out to prisons, as a way to address the technician shortage.

A significant part of the discussion revolves around attracting new demographics to the RV lifestyle. The panel recognizes the importance of engaging younger generations and urban dwellers, who might not traditionally consider RV activities. Wendland and others emphasize the need for early exposure to outdoor activities and the industry's efforts to make RVing more accessible and appealing.

Shane Devenish highlights the importance of addressing current problems while also creating a pipeline for future RV buyers. This dual focus is essential for the long-term success of the industry, balancing immediate needs with strategic future planning.

Mike Wendland also touches on the impact of remote work on the RV industry. He notes the improvement in campground internet access, which has facilitated remote work from RVs. Wendland suggests that advocating for remote work can help sustain and grow the RV industry, as it allows more people to integrate RVing into their lifestyles.

In his closing remarks, Brian Searl reiterates the value of diverse perspectives in understanding and addressing the challenges facing the RV industry. He acknowledges his own strong opinions but emphasizes the importance of open dialogue and considering different viewpoints.

The conversation concludes with acknowledgments of the insights shared and the importance of these discussions for the future of the RV industry. The participants express gratitude for the perspectives offered, highlighting the collaborative nature of addressing the industry's challenges and opportunities.

Overall, the MC Fireside Chat provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the RV industry, covering a range of topics from quality control and service challenges to demographic engagement and the impact of remote work. The insights from industry leaders and experts like Mike Wendland offer valuable perspectives on both the challenges and opportunities facing the RV world today.

Transcripts

Brain Searl:

Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

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My name is Brian Searl with Insider Perks.

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I'm whispering on purpose.

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Because I'm inside an airport lounge in

Ottawa, internationally important, so I

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just want to meet my neighbors around me.

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So I'm going to count on my special

guests here to carry the show.

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They do a better job than me anyways,

so it really won't be any different.

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Just so you know.

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And also, I have a little

head cold, so I don't know.

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All the things are working against

me today, and in your favor.

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Because of our special guests, so

we're excited to talk about our RV

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industry show here for the fourth week.

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We've got Mr.

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Shane Devenish from CRDA, we've got

Phil Gracia from RVDA of America, I

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still can't get that it's not America,

but And then RVDA of Canada, Eleanor

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Hamm, super excited to have all of

them here, and then Mike Winn, our

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special guest from RV Lifestyle.

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If you guys want to just go around

real quick and introduce yourselves for

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everybody, just for those of you who

are new or don't know who you all are,

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feel free to, whoever wants to start.

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Eleonore Hamm: Sure, I'll go first.

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I'm Eleanore Hamm, President of the

RV Dealers Association of Canada.

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We're a federation of provincial and

regional associations and represent

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the RV dealers here in canada.

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Phil Ingrassia: I'm Phil Ingrassi.

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I'm President of the RV

Dealers Association U.

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S.

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We represent U.

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S.

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motorhome and travel trailer dealers

and work very closely with Eleanor

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and her members at RV Day of Canada.

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Shane Devenish: I'm Shane Devenish

from the Canadian RV Association.

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We are the Canadian

equivalent of the RBIA.

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And Brian, you should be in an RV

and not in an airport right now.

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Mike Wendland: He should.

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Brain Searl: I'm waiting on this.

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Waiting on the CRVA to

sponsor one for McCain.

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When is it going to happen?

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Mike Wendland: He's going to get busted.

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He's sitting there talking

like this really quiet.

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Hi everybody, I'm Mike Wedelin.

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I am an RVer.

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I am from RV Lifestyle.

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We're bloggers, YouTubers, RV travel

book authors, and bon vivants in the

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RV industry across North America.

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Pleasure to be with y'all.

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Brain Searl: Alright super

excited to have you all guys here.

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As I start with every kind of recurring

bill here is there anything Shane,

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Phil, Eleanore, specifically, because

you're a recurring guest, that feels

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like super important that we need to

share with the world, with the industry?

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Phil Ingrassia: A couple studies

came out within the last couple weeks

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about RV holiday travel, and I was...

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A little surprised about some of it.

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KOA just put out a release today saying

that camping is going to be pretty

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popular during the holiday season.

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In fact they said something like

45 percent of people are going

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to be many travelers are going

to be camping for Thanksgiving.

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That'll be the top holiday probably,

obviously, for people to camp.

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But Surprised to see the activity,

but I guess people are wanting to

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get outside while they still can on

this shoulder season a little bit.

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Be interested in Mike's thoughts on those.

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Mike Wendland: It's, we just did it.

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Our podcast just came out today and

it's all about Thanksgiving in an RV.

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Of course, this is Thanksgiving

in the US this weekend.

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And We posted on our Facebook, RV

Lifestyle Facebook group, before I did

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the podcast, I said how many of you are

traveling in an RV this weekend, and

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we had over 500 responses, and about

20 percent of all of those and we did

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just a rough calculation, but about 20

percent said they were actually going

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to cook in their RV or in a campground.

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And we interviewed one couple

that have been doing this for

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10 years with their family.

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23 people camping in a campground and

cooking turkey, smoked turkey outside

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in Missouri, near Branson, Missouri.

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Surprised, we were surprised how many

people said they actually wanted to

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camp this weekend and would be doing so.

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Brain Searl: If I want to go find those

people next week, I'm going to be in

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Branson for the Cape Grimmers Expo.

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They're going to have

some leftovers for me.

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Mike Wendland: Yeah, they should.

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They start their cookie,

their smoked turkey outside.

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They said that the campground, by the

way, is filled and with other people.

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Some are obviously staying there and

visiting family, but it's filled.

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She said she had to make reservations

five months ago to get three sites

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together for all their family members.

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So apparently a lot more than we may think

are cooking turkeys in their Thanksgiving

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turkeys outside or in their RV.

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Eleonore Hamm: Is that unusual?

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Normally, have you done this study before?

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Is this a new trend?

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Mike Wendland: We've never done it.

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I wouldn't call it a study.

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It's just a we have about,

but we have a huge group.

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We have 155, 000 active

members on our Facebook.

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So we can really do quick surveys.

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And I just posted that the other

day before I recorded my podcast.

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I wonder how many of them have

posted, have, are camping.

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And they were all.

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I'll go on.

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I was just surprised at how

many do camp on Thanksgiving.

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And I think that was the, I just,

because, we're always visiting family.

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We're in our RV.

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We'll maybe moochdocking

in somebody's driveway.

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But to find so many people still

camping was a surprise to me.

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And this is 12 years now we've

been living this lifestyle.

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I just didn't think it was that popular.

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Brain Searl: It's interesting, it would

be interesting to me to see if we could

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understand the difference between the

people who camp for Thanksgiving and

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who are full time, and who like, not

only live in their RVs, but primarily

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live in their RVs, versus the people

who transient camp for Insider Perks.

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Mike Wendland: I would suspect, and

I didn't, I have no, nothing except

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just experience to back it up,

but the people we did the extended

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interview with are regular campers.

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They go out once a month, at least

they said, but they're not full timers.

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And I would think that You probably have

a few more full timers who are celebrating

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Thanksgiving in an RV than part timers,

but I think that it's become, for a lot

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of people, it's probably a tradition.

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You, you go someplace, you visit family,

friends, your RV, and that's a pretty

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fun thing to do if you can cook outside.

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I asked them what they do if it rains,

and they said they raided the nearest

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Walmart and bought as many tarps as

they could and put their tables together

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and tarps underneath it, and it was

one of their best memories yet when

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they had that a few years ago, but it's

just, I think, we sometimes forget how

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integral a part of our community is.

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of our followers lives is indeed

camping, even in holiday time

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or whether it's in a driveway.

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Moot stocking, I don't know how we could

measure that, but I would guess that there

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is a significant number of RVers who are

camping in relatives or friends driveways.

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This weekend.

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And I think that the, it makes

a lot of sense is you've got

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your own bed, your own bath.

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It's like a private en suite.

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All your stuff is there.

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It's so much more convenient than a hotel.

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To get some actual statistics

would be interesting.

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I suspect we would all be surprised

just by what we found in this.

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Brain Searl: How does RV Look

forward, and this is not just the

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Camping in Iteria conversation

but many different associations.

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How do we look forward?

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How do we embrace both the people

that obviously are continuing to

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love RVing, but also camping, and

glamping, and everything else?

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And that people who will diversify their

stays and go to hip camp sometimes,

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and people who will go to Europe but

still go camping three times a year

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instead of six times a year, right?

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It's a lot of loaded questions as

we look at all these KOA surveys

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that come up in the winter.

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Is that adding more trips?

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Are they new people who are and so

I think whichever way you slice and

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dice the data, it's going to be an

interesting next couple of years.

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Eleonore Hamm: Yeah, in terms of studies,

we'll be releasing probably by the time

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you do your next podcast here or your

next show I don't know if there'll be

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one in December, but at least in January,

we do have a new draft right now that

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we're reviewing for an economic impact

analysis for the Canadian RV industry.

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Some really interesting data

that'll come out of that.

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We do know that there's still about 2.

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1 million RVs on the road.

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And last year in 2022, 6.

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3 million RV trips were taken in Canada.

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And this time, for the first

time, we also looked at rentals.

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So 1.

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3 million trips taken in in rentals.

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And we feel that number is

really increasing as well.

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So good to have data and good to see

where, where where we can compare to

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where we were, over the last 10 years.

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Brain Searl: And I think that's to be

clear, you guys can shoot me down because

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I'm not the RV industry expert, right?

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But I have a gut feeling that

rentals is really a big growth in

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the RV industry is going to come

in the next five to 10 years.

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Of course, people are still

going to buy these, right?

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But we had this conversation at

many different conferences that

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I've been in last month, is there's

a lot of these new people that the

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age demographic is trending down,

they live in urban areas, they don't

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have a place to store an RV, right?

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You can't park it in your driveway, you

can't put it in an apartment complex.

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You still want to go RVing, right?

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You want to be outdoors.

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Or maybe you'll buy

one, maybe you rent one.

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And that still ends up being a

net win for the dealers, right?

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'cause the rental companies are

still buying them more from the crew.

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Mike Wendland: I think you're

also seeing a lot more dealers

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that are renting as well.

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I'm thinking of The's.

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A lot of folks are going out to Quar

site, for the big January, what,

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300,000 people camping in the desert.

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And I'm hearing just anecdotally

from a lot of people who are.

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They don't want to necessarily drive

across the country to go out to Corsite,

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but they want to experience it, so

they're all looking for places in the

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Arizona area and Las Vegas where they

can rent RVs and then drive down.

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I think it's a great business.

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I'm hearing all the time about

new companies that are starting

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out that specialize in renting.

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And I think that I think you're

right on, Brian, that that's a fast

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growing area and it's perfect for

the younger generation because...

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Nobody can afford a house anymore.

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How can you afford to buy a house in

the, in these economic times we're in?

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So people are used to renting.

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They're renting their houses,

they're renting their apartments.

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It makes sense, especially when an RV,

you're paying 9 percent for an RV loan.

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It makes sense to rent an RV.

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Although, nobody's going to rent them

long term, but for a weekend or a couple

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of weeks, I think you'll see that's

a very viable industry for people to

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keep this, people are hooked on it.

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After COVID, it's not going

back the way it was before.

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If nothing, people really

like this lifestyle.

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Shane Devenish: Yeah, and I I agree

that, the rental stat is something

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that we really need to watch I, I'd be

curious to see if the stat per person

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and their rental frequency goes up,

because if you have somebody, Rent,

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renting multiple times, those are

the people that used to buy, right?

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It's one thing to rent once or twice

and try it out But if you see people

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renting it five and six times Then

that's something that you know, I

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think as an industry would watch

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Mike Wendland: I think it's a

great entryway to buy an RV.

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We recommend to folks when

they say what should I get?

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And we say, go rent a

couple of different types.

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Start, try a class B, a C, rent

a rent a towable if you have to.

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And I'm wondering if that's showing up

at RV dealerships, if people are coming

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in and saying, Hey, we've been renting

for a while and now we want to buy.

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And it seems that's a pretty good

pathway to actually buying too.

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Yeah, certainly there's a lot of

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Phil Ingrassia: RV dealers.

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Oh, sorry, go ahead.

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No, go ahead.

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For RV dealers, there's a lot of economic

things that they have to consider

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when they enter the rental market.

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One is just a basic, do they have

the space to do it and the staff?

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Because we've found over the years

that the most successful RV dealers

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in the rental space really run

it almost as a separate business.

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Because you need to have dedicated

staff to check out and check in people.

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You need to have the space

to store the rental units.

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Some dealers are a little landlocked and

it makes renting a bit difficult for them.

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They just don't have the space.

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And then, during the pandemic when

sales were hot a lot of dealers just

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got out of it because they could sell

the motorhome or the travel trailer

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versus having it in the rental fleet.

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However, now that business is cooling

off a bit, we are seeing more dealers

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taking another look at rentals and

it's it's an interesting business in

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many places it's very seasonal, but

dealers who run it separately and make

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it become a profit center on itself

typically are the most successful at it.

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And now you have the peer to peer

rental platforms coming in and

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They create a whole nother set of

challenges, but uh, it's certainly it's

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a market for the dealers to explore.

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It's just it's just something that it's

not just, it's not as easy as saying

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we'll just run out a bunch of these units.

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You really have to have

a business plan in place.

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Otherwise your customer service goes down.

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People do.

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Do crash these units and you've got

to, you've got to have a good plan in

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place, you've got to have good insurance

coverages and you've got to have

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the people in place to service those

customers, because these first timers,

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they don't know how to use the unit

and not only can they break the unit,

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but they can have a bad experience if

they aren't checked out correctly on,

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on the systems and things in place.

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But we survey dealers and we think that

we're going to see more dealers get

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into or back into RV rentals in 2024.

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Brain Searl: Here's an

interesting question, right?

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Give me like, just take

a hypothetical, right?

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If it's the worst case scenario, and

maybe this isn't the worst case, right?

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For the purpose of this conversation,

worst case scenario happens

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and RV sales don't bounce back

for a couple of years, right?

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Is it feasible for a dealership to be

very successful by renting, going all

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in like you're talking about, Phil, into

a market that's increasing in rentals

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and also have service still be able to

function, not just for the consumer owned

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RVs, but for the rentals and for the,

even the outdoorsies and stuff like that?

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Phil Ingrassia: Yeah, absolutely.

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I think that the, some of the successful

business plans are, Near attractions,

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Florida, out west, around Rocky

Mountain National Park or Yellowstone

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or some of those kind of areas in the U.

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S.

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Where you've got a lot of debts,

like Mike was talking about,

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people fly in and drive, right?

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So you fly into Jackson Hole or whatever

and you rent a unit there and then

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drive into Grand Tetons or Yellowstone.

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That's a successful model.

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That is, we've seen,

and of course, in the U.

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S., we have Cruise America and El Monte,

there's a, they cater to a lot of those

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types of travelers, especially travelers

from overseas who want to see the U.

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S., so a lot of those Cruise America

units driving down the road have have

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international visitors driving them,

and so it's, It's a good business,

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but you gotta be, it's complicated

for a lot of different reasons.

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Shane Devenish: It's not easy.

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We've seen some big guys

up here, not make it.

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And it all comes down to utilization and

curtailments off season to keep their...

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Sometimes they just run

out of cash flow and it's.

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Eleonore Hamm: Yeah, obviously

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it's some of the large fleets, right?

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We have the same thing, like Phil

said, people are flying in from Europe.

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It's they want to go to the

Banff, Jasper, all in the West.

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They're, or they fly into Vancouver

and they want to do that drive, right?

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But again it's generally for only

three or four months of the year.

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Because we can, some units can,

are equipped for winter camping,

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but they're not all, and it does

get quite brisk if you're in in the

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Rocky Mountains in in January, right?

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So some of the big fleets, we've

got Canada Dream and Cruise

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Canada, Fraser Way some big fleets.

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But, on dealers, if, if they have the

space on their lots, it's definitely

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something they should look into and look

at to see if it's something they can

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incorporate in their business model.

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Phil Ingrassia: Yeah.

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Along racetracks and, uh, those

kinds of places amusement parks

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where there's camping, a lot of,

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Mike Wendland: Musicals, tailgating,

a lot of people running for that.

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I think it's a big profit center though

for dealers, just because of the scale

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that you would have to make a profit that

would allow you to have dedicated staff.

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There's so much competition now with

peer to peer and I see it more as just

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a side side business that maybe will

help a little bit with the bottom line.

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But, just think of the size.

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If you have 10 rental units

are you gonna have 'em all

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rented out in a single weekend?

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Particularly, as Shane said up in

the northern climate, it's, yeah.

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It's too crazy.

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Isabel, I can just see camping

in Banff in the middle of January

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and everything freezes up and

you've got to go get that thing.

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And it's, there are a lot of headaches.

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Phil's absolutely right.

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Phil Ingrassia: But you've got to

look at, utilization is key, but.

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If you have 100 percent utilization,

and I don't know, there's some kind of

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formula they use because if something

happens, somebody doesn't bring it back

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on time, or they back it into a tree or

something like that, you've got to have

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a replacement unit for these other folks.

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And so the utilization becomes a kind

of a formula that you've got to use so

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that you do have some backup units and

certainly the big ones cruise America,

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they know how to do that very well and

they do a great job and they keep their

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units the, they're the kind of the same,

so that people are, get what they expect

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versus, you have a bunch of different

types of units that you run out, it

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can be hard to replace the, if you've

got five people going and you, RV can

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really only come comfortably sleep two.

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That's a problem.

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Lots of things that people a lot smarter

than me have figured out over the

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:

years on RV rentals, that's for sure.

329

:

Brain Searl: I can't even figure out how

to keep this gimbal cambell straight,

330

:

Phil Ingrassia: we, yeah,

we we're noticing, Brian.

331

:

Brain Searl: It's it's on a gimbal

for a handheld thing, and it just

332

:

decides to go and collapse every time.

333

:

I don't know.

334

:

Anyway, it's probably better.

335

:

I look more handsome when I'm not looking.

336

:

But let's talk to Mike

for a second, right?

337

:

So Mike, tell us what RV Lifestyle is.

338

:

Mike Wendland: wE were, this is 12

years, journalists by background

339

:

for many years, the NBC and big city

newspapers and television stations,

340

:

but About a dozen years ago, we

thought we were going to retire.

341

:

We bought a little RV, a Class

B at the time, a used one.

342

:

And it was, everybody was coming

out of the:

343

:

So it was like, we didn't know, we just

were going to go out and see the country.

344

:

I was going back to see the places

that I had visited as a reporter.

345

:

That and that was a time to get acquainted

with my wife again, reacquainted with her.

346

:

She had a background in TV production.

347

:

We just started blogging.

348

:

I'm a journalist, I gotta write a story,

and some of my friends picked it up,

349

:

and was right out of the 28, and I got

called by a couple of RV manufacturers

350

:

saying, Hey, we don't want you in a used

one, let's get you in some new things.

351

:

We began to find people wanted to

sponsor us for the, that was just the

352

:

blog at that time, and then we started

doing YouTube, we started a podcast.

353

:

5, almost 500 episodes now of our podcast,

and it's turned into a business and we're

354

:

usually around the road half to three

quarters of the time, and it's a labor

355

:

of love for us because we get to tell the

stories about what we're doing and share.

356

:

The fun things that we're having

in our life that this lifestyle

357

:

really does make possible.

358

:

So we have about a million followers

all in all of our platforms together.

359

:

And sometimes it's hard to figure out

which platform we're talking about because

360

:

we just added Amazon Live earlier this

year to do some reviews and things.

361

:

And we're doing probably Three

or four live feeds every week.

362

:

But the interest is just amazing on this

lifestyle from, and it, so many people

363

:

who have found this post covid I'm still

hearing people who said we started camping

364

:

right after Covid and and now they're.

365

:

They're thinking about selling

houses and going full time so

366

:

it's a, it, the demand is there.

367

:

Phil Ingrassia: What kind of

reviews are you doing, Mike?

368

:

Are you doing campground

reviews, product reviews?

369

:

Mike Wendland: I keep thinking I should

do campground reviews because we really,

370

:

we think we could probably offer some

suggestions to them, but more product

371

:

than anything else that we've been doing.

372

:

The things, that range from A little

fire starter that people can have to a

373

:

handcrafted hatchet that's razor sharp,

that's made in the Ukraine, that's

374

:

perfect, a perfect gift for somebody to

take, in the back of their RV to, we'd

375

:

go to all the big shows, we review all

the new rigs our Sticks and Bricks home

376

:

is just outside, just over the Michigan

border from Indiana, so we're right...

377

:

We're a half hour drive from Elkhart,

so we're down there all the time.

378

:

But I know we're talking a

lot about campgrounds as well.

379

:

And it's been amazing for us to

watch how smart campground owners

380

:

have become in all of this.

381

:

This, we just saw the Halloween

boom, and this has now turned

382

:

into one of the most popular.

383

:

Months for camping anywhere

is the month of October.

384

:

And, we were talking a little

while ago about how many people

385

:

probably camp in Thanksgiving.

386

:

I'd do the same thing if I owned

a campground and I was open.

387

:

That's the other problem is you

want to actually be in a place

388

:

where people could be outside.

389

:

So it'd be, probably South of of

Canada, be a little too cold up

390

:

there, but I'd promote Thanksgiving.

391

:

Spend Thanksgiving in your RV, bigger

sites, bigger fires, keep everything open

392

:

and insulate the water pipes a little bit.

393

:

And I think that what I, what we're

seeing is more and more people.

394

:

Camping all year round.

395

:

We get requests all the time

about camping in the wintertime.

396

:

Ten years ago we, my wife and I, went up

to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in January.

397

:

What's it like camping in the wintertime?

398

:

So we camp, we're the only ones in the

campground, and we invited a few people

399

:

to come the next year, and three or four

people joined us, and then five, and that

400

:

became an annual camping event that we've

done now in January with about 30 people.

401

:

It fills up this state park up there.

402

:

Since then, we have found that we really

can camp all year round in the north.

403

:

I'll admit, after Tampa comes, I try to

stay down south but we do camp in January.

404

:

And it's amazing how many other people

are, have figured out that the only

405

:

difference between summer and winter

camping is you don't usually have running

406

:

water, and you got a lot of, wear a

lot more clothes when you go outside.

407

:

But it's very feasible for

folks to camp in the winter.

408

:

Who would think that this would become

a prime time thing, if you look at

409

:

the campgrounds that are open in the

winter, most of them are pretty filled

410

:

up on weekends with winter campers maybe

RVers aren't so busy after all, right?

411

:

Brain Searl: We're all

a little bit, right?

412

:

Yeah.

413

:

But let's back up a minute because I'm

interested in how RV lifestyle generally

414

:

like, how did, I know you said how it

basically got started, but how did you

415

:

take that initial early success and

build upon it, diversify into YouTube,

416

:

from blogs into everything else, right?

417

:

For me, take me for example, right?

418

:

I would have never been where I am today

had I not piggybacked off Shane's success.

419

:

I just had him on my show.

420

:

Millions of people tuned in.

421

:

Everybody got to know me.

422

:

That's my story.

423

:

Mike Wendland: Shane, you want

to be on the podcast next week?

424

:

Shane Devenish: Yeah, don't believe Brian.

425

:

He wants some viewers, Mike.

426

:

Mike Wendland: I wish I could

claim I thought it all out

427

:

and planned it all out, but...

428

:

We did luck out in that the industry

was trying to get back on its

429

:

feet, back in 2012, they were still

hurting from the:

430

:

But we started with a blog and

I am a journalist, so it's very

431

:

easy for me to do create content.

432

:

And then we started YouTube

because I wanted to document

433

:

and show people what we saw.

434

:

And then over time, both of

those picked up in popularity

435

:

and that led to the podcast.

436

:

And I realized that we really had stuff.

437

:

People were calling us up and I don't

have a sales department and people

438

:

say, Hey, we want to sponsor this.

439

:

And I I don't take sponsors on unless

they're long term, we don't do like a

440

:

monthly sponsor and people, cause I,

it's gotta be a product we agree on, but

441

:

it's turned into a pretty good business.

442

:

I have eight people now working for me.

443

:

In different areas from, we have

a team that has to manage, you can

444

:

imagine, what social media is right?

445

:

So 255, 000 active people on

our Facebook group, it requires

446

:

moderators 24 7 for that.

447

:

We have some writers and content creators.

448

:

I hired a manager to help run

the business aspects of it.

449

:

But up until the last three years,

it was just very serendipity.

450

:

But once you reach a certain

size audience, you find that

451

:

it just grows exponentially.

452

:

And I think that's um, I

don't know whose that is.

453

:

That's not mine.

454

:

Sounds like it's mine.

455

:

Shane Devenish: Eleanor

owes us all a beer.

456

:

Mike Wendland: Okay,

I'm looking for a phone.

457

:

But it just grew.

458

:

And we've, the one thing that we have done

is diversify Our audience the blog, which

459

:

usually gets about 300, 000 views a month.

460

:

Google just does, they do these

strange changes that in their algorithm

461

:

and it affects a lot of people.

462

:

And so then you move on to a different

platform to concentrate on, but we found

463

:

that the videos, we have about 180,

000 YouTube followers and the podcasts.

464

:

It gets a.

465

:

A little over a hundred thousand

downloads every month and then the

466

:

blog and then we've produced 18 books

eBooks that are travel guides to

467

:

different regions of North America.

468

:

So having all of those different

platforms one gives you, when one

469

:

suddenly changes and drops off, the

others will help pick that up and then

470

:

the others come back and all the time

it keeps to grow, it keeps growing.

471

:

And and that's the thing

that's been amazing.

472

:

The danger we face is do we become

so big that we can't travel anymore?

473

:

And that's what's happened to a couple

of, they call us influencers now.

474

:

And we've vowed that's

not going to happen to us.

475

:

We've, we do want to, the whole

reason we didn't do this is

476

:

because we like the lifestyle.

477

:

Brain Searl: That's what happened to me.

478

:

I used to do videos all the time and

I just have no time to do it anymore.

479

:

But also I didn't really have a

past, like a past doing videos,

480

:

like it sounds like you do, right?

481

:

So let me ask you this.

482

:

Does RV lifestyle always stay RV

lifestyle or do you want to go

483

:

glamping a couple times a year?

484

:

Mike Wendland: Or do I want to do what?

485

:

Brain Searl: You want to go glamping

a couple times a year and cover that.

486

:

Mike Wendland: Oh, as long as I can

do it in an RV or yeah, we can, we

487

:

think we just went, we have two RVs.

488

:

That's the other thing.

489

:

We try to change RVs every year.

490

:

So we are familiar with.

491

:

Many different models.

492

:

I have a Class C motorhome made by a

Leisure Travel Van up there in in in

493

:

I wanted to say Winkler, Manitoba,

and then we just bought actually we're

494

:

on our second one now, fifth wheel.

495

:

We have a Montana fifth

wheel, which is neat.

496

:

Talk about glamping.

497

:

Oh my goodness.

498

:

It's a condo on wheels.

499

:

So we, it's changed a lot.

500

:

We, our initial years were spent,

we did a lot of boondocking.

501

:

We really did.

502

:

And now it's a mix

between boondocking and.

503

:

Harvest hosts and campgrounds

that we find in the fifth

504

:

wheel, we want to stay longer.

505

:

We get to investigate the area a little

bit and do more stories about the region.

506

:

And we ended up two years ago, buying

some property in middle Tennessee.

507

:

And five acres of property and

kind of a little small mountaintop.

508

:

And we've put three RV sites in there,

which we don't rent them, but we use

509

:

them for ourselves and our friends.

510

:

And that becomes a little

retreat, a private retreat.

511

:

And we have found a huge trend

of RVers buying their own land.

512

:

So they always have a place

they know they can go and they

513

:

can stay as long as they want.

514

:

In this area we're in, there's

probably now a hundred other.

515

:

RVers from all over the country who

have bought similar sized parcels of

516

:

land and we're all in this general area

and it's amazing to see how many people

517

:

have said, this is an alternative.

518

:

Let's buy our own land and put

in, utilities and an RV pad.

519

:

So there's so many different aspects to

this is what I'm trying to get at here is

520

:

that it just shows no signs of lighting

up and every area is so important.

521

:

That's the thing.

522

:

And I think there's so many different

ways to diversify as we were briefly

523

:

talking about rentals versus sales, right?

524

:

Those are two paths of probably many,

but that's people are buying smaller

525

:

trailers versus bigger trailers.

526

:

Yeah.

527

:

And so I think that diversification, that

openness, that willingness to adjust.

528

:

On a perview per state, per area,

per location basis is what's

529

:

really gonna help this industry

continue to thrive in the future.

530

:

Maybe.

531

:

Maybe that's maybe that means some of

you don't change, but certainly I'm

532

:

not saying everybody needs to change.

533

:

Phil Ingrassia: Yeah.

534

:

I think, one of the things that, you know,

and I've been doing this for 25 years now.

535

:

Is when I started, it seemed like people

were really focused on bigger units.

536

:

In fact, we would pursue legislation

to make them allow bigger units.

537

:

But over the last, and I think Mike,

since the downturn and the industry's

538

:

recovery over the last, 12 years.

539

:

We've seen the manufacturers

and the dealers embrace the

540

:

diversity of use of products.

541

:

And a lot of the volume has been driven

by a smaller more towable travel trailers.

542

:

That's where a lot of the volume is.

543

:

And and there really is

something for everyone.

544

:

Whereas, when I started,

you'd go to a dealership and

545

:

everything big was up front.

546

:

They'd hide the, hide some of

the smaller units in the back.

547

:

Oh yeah, we do have some of those.

548

:

Now, it's almost completely flipped.

549

:

You see the lot more

affordable product up front.

550

:

Yes, you can buy an RV, you can be, this

could be you, type of messaging that, go

551

:

RVing is done, but also the dealers and

the manufacturers to bring more people in.

552

:

And recognize that, not everybody is

going to buy the biggest motor home

553

:

or the biggest travel trailer they

can and just make it more accessible

554

:

for millions of more North Americans.

555

:

Mike Wendland: Our first maybe the

first five years that we have been doing

556

:

this we spent the Van Life movement.

557

:

We watched that come in.

558

:

We watched the, the whole.

559

:

Possibility to boondock once we've

had lithium batteries and solar panels

560

:

and the ability to literally be off

the grid for days and sometimes if

561

:

you have enough, weeks at a time.

562

:

Phil Ingrassia: And then, we have

now seen a lot of the vanlifers,

563

:

they've gotten older and they've

moved into into Class Cs.

564

:

Some smaller, those, the whole

small Class A movement in motorhomes

565

:

has been pretty amazing to watch.

566

:

we've seen more people move

into towables and fifth wheels.

567

:

And there is a progression in that,

that, and I don't know if that was there

568

:

always Phil and Eleanor, I don't know

whether you guys have always seen that

569

:

in, from dealers that people would move

from one to another, or if that is now.

570

:

Kind of the maturing of the

RV consumer market as well.

571

:

But we, I've watched them,

you can see them almost grow.

572

:

Okay, it's about time for

you guys to get a towable.

573

:

And that's indeed what they do,

and you watch and move on and up.

574

:

No more one RV for the

rest of our life, a thing.

575

:

Eleonore Hamm: Yeah, we've seen that.

576

:

That's been ongoing for as

long as I've been here as well.

577

:

It's some of the dealers said first

of all, it became bigger, and then

578

:

it became a little bit smaller.

579

:

As you go through your journey,

you may start off with a smaller

580

:

travel trailer with your kids and

then your kids get a little bigger.

581

:

You need a little bit more space.

582

:

Then, as as it's just couples, they

might go into the fifth wheel and then,

583

:

and then transition back to a class B.

584

:

Definitely, I don't know what the

average ownership of an RV is it's only

585

:

about three or four years, I think.

586

:

So before people move on

to another product type.

587

:

Brain Searl: Interesting to hear you

guys thoughts on something again,

588

:

I'm just brushing my mind up coming

from the Camping Inventory Convention

589

:

and their keynote speaker was Earl

Hunter from Black Folks Camp 2.

590

:

And he was talking about the virtue,

equity, and inclusion and streaming.

591

:

You guys have heard of him before and he's

attempting to do in the industry, which

592

:

I think is a good thing, but how do we.

593

:

And not even specifically

to black folks, right?

594

:

How do we, as an industry, reach out

to those who don't normally purchase

595

:

RVs, who don't normally go camping,

and make sure, and this is like young

596

:

people who live in urban areas, right?

597

:

White people who aren't camping

in the numbers that their

598

:

grandparents did, because they're

diversifying their vacations.

599

:

But how do we reach out to those

people and explain to them the

600

:

benefits of the RV lifestyle, so

they're not just becoming lampers?

601

:

Mike Wendland: From our standpoint,

just show them what it's like.

602

:

The like two generations down, I guess

it'd be the, everybody was talking

603

:

about the millennials and I think the

millennials have adopted this great.

604

:

So it's the generation after them

and the exes that I think that they

605

:

have picked up on this on their own.

606

:

There's this great interest

in the environment and the

607

:

outdoors, and there is no.

608

:

Better way to truly experience the

outdoor than through the RV lifestyle.

609

:

I think, the go RVing campaigns have

been right on pretty much on all of them.

610

:

I think if I was a dealer, I would post

as many photos as I can on my website

611

:

and at my locations that show people.

612

:

Camping.

613

:

I noticed General RV has

just done a big section.

614

:

They've hired a chef and they're doing a

bunch of videos showing cooking outside,

615

:

which is another thing that is, you can

do anything from Dutch oven at a campfire

616

:

and people are more sophisticated.

617

:

The foodie element of RVing is there.

618

:

so Show the use of an

RV and just how, yeah.

619

:

Awesome it is, whether it's a family,

how close you become when you camp,

620

:

whether you're a solo we guess about

15 percent of all of our audience

621

:

are solo travelers, are many of them

widows, many of them divorced many just

622

:

single folks who have gone out and are

now, being able to work remotely or

623

:

if they're retired they're traveling.

624

:

These aren't people who are

marginal, they're not sleeping in

625

:

a Walmart parking lot every night.

626

:

There are people who have pretty

good incomes, but they have

627

:

adopted the nomadic lifestyle.

628

:

15% I think that's probably pretty

true of all of the RVs out there.

629

:

If you looked at all the statistics,

but just go to RV rally and

630

:

you'll see how many people, how

many solo travelers there are.

631

:

That's a great market.

632

:

All of the groups, the niche groups that

have developed around them, for example,

633

:

that the solo female, and most of the

solo travelers are female, are women.

634

:

I'm thinking of Sisters on the Fly and two

or three other groups like that are huge.

635

:

Let me push, I

636

:

Brain Searl: just want to push for

a second and you guys can agree,

637

:

disagree with me if you want.

638

:

And this is not really me, this is

just what I heard Earl say and a

639

:

few other people at the conference

who have tried to expand upon this.

640

:

I think the RV industry has done a great

job of doing everything you just said.

641

:

So go RV, it's a great organization,

great campaigns and commercials.

642

:

There's tons of Facebook groups and pages

like yours and others who do a good job

643

:

of regularly promoting the camping and RV

lifestyle and all those kinds of things.

644

:

Enjoy the outdoors.

645

:

But there are a lot of people.

646

:

A lot of people in this country who

never even consider the outdoors, like

647

:

it never crosses their mind that's

something they can do, or they associate

648

:

it just with tenting, or, right?

649

:

And so I think there in some ways needs

to be a concerted effort to educate people

650

:

that the outdoors is a good experience,

generally speaking, which then leads to

651

:

In our case of our conversation, purchases

of RVs, rentals of RVs down the road,

652

:

there are a lot of people who don't even

consider this, and they're not going to

653

:

go to those Facebook groups, they're not

going to turn on, and demographically

654

:

I know this right, they're not going

to turn on country music television and

655

:

watch the GoRVing commercial, they're

going to be on the urban, and GoRVing is

656

:

not putting ads there as far as I know.

657

:

So how do we do that?

658

:

How do we make that work

is what I'm trying to say.

659

:

Mike Wendland: I don't, I think that

there's a certain, the RV lifestyle

660

:

is great, it's not for everybody.

661

:

And I think that

662

:

Brain Searl: I think it's for a lot

more people than we're currently.

663

:

I really believe that.

664

:

Mike Wendland: I don't think the industry

can handle a lot more people right now.

665

:

I think the real reason you're

probably not seeing it is, number one.

666

:

The elephant in the room is that if

you are, if you don't have cash, you're

667

:

going to pay an incredible amount

of money to finance something that,

668

:

you're probably only going to use for

three or four years before you either

669

:

trade up or say that's enough for me.

670

:

But there are, and it's always been

that way, that there are a lot of

671

:

people that don't like outdoors.

672

:

They don't go hiking, they don't go

fishing, they don't take photographs.

673

:

They like to go to the clubs and

they like the urban lifestyle.

674

:

And I don't, I think that it is

a lifestyle that is truly not for

675

:

everybody because we've run into

a lot of people who've gotten

676

:

into it, have been talked into it.

677

:

And, and I think we find that

after about seven months.

678

:

People, there's a drop off of a

certain percentage of people say,

679

:

that is not, that's too much work.

680

:

But that's a drop off

of a certain percentage.

681

:

So if you take, let's just make up a

number, if you take a hundred people out

682

:

of it, and we're just going to make up an

area, we would like the nightlife, like

683

:

you said, or clubbing or whatever else.

684

:

And they've never thought

about the outdoors.

685

:

If you bring a hundred of those into

the RV industry and there's a 60

686

:

percent drop off, 70 percent drop

off, that's still 30 new people in

687

:

the RV industry, it's a win, right?

688

:

I think it's, I agree with you.

689

:

I don't think we want, I don't think

you're ever going to convince everyone

690

:

to like the RV industry lifestyle.

691

:

That's not my argument.

692

:

My argument is how do we make sure

that everybody might like it as the

693

:

opportunity to see it as an option

and then choose for themselves because

694

:

a lot of people see it as an option.

695

:

Phil Ingrassia: In the U.

696

:

S., I think that it's been

recognized by the outdoor recreation

697

:

It's not just an RV problem or a

camping problem, it's an overall

698

:

outdoor recreation problem.

699

:

Brain Searl: Yes.

700

:

Phil Ingrassia: And see...

701

:

In the U.

702

:

S.

703

:

there's a concerted effort to to

get more people outside in general.

704

:

Get them away from screens

and get them to enjoy that.

705

:

But the issue that we found in study

after study is if they don't grow up

706

:

doing things outside, if they don't

grow up fishing, if they don't have

707

:

access to that kind of activity,

it's very difficult once you've.

708

:

You've hit a certain age to get people

to want to do that kind of activity.

709

:

noW, before it was always what's the

ROI on these youth outreach things?

710

:

We don't want to spend money on

something that's going to take 15 years.

711

:

15 years...

712

:

Where are you?

713

:

If you don't start now, what, where

are you going to be in 15 years?

714

:

So through the Outdoor

Recreation Roundtable in the U.

715

:

S., we've Thor Industries has been a big

funder of this effort Together Outdoors,

716

:

where we're trying to provide access to

more youth groups, inner city type folks,

717

:

some scholarships, things like that.

718

:

But, it is, it's a very difficult.

719

:

issue to, to deal with.

720

:

And it doesn't mean we shouldn't try and

we are, but I think there's got to be more

721

:

emphasis on outdoor activities for youth.

722

:

Otherwise we're going to be, we, the

five people 15 years from now could be

723

:

having this exact same conversation.

724

:

And I think part of it is, What

are the public land agencies

725

:

doing to encourage urban, it's

not just an outdoor activities.

726

:

And then what is the

industry doing, itself?

727

:

anD so I think it's a multi pronged

approach to To try to to try to get

728

:

people outside, especially young folks

between the ages of 5 and 15, get them

729

:

an outdoor experience that, that, right

away so that they're, they have a frame of

730

:

reference for later in life when they be,

when they might be making discretionary

731

:

or outdoor travel purchase decisions.

732

:

Brain Searl: And to be fair, like I knew

the RV industry, including some of that,

733

:

which is I'm not saying you're not right.

734

:

It's great.

735

:

Everything that you're doing.

736

:

And I think.

737

:

Because I don't know enough about

the RV industry to know that, right?

738

:

I think that's an educated statement,

but I think that's the fundamentals

739

:

of that 15 years of building up that.

740

:

If you don't need to go camping, I'm

sorry, I almost said I broke, you don't

741

:

need to go camping once, you need to

go camping repeatedly, and I think

742

:

it's almost like your parents need

to be educated to take you camping.

743

:

Mike Wendland: Let me take just a

little different approach, and I think

744

:

that what you're, what we're saying

is an unprecedented, a continually, a

745

:

continuing unprecedented RV lifestyle.

746

:

By the general population, it is growing.

747

:

Some days we have a thousand people

try and join our Facebook group

748

:

in one day, a thousand people.

749

:

However, I think that what is more

important than reaching out to urban

750

:

kids to go out so outside is to

make sure that those who are in the

751

:

lifestyle now have a good experience.

752

:

And by that, the deplorable condition

of, I would say, the majority of

753

:

private campgrounds in this country.

754

:

Now, I know I'm stepping on

toes at something that's called

755

:

Modern Campground, and I...

756

:

Oh, so am I.

757

:

But I'm telling you, it is deplorable.

758

:

There are campsites that are rented at

60 bucks a night that are on a slant

759

:

like that, aging pedestals, and I know

there's a lot of campgrounds that are

760

:

doing as best they can to renovate, but

when people rent a spot, and you know

761

:

how hard it is to rent a spot, I mean

it's, that's the number one complaint I

762

:

get from RVers is that we, we can't, we

don't know what we're going to be doing

763

:

a year from now, we can't renovate,

we can't reserve a year in advance.

764

:

When they finally get one and they

have one of these experiences.

765

:

Or they get in a campground and

they find that there's no security

766

:

at the campground at night.

767

:

There's nobody from the front office

who's doing any patrolling at all

768

:

to make sure there's no rowdiness.

769

:

These kinds of experiences.

770

:

Echo through the public,

they'll come back.

771

:

Hey, we were there.

772

:

It was horrible.

773

:

For every good experience, that brings

in a new camper, a bad experience

774

:

is going to probably, if people talk

about the bad more than the good,

775

:

they're probably going to turn off.

776

:

Brain Searl: Of course they do.

777

:

That's human psychology, right?

778

:

But that's not just campgrounds.

779

:

Like you're not wrong.

780

:

You're not wrong.

781

:

thEre are a lot of bad

private campgrounds.

782

:

There are a lot of good

private campgrounds.

783

:

There are a lot of bad

public and good public.

784

:

There are a lot of bad RV manufacturers

and good RV manufacturers.

785

:

And so you're right.

786

:

The impression is everything.

787

:

Mike Wendland: Yeah so that I

think is the key to the future is

788

:

to give people a good experience.

789

:

On the dealership level another big

frustration and I understand the reasons.

790

:

I, that's gotta be one of the

toughest jobs in the world to

791

:

be a dealer an RV dealer today.

792

:

But when people have a problem and

they call up and they say, We can't

793

:

fix your RV for two weeks and, I'm 200

miles from home and I need a new water

794

:

pump, and tough, we can't get you in.

795

:

That hurts.

796

:

That hurts a whole lot.

797

:

And, the other big factor that I

think has hurt the industry people

798

:

are still coming into the industry.

799

:

There's still more interest than there is.

800

:

People turn it away, but the other factor

is the general quality of the RVs that

801

:

were built in the COVID years in the, in

:

802

:

And the industry, I think is realizing

that, but still quality remains an issue.

803

:

Dealer service is a big

issue and bad campgrounds.

804

:

If we had, if we could handle

those three things, I know.

805

:

That that would do a whole lot more

than holding an urban camp about

806

:

bringing a five year old kid outside.

807

:

And those are important to do, but we're

talking the big things with the industry.

808

:

It's those three things, and I'm telling

you that as a consumer not as an industry.

809

:

Brain Searl: I don't disagree, and

I want to give Phil and Eleanor

810

:

and Shana a chance to address the

service things, because I know they've

811

:

worked leaps and bounds in how we're

addressing that and things like that.

812

:

But I think...

813

:

I don't know that I agree with you that

all three things are important there.

814

:

I think it's equally as important to

try to get urban kids outdoors, right?

815

:

But that's just my opinion.

816

:

I'm not saying I'm right.

817

:

It's just what I think.

818

:

Mike Wendland: What you're asking

about the industry as a whole,

819

:

and I'm telling you, the industry

doesn't address these three issues.

820

:

That's going to have a much more...

821

:

There's no better detrimental effect

on the industry than getting five

822

:

year old kids to like the outdoors.

823

:

And it's just common sense, Brian.

824

:

It's just common sense.

825

:

Brain Searl: Let's give the industry a

chance to defend itself for a second.

826

:

I don't disagree with you.

827

:

But let's give the industry, like

the dealers for service and for

828

:

pain if you want to comment too.

829

:

What do you guys think of this?

830

:

Shane Devenish: I Don't

disagree with Mike at all.

831

:

I there there's current problems.

832

:

There's issues that we're all aware of.

833

:

And then to Phil's point, you need to...

834

:

to get the pipeline, create the

pipeline for newer buyers down the road.

835

:

So they're both issues.

836

:

One's today and one's the future, but

they're both very important for the,

837

:

the long the long, success for us all.

838

:

Mike, I'm curious, have you spent

much time up here in Canada?

839

:

Traveling around?

840

:

Mike Wendland: Not in the

last couple, not since COVID.

841

:

But probably I'll be up

there a lot next year.

842

:

We're doing a, we're leading

a big tour of the Maritimes.

843

:

And then we're going to probably spend

most of the rest of the summer I'm going

844

:

west from there, but up until COVID

and the shutdowns, I was there all the

845

:

time because I'm based in Michigan.

846

:

I've got the Blue Water

Bridge and Sault Ste.

847

:

Marie and I'm there.

848

:

And we still think of Canada as

God's country down here, even

849

:

though we have the upper planets

of Michigan, but it's Canada.

850

:

Shane Devenish: So those campground

remarks are south of the border then?

851

:

Mike Wendland: No, it's true.

852

:

Shane Devenish: I'm kidding.

853

:

Mike Wendland: You know that.

854

:

You know that.

855

:

Shane Devenish: I'm kidding.

856

:

Mike Wendland: Yeah you have the

most beautiful provincial parks,

857

:

though, that I think put some of

our national parks to shame, really,

858

:

in terms of access and beauty.

859

:

The provincial parks are,

in Canada, are just amazing.

860

:

They rival the national parks

that we're used to in the U.

861

:

S.,

862

:

Eleonore Hamm: thank you.

863

:

Yeah, from dealerships, we understand

that the service side and, it's been an

864

:

industry issue that we've been trying to

get, more people, it's a red seal trade

865

:

in Canada, more RV service technicians,

more people in the industry it's something

866

:

we dedicate a lot of resources to, to

try to talk about the career paths,

867

:

And people, yes, are using RVs, but

they do need to get fixed and to get,

868

:

it's, if you asked our dealers, it's

probably one of, one of their challenges

869

:

is to find enough technicians, right?

870

:

And so it's it's definitely something

we're aware of and we know as an industry,

871

:

we need to continue to address and

continue to build on so that, consumers do

872

:

stay in the lifestyle because we attract

them, but we need to ensure that, that we

873

:

do, that they do have a great experience.

874

:

Phil Ingrassia: Yeah, the service

issue is really front and center

875

:

for I know for RVDA in the U.

876

:

S.

877

:

and I know for Canada as well.

878

:

And it's a capacity issue and more

service bays are needed, but you need

879

:

to have techs to put in those bays.

880

:

And then it's also a supply chain issue.

881

:

We've got to, in our industry,

figure out how to get.

882

:

Parts to the dealers in time,

accurately, so that they can

883

:

get RVers back on the road.

884

:

And, right now the big buzzword in the

industry is repair event cycle time.

885

:

And that's the time, when you

bring in your RV, Mike, and

886

:

time it takes to get fixed.

887

:

And before you can take it

home and go camping again.

888

:

We're well aware of that, I think.

889

:

There's probably more effort in that

area right now than there ever has been.

890

:

And we just invited 1.

891

:

5 million new RVers over the last three

years, um, into the industry and we owe it

892

:

to them to do a better job on repair event

cycle time and getting people through.

893

:

But there's some other

issues that we're having and.

894

:

tHe care and feeding of new technicians

is a big one of those as well.

895

:

Mike Wendland: I think one of the

hardest things it seems to me for a

896

:

dealer would be, it's still a very

seasonal business for everybody north

897

:

of that Mason Dixon line and trying to

maintain a staff for the peak season and

898

:

then still have people that will work.

899

:

I Can't imagine those challenges.

900

:

I did notice that some of the

industry training groups were

901

:

doing some pretty cool things.

902

:

They were reaching out in some of

our prisons and training new techs.

903

:

We're seeing a national and in the

U S and I would suspect in Canada as

904

:

well, although I don't know for sure,

an emphasis on vocational training.

905

:

And boy, right now, being an RV

tech, that's pretty good, that's

906

:

a pretty good in demand job.

907

:

So I think more publicity to those

opportunities, those employment

908

:

opportunities would sure help.

909

:

Brain Searl: All right, guys.

910

:

We have two minutes left.

911

:

Any final thoughts here from our

recurring guests or from Mike?

912

:

Shane Devenish: Yeah, no, it's been

great to hear Mike's perspective because

913

:

he's, has, so much, um, experience

and touches so many people out there.

914

:

It's really good to hear your

perspective on everything, Mike.

915

:

Phil Ingrassia: Yeah, Mike I've

seen your material over the years.

916

:

I just didn't realize how

much it has grown in just a

917

:

relatively short period of time.

918

:

It's Quite impressive the number

of folks you have involved.

919

:

Mike Wendland: Yeah, it's, as

it's a really fun industry.

920

:

It's really just fun to be a part of all

this and to be able to, make a living

921

:

going out and And touring we didn't talk

at all, but the whole idea of remote work

922

:

is, and I want to, that's where I've seen

a great improvement in our campgrounds.

923

:

So the ability to let people work

from the road by improving their

924

:

internet access at campgrounds, uh,

that's sure been a game changer.

925

:

And to get more people into the

industry, one other thing that Brian,

926

:

I think that would help is to continue

to advocate for remote work, because

927

:

as more people urge their people back

into the office, that means they aren't

928

:

going to be out there in their RVs.

929

:

And beauty is you.

930

:

You can do just about, most of our

service are, in our information age

931

:

economy, you can do most jobs, many

jobs from anywhere, including an RV.

932

:

So that's a great thing

to keep pushing for.

933

:

Brain Searl: 100 percent agree with you.

934

:

Yeah.

935

:

Oh, all thank you guys for joining us

for another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

936

:

Dave, Eleanor, Bill, our regular

guests, really appreciate

937

:

you being here as always.

938

:

Mike, it was great to hear from you.

939

:

And you can tell once in a

while, I have strong opinions.

940

:

But that doesn't mean I'm right?

941

:

I just like pushing back and hearing

different dialogue, and it's great

942

:

to hear your perspective, too.

943

:

Again, I'm never saying I'm right,

I'm just saying that this is where

944

:

I currently believe now, right?

945

:

So it's great to hear from that side, too.

946

:

Mike Wendland: Great

to hear from you guys.

947

:

Thank you so much.

948

:

Shane Devenish: Happy thanksgiving.

949

:

Brain Searl: Happy thanksgiving.

950

:

Phil Ingrassia: Happy Holidays.

951

:

Mike Wendland: Bye bye, everybody.

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MC Fireside Chats - May 10th, 2021
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MC Fireside Chats - May 4th, 2021
01:00:31
MC Fireside Chats - April 26th, 2021
01:06:15
MC Fireside Chats - April 19th, 2021
00:59:48
MC Fireside Chats - April 12th, 2021
01:23:55
MC Fireside Chats - March 29th, 2021
00:59:48
MC Fireside Chats - March 22nd, 2021
00:33:22
MC Fireside Chats - March 15th, 2021
01:03:56
MC Fireside Chats - March 8th, 2021
01:06:26
MC Fireside Chats - March 1st, 2021
01:22:29
MC Fireside Chats - February 22nd, 2021
01:03:47
MC Fireside Chats - February 15th, 2021
01:09:09
MC Fireside Chats - February 8th, 2021
01:26:45
MC Fireside Chats - February 1st, 2021
01:06:34
MC Fireside Chats - January 25th, 2021
01:08:45