Detroit Camper & RV Show: Day 1

It's 8 a.m. the morning after the first day of the Detroit Camper & RV Show. I'm only now able to write and post this because if one very long day yesterday. And, as long as it was, I was only to spend about two hours at the RV show.

That 120 minutes was just a way-too-brief tease. I cannot wait until I go back to the RV show later this afternoon.

The entire Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi is filled to capacity with brand new RVs. And by the time I got there, about one hour after it officially opened at 2 p.m., the place was crawling with people. It was kind of like a big RV grocery store, and the aisles were filled with people meandering from one RV to the next.

My first order of business was to meet up with Bill Sheffer, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles and Campgrounds, which is the sponsoring host of the show. Bill, as always, was very upbeat about the RV industry and the show in particular. He pointed out a few RVs I should take a look at, and he casually mentioned that within the first handful of minutes of the show's opening, at least one RV dealer had said he already had a few people filling out credit applications, ready to make a purchase. Bill also said he ran into one banking representative, who said upper management was loosening the purse strings and his bank was making $80 million available for RV loans.

All good news for the RV industry, and for people looking to get into their first RV — or upgrade to a better one.

I'll admit, my first tour of the show floor was just a meandering stroll. I was saving my more in depth inspection for a later date. But, some of the things that caught my eye were manufacturers continuing to add more amenities and features into lighter and lighter RVs. Expect to see more small SUVs and minivans pulling something other than pop-ups when out on the road this summer!

That's all I got for now. I hope to have much more details on some of the best and brightest RVs in the next post.