We spoke with two MARVAC dealer members about how, when, and why RVers look to make a switch with their RVs, whether it’s upgrading or downsizing. Our featured members are Chase Haylett, Haylett Trailers, Coldwater; and Jeff Korpal, Tri City RV, Bay City.
How frequently do folks make changes as to which RV they own?
“I’d say the ones that camp a lot, five to eight times a year, will tend to trade in more often than someone who does two or three trips a year. It’s harder for them to justify buying something new than it is for someone who is actually out there using it. On average, I’d say three to five years,” says Korpal. “It also seems like the older generation tend to keep their stuff longer than the younger generation or the middle age generation.”
Haylett used to have a large dealership down the road of his current business. For several reasons, he decided to start Haylett Trailers, which does some trade-ins but mainly focuses on consignments of towables – and managing the selling process on behalf of the sellers. When COVID hit and camping via RV got a lot more popular, Haylett looked at the whole scope of things and saw a good niche market on consignments, waiting for that three to five-year turnover mark. “I honestly felt really good coming out of COVID, because we felt like there was going to be a lot of people who would either find out that they really don’t like camping or they bought the wrong camper and they need to change.”
Also because of COVID, when many bought an RV but it wasn’t the type of model they truly wanted, it may be only a short time since that initial purchase. Once people got their feet wet, experienced camping, and learned a thing or two about what they like or don’t like… hence, they were led to the point of making a switch to the RV of their choice, or getting out of camping altogether. That’s exactly what Haylett and Korpal have experienced.
What are some reasons for switching to a different RV?
The reasons run the gamut. Anything from wanting to switch to something smaller and simpler to wanting to get the RV of their dreams. The reasons could be financial or personal, such as a reduction in income, losing a spouse, or kids growing up.
“There are the folks who say, ‘You know, we’re getting close to 50. We don’t need the bunkhouse anymore, and we’re gonna go to more of a couples camper because we’re kind of empty nesters. For older folks, a lot of times it’s the end of their camping days or they’re trying to get into something smaller. We’ll find, too, that they’ll go from a travel trailer to a motorhome because they’ll figure that a motorhome should be easier, because they don’t have to hitch it up,” explains Haylett.
“That single axle trailer captures a lot of different folks because you’ll find a lot of your first-time buyers are looking for something like that, especially if it’s just a couple that’s looking for something because they feel safer with something smaller starting off. Then they’ll get three-foot fever, and they’ll want to go bigger because they feel comfortable about pulling something bigger,” explains Haylett.
For Korpal, this is a natural progression. “It could have something to do with selection, you know, but I think it’s honestly how all people are. They like to start small and kind of gradually work their way up. So they’ll start with like a small compact travel trailer, no slider, or something like that, just to get their feet wet. Then they’ll jump up to maybe a 23-footer with a slideout. Then they’ll jump up to a 26 or 28 and a 32 and then into a fifth wheel. So I think that they’re doing the normal things people usually do.”
How does a tow vehicle come into play?
Before the conversation turns to which RV unit to purchase, a key question dealerships will ask is, if you’re on the hunt for a towable RV, what is your intended tow vehicle?
“If we don’t have the correct tow vehicle for what they’re looking for, we got to have a different conversation. I will never put anybody down the road unsafe if they’re not within their specs. That will help better guide us to know what trailers to go show. We’re not going to go take them out and show them 30-foot trailers if they have a half-ton pickup,” explains Haylett.
Sometimes somebody might be in the process of purchasing a tow vehicle they think will work for the trailer they anticipate buying, or they may focus on purchasing a travel trailer that already suits their existing tow vehicle. “Honestly, I think that a lot of times the reason they buy smaller RVs is if they have a traditional crossover vehicle or a family vehicle, so they buy what their vehicle can haul,” observes Korpal. And sometimes, an RV unit might be too good to resist, so you can consider getting a different tow vehicle that can pull more weight.
Will you ever get everything you want in an RV?
We all wish we could have everything on our list, however, that is typically not the case. Still, if you’ve owned an RV for any stretch of time, you already know that you can make concessions and that you can get close to a perfect model and be pretty darn happy. Haylett and Korpal agree.
“I use an 80 percent rule. Basically, if we can check off 80 percent of what they want when they come in, we’re doing good. We found a winner. Sometimes we can outfit it with different things to make it closer to that 100 percent for them,” says Korpal.
Haylett knows his units backward and forward, which helps him home in on the ideal RV for a prospective buyer. Like Korpal, it’s about checking as many boxes as possible. “That’s what we really try to help educate the customer with, is checking four or five boxes that are ‘musts’ and then try to nail those down in a floor plan,” says Haylett. “It is so hard to try to get everything that you want, because in any floor plan you’re pulling away from an area to create another space. So if you have an outside kitchen, typically that’s going to be a bunkhouse trailer, because for the inside of that kitchen, that space has to go somewhere, which usually fits right underneath of a bunk really easily.” You should be ready with your wish list as well as what you might be willing to concede to get your optimal unit.
What seems to be trending right now?
Single-axle trailers are exceptionally popular, says Haylett. Korpal notes that half-ton trucks are becoming more common for their affordability and towability, and RV manufacturers are creating units to match.
Make sure to visit our member dealerships across the state, including Tri City RV (https://tricityrv.com) and Haylett Trailers (www.hayletttrailers.com). All of our member profiles and links to their respective websites are available on our website.