Dan Saltzgiver of Reichart’s Camping Center shows off one of the luxury “Fifth Wheel Trailers.”
Written By Scott Braden, Photos by: Phil Grout
For years, recreational vehicles (RVs) like the 1930s classic Airstream, designed by Hawley Bowlus, who was the chief designer of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, have carried countless Americans – including more than their share of Carroll Countians – to go adventuring.
It is not that the Airstream, which is still considered by many to be the Cadillac of trailers, has different amenities from its counterparts. It is the tradition of the trailer, its design, and the fact that it is aerodynamically suited for smooth motoring when hitched to a car or truck, that makes it so appealing.
And it is this RV culture that keeps the tradition alive for families traveling to the great outdoors in order to set their imaginations ablaze.
But things have changed and expanded since the Airstream. Now, an RV is generally thought of as a motor vehicle with space and equipment, either in a rear compartment or in an attached trailer, for sleeping and simple housekeeping, used for travel and camping.
Charlie’s RV and Camping Center’s Keith Widerman, who works at the Randallstown location, serves customers all over Maryland – including many from Carroll County.
“The majority of our business also comes from Carroll County,” said Dan Saltzgiver, owner of Reichart’s Camping Center in Hanover, Pa. He considers Carroll County an important consumer base that his store can continue to nurture.
“Some years,” said Saltzgiver. “We get as high as 50 percent of our business from Maryland. We get some customers from Baltimore and some from Frederick County, but Carroll is the vast majority of our sales below the Mason-Dixon line.
“When I started in this business back in 1983,” said Saltzgiver, “this is my thirtieth year working in the RV industry with this particular company – and by and large, our customers were somewhere between 50 to 65 years of age.
“That was your average buyer. Today, the RV buyer is much younger. We cover a broader spectrum of ages. And I feel that some of this is the advertising that ÔGo RVing’ has done over the years has helped.” Go RVing is a national organization that began in 1991-92.
“They are spending 10 to 12 million dollars per year in advertising around the country. That is a very small budget when you look at other national industries like the car industry, but we have found the advertising to be very successful and it has done a very fine job.
“The industry in its heyday in 2004- 05 found retailers selling 370,000 units per year. Today, the industry is selling 210,000 units per year, but it’s climbing back up.”
“Charlie’s opened in 1964,” said Widerman, “and the store now specializes in selling parts and amenities for RVs.”
That may be so, but rumor has it that Charlie’s might return to selling RVs in the future. But to do that would take getting the word out.
According to Widerman, he does not advertise through what he considers to be the usual channels.
“Traditional advertising is difficult because it’s so expensive”, said Widerman. “The majority of our advertising is word of mouth and the Internet. We get customers that like the way Charlie’s does business, and the customers tell their friends, and that’s how the store has been doing business for almost 30 years. And business is pretty strong.”
“What has also helped us is the HGTV channel,” said Saltzgiver, “HGTV comes to the largest RV show in the country, which is held in Hershey, Pa. The channel films a special, and they show the special on the channel several times a year. In fact, one of HGTV’s No. 1 programs is the RV special that they do.
“I just happen to be the chairman of the show, and run it in Hershey. We are very fortunate that in the last two years we have broken all kinds of records for people coming to our show. Last year we had over 36,000 people, which is up from the year before. And these are turned-down times.”
When compared to other industries, the RV business is a relative newcomer. In the 1900s, RVs were made by individuals who turned wagons into motor homes or trailers. Big companies started building them for sale in the 1950s and ’60s. The children of the ’60s generation now own RVs because of their childhood camping experiences. RVing is generational.
Widerman said that the mild weather has helped kick off the season early. Also, the idea of families having fun together doesn’t hurt.
Kathy Swann’s Manchester family proudly owns an RV. Her husband, Don, and her granddaughter, Abbey, join Kathy, who is a receptionist during the day, on their RV excursions.
Swann says she has spent about 18 years RVing in one form or another. She started with a pop-up and then moved to a camper; all in the name of a little peace and quiet in America’s woods.
“RV culture to me is mostly relaxation and recreation,” said Swann, who has a 25-foot Sunline travel trailer. “We go everywhere with our RV. Codorus State Park [in York County, Pa.] is only 20 minutes away from our house. We spend a lot of time there. We’ve also gone to Cunningham Falls in Thurmont. There’s also a state park we like in Delaware called Trap Pond.”
“We always camped in my family, and it has always been something I really enjoyed,” said Swann. “It was just a natural progression. I enjoyed camping as a young girl and I still enjoy it as an adult.”
According to Saltzgiver, the RV industry is coming back from what it was in 2008 and 2009.
“In those years,” said Saltzgiver, “I heard that we lost half to a third of the national dealers. It was very difficult. It led to some consolidation. Two of the largest dealers went bankrupt in early 2009. Both did get out of bankruptcy, but they are struggling to continue. We are very fortunate that our business has grown. We did well during the downtimes, and 2012 looks like it is going to be a strong year for us.”
