OK, just got home from the show. It WAS our first, and nothing like I expected.
It was billed as an "RV and Outdoor Expo". Try a "RV, REI (had a full priced retail setup in the middle, and ONE overpriced RV accessory dealer" show. To be fair, there was a tent setup WAY in the farthest corner from the door selling Honda gensets (NICE!), some campgrounds trying to get folks to sign up, and the Good Sam group was there selling 2 year memberships for $24 (we signed up- seemed like a good deal if only for the magazine), and they offered their road service for $79 per year (we did not sign up).
Not much at all in the way of accessories, and lots of Class A's (some B's and C's) for sale.
Lots of 5'ers too.
A bunch of TT's, and many popups.
One vendor making routered signs from wood for good prices...
Mostly $75-100K and up Class A's though (or at least that's what it felt like).
NOTHING to compare to our Sunline. As one of the posters in the "going to an rv show" said, the chemical smell in SO many of the trailers (most by major players too) was so bad I couldn't stay in them long enough to take a second breath.
A few of the campers had neat things, and the class A's were, as normal, a bit over the top.
There were some of the new wedge-front campers, those were cool- but really nothing was THAT outstanding.
The disturbing things I disliked the most:
$12 parking. The lot is not owned by the people who own the expo center (for whatever reason). Seems a lot.
Children being encouraged by their parents to play with the pedals and buttons on the Class A rigs (compounding the air brakes, hitting the air horns repeatedly, going after the "big yellow button", etc.) I was not so pleasant when I asked the stuck up snot (the parent of one of the worst brats) how she was going to pay for the brake system if her kid blew it up (she had already said she couldn't afford the camper) form compounding the brakes (after the sales rep had asked her to remove said anklebiter from the driver's seat). She got huffy until another guy said I was right....
"NEW" campers being sold as show specials (only a couple G's off retail) with OBVIOUS (pretty major) damage (dents, a whole side beaten up on one, and the "best" was a trailer that had the rubber roof edge torn up- the sales puke was trying to sell that one to an older couple that didn't have a clue- saying that it was in perfect shape, yadda yadda yadda...which it looked like if you weren't standing on the stairs of the one across the aisle. They were eating it up....
Was it bad I showed them? Well, maybe for the salesperson... but my karma and self-image escaped intact. How I was brought up, you just don't let that happen.
The HEAT. Oppresively hot in there. Seemed like it was around 75 degrees. If you go, LEAVE YOUR COAT IN YOUR CAR. No place I saw to check your coat.
The scoop:
$12 to park, $10 to get in (with a coupon).
Leave your coat behind, and don't expect to shop for accessories. There aren't many there.
Some neat things to look at, but not a ton- the neat ideas were pretty standard and you can see them for free at your local dealer.
If you are looking for a 5'er or a self-contained- you may find a deal. Most of the regular TTs were kinda cheap seeming....
Good date with your S.O., but just kinda so-so for me.
We'll see what the Foxboro show brings in a couple weeks....
Later,
Greg
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