Did You Know? 15 Fun facts about RVs

History of RVs

RVs have been around for longer than you probably realized. It didn’t take long after the first cars hit the road before people started converting automobiles into RVs.

1. According to the Smithsonian, the first RV was built by hand onto an existing car in 1904. Imagine what that looked like!
2. In 1915, Roland and Mary Conklin modified a bus into a double-decker RV and called it a “Gypsy Van.” You can see a picture of it here.
3. Wally Bynam opened his first Airstream factory in California in 1931 when his neighbours started to complain about the noise coming from his garage.

RVs in Canada

Canadians love the outdoors and exploring our beautiful country, and they love doing it in their RVs!

1. According to the Canadian RV Association, approximately 15% of Canadian households owned an RV in 2018. That adds up to around 2.1 million RVs!
2. Canadians who own RVs camp for an average of 29 nights per year. Each trip averages 8 nights.
3. Most RVs are manufactured in the United States, but 90% of their exports are headed north to Canada.

Image by Steve Adcock from Pixabay

Camping Around Alberta

Alberta is home to so many incredible destinations and many RV owners who are eager to get out and explore.

1. In 2017, Alberta RV owners took a total of 1,046,768 trips.
2. Most RVs in Canada are owned by residents of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In each province, 19% of households own an RV.
3. Bucars RV reports that Alberta is home to over 600 campgrounds with 40,000 campsites.

Future of RVs

Innovation and imagination are pushing the limits of what an RV can do. 

4. The first electric motorhome, the WOF Iridium, was unveiled in 2019. It has a range of 400 kilometers per charge and looks like a modern camper van.
5. Luxury RV maker Furrion showed off their concept unit called “Limitless” in 2018 which includes a helipad and rooftop hot tub.
6. The Sealander is both a travel trailer and a boat. Simply unhook it from your vehicle and push it into the water. Once there, the engine is lowered and it becomes a small powerboat.

Random Fun Facts

7. In 2017, the most expensive RV in the world was featured in Insider. It was made by an Austrian company called Marchi Mobile and sold to a buyer in Dubai. It was worth $3 million USD and featured 430 square feet of pure luxury.
8. The average RV vacation is 60% less expensive than a traditional hotel/airplane vacation.

There is actually an RV Hall of Fame and it is located in Elkhard, Indiana which also happens to be the RV Capital of the World. More than 80% of the world’s RVs are manufactured in and around Elkhard.

This story was made possible by our Community Partners Program. Thank you High River Autoplex & RV for helping to expand local news coverage in Okotoks and the surrounding Foothills area. Learn more.