History of RV Camping in the United States
The first RVs in the United States were camping trailers and were built in 1910. They became quite popular with adventurous folk that were happy to trek across the United States on dusty dirt roads. By the 1920s RV popularity was starting to catch on. RV camping had become an exciting new past time that many people aspired to take part in. Many people even ended up building their own trailers from scratch! Despite large chunks of the country still being connected by barely marked dirt roads, RV enthusiasts managed to set up RV camping clubs right across the country to aid fellow RV adventurers. The very first of the RV enthusiast’s clubs was the Tin Can Tourists established in 1919. The club still has an enthusiastic following today. Their main goal is to connect with other members, help restore old RVs, camping and having a great time.
As it transitioned into the 1930s, RV campers were enjoying the nomadic lifestyle so much RVs became available to purchase on commercial markets. Of course, the change in access and availability saw a massive rise in RV popularity and people taking up RV camping. By the 1950s popularity for the mobile home industry reaches new heights as more and more people experienced the RV lifestyle. RVs began getting bigger and bigger until most were over 9 yards long. The first RVs were very minimalistic in their creature comforts and provided an experience more similar to camping. In the 1950s people began really trying to utilising and expand on all indoor and home aspects on the RV in order to provide optimal comfort. This spiralled to the point where the mobile home industry became its own separate industry.
Today RVs are still a huge business. People all over the globe are keen to have a mobile home and just go out and explore the wild or travel to a new state. In the United States alone a whopping nine million RVs are on the road. In just the past decade sales in every age demographics up to 75 and older saw a significant increase in RV sales. Clearly despite the hectic society we live in today many people still prefer the simple pleasures of going RV camping. The enduring popularity in the vehicle for over a century is testament enough to its popularity and importance in American culture.