With Roadtrek gone, room for new companies?

[scubastevee62]

Hi, first post here but been reading the forum for years.

I'd have to agree that Thor could pick up the remains of EHGNA if they want to expand their Class B line up.

None of us know how enthusiastic Thor was with Hymer including EHGNA in the initial negotiation ... they may have been forced by Hymer to include it initially. When the scandal broke, it could've given Thor an "out" which they took. A possibility.

I don't know what the tariff situation would be, but, with the current exchange rate, Thor could continue manufacturing in Ontario.

Or, Thor can do nothing and watch a competitor proceed to bankruptcy giving them a path to expand themselves knowing they only have Winnebago as their prime competitor now.

I don't see, other than Thor, who, has either the capital or the desire, to buy EHGNA. The quality of RoadTrek was not the same as years past ... I read that employees' suggestions to improve quality fell on deaf ears ... guess the execs had other plans. Quality is usually easy to improve. Efficiencies in manufacturing can also be found.

Too much capital required for the smaller companies to fill the gap. The market share will fall to the larger B manufacturers.

BTW, my Class B has a separate rear wet bath which is used on a daily basis. I love some of the DIY designs until ... no indoor shower and no toilet.

If you want a video tour of my RV, search on scubastevee62 for my YouTube channel and you'll find it.

Cheers,
Steve

[mrshowtime3]

Originally Posted by TerrierTude

Yes, these are the rationales I heard in Quartzite from the "no shower" crowd. And if it works for you, great.

I'm done years of backpacking and part of getting an RV was my admission that I just was getting too old to be a dirtbag anymore. I wanted some comforts.

Luckily years of California drought and water rationing have made me completely comfortable with water-wise showers.

I like having the "water proof" room as, besides a shower, it's a great place to hang up rain soaked clothes or bulky items i washed but don't want to pay to dry. The storage for garbage containers, cleaning supplies, etc. is also handy.

And since my shower in my teeny tiny Agile is so small, I don't feel I've given up a lot of space for it.

But it's whatever works for you.

Sure there are some dirty types. But most van travelers are using their gym memberships to have real showers since anytime fitness and planet fitness are pretty much in any half decent sized population zone. Or shower at the campgrounds. Or truck stops.

[gerrym51]

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/roadtre...oses-1.4301022

[Jostalli]

There are new van builders popping up every month so if you want a van chances are your neighbor is building one to sell. #vanlife

We think the vans we build are up there with the best of what is available but there is so much competition now. We are continually working hard to improve our quality and innovation. We are a fully custom, low volume builder so definitely in a different category.

[mrshowtime3]

Originally Posted by Jostalli

There are new van builders popping up every month so if you want a van chances are your neighbor is building one to sell. #vanlife

We think the vans we build are up there with the best of what is available but there is so much competition now. We are continually working hard to improve our quality and innovation. We are a fully custom, low volume builder so definitely in a different category.

Glad to hear it. I remember asking you a couple years ago on the Promaster forum if you planned to build vans for a living when you had your van up for sale. At the time it wasnt on the radar. You should have no issues making money, your van back then was very nice.

[Jostalli]

Originally Posted by mrshowtime3

Glad to hear it. I remember asking you a couple years ago on the Promaster forum if you planned to build vans for a living when you had your van up for sale. At the time it wasnt on the radar. You should have no issues making money, your van back then was very nice.

Thank you!

We kept getting requests from folks to build them a van so I finally decided to turn it into a business. Now we are booked until October.

[mrshowtime3]

Originally Posted by Jostalli

Thank you!

We kept getting requests from folks to build them a van so I finally decided to turn it into a business. Now we are booked until October.

Thats awesome and answers the question of this thread. 40hoursoffreedom are also booked out for awhile. Small builders arent able to do a ton of vans per year but it does show people are willing to pay for quality even if its not from a big brand name.

[MsNomer]

That's great news, Jostalli. I’m sure your customers are pleased with your quality.

[Kaypay]

I don’t think Roadtrek is gone. The name and reputation is worth a lot of money. Somebody will get it going again and continue to build quality Class B. It’s Erwin Hymer who messed up and they own the bad rap.

[HarryN]

Originally Posted by Jostalli

There are new van builders popping up every month so if you want a van chances are your neighbor is building one to sell. #vanlife

We think the vans we build are up there with the best of what is available but there is so much competition now. We are continually working hard to improve our quality and innovation. We are a fully custom, low volume builder so definitely in a different category.

Congratulations on going into business. I saw photos of your original van and was very impressed.

We are keeping busy enough just doing auxiliary electrical work and drop in "electrical kits".

I can't imagine trying to take on the entire vehicle.

[Dzimm247]

Why is Airstream and the new "Nineteen" being discussed here?

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Dzimm247

Why is Airstream and the new "Nineteen" being discussed here?

Welcome to the forum Dzimm247!

I'm not sure what you mean by your post. I went back twice and skimmed this thread for a mention of the Airstream Interstate '19 (aka Shorty). Didn't find any mention, although I could have missed it.
.

[Davydd]

It is a boon for the other Class B companies or an opportunity for others to come in. I think it is still too early to tell. Most existing companies are at maximum capacity now before the EHGNA debacle.

As far as wet baths are concerned I think the thing most miss is it is a way to clean a very confined space with regularity. With three Class Bs under our belt I know the toilet produces a lot of smells and believe it or not a lot of foul spray in the air and adjacent surfaces. Come on, you can see it in any bathroom and this is a confined tiny space. The shower function allows you to clean it periodically even if you tendency it to use the campground 5+ minute full spray luxury showers.

Besides you need at least 30” x 30” separate shower to get a truly luxurious shower and where are you going to get that in a B?

As far as a composting toilet goes, I am not about being an “About Schmidt” and sitting on a toilet and can’t aim all that well in a pee bucket anyway or carry the bucket through the van every other day.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Davydd

It is a boon for the other Class B companies or an opportunity for others to come in. I think it is still too early to tell. Most existing companies are at maximum capacity now before the EHGNA debacle.

As far as wet baths are concerned I think the thing most miss is it is a way to clean a very confined space with regularity. With three Class Bs under our belt I know the toilet produces a lot of smells and believe it or not a lot of foul spray in the air and adjacent surfaces. Come on, you can see it in any bathroom and this is a confined tiny space. The shower function allows you to clean it periodically even if you tendency it to use the campground 5+ minute full spray luxury showers.

Besides you need at least 30” x 30” separate shower to get a truly luxurious shower and where are you going to get that in a B?

As far as a composting toilet goes, I am not about being an “About Schmidt” and sitting on a toilet and can’t aim all that well in a pee bucket anyway or carry the bucket through the van every other day.

David, as I recall, You have the definitive post concerning #1 and 2 stuff, just can't find it at the moment.

Bud

[EnduroRdr]

Yes shower: that’s actually why I traded out of my WGO ERA 70 (with closet type tiny bath) to a Travato 59K with rear bath that I can actually stand in without having curtains or walls touching me!

But I’m living in mine 4-5 days a week as I travel my sales territory.

So some of us require a usable shower space.
Choices in the market are good.
I also think there is room in the under $90k market so hopefully someone steps up to fill it.
But cheap crap will not cut it, nobody wants that either!

[FrayAdjacent]

As a future purchaser... yeah, I'd love to see more options out there, but lower cost options. I will not be buying a premium model. My list was basically this:

Travato 59GL
Travato 59KL
Aktiv 2.0
Carado Banff

Now, the cheapest I've seen a 2019 Travato 59GL was right at $100k. That might be a bit beyond what I will be comfortable spending. I've seen Sunshine Van Twos (Carado Banff) for under $70k, which will be much more attainable to me.

Basically I think there will be greater sales volumes of vans at the lower price ends than at the top ends. Interest in vans has grown a ton, and if manufacturers can close the gap between home built conversions and their lower end models, I think they can gain sales.

[EnduroRdr]

You owe it to yourself to go look at all of those.
I was attracted to the low price of the Carado Banff but after a close look and side by side comparison to a Travato K with same layout, it was obvious the quality was much less.
I’m my case there was a $17k difference (Travato was $82k). But the bath was so much nicer, the beds much nicer, Travato has Truma combi furnace & water heater, convection oven. The Carado just had a cheap feel to me.
I’ve had 4 RV previously, all trailers 2 bumper pull and a 5th wheel. This was my first drivable. So much easier no trailer hassles. And those all had noisy furnaces, but this Truma is really fantastic. I was shocked how quiet it is and efficient, it sips propane compared to my previous furnaces.
I’m not saying there isn’t a buyer for the Carado. I guess if you’re just shopping for the low price and want new - well the old saying goes you get what you pay for.
If pricing alone was driving my decision - I’d wait to find a used class B that is in perfect shape but has already deprecated significantly.
Even if it’s 10 years old! I’ve seen a few older B’s that the owners took great care but didn’t use very much that were super nice in the $20k to $30k range.
If I was doing this again that’s what I’d look for.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by FrayAdjacent

... I've seen Sunshine Van Twos (Carado Banff) for under $70k, which will be much more attainable to me.

I would avoid Camping World and stick with the Banff version. CW is famous for a zillon add ons to your negotiated price. And in the current market, it shouldn't be much over $50K... out the door.

There are quite a few Avions out there with $48K price tags right now and they are normally more expensive than the Banff.

[dhectorg]

Originally Posted by mlts22

With Roadtrek/Hymer/Carado/EGHNA gone, that takes out an entire market segment of class "B"s. Now, your cheapest "B" is now a Winnebago Travato.

I wonder if small companies/upfitters would be able to fill this void. There were some van floorplans that Carado had, which were completely unique, like the one with their 17 foot model with a pop-top. It is short enough to run around and park in a single place, but unlike the Pleasure way model, it also provides a bathroom and shower.

Right now, the only real players for full "B"s in the low end is Winnebago.

Wonder what company would step into the "entry level" class "B" range, if any?

I think there was always room for more players in the class B market. Most of the existing class B producers offer terrible build quality, in my opinion, including Roadtrek before their demise. There is always room for more builders who will offer a quality product that is built to last and is worth the high prices in this segment. Class B builders, and the RV industry as a whole, must do better!

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by avanti

I have no desire to reignite the "do you use your bathroom" tempest, except to say that for us the bathroom is second only to the bed in importance and value. I agree that the difficulty and expense of fabricating a proper one-piece plastic wet bath is the biggest obstacle to DIYers and also the biggest barrier to entry of new players.
…………………………

During the decision process for my DIY I considered a full height walled wet shower, an extendable wall à la Safari Condo and their sliding door cassette with seating. The winner was the cassette – the Potoman. The decision was based on design objectives, open space, 360 view and no need for permanent shower. Manufacturing difficulties of a full enclosure didn’t sway my decision at all. In fact, is would be an easy task especially with 1” 8020 profile framed enclosure with custom or manufactured pan.

Certainly for a lower cost production a single enclosure with an incorporated toilet would be better, for that I would search EU for fiberglass enclosures or today would copy the new Adria.