Tony Brown has been helping people find the right RV for decades.

For him, it’s a passion as well as a career.

“I love helping people go camping,” he told the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. “It’s about the lifestyle of going outdoors and camping and making memories.”

Brown got into RV sales in 1994, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of motorhomes, fifth-wheels, trailers, campers and everything in between.

He’s worked for several dealers in the Tri-Cities and currently is an RV outfitter at Horn Rapids RV in Richland, which sells new and used RVs.

Signs of optimism

In his 30 years in the business, he’s seen plenty of ups and downs.

This year, he’s feeling optimistic. The Covid-19 pandemic turned the industry on its head, but this year, “I’m forecasting that we’re going to level out,” Brown said.

The industry traditionally is able to “change and adapt” and “that’s what we have done since Covid. We’ve had to adapt to still get people out there” in RVs, he said.

The pandemic proved to be a whirlwind for the RV industry. At first, it drove high demand, with manufacturers and sellers hardly able to keep up.

But that cooled as interest rates and prices rose.

There are signs of optimism for 2024.

The RV Industry Association is expecting wholesale shipments – meaning new RVs shipped to dealers – to increase 8.8% to 18.8% over last year, the group reported.

“Our data shows a continued desire from consumers to purchase RVs and experience the joys and benefits of the RV lifestyle. We are hopeful that the expected decreases in interest rates and inflation this year will allow more consumers to follow through with their desire to purchase RVs,” said Craig Kirby, association president and CEO, in a statement.

Peak selling season

Dave Warner, owner of Warner RV Center of Kennewick, said spring kicks off the peak selling season for RVs. And this year, “for retail buyers looking for RVs, there are some good bargains in new products. There’s more competition to push new products. It’s a good opportunity for somebody to get a brand-new RV and get a really good deal on one.”

He sells Keystone Outback and Keystone Hideout RVs from his location at 401 W. Columbia Drive. At his dealership, the motto is, “we always make camping fun.”

Warner has been in the auto industry for 32 years and he got into RVs in 2018.

“We like the RV industry because it’s more one-on-one, more family oriented. You see more people reaching their dreams, making travel plans. It’s more of a fun purchase than, ‘I have to have a car, I need a truck to get to work.’ It’s more of an adventure,” he said.

Jim Godfrey, owner and general manager of Horn Rapids RV, said he loves that RVs help families adventure together. “That’s one of our mottos, ‘Your family adventure starts here,’” he said. “Nothing is more fulfilling than to go out camping and wake up in the morning and all be together.”

He said 2023 was more stagnant, but this year “we’re seeing a little bit more movement.”

“As interest rates are going down a little bit, and prices of RVs have gone down a little bit, we see that market swing – those people are coming back out,” he said.

He and Brown were both at Horn Rapids RV on Henderson Loop on a recent afternoon. 

Godfrey popped into a new ATC Toy Hauler that had just been sold to give it a look, while Brown showed off a new Compass motorhome that also recently was scooped up.

Brown, who’s had thousands of customers over the years, said he loves helping people find the RV that fits their lifestyle and their dreams.

“They’re useful, they’re fun, they help people make lasting memories. The No. 1 thing is you cannot build a memory sitting at home or going to the mall,” he said.