RV Show Shopping Tips and Tricks

September brings cooler temperatures, back to school routines, and the official start of RV show shopping season which kicks off with the Hershey RV Show in Pennsylvania every year. RV shows can bring amazing educational experiences and fantastic buying deals for consumers, but they can also leave some folks feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

We've compiled all our RV Show Shopping tips into one single episode to help you make the most of your RV show visits this year. Listen to hear our advice that will be applicable no matter where you are on your shopping journey.

RV Show Shopping: General RV Show Tips

Go online beforehand

Download a map of the show to your phone and print out any available coupons. Check for parking and cash policies. Look at the vendors and food options. RV shows have such a wild variety of policies, so make sure you check out the details in advance. We've seen a surprising amount of shows that are cash only for admittance.

Go on the quietest day possible.

Many shows start midweek. So if you are seriously shopping or easily overwhelmed, this is the time to go. Other quiet times can be early on Fridays and later on Sundays. Saturdays are usually bonkers. Period.

Bring lots of water.

And snacks, and possibly even lunch. The quality of food and refreshments varies from show to show. Some have great local options like BBQ and crab cake sandwiches. Others are glorified snack shacks with frozen pretzels and chicken fingers. No matter what, water is surprisingly expensive, so bring your own water bottle. You'll save money for your RV purchase.

Agree to a shopping plan.

Talk about goals and expectations in advance with anyone you will be shopping with. It can be aggravating to be in bunk house shopping mode while your partner is checking out the teardrop campers.

Have a strategy for recording information, research, and impressions.

We promise you one thing. You will be utterly confused and overwhelmed by the end of the day if you don't have some plan for recording information. RVs, floor plans, and prices start to blend together. You'll completely forget which manufacturer made your favorite model. And you'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure it online. Use your camera phone to take details pictures (exterior, price sheet, specs sheet, and interior). Plus take ALL. THE. BROCHURES. 

Find the manufacturer’s reps.

Listeners repeatedly tell us this is our most helpful tip ever. Salespeople at large RV shows often don't know much about the rigs and many times are temporarily hired to work just for the show. They are looking to make a sale, not educate you about a product. Manufacturer's reps, however, usually know the rigs inside and out. They fly into the shows to support the dealers and answer customer questions. How do you know the difference between a salesperson and a rep? Look for the folks wearing a shirt that has the name of the manufacturer, not the name of the dealer.

Attend the seminars.

Some people think they are too cool to sit in the seminars at an RV show. Other folks think they know everything from researching online. We know that RV seminars can be a wealth of information, sometimes presented by the biggest experts in the business, like our friends from RVSEF.

Don’t get rushed into a big purchase.

If you are ready to buy, an RV show shopping is a great place to start. However, it can also be a place where people make impulsive decisions with a big-ticket item. If you hadn't even researched the difference between a travel trailer and a fifth wheel, you may not want to make an impulse decision.

Show prices can often be honored after the show.

There are definitely exceptions to this rule, so don't blame us if you can't get show pricing a month later. Sometimes the manufacturer is offering show incentives or the dealer is unloading last year's ...