50 Fun Facts About RV

The first known purpose-built RV, the horse-drawn Wanderer, was commissioned in 1884 in which country?

Dr. Gordon Stables had it built by the Bristol Wagon Works and went on to inspire the world's first RV club.

The world's first RV club, formed in 1907, was "The ___ Club". Which word fills the blank?

It grew out of Britain's Gentlemen Gypsy movement, which promoted the restorative benefits of horse-drawn caravanning.

The first steam-driven motorhome, the Quo Vadis of 1900, was built in which country?

The first petrol-driven motorhome, the Passe Partout, followed there in 1902.

Which affordable car helped make lightweight tent trailers popular in the US from 1911?

Better roads and new national parks helped too; early motorhomes were nicknamed "house cars".

Which small, lightweight 1950 vehicle is credited as the first "one box" RV seen in large numbers?

Westfalia-Werke of Rheda-Wiedenbrück turned it into the classic camper van conversion.

Which trailer brand is the sole survivor of the 400-plus US RV makers from before WWII?

Wally Byam started building trailers in 1931; the polished aluminium shape traces to the Bowlus Road Chief.

The rounded aluminium body of Wally Byam's trailers is based on which earlier design?

The 1936 Airstream Clipper was essentially a rebadged 1935 Road Chief with the door moved to the side.

Wally Byam's company builds its aluminium trailers in which Ohio town?

The plant opened there in July 1952; the brand is now part of Elkhart-based Thor Industries.

A modified airtight Airstream trailer served NASA as what after the Apollo 11, 12 and 14 missions?

The astronauts stayed in it from the recovery carrier until they reached the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in Houston.

Winnebago Industries was founded in 1958 in which Iowa town?

Founder John K. Hanson's company still builds there, though the headquarters moved to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in 2021.

In 2018 Winnebago expanded into boat building by acquiring which company?

The motorhome maker had also built light-to-medium utility vehicles over the years.

Roughly what share of RVs sold in the United States are manufactured in Indiana?

Two-thirds of that comes from Elkhart County, which calls itself the RV Capital of the World.

The RV/MH Hall of Fame museum is located in which city?

The 100,000-square-foot museum displays historic vehicles from Airstream, Winnebago and other American makers.

Which Elkhart-based company owns Jayco, Heartland RV and Wally Byam's aluminium-trailer brand?

It has plants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Idaho and Oregon and sells both towable and motorised RVs.

The GMC Motorhome of 1973 to 1978 was notable as the only complete motorhome built by whom?

Built in Pontiac, Michigan, it had front-wheel drive and a low, fully integrated body in 23- and 26-foot lengths.

What was unusual about the GMC Motorhome's drivetrain?

The layout allowed a low floor and profile that other coach-style motorhomes could not match.

A motorhome with its engine mounted at the rear is known as what?

Rear-engined coaches have traditionally used diesel fuel, while front-engined pullers ran on gasoline.

What do larger RVs use to gain living space once parked?

Sections of the wall roll outward on rails, then retract flush for travel.

A fifth-wheel trailer connects to the tow vehicle by way of what?

The same coupling links semi-trailers to trucks; on RVs the plate sits in the pickup bed.

In North America, an RV carried in the bed of a pickup is called a truck camper or what?

The name cab-over is also used because the sleeping area typically extends over the truck cab.

A pop-up camper is also known by what other name?

The canvas sides collapse for towing and storage, making it one of the lightest towables.

A teardrop trailer typically sleeps how many adults?

The compact profile usually leaves room only for a bed inside and a basic galley kitchen at the rear.

KOA, the world's largest system of privately owned campgrounds, is based in which city?

Founded in 1962, it has more than 500 franchised locations across the US and Canada.

As of March 2021, how many US households owned an RV, according to industry figures?

That was a 26 percent rise in ten years, and October 2021 set a monthly production record of 58,000 units.

About how many Americans live full-time in RVs, according to the RV Industry Association?

Some do it because they cannot afford housing, but many choose the life; solar panels make off-grid work feasible.

In Australia, what is the slang term for a retiree who travels the country in an RV?

Australia developed distinctive pop-top caravans before the war, built for ventilation and high ground clearance.

Which desert festival is noted for strict rules on RV water leaks and generator use?

RVs are a common sight at rural festivals, but most restrict how they can be operated on site.

Slab City, the off-grid RV community in California's Sonoran Desert, takes its name from what?

Camp Dunlap was torn down after World War II, leaving the foundations that snowbirds now park on.

Which small Arizona town of about 2,400 people swells with RV campers every winter?

Tourism from the seasonal influx is the main contributor to the town's economy.

Which Lincolnshire, Illinois RV retailer went public in 2016 with a quarter-billion-dollar IPO?

Its parent Good Sam Enterprises also runs the Good Sam membership club and the RV.net website.

Which German contractor built the classic Volkswagen camper vans that bear its name?

The company was based in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in the Westphalia region, hence the name.

Which comedian stars in RV (2006) as an executive on a motorhome trip to Colorado?

Barry Sonnenfeld directed; the family sets out from Los Angeles for the Rockies.

Which real-life married couple star as newlyweds towing a new trailer in The Long, Long Trailer (1954)?

Vincente Minnelli directed the honeymoon-from-hell trip from California to Colorado.

In Albert Brooks's Lost in America (1985), the couple decide to drop out of society "like in" which film?

They sell the house and travel the country in a Winnebago rather than on hardtail Harley choppers.

In Spaceballs, Lone Starr and Barf fly a Winnebago spaceship with what name?

It runs out of fuel and crash-lands on the desert moon of Vega.

Which TV series began as a joke between two out-of-work writers about a meth lab in an RV?

A replica of Walter White's meth-lab RV joined the mock funeral procession held for the character in Albuquerque in 2013.

In Meet the Fockers, what happens to the Fockers' dog Moses aboard Jack Byrnes's RV?

Robert De Niro's Jack drives the family to Miami in the motorhome to meet Greg's parents.

Winnebago Man (2009) covers outtakes of which salesman, dubbed "The Angriest Man in the World"?

The twenty-year-old sales-video outtakes spread on VHS and then YouTube; he died in 2023 aged 93.

Which 2020 film about a widow living in her van won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress?

Real nomads including Bob Wells appear as themselves; Frances McDormand became the first person to win as producer and performer for the same film.

Someone who lives full- or part-time in a van by choice is commonly called what?

Van-dwellers typically cite freedom, mobility and lower cost compared with conventional housing.

Fleetwood RV, Holiday Rambler and Monaco are all part of which parent company?

Fleetwood dates from 1950, and the group's recreation division also includes American Coach and Lance Campers.

The RV industry is the biggest US consumer of which building material, driving deforestation in Borneo?

Conservation groups have documented the supply chain, though major manufacturers deny knowledge of it.

Which type of motorhome, also called integrated, has the driving area built into the living space?

It is reputed to be the most luxurious and expensive style, with a huge front window and berths that convert from the lounge or dinette.

What title does Elkhart County, Indiana, give itself thanks to its dominant industry?

Roughly two-thirds of Indiana's RV output comes from the county, which has a population of about 206,000.

What feature usually sits above the driving cab on a Class C, or coach-built, motorhome?

The caravan-style body is mounted on a van or truck chassis, most of which are made by Ford and Fiat in Europe.

What do Germans call a motorhome?

Swedes say husbil, the French say camping-car, and in Italy 'camper' covers motorhomes in general.

What is the name of the traditional horse-drawn caravan that became a symbol of the Romani people?

Until the early 19th century such caravans were mainly transport; only then did more Romani families start living in them rather than in tents.

Which car maker unveiled the Touring Landau, a 1910 camper with an on-board toilet?

The model is regarded as the origin of the motorhome; in the 1920s builders began converting panel trucks and buses into 'housecars'.

Which British organisation did Thomas Hiram Holding found in 1901 as the Association of Cycle Campers?

Holding is known as the father of modern camping; the Caravan Club followed six years later with author Gordon Stables as vice president.

The Playpac hard-shelled camper was designed to be towed by which small car?

Invented by Steven Whysel, it packed a water closet and shower, slept six and had a domed skylight styled by designer Toshihiko Sakow.