When you look at the three styles of single-axle travel trailers offered by Riverside RV, you can picture who would likely be interested in purchasing each one. As Riverside RV Sales Manager Andy Downton describes, the Retro is a vintage, old-school look; the Intrepid is more traditional; and the Xplorer is for the customer who’s looking to go off the grid.
But no matter what style a customer is looking for, the benefits of a single-axle travel trailer remain the same – as Downton says, most customers opt for this type of RV if they plan to pull it with an SUV. This is a customer who doesn’t want to have to upgrade their vehicle to increase towing capacity, but wants to get away on the weekend and hitch the travel trailer to their SUV.
A Couples Coach
Single-axle travel trailers are very appealing for couples, Downton says, though some floorplans do offer a bunkbed or a jackknife sofa that will fit an additional person.
“They are marketed for the couple who wants to go out on these trips,” Downton says.
While owners of single-axle travel trailers may not necessarily be minimalists, they like the simple things in life, he says. Single-axle travel trailers typically don’t offer a huge number of features, but Downton points out that with less flash, that also means fewer things that can go wrong.
Single-axle travel trailers are also much lighter – 2,500 to 3,500 pounds dry – plus additional weight for storage and hitch weight. This leads to much less wear and tear on a customer’s SUV, as opposed to a double-axle trailer, Downton says.
Typically, the single-axle travel trailer is cost effective, he says, provided the mode of camping is going to be smaller excursions. While these trailers are usually meant for less time on the road, all the amenities are still available, with plumbing and an awning, and Riverside RV models also have a rear camera available that’s prepped to go into the dash so owners can see what’s going on behind the unit while towing.
First-Time Buyers and Die-Hard Fans
As the industry has seen new buyers enter the RV lifestyle in the last few years, Downton says there has been a lot of interest in single-axle travel trailers from this group.
“There absolutely has – yes, people that want to dip their toe in the RV pool, this is appealing to them because they don’t have to get a tow vehicle or it won’t be hard on the tow vehicle, and it’s more inexpensive,” he says.
He adds that there’s still a lot for first-time buyers to learn. Owners still have to learn how to dump the tanks and other tasks that are necessary when taking care of a bigger RV, it’s just on a much smaller scale.
“It’s much less maintenance because they just don’t have all the bells and whistles,” he says.
For buyers that have come out in the last four to five years, the teardrop trailers similar to the Xplorer have been popular.
Learning what their customers want, and using that knowledge to bring them floorplans and features they desire, is key to engaging with their owners and keeping up with their buying needs.
There are chapters of owners across the country, and Riverside RV tries to send a representative to those gatherings, Downton says.
“We try to get really good feedback from them on their current experience, what could we do today to make your experience better than what you’re currently in,” he says. “They take pride in how they decorate their units after they purchase them from us.”
Communicating with the current owners to determine what could be done better is valuable feedback, he says. While the length and weight of the units needs to stay the same, Downton says they learn about what they could do within those four walls.
The sales team also brings feedback back from its dealers.
Turning Over A New Leaf
Riverside was purchased by a new owner about two years ago, Downton explains.
“We’re trying to develop a family culture here, where we’re all involved in the decision-making,” he says. “Communication is the key for us as we start growing in the marketplace. We’re trying to do things a little different.”
One thing that Riverside RV continues to focus on as they move into 2023 is the cleanliness of its plant.
“Our plant is about as clean as it could be in the industry. It’s always ready for guests,” he says.
This is part of the company’s high standards for quality, Downton says, and Riverside means business, and their business is about its products. As a larger independent company, Riverside is able to perform to scale with other manufacturers out there, he says.
Learning to give customers – and potential customers – what they want has been successful for Riverside, especially when it comes to the Xplorer. Downton says it’s a stripped-down version of what they’re known for, but with a more rugged look. Customers are looking to go off the grid, and they want that experience in a small towable.
“And, quite frankly, everyone loves the name!” Downton says. “It’s all about the name.”
Moving Forward
“The reality is there are people who don’t want to travel the way they did before the pandemic,” Downton says. However, those people still want adventure, and they want to connect with their families but not stay in a hotel room.
“COVID and the pandemic has generated more interest in RVs than in the 20 years that I’ve been in the industry,” he says. With past experience at Forest River and THOR, Downton says he’s eager to help take Riverside RV to the next level.
“I’m looking forward to that,” he says.
One way Downton says he believes the company will grow is by retaining employees.
“You really have to forecast out what you think the market is going to do and build at a rate where you can maintain your plant staff,” he says. “The key to achieving and maintaining quality is to retain your plant staff.”
In June or July, Downton says dealerships were caught up – they had sold everything on their lots. Now, their lots are filled back up, and the economy turned with interest rates and gas prices going up, affecting blue collar workers.
But regardless what’s going on in the economy,
Downton says “it’s always going to come back to quality and to maintain quality, you have to maintain your production staff.”
Keeping those employees around when production is down is not easy – the industry loses employees to other industries, he says.
“You hate to lose all these people – it’s something that’s a little bit of a rollercoaster. That is not just a Riverside thing, but that’s across the board,” he says. “The employees are the biggest factor in this whole thing.”