Cloudy skies and the threat of rain loomed over the first day of Open House in Elkhart, Indiana, Sept. 22. Thankfully, that didn’t dampen the spirits of the OEMs showing off new models, nor the dealers coming in to check out what’s in store for 2026.
Gary Gunter, president of REV Group’s RV segment, said they’re coming off of a very promising show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where consumers were interested in all classes across the board. Gunter said Hershey was up significantly year over year and with interest rates moving down recently, the uncertainty from the beginning of the year may be starting to ease.
REV Group representatives took media partners around to look at models from Renegade, Midwest Automotive Designs, Fleetwood RV, American Coach and Holiday Rambler Monday morning as the Supplier Show at the RV/MH Hall of Fame, brands at THOR and Forest River, and the independent brands kicked off their weeks.
Despite a brief midmorning downpour, representatives at Forest River were excited to share what’s new for 2026, including the Lost Pines destination trailer, Coachmen’s all-electric RVEX, r•pod’s Un•Mapped with its Bar2Table pullout dinette, East to West’s new motorized College Ave (which takes its name from the road Forest River’s first building was on in Goshen) and more.
At East to West, representatives said some of the trends they’re seeing for the coming year are “the little things” — attention to details such as a nook functioning as a mudroom, a coat room or rack, larger pantries, updated USB C ports and floors without vents that are more pet-friendly.
Forest River will host entertainment for dealers who are in town Monday-Wednesday at 8 p.m. with Josh Ross, Ernes and Ashley Cooke performing, respectively.
Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, the RV Women’s Alliance will host a breakfast at the RV/MH Hall of Fame featuring a talk with Dr. Rachel Lindvall, senior inclusion business partner at Winnebago Industries.
