Toward the end of May, the news started circulating. Longtime RV builder Lazy Daze appeared to be closed down. Lazy Daze, based in Montclair, California, had a long history and a strong, enthusiastic customer base. Practically any “LD” owner would tell you, “Nobody builds them like Lazy Daze.” And it may well be that now nobody builds ‘em. What happened?
Shop teachers become RV builders
A little history sheds light on the almost fanatical following of Lazy Daze. Back in the 1950s, two high school shop teachers, Paul Newton and Harold Hamm, took on a project of their own. They built a slide-in truck camper, and it was so well done that they soon had others asking them to build one for them. Business got so good they quit teaching and moved over into the RV business. When Hamm died, Newton kept the enterprise going, getting help from his brother Ed. The little firm became a family group.
The Newtons’ approach to building RVs was simple: Hand craft an RV that lasts. Don’t sell them through dealers, sell them factory-to-the-customer. Use good-quality materials and take the time needed to build them.
Click here to read the full report from Russ and Tiña De Maris in RVTravel.com.
