Working remotely took on a whole new meaning during the pandemic — and it fueled a huge surge in popularity of RVs as people discovered they could maintain their workload while parked in some of America’s most beautiful locations.

At late January’s RV SuperShow in Tampa, Florida, Keystone RV was set to debut a new floorplan in its popular Montana fifth wheel brand that’s sure to resonate with anyone who needs to juggle work commitments with play. The Montana 3941FO (for Front Office) combines the best of both worlds, placing a well-equipped office space in the upper deck — right behind the Montana’s huge panoramic window.

Keystone has built the Montana in a number of iterations — including the popular front kitchen — and this one should find a ready audience, as well.

Plus, the office is “insulated” from the rest of the coach to allow users a quiet environment to get work done. The office, which includes an L-shaped desk, storage, filing cabinets, space for a printer, a corkboard and an opening side window, is separated by a solid wall and solid sliding door.

According to a report by Jim Mac at rvbusiness.com, the team’s goal with this new model was to create a comfortable, inviting front office without sacrificing the living areas. This floorplan measures about 43 feet in length, at the top of the Montana line, but offers the same front living room as other Montana models. To accommodate the front office and the living room, Montana Product Manager Nick Ebenroth told Mac they shaved a few feet off the kitchen area. “One of the things we did was to remove the kitchen island. Although this eliminated some countertop areas, we made up for it by including two large pullout drawers opposite each other, adding more counter space back in. So in effect, you have the same prep space, storage, and a more open kitchen area.” For more information, visit keystonerv.com.

It’s never a good time when a company elects to cease operations. It’s worse when the company is a highly regarded one. That, though, is the upshot of an announcement made Jan. 9 by Tiffin Group — a more than 50-year-old family-run operation acquired by THOR Industries in 2020 — to discontinue operations of its VanLeigh RV subsidiary in order to focus the firm’s attentions solely on the motorized market.

VanLeigh RV was founded in 2014 by Leigh Tiffin, current president of Tiffin Group and a son of Tiffin Motorhome founder Bob Tiffin. VanLeigh RV was known for its luxury fifth wheel lines Beacon, Ambition and Vilano.

The move — which becomes effective in March — apparently provides Tiffin Group with the additional resources necessary to further its intent to be a full-line motorized manufacturer. Long known for its quality and customer service as a luxury Class A coachbuilder, the company has in recent years entered the Class B and Class C markets.

Lightweight “teardrop” travel trailers tend to be smoothly aerodynamic — in keeping with the teardrop moniker — but it’s a look that isn’t for everyone. “Adventure trailers, on the other hand, tend to convey an image of rugged independence. Infusion Design has brought the two dissimilar styles together.

Setting out to design a small camping trailer that would appeal to all types of modern adventurers, Infusion Design sidestepped the basic teardrop and box shapes and moved in a different direction, slapping contrasting shapes and angles all over its trailer’s vaguely teardrop-like form, according to a report at NewAtlas.com.

Its CampINawe trailer arrives like a piece of geometric abstract art meant to tow and live in. A pop-open panoramic window reveals a flexible space with a proper queen-size bed and a light, portable equipment set that includes a toilet, Yeti cooler bench, mobile power bank and outdoor bathroom tent.

With a portfolio of design work that included Learjet interiors and custom Airstream conversions, infusion-design.com set out to design the “ultimate camping trailer” for any and all adventures, from hunting and fishing, to kayaking and mountain biking, to basic off-grid living and escape. The trailer needed a comfortable living space, plenty of room for carrying gear, tools and accessories — and a rugged build for all weather and terrain.

Infusion put an emphasis on creativity in penning something vaguely reminiscent of a flat-sided polygonal teardrop and cladding it over with oddly shaped panels that create an artistically disjointed look. Even in today’s world of small trailers in every odd shape and style, the CampINawe trailer tends to stand out as one of a kind.

Newmar has long been known for the build quality of its luxury Class A motorcoaches, so it stands to reason that the company — now a part of Winnebago — would have folks around who know a thing or two about the best camping resorts, as well.

And they do. More importantly, they are sharing them in their all-new 2023 RV Resorts Guide.

“With 55 traveler-favorite places across the United States, the 2023 RV Resorts Guide from Newmar offers a variety of places to stay — whether it’s along the way or your final destination. This year, you’ll find several that are brand new to the guide, as well as a new map that makes searching for resorts along your route even easier,” noted a Newmar representative.

Among other things, the 2023 guide features interactive map functionality; highlights, contact info and must-know details for each location; and full-color photos of the resorts and their properties. The guide can be downloaded by clicking here.

America’s RV history is rife with unusual vintage rigs — especially when it comes to motorhomes. Who can forget the Flxible Starliners from the 1950s, the Corvair-powered Ultra Van of the ‘60s, even the one-piece fiberglass-bodied Dodge Glastron M300 and aluminum-shelled Argosy (painted) and Airstream (polished) motorhomes of the 1970s. And if you’ve never seen a 1917 Model T with 1916 Telescoping Apartment or a 1937 Hunt Housecar, visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame & Museum the next time you’re in Elkhart, Indiana.

Until now, though, we’ve never set our eyes on a ‘60s-style Mercedes-Benz motorhome. Okay, so we weren’t able to actually track down a real MB motorhome built a half-century ago (though we did find vehicles like a 1988 M-B T1 Auto Trail). What prompted our search? This unique 1961 Mercedes-Benz 0321H “motorhome” that was up for grabs at bringatrailer.com.

Finished in tan with red accents and powered by a 5.7-liter diesel inline-six paired to a five-speed manual transmission, this coach started life as a 30-foot bus (rumored to once be the team bus for a hockey team in Switzerland). An older renovation, it retains the panoramic windows and skylights of its former life and is fitted with seven bucket seats, a forward bunk, two fold-down sofas, rear sleeping quarters, A/C, kitchenette with sink and 20-inch steel wheels.

The M-B O321H ultimately sold for $75,321. That, however, is well off its prior sale ($99,000, including auction premium) by Bonhams Auction in 2013, the year it was reputed to have been shipped stateside. It was acquired by the seller in 2020.

If you missed out, don’t despair — bringatrailer.com frequently offers an array of interesting vehicles, including RVs. In fact, as this issue of RV Enthusiast was going to press, there were no less than four live auctions in process, including a 2019 Airstream Flying Cloud 30FB being sold at “no reserve” and a green-on-green 1974 Ford C-750 truck and Gerstenlager trailer outfitted as a Camelot Cruiser motorhome by Edler & Co. of Illinois. Note the extreme storage space below decks — big enough to carry matching vintage Poloron snowmobiles (which were included in the sale)!

Trying to get from Point A to Point B can sometimes be a lesson in futility — especially when you are driving or towing an RV. Garmin in early January launched a line or large, tablet-like 8- and 10-inch RV 895 and RV 1095 navigators tailored specifically to the RV and camping lifestyle.

The series boasts a reimagined feature set to help RV drivers maneuver in larger vehicles, offering recommended routes based on the size and weight of their RVs or towable trailers. In addition to custom vehicle routing and preloaded traveler content, the navigators can simplify arrival with BirdsEye satellite imagery which shows vivid aerial views for most addresses and locations — including campgrounds and RV parks. The new navigators also incorporate a split-view map option that shows an active route on one side with an overview of the remaining route and impending weather conditions on the other.

Recreational drivers can utilize custom routing based on the size and weight of their vehicle or trailer and drive with increased awareness of the road ahead with alerts for upcoming bridge heights, weight limits, sharp curves, school zones, steep grades and more.

The new navigators also come pre-loaded with traveler information and map updates are included. When coupled with the Garmin Drive app, it also offers real-time traffic, weather and fuel price information. Available now, the RV 895 has an MSRP of $699, while the RV 1095 has an MSRP of $899.

The National Park Service will have five entrance fee-free days in 2023 that provide free admittance to all national parks for everyone. On these significant days of commemoration or celebration (and throughout the year, for that matter) the National Park Service is committed to increasing access to national parks and promoting the advantages of outdoor recreation for public benefit and enjoyment.

The free entrance dates for 2023 are:

• January 16 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• April 22 – First Day of National Park Week
• August 4 – Great American Outdoors Day
• September 23 – National Public Lands Day
• November 11 – Veterans Day

In 2021, 297 million people visited national parks. Most national parks are always free to enter — only about 100 of the 400+ national parks have an entrance fee. For parks with an entrance fee, the cost ranges from $5 to $35 and the money remains in the National Park Service, with 80-100% staying in the park where collected. The funds are used to enhance the visitor experience by providing programs and services, habitat restoration, and infrastructure maintenance and repair.

The fee waiver for the fee-free days applies only to National Park Service entrance fees and does not cover amenity or user fees for camping, boat launches, transportation, special tours, or other activities.

Looking for a great place to visit next summer during your travels? RV LIFE Pro, a network of websites, discussion forums and digital tools for RVers, recently released its list of the top 10 most-visited parks of 2022. The information came directly from travelers who use the company’s RV LIFE Trip Wizard to plan trips and find great campgrounds.

In order, the campgrounds are:

• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
• Tom Sawyer’s RV Park, West Memphis, Arkansas
• Gilgal Oasis RV Park, Sequim, Washington
• Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Trailer Village RV Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
• Big Texan RV Ranch, Amarillo, Texas
• Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park & Cabins, West Yellowstone, Montana
• Nashville KOA, Nashville, Tennessee
• Fort Stockton RV Park, Fort Stockton, Texas
• USA RV Park, Gallup, New Mexico