How to do more with less is a constant focus among RVers. Now, an engineer has designed what may very well be the most compact travel trailer on the road — at least, when it’s on the road.

The Hitch Hotel was created in 2018 by a father to allow his son to safely transport a bicycle. Originally, it was essentially a waterproof fiberglass box that connected with a vehicle’s hitch receiver. As reported in newatlas.com, some cars could handle the weight, while others couldn’t — so, the team behind the concept added wheels, creating the Hitch Hotel Traveler.The tiny, versatile trailer utilizes an underbody power-coated frame with 10-inch wheels and tires (rated to 80 mph), and fold-out legs to support the structure. A patent-pending design allows the front A-frame/jackstand to fold up against the unit when not in use, reducing storage needs to just 39 inches long and 6 feet high.

Weighing in at under 700 pounds, the Traveler has a hitch weight of less than 120 pounds and is rated for a 1,500-pound total capacity. When collapsed for travel, it has a volume of about 1.7 cubic meters; opened campside, it provides about 4 cubic meters of carpeted and insulated interior space — enough room for two adults. A removable exterior storage box and spare tire come standard. The unit retails for less than $6,000. For more information, go to hitchhotel.com.

While Yanks stateside can attend some impressive RV shows — The Hershey Show and the Florida RV SuperShow come to mind — none compare with the annual Caravon Salon. If you’re planning to park your RV for a week or two this summer to travel overseas, Dusseldorf, Germany ought to be high on your list.

How big is this show, which runs Aug. 26-Sept. 4? According to organizers, Caravan Salon will “grow” this year with the addition of three exhibit halls — bringing the size of the event to a whopping 600 exhibitors covering 2.7 million square feet.

“Vacationing with motorhomes and caravans has seen enormous and constantly growing uptake for more than 10 years. The pandemic then reinforced the trend toward individual and near-nature travelling yet again,” said Daniel Onggowinarso, managing director of Caravaning Industrie Verband e.V. (CIVD). “Since traveling has become possible again with almost no restrictions people are planning their holidays at full speed. This means a visit to CARAVAN SALON pays off all the more for both caravanning lovers and newbies because there is no other place where the bandwidth of vehicles and accessories is so broad and products can be experienced in such a hands-on way.”

For the first time, the first Friday will serve as Preview Day. Alongside media representatives and trade visitors, exhibitors will also be able to invite end-users — permitting them to explore the fairgrounds in a quiet atmosphere. Last year, 185,000 people visited the show during its 10-day run.

(photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

As part of its 2022 station and network expansion plan, officials with “RVing Today” announced June 9 the addition of five more stations to its nationwide lineup. These new stations are located in Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa and Colorado and include: WHBF 4 (ABC) in Rock Island, Ill., serving the Quad-City area; KGCW 26 (CW) in Davenport, Iowa; KFOR 4 (ABC) in Oklahoma City, Okla., and KAUT 43 also serving the Oklahoma City area; plus KREX 5 (ABC) in Grand Junction, Colo.

The fact that the program has streaming media agreements with each of its television stations means that “RVing Today TV” can be seen 24/7 directly on one of those stations, or on each station’s streaming media site along with ROKU, Vimeo, Amazon Fire, YouTube, RVBusiness.com and on the rvingtoday.tv website.

To see where, and how, to watch the show visit www.rvingtoday.tv and click on the ways to watch link. Keep in mind that some stations and networks cover multiple states so just hover your pointer over the station logo to see the actual coverage area or head over to the particular state you are interested in with our state drop-down list.

Alliance RV and the National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) developed an educational platform exclusively for Alliance owners. Developed as part of Alliance RV’s owner empowerment initiative, NRVTA created an online training program to help Alliance owners better understand how to use their RVs and onboard systems. The program includes a series of videos describing basic RV systems as well as providing detailed walk-through orientations for Alliance RV models.

After buying an RV, new owners can register to access the free training through the Alliance Academy from the company’s primary website. People who purchase used Alliance RVs also can register for the program by submitting details to the company, such as the vehicle identification number and new owner’s contact information.

The platform currently includes five hours of video content specific to Alliance RVs; however, it will be expanded over time. The videos were produced by NRVTA staff and feature instruction by Todd Henson, the director of education.

The new platform was rolled out at the Alliance RV National Rally, which took place at the Elkhart (Indiana) Fairgrounds May 25-27. A total of 220 fifth wheels were involved in the gathering, which combined educational sessions with leisure activities as well as a factory tour.

Owners can access the Alliance Academy by visiting alliancerv.com/alliance-academy.

While much has been said on social media sites of the rising cost of fuel curtailing RV adventures, what’s sometimes lost in translation is the fact that there has always been a fuel cost budgeted to any trip. The question, then, is not “How much will fuel cost?” but “How much more will fuel cost?” Put another way, is the recent surge is fuel prices enough to make a traveler cancel long-anticipated plans?

For the majority of RVers, the answer is an emphatic “No!” — even with rising prices at the pump, an RV trip is still the best way to travel.

That attitude was reinforced recently with the release of THOR Industries’ 2022 U.S. Camper Perception Study, which explores consumer RV purchase and usage behavior in the environment of rising fuel prices, as well as their perception of sustainability-focused organizations.

The study — based upon a total of 500 surveys with a margin of error of +/- 4.4% — found that rising fuel costs will have minimal impact on consumers’ likelihood to purchase an RV in the next five years. The survey, which includes information from those who camped or glamped since 2020 — 80% of whom had an RV experience in the past two years — also indicates that rising fuel costs have a nominal impact on intended RV usage in the coming year.

Key findings from the study include:

• 67% of those who have RVed in the last two years reported rising fuel costs have increased their likelihood to purchase an RV in the next five years or has no impact.
• 69% reported rising fuel costs have increased their likelihood to use an RV within the next year or has no impact.

The study also highlighted RVers’ growing perception of sustainability-focused organizations, with 73% saying they are more likely to purchase from companies with sustainable/eco-friendly manufacturing processes. THOR is committed to be a carbon net-neutral company globally by 2050; its European operations are already carbon net-neutral.

Staying connected while on the road has been an ongoing problem for many RVers — especially those who work from the road and require a dependable uplink. That may have been solved with an new — albeit somewhat pricey — system from SpaceX, the operator of the low-earth-orbiting satellite Internet service known as Starlink. In late May, the company began offering a plan specifically for travelers — and, unlike the company’s stationary service, it’s available for immediate order.

The program — known as Starlink for RVers — is said to provide immediate access to high-speed, low-latency Internet on an as-needed basis at any destination where Starlink provides active service. Price for the service is $135/month, although it does also require a one-time hardware cost of $599. The program also allows users the ability to pause and un-pause service at any time. Starlink is not designed for use while in motion and does require a clear view of the sky to connect. For more information, go to starlink.com/rv.

In the market for a truly lightweight travel trailer? Happier Camper, a premier lightweight modular travel-trailer brand, launched its new HC1 Studio trailers in early June at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver.

Inspired by the compact design of a modern studio apartment, the HC1 Studio is equipped for premium travel with an integrated kitchenette, bathroom, and shower and sleeps two on the Adaptic queen bed. The HC1 Studio provides travelers the opportunity to comfortably extend their trips while being self-sufficient. While traditional utility hookups are included, the increasing popularity of off-the-grid experiences are made even more available with the inclusion of solar power. The HC1 Studio features Happier Camper’s proprietary Adaptiv modular technology and is said to be easily pulled behind most vehicles. The Adaptiv system allows for hundreds of different floor plan combinations to quickly enable sleeping, eating, cargo, working, and lounging needs — and the HC1 Studio fits in a single parking space. Prices start at $49,950.

RV Retailer LLC (RVR) celebrated the sale of its 100,000th RV in May by giving away a 2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX to a military veteran at RV One Superstores in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“This is an incredible milestone for our company — to sell more than 100,000 RVs in under four years, continuing our momentum as the fastest-growing RV company in the industry,” said RVR President and CEO Jon Ferrando. “All of our associates helped us attain this historic milestone in record time.”

“We surprised our customer, a 29-year military veteran, by ripping up the contract and giving away the 2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX she was purchasing to go on trips with her family. Thank you to all of our customers and associates for making this happen, along with Ken Walters and his team at Jayco for helping us give this unit away to a deserving military veteran,” added Ferrando. Founded in 2018, RV Retailer has grown to 100 stores in 31 states.

La Mesa RV and Winnebago officials recently announced the first delivery of the Winnebago Roam, the first accessibility-enhanced camper van from Winnebago.

Built on the Ram ProMaster chassis, the 20-foot Roam incorporates a number of accessibility features including a 750-pound capacity Braun wheelchair lift, integrated wheelchair tie downs, powered sofa bed, lowered coach monitor panel, a wet bath with transfer assist handles and a special overhead cabinet that pulls down for access from a seated position.

Roam is completely modified by the Winnebago factory before being shipped to La Mesa RV, the exclusive retail selling dealer for the 2023 Winnebago Roam. Both La Mesa and Winnebago recognize that there is a growing need for factory-built accessible camper vans and motorhomes. La Mesa will soon have inventory of the Winnebago Roam available in multiple stores in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Florida. Additional information on units that will be available at La Mesa can be found at www.lamesarv.com.

In addition to the Roam, Winnebago offers an accessibility-enhanced diesel-pusher Class A motorhome, the Inspire.

Roadmaster, Inc. of Vancouver, Washington, has issued a safety update for Nighthawk tow bars with serial numbers between 9513-10200. These bars have a T-bolt assembly that may loosen during travel, resulting in a potential safety issue. If the T-bolt loosens, the bar could become disconnected from the towed vehicle. Out of an abundance of caution, owners of the affected serial numbers will be provided a free update kit. For more information about this safety update and/or to claim a Nighthawk update kit, owners are requested to contact Jennifer Lee directly at 360-597-2434. Lee may also be reached by email at jlee@roadmasterinc.com. Even if you no longer own your tow bar, please contact Roadmaster so that ownership records may be updated.