Pop-up campers are nothing new in the RV world. Nor, for that matter, are rigs with two levels. Both technologies have been tried — with varying degrees of success — through the years. But now it appears that one company has melded the two philosophies for creating more room into one vehicle — and it’s for sale.

Unfortunately, the SAIC Maxus Life Home V90 Villa Edition is built in China and, should it go into production — at an estimated price of $413,000 — will probably only be offered there.

That said, the ‘Villa Edition’ is filled with technological features that make one wonder why such units aren’t built stateside. Well, beyond the obvious cost factor. Many of its features, from interior and exterior lighting to an integrated power management control center, can be accessed using a smartphone or tablet — or voice commands and hand gestures.

But it’s the second story that really “elevates” this RV into the realm of “I want one!” The Class C cruiser uses glass panels that fold in half when not in use but lock into place when the roofline is raised. The net result is a wonderfully open lounge with a forward balcony. Too bright for you? The glass panels can turn opaque at the touch of a button.

Trick? Absolutely. Pricey? Undeniably. Available? It depends.

As campers begin planning and booking for a new year of travel, the majority are reserving three to five months before they plan to travel (22%) according to the latest research by Kampgrounds of America (KOA). So, the company released a multi-reservation shopping cart on its website.

With this new functionality, guests can complete multiple reservations at one campground or across multiple campgrounds in one transaction, making booking faster and easier across KOA locations.

Since going live on the KOA website, the company reported more than 6,500 reservations have been made using the multi-reservation shopping cart. Beta users averaged booking three sites per transaction — with outliers reaching 20 different sites across a season. For more information, visit koa.com zand click on the shopping cart icon at the upper left.

The RV industry set a new record for retail sales last year as 567,079 registrations were recorded across North America in 2021, as reported by RVBusiness magazine. That’s an 8.4% increase – 43,981 units — better than the previous record of 523,098 set in 2020, according to Statistical Surveys Inc., the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based supplier of RV industry retail and consumer demographic data.

Nearly every segment also saw a year-over-year increase, with the exceptions being camping trailers (8,815 in 2021 vs. 9,629 in 2020; an 8% decline), Class A motorhomes (15,501 vs. 17,514; -10%) and Class C motorhomes (26,106 vs. 27,234; -4%).

Otherwise, it was all positive for the following categories: Class B motorhomes (11,874 vs. 8,725; 36%), fifth wheels (110,249 vs. 90,150; 22%), truck campers (1,920 vs. 1,725; 11%), travel trailers (389,949 vs. 365,931; 7%) and park models (2,665 vs. 2,550; 4.5%).

It’s worth noting that the annual record was set despite the final seven months showing year-over-year declines. For example, there were 23,056 retail registrations in December 2021, a 19% decline from the 28,404 units recorded in the prior December. Prior to this streak, though, there had been 12 months in a row of record retail registrations.

Planning on being in the Southwest — specifically, the southeast area of Arizona — later this month? Consider taking in the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) 104th International Convention and RV Expo, set for March 23-26 at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson.

The event isn’t just for members. FMCA invites all RV owners to join the festivities. And those who are considering the RV lifestyle or are just curious have an opportunity to take part as well.

One key element of the event — being called “Sunsets + Saguaros” — is the RV Expo. Major RV manufacturers and dealers bring the latest models and invite convention attendees and members of the public to stop by for a tour. RVs in all shapes and sizes will be open for inspection during show hours. RV-related accessories, components, services, and other products of interest to travelers will be available as well. When they aren’t shopping, attendees can take part in seminars. Various RV experts will conduct sessions during the event. Topics range from tire maintenance, technology, and safe driving to RV trips to Alaska, New Zealand/Australia, and more.

A variety of daytime and evening entertainment is offered, and attendees have numerous opportunities for socializing with others who share their love of the RV lifestyle. These range from organized activities such as morning coffee hour and an ice cream social to impromptu meetups. For more information or to register, visit fmca.com/fmca-tucson-2022-learn-more.

Meanwhile, Escapees RV Club will be holding its annual RV rally, Escapade, June 19-24 in Lebanon, Tennessee, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds.

What started as a small gathering of 24 families in 1979 has grown to host hundreds of rigs and thousands of members and visitors each year. This year’s event promises great music from groups like Charlotte Pike, Cornfield Mafia, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys and Charlie’s Bad Habit, along with a talent show full of memorable performances from Escapade attendees.

Attendees can pop into seminars each day throughout the week and learn about handy topics such as towing, domicile, solar power, boondocking tips, mobile internet and more. And while the adults are attending seminars and socials, Kidscapade ensures even the youngest RVers have an opportunity to spend time with others like them, with each day’s lessons and activities often inspired by the local history of the area. Other highlights include a photo contest, chili cookoff and tours to Nashville. Additional information can be found at escapade.escapees.com.

Cummins Inc. announced in mid-February it is expanding its powertrain platforms, leveraging a range of lower carbon fuel types. As the industry’s first unified, fuel-agnostic engines, these platforms will use engine blocks and core components that share common architectures, while above the head gasket they will have different components for different fuel types.

This new design approach will be applied across the company’s B, L and X-Series engine portfolios, which will be available for diesel, natural gas and hydrogen. Each engine version will operate using a different, single fuel.

These fuel-agnostic platforms are designed and built upon the learnings extracted from millions of diesel and natural gas engines manufactured and currently in use. Today’s digital and connected technologies allow Cummins to extract insights specific to different engine duty cycles, and leverage these to design reliable fuel-agnostic platforms.

The new engine designs, said one Cummins representative, “offer the company a new way of designing and developing lower emission internal combustion powertrains…while leveraging the benefits of a common product architecture and footprint where possible.” The unique approach will allow end-users to more seamlessly pick the right powertrain for their application with the lowest CO2 impact.

Results for the RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) January 2022 survey of manufacturers showed total RV shipments ended the month with 53,290 units, an increase of 16.0% compared to the 45,930 units shipped during January 2021.

This January was also the best on comparable record, according to the association, and comes as the industry set a record 600,240 wholesale shipments in 2021.

Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended the month up 17.3% against last January with 48,565 wholesale shipments. Motorhomes finished the month up 4.6% compared to the same month last year, with 4,725 units shipped to North American RV dealers.

It’s no secret that the current growth in popularity of RVing has revealed a shortage of industry-certified technicians. Just try booking an appointment with the service department of your local RV dealership and see how long the wait is.

To help address the dilemma, the RV Technical Institute (RVTI) has implemented a truly affordable subscription plan to help train the next generation of service techs. It has, in fact, never been easier or more affordable to receive the “gold standard” RV Technical Institute training with the launch of RVTI’s new subscription model.

For individuals, either mobile technicians or people who are looking to get into the RV technician field, the cost is just $300/year and provides access to RVTI’s Level 1 and Level 2 online training or in-person classes in Elkhart, Indiana.

This new, lower price for training is possible because of the decision from industry leaders on the board of directors of the RV Industry Association, National RV Dealers Association, RV Technical Institute and Go RVing to subsidize the cost of training. For more information, go to: https://www.rvti.org/catalog

While total numbers of visitors across the entire National Park System remained below pre-pandemic totals for 2021, some of the most well-known national parks experienced record visitation according to official statistics released recently by numbers the National Park Service.

Of 423 parks in the National Park System, just 25 received more than 50 percent of the system’s total 297.1 million recreation visits in 2021. Last year’s visitation increased by 60 million over 2020 when COVID-19 shuttered facilities in most parks for at least part of the year.

Those numbers came even as some parks operated with limited capabilities of indoor space restrictions. In fact, seven parks — all of them historic sites in urban areas — remained closed throughout 2021 due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.

According to the 2021 report:

• There was a total of 297,115,406 recreation visits.
• Three parks — Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Golden Gate Recreation Area — had more than 10 million visits.
• 11 parks had more than five million recreation visits, up from seven parks in 2020.
• 25% of total recreation visits occurred in the top eight most-visited parks, while 50% of visits were in the top 25.

The top 10 most visited parks in the National Park System include:

• Blue Ridge Parkway (15.9 million)
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park (14.1 million)
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area (9.1 million)
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area (7.6 million)
• George Washington Memorial Parkway (6.8 million)
• Natchez Trace Parkway (6.4 million)
• Lincoln Memorial (5.8 million)
• Gulf Islands National Seashore (5.5 million)
• Zion National Park (5 million)