Less wings and tail, the fuselage was adapted to a delivery truck frame, but Lucci said he tried to retain as much of the plane as possible. That includes using the original air stairs for the entry and using the engine’s cowlings for wheel fenders. In fact, the intercom still works (and is used) and Lucci, a former Air Force pilot, rewired certain of the cockpit’s overhead switches for lighting and turning on the air conditioning. Even the dash-mounted “Vertical Speed” gauge has been adapted into a speedometer.

Inside, the DC3 retains the original seats for the cockpit, but Lucci built up the rest of the “RV” to Class A comforts including adding a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The DC3 boasts a stove, sink, refrigerator, microwave, cabinets, sofa, dinette booth, toilet and tub.

The Fabulous Flamingo is still very much a work in progress — but it’s also a dream of an RV.

Rollin’ on TV, the nation’s premier weekly RV television program, has partnered again this year with Forest River and Kampgrounds of America’s Care Camps — and is offering a tricked-out 2021 “NO BO.”

This one-of-a-kind RV is all set for anyone who wants to get off the beaten path. When it comes to electric power, the Super NO BO 2 has 300 watts of solar power using two low-profile roof-mounted panels, which feed power to a 250-amp hour lithium battery from Go Power. The system also has a 2,000-watt pure sine wave inverter with remote, and a 30-amp controller with Bluetooth.

The travel trailer — which sports custom graphics courtesy of Graphix Unlimited — also features keyed-alike compartment locks and keyless Bluetooth door lock system from CPG (Consumer Products Group), a top-of-the-line Solera power awning by Lippert, a 7-year wheel-and-tire package warranty and roadside assistance from Wholesale Warranties and an Advanced Elements ‘Island Voyage 2’ tandem inflatable kayak.

For more information and to register for the sweepstakes, visit z.

Well, pretty close, apparently. In June, U.S. electric vehicle startup Canoo announced it would build an assembly plant in Oklahoma to begin construction of the company’s multi-faceted Canoo — which, according to the company’s website, will be available in a number of permutations including a truck, delivery vehicle and adventure rig. Until the plant opens in 2023, the company will partner with VDL Nedcar in The Netherlands as its contract manufacturer. Production of the pod-like, 7-seat lifestyle vehicle is expected to start in late 2022. Target prices for the Canoo are expected to range from $34,750 to $49,950, depending upon vehicle and optional equipment.

Meanwhile, Colorado Teardrops is taking reservations for its soon-to-debut Boulder, a teardrop camper designed and built specifically for owners of electric vehicles. The Boulder includes features one would except of a lightweight teardrop, from its fully insulated hard-shell cabin and a seating arrangement that quickly converts into a queen-sized bed and two bunks, shower, plus storage for gear and a rear exterior galley.

The difference? It’s built on a special chassis fitted with a bank of EV batteries built into the trailer frame that enable owners to recharge their EV’s batteries. Using an integrated “DC fast charger” connection, the EV can be recharged from the trailer on the open road or in the backcountry. According to Colorado Teardrops representatives, the Boulder is manufactured using light, strong materials to reduce weight and its aerodynamic profile minimizes drag. The Boulder weighs in at just 1,950 pounds dry, including its 75KwH battery pack.

The Boulder will be built at Colorado Teardrops’ facility in Boulder, Colorado, which recently underwent a 20,000-square-foot expansion. Prices range from $45,000 to $54,000. For additional information or to reserve the Boulder, visit coloradoteardropsgear.com/theboulder/

Lance Camper Manufacturing Corp., the Lancaster, Calif.-based truck camper and travel trailer manufacturer, has introduced Live Chat customer assistance functionality to its product website, lancecamper.com.

According to Lance Marketing Director Bob Rogers, the Lancecamper.com website continues to grow significantly and is the primary source of information on the company and its products. “Our customer’s preferred channel of communication is digital, and on our website,” he said. “Staffed by both Lance service and sales personnel, our customers are now able to receive an instant response to their questions in minutes versus what had been hours or even days in the past.”

Global research company J.D. Power found that live chat has become the leading digital contact method for online customers, with 42% of customers preferring live chat compared to just 23% for email, and 16% for social media or forums.

SuperSprings International (SSI) and Winnebago Industries recently announced a partnership where SSI’s SumoSprings suspension upgrades will be offered on Winnebago’s complete lineup of Class A gas motorhomes, including Adventurer, Vista and Sunstar.

“SuperSprings International has earned a great reputation in the RV community with the SumoSprings product. This became apparent to us when we decided to search for various suspension enhancement products,” said John Millis, Winnebago Class A Gas Product Manager. “Installing SumoSprings on your Class A Gas motorhome will help reduce sway in many driving conditions, such as entering or exiting driveways and on-the-road conditions such as the effects of side winds and cornering.”

The addition of SumoSprings to Winnebago’s Class A gas models is an extension of SSI’s existing relationship with the Forest City, Iowa, manufacturer. For the past four years, SumoSprings have been available as a suspension upgrade to the front and rear of Winnebago’s Class B Travato. For more information on SumoSprings, visit superspringsinternational.com.

As reported in the trade journal RVBusiness, after 12 months of record retail sales for each respective month, there was a 12% decrease for June 2021 compared to the same month last year, according to Statistical Surveys Inc., the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based source of RV industry retail sales and other data.

But don’t think the crowd at the campground is going to dwindle just yet.The 63,246 retail registrations recorded in June 2021 is still the second-best June on record, behind only the 70,780 total in June 2020.

The year-to-date data is just as impressive. There have been 325,032 retail registrations through the first half of this year, a 38% increase — nearly 90,000 units — compared to the 235,506 registrations in the same period in 2020. And we all know how 2020 turned out!

Togo Group, the leading technology platform for road travel and outdoor experiences, announced today that it has added Campendium to its family of digital brands.

Campendium, which will continue to operate as a stand-alone brand, is a crowd-sourced and editorially curated web and mobile application that allows users to search, preview and provide feedback on more than 32,000 public and private camping locations across the continental United States, Canada, and Baja Mexico. According to Togo Group, during the past 12 months, Campendium’s app and website traffic has grown 59%, with a 58.5% increase of net-new users over the same period.

Campendium will soon be accessible with Togo Group’s Roadpass system. This secure single login profile allows users to access all of Togo Group’s travel tools.

Togo Group’s other brands include Roadtrippers, a trip planning app that offers users the unique ability to collaborate with friends, sync across map apps for seamless navigation, identify and save destinations, and more; Togo RV, the ultimate app to keep RV owners organized, inspired, and on the move with a set of tools focused on improving the RV experience; and RVillage, the largest and most active social network of RV owners and enthusiasts.

Born out of Earl Berg’s garage in 1991, Samlex America has grown into a global manufacturer of power conversion products — including power inverters, converters, battery chargers and Samlex Solar — with a marketing footprint that now covers more than 90 countries. In recognition of its 30th anniversary, the Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada-based company is staging a three-month-long celebration with weekly and monthly prizes — and it’s free to participate.

The “Do More With Samlex” giveaway began August 11 and continues through November 3. Weekly prizes consist of $50 Visa gift cards or a Samlex PST 1200W pure since wave inverter, while monthly giveaways build up from a “weekend warrior” package of inverter, portable solar charging kit and Bose waterproof outdoor speaker (valued at $681) to the final monthly grand prize valued at $2,231. It includes a Samlex NTX 1000W pure sine wave inverter, MSK 135W portable charging kit, Kuma lazy bear chair and ARB Zero fridge/freezer.

To enter, all you need to do is visit the company’s Contest Page and engage with Samlex online. Winners will be announced on Samlex America’s social media Facebook and z sites, so be sure to follow for updates.

Winnebago Industries, a long-time partner of iconic TV game show “Wheel of Fortune,” delivered a Winnebago Solis 59P camper van on August 5 to the grand-prize winners of “Wheel’s Win a Winnebago Giveaway.” The contest was featured as part of the show’s “National Parks” theme week, which ran earlier this year.

To win, viewers watched “Wheel of Fortune” each night during that week, made note of the Bonus Round solution, and entered it at wheeloffortune.com. Nearly one million people entered for the chance to win a Winnebago.

The lucky winners among those million entrants were Eddie and Joyce Hightower of Tumbling Shoals, Ark. The two, married for 55 years, are self-proclaimed RV enthusiasts. Having recently donated their last motorhome to charity, they are elated to take home the brand-new Solis.

“Wheel’s Win a Winnebago Giveaway” is just one example of Winnebago’s efforts this year to foster an appreciation of national parks. The company announced in March it was bolstering its support of the National Park Foundation (NPF), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, focusing on the organization’s service corps program. In addition, earlier this summer Winnebago launched the #SupportYourParks campaign, building on Winnebago’s partnership with NPF, which aims to strengthen people’s connections to national parks and increase outdoor equity through hands-on learning and career opportunities in parks.

Australian RV manufacturers and suppliers build some amazing vehicles, designed to survive the harsh Australian Outback. Now REDARC is showcasing its engineering expertise stateside with its first North American build, the Overland-ready, REDARC-equipped 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road.

REDARC is already known to North American RV enthusiasts. In 2017, the company launched a new website for the North American market featuring its rugged electronic components. And, according to Craig Herriot, general manager for international sales at REDARC, the Tacoma features many of the company’s 12-volt DC off-grid products. Among other components, the Tacoma utilizes REDARC’s RedVision Manager30 kit (to unify accessories for centralized monitoring and control), SBI (allowing users to jump-start the starter battery from the auxiliary battery) and Manager30 (allowing battery charging from DC, AC and solar inputs).

There’s actually a lot more to this project. REDARC enlisted the aid of three companies to build three vehicles to showcase REDARC components: MULE Expedition Outfitters in Washington, Tiny Rig Co. in California and Asheville Vehicle Outfitters in North Carolina. To see everything done to turn the Tacoma into an off-grid powerhouse, visit redarcelectronics.com/blogs/blog/redarcs-ultimate-off-grid-toyota-tacoma-build.