The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association's (RVIA) 42nd National RV Trade Show was held in Louisville, Kentucky, November 30 - December 2, 2004. The show is open to manufacturers, dealers, industry officials and the media, but is closed to the public. This is where RV manufacturers bring their latest models for display and dealers come from around the country (and world) to inspect and order RVs for their dealerships. Suppliers also display their latest offerings in chassis, braking systems, hitches, appliances and other RV related items.

This year a record 14,450 people registered for the industry-only show where RVIA booked an all time high of 773,000 square feet of exhibit space, 18-acres of indoor space, for 98 RV, trailer, park model and chassis manufacturers and 304 suppliers. Thor Industries had the largest display (60,006 sq ft) followed by Fleetwood (56,100 sq ft), Forest River (48,000 sq ft) and Winnebago (36,250 sq ft).

As "Media Editorial" we were admitted free and treated to free breakfasts and lunches. We were also invited to attend all of the seminars but there was not enough time. With thousands of RVs on display and only two days to inspect them we had to make a plan. We decided we would only look at diesel motorhomes and we inspected about 60 before running out of time. Usually we are customers at RV shows sot we had to change our mind-sets to be reporters. There was nothing at the show for sell anyway except overpriced hotdogs, Coke and coffee.

Diesel motorhomes keep evolving getting bigger, better and more expensive. We checked the quality of each motorhome and for trends that customers may see down the road. Some of the items we checked and inspected were cabinet drawer construction, interior door quality, carpeting and floor covering quality, furniture, galley layout, driver's seat adjustment and dash layout, ceiling materials, lighting fixtures, cargo door seals, slideout seals, batteries and cables and of course eye-appeal of both interiors and exteriors.

Often manufacturers and dealers kept an eye on us from afar as we took drawers completely out of cabinets, turned them over and inspected for quality. We often found wood in drawers held together by staples only - not quality. Many had latches that would not last a dozen camping trips. At many motorhomes we opened cargo doors and closed them listening for a "thunk" instead of a rattle or tinny sound.

What we found is "you get what you pay for." Most of the more expensive motorhomes are quality made while cheaper motorhomes are made cheaply. It was interesting looking for trends in features to see what RVers will be buying in the future.

Slideouts, slideouts and more slideouts. Most of the more expensive motorhomes had either three or four slideouts while the less expensive motorhomes had only two or three slideouts. With two front slides extended there is enough room for a dance hall or bowling alley. Refrigerators are huge and many have residential styles. In mid to high level motorhomes we saw only one 10 cu ft refrigerator as most had 12 - 16 cu footers. Most motorhomes contained a washer/dryer combination unit and many had stackable or two piece washers and dryers. Many had two bathroom / bedroom lavatories.

Stainless steel sinks are making a comeback and several models had stainless steel kitchens (refrigerator, microwave, and trim). The sofa and lounge or easy chair has given way to two sofas or one sofa and a J-lounge. About 80% of the mid to high level motorhomes had the two sofa arrangement. We were told lounge chairs were dropped due to two front slides. Cedar lined closets graced many bedroom wardrobes and could be smelled when entering the front door. LED brake and tail lights are becoming standard.

About 50% of the motorhomes had three televisions, one up front, one in the dining area and one in the bedroom. All TVs are now large and either flat screen or LCD with stereo surround sound systems. Booth dinettes are out numbering free standing dinette tables and all dining tables looked smaller than in past models. Sculptured carpet and tile floors are becoming standard and about 50% of the motorhomes we inspected had dark (cherry) wood. Of course nearly every motorhome had full-body paint and sparkled.

There were a couple of options we saw that may not be seen at dealers. Newmar has a Theater Group Seat option with theater seating, complete with foot rests and cup holders, for four people. The seating takes up the entire slideout and a large screen TV is above a booth dinette across the motorhome. With this option you get no sofa or lounge chair. Fleetwood had several motorhomes with outside kitchens. Depending on the configuration the slide-out kitchen took the space of two or three basement cargo doors. The kitchens included a sink, refrigerator, range, work-top, storage cabinets and some included a grill. Beside the kitchen was an entertainment center with a TV, radio and VCR and DVD players. The outside kitchen would be great for tailgating parties but not practical for traveling because there was very little basement storage. (A Fleetwood dealer was ordering motorhomes with the outside kitchen option and I told him they would not sell. He disagreed and thought I was crazy.)

Before starting our motorhome inspections we consulted the show layout map and came up with a plan. We decided to inspect them in the following order: Newmar, Monaco, Holiday Rambler, Country Coach, Travel Supreme, Tiffin (Allegro), Foretravel, Fleetwood, Winnebago, Forest River, Triple E, Gulf Stream, Thor and National RV. There were many other manufacturers displaying models but we didn't have enough time to inspect all of them. Also, we did not inspect gas motorhomes, fifth-wheels, travel trailers, pop-ups or park models. I will not go into detail on each motorhome but will give an overall view of quality of each manufacturer.

Newmar brought two new motorhomes that excited the dealers - a 43 foot, quad slide Dutch Star on a tag axle chassis and a new concept London Aire Bus. Newmar was one of only two manufacturers (Winnebago was the other) that posted prices in their motorhomes and the prices seemed to have sky-rocketed. All Newmar motorhomes were quality made with beautiful solid wood interiors and cargo doors as solid as any we've ever seen. Most models have very large basement storage areas. Their motorhomes were appealing to the eye both inside and outside. One design flaw (in our opinion) is Newmar has gone to steeply rounded dashes so nothing can be set on them.

Monaco and Holiday Rambler, both made by Monaco, were quality made and had beautiful solid wood, but we felt the Newmar units had a higher quality. Their line goes from mid-level to expensive but quality was in all models. As with Newmar and others, we saw many with three large TVs and other features not available a few years ago.

Country Coach always makes very nice and quality motorhomes, but we noticed one glaring oversight. From inside with a slide extended we could see a five inch gap where utility lines were exposed. It was not a mistake, it was a design flaw. Every time owners look at that slideout they will see all of their utility lines.

The Travel Supreme line is quality made with practical floor plans, nice wood work and massive basement storage. While inspecting one of their motorhomes we overheard a conversation between the president of Travel Supreme and a dealer. The dealer said he would order several motorhomes if they would change the furniture layout in the living area and do a few other changes. The president said "we can do that." (We met the presidents of several manufacturers.)

Tiffin makes the Allegro models and we have always heard they are quality made and have great warranty support. We entered three Allegros and had to exit each one immediately because formaldehyde was so strong our eyes (and other holes) watered and stung. I was disappointed we could not inspect Allegros and I certainly hope all Allegros don't have that formaldehyde problem.

Since touring the Foretravel plant in Texas we have loved their motorhomes. They are mostly custom made and rock solid. Their offerings at the show were a disappointment because they had dark painted exteriors and not bright colors like other manufacturers. Some people might like the darker colors but we did not. One of the models had an interior ceiling height of 6 feet 2 inches. Since most manufacturers are going to higher ceiling we found it odd Foretravel has such a low ceiling.

On day number two we started at the very large Fleetwood display. The first motorhome we entered was a Revolution LE and it set the standard for the rest of the day. It was beautiful on the outside and inside and nicely appointed with solid wood. We inspected the inside, the outside and the inside again, and could not find one fault. Fleetwood has done a great job an the LE model. When we entered the Providence we said "this is different." It was either a love it or hate it motorhome and before leaving we chose the latter. The Fleetwood Expedition seemed to lack quality features and looked entry-level. Fleetwood's Bounder is more of an entry level motorhome and it looked that way compared to their other models. The dash jumped out at us - it looked like shinny plastic and vinyl from the 1950's.

Fleetwood's Discovery was a disappointment and they need to get a design engineer to make major changes. The drawer latches were el-cheap-o and we can see when driving down the road the drawers will open with every turn. The living room slide was installed from inside and left a one inch steel plate showing around the entire slideout - a real eyesore. I sat in the driver's seat and could never get the seat adjusted to a comfortable driving position. With the seat moved back I had to reach for the steering wheel and with the seat forward and my foot on the accelerator pedal my knee was extended upward with my thigh completely off the seat. The overhead TV and rear view monitor were so low the driver can only see down the road and not up at scenery. A large sub-woofer speaker sits beside the driver's left foot leaving about eight inches of room so the driver can not move his/her foot.

Fleetwood's American Series of motorhomes are quality made and have good designs. Of course, they are much more expensive than Fleetwood's other models. In most Fleetwood models we found the older Splendide 2000 washer/dryers instead of the larger and upgraded 2100 models.

Winnebago makes sister models under the Itasca name and many of their models overlap. After we inspected several they all started looking the same. Winnebago makes quality motorhomes with features most buyer want and they have practical floor plans. The interiors look nice and we found no flaws. They could make one improvement and that is the cargo bay doors. Most other manufacturers doors close with a solid "thunk" and the Winnebago doors don't seem as solid and often have to be closed by putting a knee against the door and shoving it closed. Overall, the Winnebago is a good motorhome for those wanting quality without paying an outrageous price.

Forest River's highline motorhomes are quality made and packed with features, but their lower and mid-line models did not reach the quality of Fleetwood or Winnebago on our second day of inspections. Their Tsunami models are loaded with everything a RVer could want and WOW, what a cockpit layout. It wraps from behind the driver's left elbow around the dash and to behind the driver's right elbow. It makes getting into and out of the driver's seat difficult and there are so many switches and gauges I wouldn't know how to drive the motorhome.

We had always heard that Triple E, a Canadian motorhome, was well made with extra insulation for northern climates. We inspected some of their models and found their designs and features are dated. It was like walking into 1990's motorhomes.

A big sign at Gulf Stream compared their Friendship model to a Newmar Mountain Aire and showed the Friendship was a better bargain. (That type of advertising turns me off.) I noticed the tires were small and looked like they were struggling to support the motorhome. When I got on my knees to see the size of the tires I noticed the wheel well was not sealed and there was an opening into the basement cargo area. The opening had a large amount of gooey stuff sprayed on it, but there was still an opening to the basement - a terrible design flaw. We entered the motorhome and were followed by a Gulf Stream sales rep and six dealers. We stood aside while the sales rep explained to the dealers why they should order Friendships for their sales lots. Finally, Linda asked the rep what the CCC (cargo carrying capacity) was on that model. He opened a cabinet door, read the label and said 1,660 pounds, then quickly closed the door and walked out. We opened the door and noticed the CCC was only 1,200 pounds - way too little as a motorhome should have a CCC of at least 3,000 pounds. After being lied to by a Gulf Stream representative we left their display area and would never consider recommending a Gulf Stream product to anyone.

Thor Industries makes RVs under many brands - Airstream, Dutchman, Damon, Four Winds, General Coach, Komfort, Thor America - with many makes and models under each name. We only inspected the Damon Tuscany, a new diesel motorhome model. We can report Thor quality is like no other - they have none. We have never seen such JUNK. Interior wood that flexes, drawers held together by staples, cabinet doors that did not latch closed and poor construction throughout.

If I keep reporting like the manufacturers above we won't be invited back to the show next year, but I'm telling it like we saw it. After two full days of inspecting motorhomes Linda began to poop out and was now sitting instead of inspecting. But we had to leave the show on a positive note. National RV had their Tradewinds (Two Thousand Six) on display and it was a good looking motorhome both inside and out. The wood work was quality and it was loaded with features most RVers want. National did a great job on the Tradewinds and I think it will be a big seller.

Most of the time quality of construction will be seen on entering a motorhome, other times a buyer must get down and dirty by crawling through the basement, removing drawers and using a flashlight and mirror to detect construction flaws. Generally if a manufacturer's higher priced motorhomes are quality made their lower priced units will also be quality. Probably 80% of the motorhomes we inspected had enough quality to earn good marks, but then there are the other 20% that give motorhomes a bad name.

The RV Trade Show met or exceeded the expectations of most manufacturers and it appears the RV market is alive and well. In 2003 Newmar wrote a little over 200 orders and this year they numbered over 550 orders. Airstream reported a substantial increase in orders and new dealers. Winnebago reported an excellent response from its dealers while Tiffin posted strong sales and said their dealers are optimistic about the market.

So scrape together a few hundred thousand and go RV shopping. We're sure you will find the perfect motorhome for you.