What Do Closures Mean for Truck Camping RVers?

With the sad demise of more and more RV manufacturers--truck camper builders included--plenty of RVers are ending up with "orphaned" RVs. What does this mean to all of us?

First, if you're considering purchase of a new truck camper, look hard. There may well be plenty of new-but-orphaned truck campers out there on dealer lots. They may actually seem like a bargain price. But as one (still operating) truck camper builder pointed out recently on an RV forum, the resale value of orphaned truck campers is decidedly far lower than products made by a 'living' RV manufacturer.

If you've been orphaned, as you probably already know, your warrant is basically valueless. If something goes wrong with a rig still under warranty on paper, with no manufacturer to back up the paper, the cost of repairs are truly "on you."

Orphans also mean that the availability of replacement components is vague. For parts actually built by the TC manufacturer, you're likely "out of luck" if something breaks. Happily, most of what goes wrong is in "other" components: Appliances, home electronics, plumbing hardware. Appliances and electronics are likely covered by separate warranty with the maker--not only should your warranty there still be good, but assuming the maker is still viable, you're good. Plumbing fittings are generally pretty generic: Most RV faucets, as an example, "fit up" to stix and brix residential faucets.

But when it comes to making repairs, you're largely on your own. Are you handy with tools, but simply lack knowledge of the "how to" end of the matter. There are plenty of good books on the subject available at our parent company, rvbookstore.com. Another valuable resource of help are the many RV forums, including the rvtravel forum. Most RV repair issues can be handled through a general RV forum, but there are forums dedicated to the specific issues and problems faced by truck camper owners.

There's plenty of chatter among truck camper owners as to what all of this will mean in the long term. One obvious point is clear: Those truck camper manufacturers who survive the current bloodbath will have to leaner and meaner. Will it mean 'higher prices because of less competition,' or 'a recognition that prices for campers have gotten too high, and a return to the earlier days when truck campers were moderately priced'? Time will tell.

Whatever the outcome, as truck camper owners we know just how versatile and useful a truck camper can be. They'll go places where motorhomes and trailers fear to tread. And they'll come back. Whether from the wilderness or the financial hard times, they will come back. They always do.

photo courtesy timetrax23 on flickr.com