NC RV and Camping Show

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Check out my report in this thread which follows into the 3rd post.

 

The NC RV and Camping Show will be February 13-15 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Some information is in their calendar at www.ncstatefair.org with times and cost. (10am-9pm on Friday and Saturday; 11am-6pm on Sunday; $6 adults, $1 for ages 7-12, 6 and under,free). www.applerock.com does not yet have info posted at their site.
 
FYI, the News and Observer usually has a coupon for $1 off the admission cost, so watch your issues the next couple of weeks. I went last year and they have a very wide variety of RVs of all types in both the Graham building and Dorton Arena as well as outside. Of course there will be all kinds of info and some drawings to win a camper. Watch out for those "resort" ones who will call you about "free weekends" unless that is really the kind of camping you plan to do.

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The News & Observer has the $1.00 off admission coupon on Page 13C of the Thursday paper. Last year they ran the ad several days in a row with the coupon. So save a buck and go enjoy the show Feb 13-15. See you at the show...planning an early Friday morning visit and hoping it won't be very crowded that day just like last year.
 
Anyone planning to go?

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We just returned from the NC RV Ccamping Show and I must say the selection was more impressive than last year. There were plenty of Popups on parade, unlike just a few last year. I saw Palomino, Jayco, Rockwood, Coleman, Fleetwood Folding Trailers and plenty of Hybrids like the Aruba, Jay Feather, Starcraft Antigua, Palomino Stampede and Thorobred. What's really getting impressive is the prices during the shows. Many of them were giving big discounts and I saw several couples planted at the sales desks placing their orders. It was such a beautiful day with plenty of folks out walking around and dreaming about their next popup, hybrid, TT, 5er, or Motor Home. I decided to check out the Trail Lite TT and did not like the flooring in the $16,995 model. The floor seem kind of squishy in the little hall next to the bathroom. This was noticed also by my 6'tall banjo man who accompanied me to the event. The floor plan was good with a walk around queen to right of the front door, with convertible sofa, dinette, l-shaped kitchen and a rear bath. This is just right for a couple needing ample room or with one or two kids. Hmmmm, the popups are beginning to have appeal again because of the prices. The decor on many of the popups as well as the travel trailers have very neutral to very rich colors with plenty of leaves in the patterns on the upholstery in shades of brown, purple and green and even a muted tones of blue. I saw lots of soft beige floors that made nice contrast to the upholstery. The manufacturers are finally learning that people don't want all white at the campground especially with families. Around the corner was a Trail Manor on display and priced around $20,000. It had a deep blue interior and a very nice layout with a hardsided bath that the saleman said only takes a couple of minutes to put the walls in place or to break down for travel. It was really nice, but I think I would miss having overhead cabinets like in a travel trailer. Thinking about this again, as it was the first time I had been in a Trail Manor, I did like the quality and the fact that this TT, Popup and out would tow easily and fit nicely into a garage. That would be easier on the gas and towing plus the storage aspects. The sale guy said these were designed to be towed by Vans and small SUVs. (Really?) Another new addition to the show is camping seminars and there appeared to be plenty of interest with the whole room almost filled with interested folks. There were such things as how to choose a camper or motor home, how to maintain your RV, locating supplies, etc. After standing near the door and listening a bit, I bypassed the class as I have years and years of camping experience and felt that this was RVing 101.
 
As you know, many of the shows only have a few popups but I was very glad to see a bigger selection this year. There was everything from the 8'boxes on up to 14'. One company had a whole row of them just outside Dorton Arena, Cape Fear RV...mostly Rockwood. I did get a look at the cute little T@B (not a link but a name) which looks like a metal clamshell type camper. It was priced around $14,000 and was silver trimmed in orange on the exterior. It looked easy to tow but was lacking in the amenities that one would get paying that price. Construction and materials seemed really good. I noticed Hawleys posting their guarantee of no leaks through some kind of LeakSeal process. They said your camper will never leak if you buy from them.
 
The usual vendors were there hawking everything from Porta Pottis, RVQs,Coleman Roadtrip grills, and the campgrounds were handing out their promos. All in all it was a great show and I got really good ideas on my next camper.