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After years of growth, a sagging economy would bring the RV industry down with it The recreational vehicle (RV) industry has enjoyed exponential growth since the financial crisis in 2008. Buoyed by the broader economic recovery and a growing interest among millennials in the van life movement, total RV shipments grew by 204 percent from 2009 to 2017.
But with the current economic expansion cooling off and economists predicting a recession some time in the next couple years, the RV industry is feeling the pain.
The total number of RV shipments dropped by 23.2 percent in July compared to the previous year, according to the RV Industry Association, and the group is forecasting a 14.3 percent drop in towable RV shipments for 2019 and an 11.3 percent drop for motorhomes. The year-over-year drop in July was the 12th straight month of year-over-year declines, and 2018 was the first annual decline in RV shipments since 2009.

The fortunes of the RV industry are tied to the economy more broadly because RVs and campers are considered a luxury item. But the industry has also been impacted by rising housing costs; a growing number of millennials live out of their camper vans as a way of avoiding expensive rents, particularly in west coast markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
And because RVs are a large expense?ranging anywhere from $10,000 to $200,000?sales of RVs can turn south with even the rumors of a recession. People who fear losing their jobs or part ...