$7.27 Diesel, Forest River Shuts Out RV Influencers | RV News

RV PODCAST NEWS EDITION

Monday, September 28, 2026

Publishes 6 a.m. ET

OPEN

Hello, everyone. I am Mike Wendland, and this is the Monday RV Podcast News Edition for Sept. 28, 2026.

We are coming to you this morning from the Great Smoky Mountains, where we are holding the fall rally of the RV Lifestyle community.

This is one of two RV Podcast episodes we do every week.

This one publishes at 6 a.m. every Monday with the biggest news stories affecting the RV lifestyle.

Then, on Wednesday, Jennifer joins me for our Stories from the Road edition, where we have interviews, share RV lifestyle tips and travel ideas, and answer your questions.

Before we get to the news, one date to put on your calendar.

On Thursday, Oct. 8, I am teaching our End-of-Season RV Shutdown Workshop. It is live, and it walks you through the complete shutdown process for your rig, with special attention to the plumbing system. That is where the expensive winter mistakes happen.

If you have ever opened up in the spring and found a split water line or a cracked fitting, this is the workshop that keeps that from happening again.

You can sign up at RVLifestyle.com/Workshop.

Again, that is RVLifestyle.com/Workshop.

I am a journalist by training. More than 40 years working for big city newspapers, television stations and the networks. That is where I learned to source every story I do, and that is what we do here.

We came up in the news business, and old habits die hard. We source our stories, we check the numbers, and we try to separate what actually happened from what the press releases want you to believe happened.

You will find links to every story we report at the very end of the transcript for this episode at RVPodcast.com. Go to the show notes page, click the Transcript tab, and scroll all the way to the bottom.

And let me invite you to sign up for our free RV Lifestyle newsletter.

We publish it every day, and it is filled with RV news, travel inspiration, campground information, practical tips and reports from the road.

It is free, and you can sign up at RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

Again, that is RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

Now, here is the RV news of the week.

STORY 1: RVERS ARE WATCHING THE PUMPS, AND THEY ARE STILL HERE

I have to tell you, I am amazed at this RV community.

How resilient it is.

More than 80 RVers have joined us here in the Smoky Mountains for this rally. And every one of them had to get here, from Texas and New Mexico in the west, to Maine on the east, the UP of Michigan in the north to Florida in the south.

They have been watching fuel prices like a hawk.

Here is what they paid for diesel on the way in.

Seven dollars and twenty-seven cents a gallon in Ohio. About seven dollars in Michigan and Indiana. A little under six dollars in Kentucky. And five thirty-nine here in Tennessee.

The averages are bad enough. AAA puts the national average for diesel at about six dollars and fifty cents a gallon. A year ago, it was under four dollars.

Diesel hit an all-time record high this month. The experts trace it to the war with Iran and the disruption of tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, along with Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities.

Gasoline is up too, about a dollar and a third a gallon from a year ago, according to AAA.

And still, they came.

That is what strikes me. These folks are committed to this lifestyle. They adjusted. Shorter driving days. Longer stays once they got here. Jennifer and I arrived two days befre the rally started. A dozen others were already here, even earlier than us.

They are also clear-eyed about this industry.

When you get a group of RVers around a campfire, the conversation turns to quality. Almost every time.

Leaks. Slides that stick. Warranty work that takes months. I heard it from owners of just about every major brand.

And I heard the other side too.

On the rare times someone ran into good service, a manufacturer that picked up the phone, fixed the problem and stood behind the product, they talked about it like they had won the lottery.

Think about that for a minute. Good service should be the expectation. In this industry, it has become the exception people celebrate.

There was one more thing almost everyone noticed.

The campgrounds are less crowded.

The industry's own numbers help explain why. Campspot, the reservation software company that tracks thousands of parks, told RVBusiness that September occupancy across its parks is about 39 percent.

Let that sink in. On a typical September night, roughly six out of ten sites are empty.

And people are booking closer to their arrival date. Back in June, as fuel prices climbed, Campspot said stays were getting about one night shorter. KOA called it "a more cautious consumer rather than a decline in camping interest."

KOA has that right. The interest is sitting around the campfires we’ve been having. What people do not have is unlimited money for fuel, or unlimited patience for rigs that break.

The biggest RV maker in the country agrees on the fuel part. Thor Industries CEO Bob Martin, reporting his company's results last week, blamed "stubborn interest rates, elevated fuel costs and ever-present inflationary pressures."

So what does this mean for the average RVer?

It means this is a very good time to be on the road, if you can make the fuel math work. The weather is great, and the campgrounds have room.

Plan shorter driving days. Stay longer in each place. Price your fuel stops ahead of time, because the spread between states this week was nearly two dollars a gallon.

And when a company treats you right, tell people. The industry needs to hear what good looks like.

The pumps are expensive. The lifestyle is still worth it.

STORY 2: HERSHEY WAS NOT THE WIN THE PRESS RELEASES CLAIM, AND ELKHART OPENS WITH ANGST

America's Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, wrapped up last Sunday. And some manufacturers have been sending out press releases that make it sound like a triumph.

Keystone RV, for example, announced it had its "strongest sales performance since before the pandemic" at the show.

Good for Keystone. But one brand is not the market.

Last week I told you the total attendance had not been released. Now it has.

The show drew 43,148 people. Last year it drew 45,813. That is about 2,700 fewer people, and it is the second straight year attendance has dropped. The show's organizers say weather threats likely kept some people home.

So no record after all. A little off last year.

And the most useful assessment came from a dealer who does not need to spin it.

Loren Baidas is the CEO of General RV, one of the biggest dealership chains in the country. He told RVBusiness, and I am quoting him here: "What we've seen out of the market the last three, four months is exactly what the market is. It's not going backwards, but we don't see any big tailwinds pushing us and lifting us up at this point yet."

He also said the industry has to figure out how to meet customers "at their retail price point that they're willing to pull the trigger on."

That is the real story in one sentence. The prices are too high for a lot of buyers.

Another big dealer, Brian Wilkins of Wilkins RV, put it this way: "There was certainly business there, but it had to be worked for. Margins were tough."

The reports I am getting privately from dealers and manufacturers match that. Plenty of tire kickers. Not necessarily a good show for sales.

The numbers back them up. The RV Industry Association reported Friday that August shipments were down more than 16 percent from a year ago. And the industry's own forecast for this year is about half of what it shipped at the 2021 peak.

Which brings us to this week.

Starting today, and through Friday, is Open House week in Elkhart, Indiana, the RV capital of the world. This is the most important week of the year for the industry. Dealers come in, look at the 2027 models, and place their orders.

Those orders make or break the manufacturers' goals for next year. And this year, there is a lot of angst.

The concern is that dealers will not show up in the numbers they used to. Dealers cannot afford to send the whole sales staff and their bosses anymore, not with leftover 2025 and 2026 models still on their lots. Thor says the inventory its independent dealers are carrying is down more than 11 percent from a year ago. Dealers are cutting back, not stocking up.

Manufacturers are uneasy. And I think that is one explanation for what Forest River did.

Forest River, which is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, sent notices to RV influencers and content creators this year. The message was, essentially, we do not want you here.

If you do come, you get very limited hours, and you should make an appointment.

Here is part of what the notice said: "You are welcome to walk through the show on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; however, no photography, filming, recording, interviews or other content gathering will be permitted on those days. Please avoid interrupting dealer meetings, product presentations or conversations at any time."

Content creators were lectured like schoolchildren. Do not interrupt. Quit bothering people.

Now, I understand part of this. The industry needs to sell. And there are literally hundreds of people walking around with a cellphone calling themselves influencers.

But here is what makes this hard to square.

Just last year, Forest River held a dedicated Influencer Open House, with early access to the whole show before the dealers arrived. The company encouraged content creation and made its people available for interviews.

And last week, the industry's own marketing arm, Go RVing, put out a release bragging that its influencer program has reached 17.7 million consumers this year. Its words: "Creators help the RV industry reach beyond people who are familiar with the RV lifestyle."

So which is it?

To me, this is a sign of real frustration. And it has really alienated the serious content creators who do influence buyers. I’ve talked to several who have made that clear.

In a year when the industry desperately needs attention for its products, shutting out the people who give it that attention is going to hurt more than it helps.

What does this mean to the average RVer?

It means most of the 2027 models you see online this week will come from the manufacturers' own marketing. Wait for independent walk-throughs before you fall in love with a floor plan.

And it means the pressure on dealers is real. Leftover 2025 and 2026 units have to move. If you are shopping, you have bargaining power. Use it.

The show goes on. The cameras stay in the truck.

MIDROLL: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RVING IN RETIREMENT, LARGE-TYPE PAPERBACK

Let me take a quick break to tell you about something a lot of you have been asking for.

Many of you are retired, or getting close. And many of you have told us you would rather hold a real book than read one on a screen.

So we did it.

Our Complete Guide to RVing in Retirement is now available as a paperback on Amazon, in a large-type edition that is easy on the eyes.

It is everything Jennifer and I have learned about making retirement on the road work, in a book you can keep on the dinette table, mark up with a pen and pass along to a friend who is thinking about taking the plunge.

You can order it at RVLifestyle.com/Retire.

That is RVLifestyle.com/Retire.

STORY 3: AN RV SUPPLIER ASKS A COURT TO STOP THE PATRICK-LIPPERT MERGER

Last week we told you about a delay in the federal antitrust review of the merger between Patrick Industries and LCI Industries, the parent company of Lippert.

This week, there is a new challenge. And it comes from a supplier.

A company called SEAFLO Marine and RV North America is asking a court in Cook County, Illinois, to block the merger, or to force the companies to sell off parts of their business if it goes through.

Here is the background, as reported by CamperFAQs, which reviewed the court filings, and by RVtravel.com.

In 2019, SEAFLO signed an exclusive deal with Patrick to distribute a waterless P-trap. That is the part under your sink that keeps sewer odors out of your rig. SEAFLO's version does it without holding water.

But Patrick already owned a company called LaSalle Bristol, which sold a competing product.

SEAFLO says Patrick did not make its "best efforts" to sell the SEAFLO product, as the contract required, and instead steered business to its own. SEAFLO points to internal Patrick emails in the court file about pricing and competition between the two products.

On Sept. 3, SEAFLO asked the court for permission to add new claims to the case, including two that go directly after the merger. Its argument: combining these two giant suppliers eliminates competition that RV manufacturers depend on.

Now, let us be careful.

These are allegations. Patrick has not been found liable for anything. CamperFAQs says it asked Patrick for comment and had not received a response.

And a supplier dispute in a county court stopping a merger this size would be unusual. We would not bet on it.

But this is not the first time someone has raised this concern.

Back in April, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah sent a letter to Lippert raising antitrust questions about the combination, including whether it would give the merged company the power to raise prices that get passed on to consumers.

The companies briefly called off merger talks in May, then came back in June with a signed deal. It is expected to close in the first half of next year.

So what does this mean for the average RVer?

Between them, Patrick and Lippert make a huge share of what your RV is built from. Frames, axles, slide mechanisms, leveling systems, awnings, windows, furniture, plumbing parts.

When one company controls that much of the supply, the question that matters to you is simple. When something breaks, will the replacement part cost more, and will you have anywhere else to buy it?

That is the question SEAFLO is putting in front of a judge, and the one federal regulators are weighing right now. We will keep following both.

STORY 4: THE FOREST SERVICE WANTS TO FLIP THE RULES FOR NATIONAL FOREST ROADS

If you boondock in the national forests, pay attention to this one.

The public comment period closed last Wednesday on a proposal that would change how the U.S. Forest Service manages roads and trails across the entire National Forest System.

Right now, the rule is basically this: a road or trail is closed to motor vehicles unless the Forest Service has designated it as open.

The proposal flips that. Roads and trails would be presumed open, unless there is a specific reason to close them, like resource damage, public safety or maintenance problems.

It also allows limited driving off designated routes for things like dispersed camping.

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said, "Public lands are for public use."

The RV Industry Association and the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable filed joint comments supporting open access as the default. They also asked for a clear, consistent national framework for dispersed camping, and they warned against new fees or permits that would make it harder for RVers to get onto public land.

Not everyone is on board.

Conservation groups say it strips out protections meant to limit damage from motor vehicles, and that 30 days was far too short to comment on a change this big. More than 134,000 comments were filed, according to one public lands advocacy site.

Nothing changes on the ground yet. The Forest Service has to review and respond to the comments before it can finalize anything. And the agency says existing Motor Vehicle Use Maps stay in effect until each forest updates them.

So what does it mean for the average RVer?

First, keep using the Motor Vehicle Use Map for the forest you are visiting. It is free, and it is still the rule. Driving on a closed road can get you a ticket.

Second, if this goes through, it could open up more dispersed camping over time. That is good news for boondockers.

And third, more access also means more traffic at the spots you love. Pack out your trash, stay on durable ground, and leave your site better than you found it. The best argument for keeping these lands open is how we treat them.

More access is coming. Earn it.

STORY 5: THE SMOKIES ARE ABOUT TO PUT ON A SHOW

We end this week right where we are sitting, in the Great Smoky Mountains.

And the leaves are starting to turn.

According to the National Park Service, fall color in Great Smoky Mountains National Park peaks at the higher elevations, above about 4,000 feet, from early to mid-October. At the lower and middle elevations, the peak runs from mid-October into early November.

That means the show moves down the mountains for about a month.

The park has more than 100 species of trees. Sugar maples, scarlet oaks, red maples, yellow poplars.

The Park Service is also candid about the crowds. October is the busiest month of the year in the park.

So here is how to do it right.

First, get your parking tag ahead of time. You need one to park anywhere in the park for more than 15 minutes, and you can buy it online at Recreation.gov.

Second, go early or go late. The park recommends arriving before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to miss the worst of the traffic.

Third, try the drives a lot of people skip. The Park Service suggests the Foothills Parkway, Lakeview Drive on the North Carolina side, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This is also why fall has become the favorite season for so many of us.

The air is cool. The bugs are gone. The summer crowds have gone home. And the mountains are on fire with color.

Sitting here with more than 80 of our friends from the RV Lifestyle community, watching the ridgelines just start to change, I can tell you this much.

Fuel prices, industry headaches and all, this is exactly why we do this.

Get out there this fall. Wherever you are, the color is coming.

CLOSE

That is our RV news for this week.

Thank you for being with us. I appreciate the time you spend with this show.

If you have a comment on anything you heard today, or a question you would like me to answer, use the Contact link at RVPodcast.com. It comes straight to me, and I read every one of them.

We will be back with another episode Wednesday, when Jennifer joins me for our Stories from the Road edition, with interviews, RV lifestyle tips, travel ideas and answers to your questions.

If you have not already done so, please sign up for our free RV Lifestyle newsletter. We publish it every day with RV news, travel ideas, campground information, helpful tips and reports from the road. You can sign up for free at RVLifestyle.com/Newsletter.

And if you enjoy this podcast, would you please leave us a rating and a review?

It only takes a moment, but it helps other RVers discover the program. We read those reviews, and we sincerely appreciate every one of them.

Two quick reminders.

Our End-of-Season RV Shutdown Workshop is live on Thursday, Oct. 8. Sign up at RVLifestyle.com/Workshop.

And the large-type paperback edition of our Complete Guide to RVing in Retirement is at RVLifestyle.com/Retire.

I am Mike Wendland.

Thanks for listening, and Happy Trails!

Story 1: RVers watch fuel prices, campgrounds have room

AAA, national average gas and diesel prices:

https://gasprices.aaa.com/

U.S. Energy Information Administration, weekly gasoline and diesel fuel update:

https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/

ABC News, diesel prices at record highs amid Strait of Hormuz disruption:

https://abcnews.com/Business/diesel-prices-record-highs-amid-strait-hormuz-disruption/story?id=136552505

RVBusiness, fall campground bookings and occupancy (Campspot data):

https://rvbusiness.com/numbers-strong-as-campground-industry-enters-fall-season/

RVBusiness, park bookings cool as fuel prices rise (Campspot and KOA, June 2026):

https://rvbusiness.com/park-bookings-cool-as-fuel-prices-rise-travel-habits-shift/

RV PRO, Thor fiscal 2026 fourth quarter results:

https://rv-pro.com/news/thors-q4-fiscal-2026-more-challenging-than-anticipated/

Story 2: Hershey show results and Elkhart Open House

RVBusiness, 2026 Hershey show attendance and dealer comments:

https://rvbusiness.com/2026-hershey-show-welcomed-43148-visitors-serious-buyers/

RVBusiness, show opens amid soft market (2025 attendance figure):

https://rvbusiness.com/americas-largest-rv-show-opens-this-week-amid-soft-market/

RVBusiness, RVIA August 2026 wholesale shipments:

https://rvbusiness.com/rvia-august-26-rv-shipments-down-16-4-to-23599-units/

RV PRO, Thor fiscal 2026 results and dealer inventory:

https://rv-pro.com/news/thors-q4-fiscal-2026-more-challenging-than-anticipated/

RVBusiness, 2026 Elkhart RV Open House dates:

https://rvbusiness.com/2026-elkhart-rv-open-house-is-set-for-week-of-sept-28/

RVBusiness, Forest River 2025 product expo and influencer open house:

https://rvbusiness.com/forest-river-releases-details-for-16th-annual-product-expo/

RV PRO, Go RVing influencer program results:

https://rv-pro.com/news/go-rving-highlights-continued-success-of-influencer-program/

Story 3: SEAFLO asks court to stop the Patrick-Lippert merger

RVtravel.com, RV supplier asks court to stop Patrick-Lippert merger:

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-supplier-asks-court-stop-patrick-lippert-merger/

CamperFAQs, internal emails and SEAFLO's proposed new claims:

https://camperfaqs.com/internal-emails-raise-new-questions-about-the-massive-patrick-lippert-rv-parts-merger

Patrick Industries, merger announcement and terms:

https://ir.patrickind.com/investor-news-events/press-releases/detail/310/patrick-industries-and-lci-industries-to-combine-in-all-stock-merger-creating-a-premier-platform-serving-global-outdoor-enthusiast-housing-and-other-markets

LCI Industries, May 2026 termination of merger discussions:

https://investors.lci1.com/news/news-details/2026/LCI-Industries-and-Patrick-Industries-Terminate-Discussions-Regarding-Potential-Merger-of-Equals/default.aspx

Sen. Mike Lee, April 21, 2026, letter to LCI Industries:

https://www.lee.senate.gov/services/files/DB99F19C-560A-4F13-9C6A-9978F391D65C

Story 4: Forest Service travel management rule

Federal Register, proposed rule, Travel Management; National Forest System Lands:

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/24/2026-17211/travel-management-national-forest-system-lands

U.S. Forest Service, news release on revising the travel management rule:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/newsroom/releases/forest-service-moves-forward-revise-travel-management-rule

RV PRO, RVIA and ORR submit comments:

https://rv-pro.com/news/rvia-orr-submit-comments-on-forest-service-travel-management-rulemaking/

More Than Just Parks, critics' concerns and comment count:

https://morethanjustparks.com/public-lands-action-network/5125

Story 5: Fall color in the Great Smoky Mountains

National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains fall colors:

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fallcolor.htm

National Park Service, what to expect this fall (crowds, parking tags, timing):

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/what-to-expect-this-fall-at-great-smoky-mountains-national-park.htm

RVBusiness, fall shoulder season quote:

https://rvbusiness.com/numbers-strong-as-campground-industry-enters-fall-season/