Wall Street Took Over Your Campground. And Your RV Brand. And Your Dealership.

RV News Podcast for March 2, 2026 The Campground Quality Collapse

OPEN:
I'm Mike Wendland. Five stories today, a lot of ground to cover.

Quick note on how we do things here: We're journalists. Every story is sourced. No press releases, no campfire rumors. When we make a claim, there's a document, a filing, or a news report behind it - and every source is listed in the show notes at rvpodcast.com. If something sparks a question today, that's where to dig deeper.

That's the journalism difference. After 15 years, it's still the thing we're most proud of.

Great instinct to push it hard - March 12th is two weeks away. Here's the promo, plus my placement recommendation:

PROMO:

Before we get into today's stories, a quick word about something coming up fast that I do not want you to miss.

March 12th, 7 PM Eastern. That is two weeks away. We are doing a live interactive online workshop - the RV Lifestyle Spring Prep Workshop - and if you are planning any kind of travel this spring or summer, this one is for you. We are going to walk you through trip planning, maintenance prep, campground strategy, and a lot more. Live. Interactive. You can ask questions in real time.

And here is the thing: we are also giving away our Spring Maintenance Guide eBook - free - to everyone who registers. Just for signing up. As soon as you sign up, you get the book. Then come back March 12 for the workshop.

Spots are limited, and they are going fast. Cst is just $10. Free to community members, $10 for non-members. Go to RVLifestyle.com/workshop right now and grab yours.

Okay. Now let's get into the news.

Story 1: The Campground Quality Collapse 

Let's talk about something every single person listening to this podcast has felt in their gut but rarely hears discussed with any honesty in this industry. And that is this: the campgrounds we are paying for today are not the campgrounds we used to pay for. The prices have gone up, in many cases dramatically. And the experience has not kept pace. Not even close.

We are going to call this what it is: the campground quality collapse. And the RV travel industry, the trade associations, the campground marketing organizations, nobody is really talking about it in an honest way. So we will.

Let's start with the money, because the numbers are striking. A brand-new report, published just this week by Insider Perks and covered by Woodall's Campground Magazine, is the largest analysis of campground pricing ever conducted in the United States. We're talking about 609,000 pricing data points across more than 2,100 private campgrounds in 48 states. The national median nightly rate for an RV site right now is $62.10. For cabins and glamping, we're talking $145 to $154 a night. And at the high end, some sites are pushing $200 and beyond.

Now, before the pandemic, a solid full-hookup site at a decent private campground would run you $35 to $45 a night. Full-timers we know are reporting that prices have tripled at some seasonal parks since 2020. One longtime RVer quoted in RV Travel put it plainly: the site used to cost $40. Now $70 is the new $40. And for that extra money, the roads are still gravel. The sites are still postage stamps. The wifi still doesn't work. The bathhouse still needs a renovation that never happened. What changed? The price tag.

Here's where it gets more complicated and, frankly, more interesting from a journalism standpoint. There is a real reason some of those prices went up. Labor costs are higher. Insurance, especially in wildfire and hurricane zones, has become brutal. Utility costs are not what they were five years ago. Those are legitimate pressures, and we should acknowledge them. The mom-and-pop operator who has been running a campground for 30 years didn't necessarily get greedy. Their expenses went up.

But here is the part the industry doesn't want you to think too hard about. That mom-and-pop campground? In a lot of cases, it isn't mom and pop anymore. What has happened to the campground industry over the past decade is the same thing that happened to the RV manufacturing industry: corporate consolidation. Sun Communities is a publicly traded real estate investment trust, a REIT, based in Michigan. They own hundreds of RV resorts and manufactured housing communities across the country. Their own earnings guidance from late 2024 included plans to raise annual RV site rates by more than 5 percent in 2025. They are not doing that because the guest experience is getting 5 percent better. They are doing it because Wall Street expects growth every quarter, and the easiest way to show growth is to raise rates.

Equity LifeStyle Properties is another major REIT with a massive RV park portfolio. KOA, while franchise-based, has followed the same pricing trajectory upward. And when a corporate owner buys a beloved local campground, what usually happens first? The price goes up. What doesn't usually happen right away? New roads. Better sites. A renovated bathhouse. A functional wifi system.

That same Insider Perks report this week revealed something else worth paying attention to. Nearly 30 percent of campgrounds in the U.S. now use dynamic pricing, the same revenue management model hotels and airlines use. That means the site you booked at $60 last year might be $95 or $120 this year for the same dates, not because anything improved, but because an algorithm decided demand was high enough to charge more.

One full-time RVer, Sarah B., shared her experience in an online forum: She wrote that over eight years of full-time living, the single biggest change she has seen in camping is cost, and that campground fees are now rising far beyond official inflation numbers. Another camper described buying an oceanfront hotel room for $55 a night while the state park tent site nearby had just raised its rate to $65.

And here is the thing that ties all of this together. The RV industry, from manufacturers to dealers to trade organizations, spent years selling the dream of affordable freedom. The open road. The simple life. A way to see America without breaking the bank. But if you are paying $80 a night for a site squeezed between two 45-foot diesel pushers, with a pothole-riddled access road, a shower room that smells like 1987, and a wifi password that connects to nothing, the dream starts to feel like a bait and switch.

Here at RV Lifestyle, we want to be clear. We are not saying campground owners are evil. Running a campground is genuinely hard work, and costs are genuinely up across the board. What we are saying is that the pricing increases and the quality improvements are not moving together. The gap between what campers are paying and what they are getting has widened significantly. And that is worth naming out loud.

What can you do about it? First, read the reviews carefully and look for recent ones, from the last six months, not the ones posted in 2019 when everything was different. Second, consider your membership options. Good Sam, Thousand Trails, Harvest Hosts, Passport America and others can take significant money off your nightly costs. Third, don't be afraid to vote with your wheels. If a park raises its rates and can't explain why the experience is better, leave a review, and don't go back. That is the only accountability mechanism this industry actually responds to.

The campground quality collapse is not a minor inconvenience. It is reshaping how RVers plan their trips, how much they spend, and in some cases, whether they keep doing this at all. That story deserves more than a shrug from our industry. And it is going to keep getting our attention right here.

Sources for this story:

2026 Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Report (Insider Perks/Woodall's Campground Magazine): https://woodallscm.com/insider-perks-publishes-2026-outdoor-hosp-pricing-report/

Full 2026 Pricing Report: https://insiderperks.com/pricing-report/

RV Travel: Campgrounds Too Expensive? https://www.rvtravel.com/essay-camping-dead-1109/

RV Travel: Too Pricey to RV - Some RVers Calling It Quits: https://www.rvtravel.com/campground-crowding-1229b/

RVBlogger: Why Are RV Park Rates So High? https://rvblogger.com/blog/why-are-rv-park-rates-so-high/

Sun Communities Q3 2024 Earnings and 2025 Rate Guidance: https://suncommunities.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/sun-communities-reports-results-third-quarter-and-first-nine

RV Park Development Trends and Outlook 2025: https://www.innowave-studio.com/post/rv-park-development-trends-outlook-2025-a-data-driven-analysis-of-growth-occupancy-rates-inve

Story 2: Thor Tightens It’s Grip

Here is the full, clean, record-ready script:

RV PODCAST NEWS EDITION - MARCH 2, 2026 LEAD STORY: THOR TIGHTENS ITS GRIP

Well, folks, the biggest RV industry story of the week dropped just days ago, and it deserves a close look. Because what THOR Industries is calling a "strategic evolution" looks a lot like a corporate tightening of the reins on brands that many of you have loyally followed for years.

Here is what happened. On February 23rd, THOR Industries announced it is reorganizing the majority of its North American RV brands into two new operating groups. The headline move: Tiffin Motorhomes is now folded under the authority of Ken Walters, the President of Jayco. Walters will serve as CEO of a new group that already includes Jayco, Entegra, Open Range, and Heartland. Tiffin is now added to that list. A second group, led by Thor Motor Coach President Jeff Kime, will oversee Thor Motor Coach, Keystone, Dutchmen, and Crossroads. Only Airstream and KZ keep their stand-alone status. Everyone else: report to the group CEO.

Now, THOR's official language is smooth and reassuring. They talk about "unlocking synergies," "accelerating collaboration," and maintaining the "entrepreneurial spirit" that has always defined the company. But let's read between the lines, because this is a significant structural shift. For decades, THOR operated with a famously decentralized model. Each brand had its own identity, its own management, its own DNA. That independence was a feature, not a bug.

That model is now being deliberately dismantled.

Let's focus on the Tiffin piece specifically, because the backstory here is more interesting than the press release lets on.

Yes, there are still Tiffins in Red Bay. Bob Tiffin, the founder, remains involved in guidance and culture. At nearly 84, he is still committed to the people and the brand he built, and he has said so publicly. Van Tiffin, Bob's son and Leigh's father, continues as Senior Advisor of Manufacturing. And that is not a ceremonial title. THOR's own press release describes him as playing a critical role in production quality and craftsmanship. That is real, hands-on manufacturing oversight. Trent Tiffin, Bob's grandson and Leigh's cousin, is VP of Sales, overseeing all national sales managers across every class of coach. The family name is genuinely still on the floor in Red Bay, not just on the letterhead.

But here is the thing. The person holding actual executive authority, the president's chair, is empty. And a Jayco executive is now deciding who fills it.

That person was Leigh Tiffin, Bob's grandson and Van's son. He resigned February 11th, effective immediately. And here is where the story gets genuinely interesting.

Leigh didn't just walk out and figure out his next move. According to NIRVC CEO Brett Davis, the deal to bring Leigh on as President of NIRVC had been in the works for nearly 20 months. Twenty months. That means while Leigh Tiffin was standing on stage at the 2025 Tiffin Dealer Meeting in Nashville last spring, talking about the brand's exciting future under the theme "From Our Family to Yours," he already had one foot out the door. He could see where this was heading. He made his move carefully, quietly, and on his own terms. He approached NIRVC's Brett Davis himself back in June of 2024. As he told RV Business this week, it was not about running from anything. Maybe. But a 20-month runway tells its own story.

Now here is what sealed it from THOR's perspective. Just twelve days after Leigh's departure, THOR drops this restructuring announcement. Ken Walters at Jayco is now personally leading the search for Tiffin's next president. Think about that. The person who will set the executive direction of a brand built in Red Bay, Alabama, by a family that started building coaches in 1972, will be chosen by the head of a different THOR company entirely.

And this restructuring didn't happen in a vacuum. Recall that last spring, THOR moved Entegra Coach diesel production from Jayco over to Tiffin. That was already a clear signal of cross-brand integration, shared production lines, and corporate efficiency taking precedence over brand independence. The forums noticed then, and they are noticing now.

Over on the Thor Forums this week, one poster summed up the corporate announcement bluntly. The phrase "Synergy Expectations and Strategic Benefits," he wrote, comes straight out of "the Big Book of Corporate Babble." He went further: THOR is a publicly traded company, so shareholder returns take priority over everything else, including quality. His conclusion: "Within five years, Tiffin will be just another clone with a Tiffin badge." On iRV2, a longtime owner who has bought four Tiffins over more than 20 years said flatly this would probably be the last one. The Tiffin Owner's Forum restructuring thread had nearly 700 views within 24 hours of posting.

Not everyone is doom and gloom. Some forum members noted that Entegra quality actually improved after THOR took over. A few pointed out that Bob Tiffin himself sought out THOR as a partner back in 2020, and that the brand has held up reasonably well in the years since. Those are fair observations. And THOR will argue, with some justification, that the business pressures driving this move are real. Dealer consolidation is accelerating. Supply chain coordination at scale matters. Centralized data systems are genuine competitive advantages in today's market.

But here is the question that cuts through all the corporate language. When you standardize operations across brands to maximize efficiency, whose standards win? In almost every case in corporate history, the answer is the biggest brand in the group. Tiffin is now in a group led by Jayco. Jayco is the flagship. The math tends to work itself out in a very predictable direction over time.

THOR held its quarterly earnings call on March 3rd, yesterday as you hear this. We will follow that story as it develops and as the picture of Tiffin's new leadership becomes clearer.

For now, if you own a Tiffin, your warranty and your dealer relationship are unchanged. Van and Trent are still in Red Bay doing real work. But if you are shopping for a coach in 2027 and choosing based on brand heritage and who is actually making decisions at the top: the name on the door and the organization running the show are increasingly two very different conversations.

SHOW NOTES - STORY 1: THOR RESTRUCTURING AND TIFFIN

THOR Industries restructuring - RV Business: https://rvbusiness.com/thor-industries-announces-formation-of-two-new-rv-groups/ 

THOR official press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thor-industries-announces-strategic-evolution-of-north-american-operating-model-with-formation-of-two-rv-groups-302694880.html 

Leigh Tiffin resignation - THOR press release: https://ir.thorindustries.com/investor-resources/press-releases/press-release-details/2026/THOR-INDUSTRIES-ANNOUNCES-RESIGNATION-OF-LEIGH-TIFFIN-FROM-TIFFIN-MOTORHOMES---TIFFIN-FAMILY-TO-REMAIN-ACTIVELY-ENGAGED/default.aspx 

Leigh Tiffin explains his move to NIRVC - RV Business Q&A: https://rvbusiness.com/qa-video-leigh-tiffin-explains-decision-to-join-nirvc/ 

Tiffin Motorhomes official leadership statement: https://tiffinmotorhomes.com/blog/leadership-changes/ 

Tiffin Motorhomes "Clearing the Air" - addressing owner questions directly: https://tiffinmotorhomes.com/blog/clearing-the-air/ 

RV News - Tiffin under Jayco authority: https://www.rvnews.com/thor-reorganization-puts-tiffin-motorhomes-under-jayco-presidents-authority/ 

Thor Forums reaction thread: https://www.thorforums.com/threads/thor-industries-announces-formation-of-2-new-rv-groups.2187742/ 

iRV2 Tiffin Owner's Forum - restructuring thread: https://www.irv2.com/forums/tiffin-owners-forum.1647/ 

iRV2 - Leigh Tiffin resigns thread: https://www.irv2.com/threads/leigh-tiffin-resigns.2186199/ 

Background - Entegra diesel production moved to Tiffin (May 2025): https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thor-industries-announces-strategic-partnership-to-optimize-diesel-class-a-motorhome-production-with-focus-on-quality-and-customer-experience-302446118.html 

Story 3: RV Shipments kick off 2026 with a Troubling Drop 

Let's talk numbers, and fair warning: if you work in Elkhart, Indiana, you may want to sit down.

The RV Industry Association's survey of manufacturers for January 2026 is out, and it is not the kind of number you want to see to kick off a new year. Total RV shipments came in at 24,683 units, a drop of 10.7 percent compared to the 27,629 units shipped in January 2025. In an industry where a 10 percent swing can mean layoffs, plant slowdowns, and a whole lot of nervous accountants on the banks of the Elkhart River, that is a significant number. Elkhart County, Indiana produces nearly 86 percent of all RVs built in North America. When RV shipments sneeze, Elkhart gets pneumonia.

And here is where it really stings. Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended January down 13.2 percent from the same month last year, with just 21,614 shipments. That matters enormously because towables make up roughly 85 percent of everything this industry ships. They are the engine of Elkhart. They are the reason the factories run. When towables struggle, the whole industry feels it.

The one bright spot in the January report? Motorhomes. Yes, motorhomes - the segment that has been getting hammered for the past two years - actually finished January up 12.7 percent compared to January 2025, with 3,069 units shipped. We will take good news wherever we can find it, and that number genuinely is good news. But motorhomes are a much smaller slice of overall volume, so while that uptick is encouraging, it was not nearly enough to offset the towable decline.

Park Models also had a strong January, up 22.9 percent compared to last year with 360 wholesale shipments. And that is worth talking about, because Park Models are a fascinating and often overlooked corner of this industry.

For listeners who are not familiar: a Park Model is not your typical travel trailer. It is a large, permanent-style RV unit - typically 400 square feet or more - built to be set up in one spot at a campground or RV resort and stay there. Think of it as somewhere between a tiny house and a cabin at the lake. Full kitchen, real bedroom, a porch out front. You are not towing this thing down the highway on a Friday afternoon. Instead, you buy a lot or lease a long-term site at a resort, and that Park Model becomes your home base. Your spot is always waiting. No reservations. No scrambling. No sitting at your laptop at exactly 6 a.m. hoping to snag a campsite that books up in 11 seconds flat.

And that is exactly the point. We think the Park Model bump reflects something real that is happening in the camping world. Campground costs have been rising steadily. Reservations at desirable spots have become a blood sport. A lot of campers - especially empty nesters and retirees who want comfort and a great location - are done fighting that battle. They want their own spot, their own space, their own little slice of paradise that is ready when they are. So they buy a lot and a Park Model, and they are done with the reservation wars for good.

The bottom line: January 2026 is not the start the RV industry was hoping for. A nearly 11 percent overall drop, dragged down by a 13.2 percent decline in the all-important towable segment, is a number Elkhart will feel. Motorhomes deserve credit for bucking the trend. And the quiet rise of Park Models may be telling us something important about where frustrated campers are putting their money.

Sources for this story

RVIA January 2026 Shipment Report: https://www.rvia.org/reports-trends/rv-shipment-reports 

RVIA 2024 Industry Profile: https://www.rvia.org/2024-rv-industry-profile 

RV News Shipment Reports: https://www.rvnews.com/2024-rvia-wholesale-shipment-reports/

Story 4:Camping World Just Had a Pretty Good Year. So Why Did the Stock Tank?

Let's put this in perspective. $6.4 billion in sales. That's more than the entire GDP of several small countries. That's roughly the same as the entire North American RV market was worth just a few years ago. Camping World is not just the biggest RV dealer in the country, they are in a completely different league.

Love them or hate them, and plenty of RVers fall firmly in the "hate them" camp, you cannot ignore them. The aggressive sales tactics, the add-on fees, the high-pressure finance offices, the complaints that flood RV forums every single day. And yet, here they are, spread across 196 dealerships in 44 states, selling one out of every four brand-new RVs in North America. Let that sink in. One in four.

Here's what makes that even more remarkable: most big companies brag about opening new stores. Camping World deliberately closed 10 locations in 2025 as part of a consolidation strategy, and still grew their market share to a record high. That is not a stumble. That is a company getting leaner and more efficient on purpose.

So with all that, why did their stock drop nearly 20% in a single day after the earnings report?

Two words: no dividend. The company is pausing cash payments to stockholders to focus on paying down $1.47 billion in debt. Income investors panicked, and you can't really blame them.

There's also some short-term turbulence ahead. They're clearing out older inventory in early 2026, which will squeeze profits for a few months before things improve.

The silver lining for RV shoppers: more used units hitting the lot could mean better deals. And their Good Sam division is thriving, posting record revenue.

Bottom line: Camping World is in recovery mode, and the recovery is working. They're just asking stockholders to be patient while they clean up the balance sheet.

Source for this Story:
RV Business / Camping World Holdings Q4 2025 Earnings Report https://rvbusiness.com/camping-world-releases-q4-earnings-report/

Story 5: Love's Travel Stops: All Drivers Now Get Fuel Rewards

Here's one that caught my eye for anyone who stops at Love's Travel Stops on the road, and that's a lot of us.

Love's just revamped their rewards program, and the big news for RVers is all members now save 10 cents per gallon on gas and up to 25 cents per gallon on diesel, just by scanning the Love's App at the pump. That's real money, especially if you're filling up a big rig or towing a fifth wheel like we do.

Again. the updated Love's Rewards program is now open to all drivers, not just truckers, and it's all managed through the Love's App. You also earn points on in-store purchases that spend like cash, plus the drink club is still there - every fifth coffee or fountain drink is free.

And right now, to celebrate the relaunch, anyone who scans in-store between March 1st and September 2026 gets 100 bonus points on their first visit.

With Love's at more than 600 locations across 42 states, chances are you're already stopping there. Might as well get paid for it.

Get the Love's App and see the full program at loves.com/loves-rewards.

Source for this story:

Love’s Press release - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/more-rewards-more-value-at-every-stop-loves-unveils-major-loyalty-program-upgrade-302697599.html 

CLOSE

And that is going to do it for this Monday News Edition of the RV Lifestyle Podcast. Five stories, a lot of ground covered.

A reminder: every story today is fully sourced. We do not ask you to take our word for anything. Show notes, with every link we used to build these stories, are waiting at rvpodcast.com. Go check the work. Follow the trail. That is what journalism looks like - and after 15 years, it is still the standard we hold ourselves to.

We will be back Wednesday with Stories from the Road - where Jennifer and I slow down, step away from the industry news, and talk about what this life actually feels like when you are living it. We have some things to share from our recent travels, and we think you are going to enjoy it..

PROMO:

But before I let you go, one more thing - and this one is close to my heart.

You know how we talk about the journalism difference on this show? No sponsors pulling our strings, no industry money influencing what we cover, no advertisers telling us what we can and cannot say. That independence does not happen by accident. It is built on community. Our community.

RVCommunity.com is where the real conversation happens. It is private. It is ad-free. There are no corporate sponsors in the room, no influencers pushing products, no drama that you find on Facebook and Reddit. Just serious RVers - people like you - sharing real experience, real advice, and real answers.

We have been doing this for 15 years. Jennifer and I are in there every day. The people who have joined will tell you: it is the best RV resource they have found, period. Not because we say so - because the members say so.

If you are tired of sifting through bad advice, sponsored content dressed up as recommendations, and social media noise, this is your alternative. Come be part of something real.

RVCommunity.com. Check it out. We would love to have you.

Until Wednesday: safe travels, stay curious, and we will see you down the road.