OXNARD, Calif. —- Most U.S. recreational vehicles — those behemoths of the roadway often resembling box cars that accidentally wandered off the rails — roll out of gritty factories in the gray environs of Elkhart, Indiana, and aim to satisfy the wanderlust of largely middle-income customers.
Bowlus shows that rich people really are different, at least when it comes to spending habits. Wealthy Americans have helped keep the U.S. economy rolling even as the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to curb inflation, spending heavily on cars, houses, and travel.But as RV sales skidded — shipments of travel trailers plunged nearly 40% last year as the health crisis eased, according to the RV Industry Association — Bowlus kept selling every trailer it could make.
"We also didn’t overproduce" during the pandemic, said Geneva Long, Bowlus’s CEO, when asked why her business held up while so many other producers struggled. One problem for the RV industry is that most factories hiked production during the pandemic to an unsustainable level and were then stuck with parking lots full of unsold trailers when demand suddenly cooled.
And creating them is slow and painstaking. Bowlus’s 35 workers hand fashion the cabinetry, sew the seats made from a high-tech Japanese fabric, and hand rivet and polish the aluminum. The result is a trailer that lacks many of the amenities sought after in other expensive RVs, like spacious bathrooms or walls that slide out to create larger interior spaces.
'Coke bottle' The Bowlus was first designed by a Los Angeles aerospace engineer during the Great Depression, who applied then-cutting edge airplane construction techniques — giving it a distinctive aluminum outer shell and aerodynamic flair. Aero Build, in Nashville, Tenn., has started selling 21-foot trailers with solar panels covering the roof. Like the Bowlus, it’s aimed at wealthier buyers."We spare no expense on fit and finishes," said CEO Brian Fuente."Everything down to the frame is designed to last generations." The price tag: $129,900.