America’s Largest RV Show 2026 concluded Sunday, welcoming a total of 43,148 visitors to the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
“Overall, the show was very successful,” Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA) Executive Director Heather Leach told Woodall’s Campground Magazine on Monday (Sept. 21) morning. “I spoke with several different dealers and manufacturers, and they were all meeting their goals.”
Leach said daily attendance numbers were on par with 2025’s, but a couple of bouts of rain and Sunday’s forecast of inclement weather likely impacted the final count.
“Things ended up better than what was predicted, and we just had a few times of light drizzle,” she said. “The worst of it missed us, but that’s not how the forecast looked. We think that kept some people from coming out.”
Despite the threat of bad weather, the show provided a much-needed morale boost for some in the industry.
“I feel optimistic coming out of the show,” Leach said. “A lot of people had a positive vibe throughout the week. People are still very interested in RVing and camping.”
Some Dealers, OEMs Report Increased Sales
Sharing in that optimism was Airstream Brand Manager Patrick Botticelli of Colonial Airstream in New Jersey. This year, the dealer’s location was tucked behind a different manufacturer, rather than being located on a main thoroughfare like last year.
“This meant people had to be more intentional about seeking us out, so our display was a little bit more like a boutique experience,” he said. “In the past, we were right center stage and anybody could look at Airstream just for fun. We found this to be a better experience for our guests – the people who wanted to come and have the Airstream experience weren’t overwhelmed by casual browsers.”
Botticelli said this also allowed him and his team to have longer, higher-quality conversations with attendees.
“There is a lot of interest in the advanced lithium technology Airstream has in the Trade Wind,” he said. “People were also interested in the smaller, lightweight travel trailer size. To me, this shows customers are becoming smarter shoppers. People are researching a little bit more to find quality RVs.”
Keystone RV announced this morning the company broke multiple sales records at this year’s show, saying the 2026 event provided the strongest sales performance since before the pandemic. Keystone also “broke multiple fifth-wheel sales records, a result that reflects how effectively both Keystone and its dealers performed in a challenging market,” the release stated.
Keystone President Troy James called the record-breaking performance the result of a “remarkable team effort.”
“Our dealer partners worked hard preparing for the show and executed at an incredibly high level from start to finish,” he said. “Our product development teams created products that clearly connected with customers, and the work that our marketing and sales teams did alongside our dealer partners generated strong booth traffic and turned that interest into action.”
James also thanked Keystone’s dealer partners for turning traffic into results.
““We know how hard our dealers have been working to generate interest in Keystone’s products, and we don’t take that for granted,” he said. “Our commitment to our dealers is straightforward: we will keep showing up with the products, the marketing support and the responsiveness they need. This week gives us all reason to have confidence in the momentum we are building together.”
Jon Ferrando, founder, president and CEO of Blue Compass RV and its nationwide network of some 100-plus stores, said his dealership “had a great week” despite attendance being down.
“Our sales were up over last year, but it was a different mix. We had more towable than motorized, so motorized was a little bit more challenging this year than last year and we had a great motorized year last year,” he said.
He noted, generally speaking, the show was a reflection of the market.
“Hershey was clearly indicative of a challenged market with a lot of red lights out there on the macro-economic factors — the $100 oil prices, $6 diesel, interest rates going up, not down. So I wasn’t surprised that the attendance was down and challenged. It’s a tough market out there,” Ferrando told RVBusiness. “I called it in May that it was going to be a long, drawn-out affair in Iran and until we get out of that, I don’t see sales sparking up here.
“It’s the slowest year I’ve seen,” he added. “But RV buyers are resilient and they were out and we were able to exceed last year, which is actually pretty amazing.”
Loren Baidas, the third-generation owner and CEO of General RV, and its 20-some retail locations, told RVBusiness he thought the show was “a big success.”
“I thought traffic was good almost every day. Obviously, we had a little bit of weather come through on a couple days. It kind of limited those days’ sales, but overall the meat of the market was very strong,” he said.
Baidas stopped short of saying the Hershey show was a sign the market was poised for a rebound.
“I don’t think it would say that the market’s on its way back. What I would say is 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 said.
As far as General RV’s sales activity at the Hershey show, Baidas said towables was the most consistent part of the equation at the show for sure.
“Our fifth-wheel sales were basically the same, if not up a little bit from last year, which is a good sign. Fifth-wheels are usually something that, when the market’s really tough, we see fifth-wheel sales decline significantly. We didn’t feel that coming out of the show for sure,” he said, adding that motorized sales continue to be a challenge.
“It felt like a normal show. There were definitely retail,” Baidas noted. “We just have to continue as an industry to figure out how to meet our customers at their retail price point that they’re willing to pull the trigger on. I think we’re doing a good job with that, but I think we need to continue to do better with that.”
Brian Wilkins, third-generation owner and president of Wilkins RV, the New York-based retailer celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, said the show reflected the current market.
“From a high level, I would say results are tracking the way the year’s tracking. It sounds like it was a tough week,” Wilkins told RVBusiness. “There was certainly business there, but it had to be worked for. Margins were tough.
“I don’t know that there’s a segment that I would say was stronger than any other. We sold some C’s, we sold some A’s, we sold some fifth-wheels. It’s just that the volume was off,” he continued. “One comment I heard was that ‘There seem to be a lot of people here, but they aren’t necessarily getting into the aisles.’ So, there still seems to be the engagement in the lifestyle, but not that engagement in upgrading or that engagement in buying.”
Deals, Staff Helped Convert Browsers into Buyers
Among the buyers were Jane and Richard Hurst from nearby Lancaster. They had been toying with the idea of buying an RV in 2021, but Richard said “Life got in the way for a bit.”
“Now the kids are out of the house and we can focus a little more on the traveling we have always wanted to do,” Richard said. “We were initially planning to just come and window shop, but there were some good deals being offered and we decided to just go for it.”
As the couple looks forward to spending their retirement, now just a couple of years away, traveling in an RV, they admit they will need to get used to a new way of seeing the country.
“We both grew up tent camping, and vacations with the kids were always in hotels,” Olivia said. “We like RVs because they give you the freedom to roam but not lose the creature comforts. We both hated sharing bathrooms with strangers when we tent-camped as kids, but now we can have our own space – a way to retreat from the world.”
Jeff and Lu-Ann Keyes were traveling in their older-model Class B when they passed a billboard for the Hershey show. Deciding to see what the industry had to offer, they took a detour from their original destination in Ohio.
“We’re full-timers, working remotely,” Jeff said. “We’ve been thinking about upgrading for a while – we’re starting to feel a little cramped in there.”
Lu-Ann said originally they had no plans to upgrade to a Class A, but seeing what the industry has to offer helped inspire a bit of “dreaming,” as she said.
“We’re not looking to ditch our van just yet, but I can see us in a Class A in a few years,” she said. “When we started full-time RVing, the Class B was all we could afford. Now we’re almost at a point where we can justify something bigger. We just need interest rates to go down. Everyone at the show has been friendly and helpful — no pressure from dealers, which was something I was worried we would have to deal with. We actually got answers to our questions instead of a pitch. We’re going to remember that when we’re ready to buy.”
PRVCA’s Leach said she relishes the chance to hear what the visitors are saying, which is often relayed to her by golf cart taxi drivers and those working the information booths.
“From what I heard, people were here to buy,” she said. “It’s always nice to see strong attendance numbers, but what really matters are the sales. Even some suppliers reported a boost in sales, including one who said they sold more than they expected to on Saturday.”
Leach said the feedback on the industry as a whole was positive.
“People are always amazed at how many different manufacturers and types of RVs there are at Hershey,” she said. “It’s always good to hear them say ‘We are leaving with one.’”
Campground Owners Weather a Difficult Year
Owners and representatives from as far away as Oklahoma were on hand in the Giant Center, meeting with customers. Many of them reported a lackluster summer, which they blamed on extreme heat and rain that were experienced across the United States.
“The year was off to a rocky start, between fuel costs and the storm in May and June,” said Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association (PCOA) Executive Director Jason Vaughn. “It seems like fall camping has picked up quite a bit. It does seem people are excited to get out and make some last-minute trips before winter.”
Weathering the storms of high fuel prices and severe weather is the team at Ja Mar RV Resorts. Owner Lonnie Miller said his two locations in Florida are only slightly down over last year.
“We have built a community, and we are doing fine,” he said. “People come for the activities, and they know they are safe in our gated communities. We’re a mom-and-pop shop, and we offer great amenities – a heated pool, jacuzzis, pickleball and even weekly Bible studies. People are looking for community and that’s what keeps us afloat.”
Suppliers Felt the Effects of Strong Turnout
Aaron Hulett, president of Port Huron, Mich. – based startup P39 Adventure Gear, went into the show with high hopes (see: “Excitement, Optimism Abound at Hershey Industry Day“). Hulett said he had a great week, even beating multiple goals he set for his team.
“We had sales goals, and then we had stretch goals,” he said. “We met them all. It’s one thing to launch something and hope people like it, but then to see people respond the way you hope is really something special. It makes your idea feel validated. When you sit at a show like Hershey, and talk to hundreds of people, you really learn more than any marketing study ever could. A trade show is priceless for any business.”
The team at Dometic also reported a good show.
“We had a lot of fun this year,” said Marketing Director Brian Noble. “We had several events and games, including a ‘TP Toss’ that let attendees throw toilet paper into one of our toilets. This gave us the chance to talk about the products we offer, including TireMinder and Valterra, which were part of the prize package. If someone made all three shots, they got the biggest prize and got to ring our gong, which they enjoyed.”
Noble said that success was shared with two OE partners, Brinkley and Jayco.
“Both gave away Dometic bags full of Dometic and OE branded merchandise,” he said. “Both companies really enjoyed the support and hope to continue the partnership in future shows.”
Looking Toward the Future, Reflecting on 2026
Cleanup continues today at Hershey. Leach said her team will soon have the chance to talk through this year’s show and look for ways to improve America’s Largest RV Show for the future.
“We will have a staff meeting, and then start getting the wheels in motion for next year,” Leach said.
America’s Largest RV Show Returns Sept. 15–19, 2027, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
