Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club

I can easily explain why you don't see younger BF owners or RV's in general. We can't afford them. You say that on a salary of $45k you should be able to afford $125k RV. Not when when you have a mortgage, car payments, and daycare. My wife and I make significantly more than $45k but there is no way we could afford a new RV or even a newer RV......and our cars are paid off. Oh, and I forgot about college savings and retirement savings. (Social Security won't be around when I retire)


That doesn't mean us youngins' don't go camping and don't buy RV's. On the other camping site I belong to the median age is much younger, probably early 40's if I had to guess. Often members of that site start out with popup trailers and then a few years later upgrade to Hybrid Travel Trailers, Travel Trailers, or older RV's. I bought a 25 year old BF that only cost $4k with $1,500 in repairs.


There are younger BF owners, we just have older models. If BF wants to encourage younger RVers the easy answer is to lower the price....but that isn't realistic. If the price is lowered, the quality and workmanship goes down. The reason I was fine with a 25year old RV was because of the quality and workmanship that was put into it so long ago and allowed it to last.


I would suggest finding and courting young campers when they are in the early stages of camping so that when they can afford an RV they choose a BF. I would suggest BF marketing get involved with this forum and other general camping forums and use it as a tool to get in touch with the younger crowd. Send information out to some general camping rallies to educate the people who are in popups and TT's on the BF's. It may not pay off this year, but in 5 years when people are looking to upgrade, they'll look at BF.

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Matt
1989 26 foot Rear Side Bed

Oh, and bring back a bunk bed model like the Libals have. That is AWESOME for a family with children.

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Matt
1989 26 foot Rear Side Bed

Thanks! It is an awesome thing for sure! I am certainly a young Born Free owner as my wife is 34 and I am 33, and we have a 6 year old boy, Isaac. We had a 21' Tahoe TT for about 5 years before the motrohome and I am NEVER going back. Eventually, I would like a much newer BF, hopefully with a slide, but I LOVE my BF. It's wonderful for us, and I recommend them to anyone I talk to, especially my friends who have pop-ups or little TT's. It works so much better.

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1993 Born Free President 24' Rear Bunk, 7.3L ATS Turbo Diesel, 10K Trans Cooler, EGT & Trans Temp Gauges, 77K "Elsa"

I can attest that the same thing is happening in the pilot population and aircraft ownership. The average age of a pilot that is able to own his own aircraft has been creeping up significantly over the last 20 years. The main reason - the cost. 100LL aviation fuel now costs north of $6/gallon.

Just to refill the 74 gallon tanks in my aircraft can approach $400 - so I have had to curtail my flying significantly over the last several years just because of fuel costs. I think RV ownership suffers similar costs that the middle class can no longer afford.

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Bill Hemme - Spencer, Iowa
E-mail: whemme@earthlink.net
2002 Born Free (Ford E-450 V10) 26' RSB
2016 VW Golf GTI - toad

We bought our first RV at age 37 and our BF at age 40. I think there are others out there like us. I know three others in our age bracket that own as well. Think about the rally itself though. We can't just take off work to attend a rally. We have limited vacation days to think about. No offense what so ever intended, but I simply would not choose a rally as a way to spend my limited vacation days. I think that the rally is attended by people that can attend it, mainly those who are lucky enough to have every day off!

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2011 Born Free 22' Rear Side Kitchen

The BF is 37, I am in my mid 40's. Have owned a class C, A, and a 38' toy hauler prior. While we are well above the 45k figure, but new 125k RV (payments alone of about 1k per month) is just not realistic, no matter how great the quality. If I had that kind of liquid $, it would go to owning another rental property, not a depreciating RV.

Kudos to those that are able to afford at that level and enjoy that life style. The comment about general aviation is right on - At one time I worked for a GA manufacture. In the mid 80's GA was booming, and we could not produce and deliver planes fast enough. By the 90's it was declining fast. Today the age of the avg joe flying and owning a plane are about gone. With the ever changing economic reality, I do not see many people of my generation buying the mega $ RV's we see today.

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