[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:00:02] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:00:03] Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans, brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:00:12] Matt Sims: Now remember, please follow on your favourite podcast app and make sure you click subscribe and the bell if you’re watching on YouTube.
[00:00:29] Keith Gooden: Has it come around so quickly already? It just seemed like yesterday it was October, and now it’s February.
[00:00:35] Matt Sims: That’s your age.
[00:00:35] Keith Gooden: The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome show at the NEC – 17th to the 22nd of this month.
[00:00:42] Matt Sims: Yes. Can’t wait. That Leisure Shop – the whole team are there and I’ll be there with them. We’re in Hall Five on the Crespo Bo-Camp stand, and I’ll be on the stand every morning to say hi to you and answer your questions. So do pop along and say hello. We’re in Hall Five, stand 5120.
[00:00:59] Keith Gooden: So, Matt, we’re headed across the pond once again.
[00:01:05] Matt Sims: We are. Yeah. I’m always looking at the markets worldwide, and I’m really following China quite closely at the moment. That’s an interesting one. But this week we head across to the USA, and I want to see what things are changing over there and in fact if they’re changing at all. And I was intrigued as to what has changed for American citizens and how they use what they call RVs.
[00:01:28] Keith Gooden: What we call motorhomes.
[00:01:29] Matt Sims: We call them motorhomes. Yeah. But their market’s changing a lot. So the products are changing. They have these things called fifth wheels – big, big caravans. And they’re getting into smaller types of motorhome as well. And I was just really intrigued to know how they are using the product. Is it any different to here? So they have a pastime called boondocking, which we call incorrectly wild camping. And it’s a huge pastime over there, boondocking, going and parking up in beautiful places. And of course, their area is massive. The roads are huge.
[00:02:03] Keith Gooden: Boondocking.
[00:02:03] Matt Sims: Well, the RVs themselves, some of the boon areas are huge, the places you can boondock. What are you saying now? Did you see that?
[00:02:12] Keith Gooden: Anyway. You’re boondocking…
[00:02:14] Matt Sims: You behave! I caught up with a dear friend of the podcast, Liz from the YouTube channel Liz Amazing. And she is a consumer champion for us RVers. You have so many different types of RV, travel trailer. You’re in what you describe as a destination trailer. You’re in an RV at the moment, aren’t you, with a sliding patio door. Here in the UK, we’ve had this huge boom in what we call van life. Do you have the term van life in the US?
[00:02:48] Liz Amazing: Yes, we do. Yeah. There have been so many changes. So I’ve been RVing since the late ’80s, and it used to be anyone, you know, going for a long period were retired. If you were just going for a weekend as a family, you bring the kids, you, you know, toast the marshmallows. And since Covid, it’s become a thing to come out here and be a digital nomad. So if you’re in your working years, decades before retirement, there are so many tech jobs now that you can do from your van or your fifth wheel or your motorhome. So that’s the biggest shift. And I was out here full-time living through Covid. In fact, I started in 2018 and did it for five and a half years. Now I’m half-time, and I support teachers and project managers, fundraisers, all kinds of people working out of their RV. And that has changed it up so much. I love that it’s younger and that people are raising their kids while travelling. I would love to be six again, exploring RV life and what a great education. So it’s I think it’s opened up more. I think in the last six years it has opened up more.
[00:04:05] Matt Sims: And so are you seeing more and more people, then, taking to RV life or van life full time? So giving up bricks and mortar and moving into an RV full-time, is that because house prices are getting out of hand? I mean, they are here in the UK.
[00:04:22] Liz Amazing: That’s a big part of it. I think a lot of it is our influencers who are talking about RV life are just pulling people in. You know, we’re living the dream, we’re working. But look, we’re right here on the lake, or we’re right here on the beach. And that’s pulled a lot of people in. I think the fact that you can work and travel is a relatively new thing. You could be teaching kids and be on the road, or you could be designing software. The fact that you don’t have to show up in an office to get a paycheque has really upended things for the whole industry. And so the people are out there are younger. And then I also meet people who are making a living while travelling in a way which is not digital. I’ve met people who cut hair. I’ve just met a drone pilot who travels and charges for flying his drone over campgrounds and makes a living that way. So there are other creative ways to do it, but that’s what’s brought in the people who aren’t retired, who are still working and raising kids. There’s just been a big surge. Van life, it can be full-time, but a lot of people are doing it for skiing. I met a couple who can’t afford to buy a condo in a ski resort, but they can afford to get a van and park it and ski. There were quite a few people who do things like that, where it’s cheaper to buy the van and go places than paying for a hotel.
[00:05:55] Matt Sims: Now here we have this big trend. The term we use is wild camping. I think you call it boondocking – where you’re off grid. You’re not connected to any mains electricity, and you want to park in an area of outstanding natural beauty. So yeah, you mentioned parking next to a lake, but are you finding that your desire to park in a car park or next to a lake is being quashed by landowners? We’ve had lots of legal battles here in the UK between landowners and people who want to park up and admire the view. So we have lots of motorhomers who want to park on coastal roads looking at the ocean. But the people who’ve spent £1 million on those houses looking at the same view don’t want white plastic boxes blocking the view.
[00:06:47] Liz Amazing: Yes, there definitely is that. It is a different culture here. You just don’t park on someone’s land here. You don’t walk on someone’s land here, you know? You just don’t. It’s just not done. So you can only really go to designated places. The biggest shift has been that people are forced out of affordable housing into RVs. So any big city, Los Angeles, Portland, is going to have an RV community that does not look like my campground or campground. I mean, they’re in very beat-up RVs, but doing RV life, often stationary, just trying to survive. But the boondocking craze has really come about because these campgrounds have gotten very expensive, and a lot of them are just big parking lots. And people don’t necessarily want to see their neighbours or hear their neighbours. They want to be away from it all. I mean, that’s very alluring for a lot of people. Let’s go somewhere where we can look out, and we don’t see anyone. We just see this lake and this beautiful view. And that’s where vans really excel, because they’re so much more accessible, particularly if you have four wheel drive. You’re not going to be able to get a whacking big fifth wheel there. And, you know, a lot of these boondocking places or a motorhome – a van will get you there.
[00:08:10] Matt Sims: And are you seeing a big boom in four wheel drive looking or four wheel drive capable motorhomes? We are here. It’s a huge trend for big knobbly tyres, raised suspension. And they’re not actually four wheel drive. They just look the part. And I think personally that it’s a fad. Is that something you’re seeing there?
[00:08:33] Liz Amazing: Yes, definitely a high clearance vehicle, four wheel drive. And it’s actually needed for our national parks. Many of our national parks have bumpy roads now, not the main roads, but if you want to go and see something really special, you’ve got to go five miles down this bumpy gravel road with washboards and potholes and that sort of thing. So a high clearance vehicle is recommended if you want to see a lot of America’s natural beauty, particularly the American West. A four wheel drive will get you there. They’ll get you up the high elevation mountains. And of course, they’ll be helpful if you do run into inclement weather, snow, ice, mud, that kind of thing.
[00:09:12] Matt Sims: So you genuinely have four wheel drive vehicles. I mean, I laugh at them because ours often look four wheel drive, but they’re not. They’re just front wheel drive. And as soon as they hit some wet grass, they’re stuck. And I think it’s just a trend. But it’s interesting that you say they are genuinely four wheel drive. Do you have a penchant for lithium as well? That seems to be another topic here where it’s almost keeping up with the Joneses. I must have lithium batteries.
[00:09:42] Liz Amazing: Well, the need for lithium depends on where you are. Lithium is attractive in many ways. For one, they don’t weigh as much. However, you cannot let lithium batteries go below freezing. So if you are camping in very cold weather, say you’re up in Canada or the northern part of the US, lithium is not recommended because you’ll kill that battery. You’ve got to keep the battery warm. But if you are staying in the southern parts, then it can be cost-effective to get lithium, and you get a little more out of your batteries. So it’s just doing your research and knowing where you’re going because you’re spending a lot of money on batteries either way.
[00:10:23] Matt Sims: Yeah. It seems you have extreme conditions in all areas, you know, the terrain and the weather, which of course, we don’t really have here in the UK. Can I just ask you about pricing, Liz? So you’ll have a view of the industry as you spend so much time looking at new RVs. What are prices doing in America right now with new products?
[00:10:48] Liz Amazing: Well, we’ve had a little bit of a shift in the industry towards the end of 2025. There have been some layoffs, there has been some market stagnation, there has been some turmoil in the US, so people haven’t been as quick to buy. So I’m going to probably expect the prices to stabilise or even go down a little bit in 2026 just to capture these hesitant buyers, because when you’re worried about your future, you’re not going to run out and buy an RV. And I think they’re going to have to respond accordingly when they set the prices.
[00:11:25] Matt Sims: And in the US market, you no doubt have an inkling of what’s going on there. We’re finding that motorhomes here that are three years old, so bought at the end of the pandemic, are really high-priced and now the depreciation curve is back. And they really are not worth the price that’s on the screen. And they’re under real price pressure. I guess that’s the same there?
[00:11:50] Liz Amazing: Yes. But you’re going to get so much more bang for your buck if you buy used. You’re going to get most likely better quality if you buy 2018 or older. That’s before the industry went through industry-wide cheapening. That’s before they went from screws and nails to staples and glue. Also, if you buy from a private seller, you’re going to be better off because they likely will have the repair records. You get to meet them. You get a sense of whether they’ve taken care of the RV or if they’ve driven it to death. So you’re better off. You’re going to get so much more for your money. Even motorhomes. If you get something on a bus chassis like a Liberty, a Prevost for travel, you can get a wonderful, solid bus that’ll last forever for $100,000, $150,000. So that’s not a lot for a diesel-powered motorhome that may be 15 or 20 years old. Those things are solid. You can buy a brand new one for $3 million, but it might have problems. And who can afford $3 million? That’s a lot.
[00:12:55] Matt Sims: You say that there’s a trend for younger people getting into RVing.
[00:13:00] Liz Amazing: They absolutely are.
[00:13:01] Matt Sims: They don’t have $3 million. So is there a huge growth in that real kind of affordable end of the market?
[00:13:08] Liz Amazing: People who are watching and seeing these influencers out there in the beautiful desert, saying, here we are, they feel that pull. It’s such a shame because the lower end, the really cheap brand new ones, are just so scary because they’re just truly slapped together. There is no quality control at the factory. So it really pays you to do your research and take your time. I would buy a solid used RV. Way better than buying a brand-new one. I would not touch a brand-new one. If you are shopping for an RV, you want to have some money set aside. If you have X amount of money, don’t spend all X on the RV. You want some money set aside, whether you’re buying new or used, because things happen. You want to do some repairs. You want to do some upgrades. You might want to add things. So definitely keep some money set aside for that.
[00:14:04] Matt Sims: So Liz, where can people find you online? You’re predominantly on YouTube, aren’t you?
[00:14:09] Liz Amazing: Yes. I’m Liz Amazing on YouTube. Just go to www.youtube.com and put in Liz Amazing in the search bar and you’ll find me.
[00:14:18] Keith Gooden: That’s Liz from the Liz Amazing YouTube channel on what American RVers, recreational vehicle owners, are doing in the United States of America, and how it compares to what we’re up to over here.
[00:14:32] Matt Sims: And it actually would seem to be not a lot different. More and more people are choosing to live full-time in an RV. People there use them in very similar ways to us. It was great to get her insight. A lot of trends are happening in the USA that I really hope don’t come here. We had an episode with Liz recently. It was kind of the first half of that conversation. You can check it out. It was a few weeks ago where Liz was really unpacking some of the challenges around manufacturing of the product and some of the terrible service that consumers there receive. And this litigation culture, which I really don’t want to come over!
[00:15:07] Keith Gooden: But it’s unusual for the USA, isn’t it? Because customer care – you usually get more of it than you actually want all the time because they want tips.
[00:15:15] Matt Sims: It’s odd, isn’t it? So the US is renowned for great customer service, but in this market, it just seems to be a challenge. So yeah, things are on a parallel. And I think there’s a lot we can learn by looking at these other marketplaces. Hence, I love to do it. So thank yo,u Liz, for letting me borrow you for a little bit longer so we could talk about some of the trends that consumers are pursuing with their RVs.
[00:15:37] Keith Gooden: And if you want to hear more from Liz Amazing, we did an episode with her on the 12th of January. It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:15:46] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:15:48] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:15:51] Matt Sims: Remember, you can get 15% off your insurance premium with Ripe. Just click the link in the episode description, and the discount will be applied automatically.
[00:16:00] Keith Gooden: It’s the Q&A, the questions and answers, where you ask the questions and Motorhome Matt dining. It’s him. He answers them – ding ding! And if he doesn’t know, he’ll ask somebody who jolly well does know the answer, so you’ll get an answer! First of all, Dave is in Nottingham.
[00:16:17] Dave: Motorbike Matt and Sidecar Keith, it’s Dave from Nottingham. Just watched your podcast episode, “Motorhome Industry in Crisis,” and there was a Q&A regarding putting a motorbike on the back of the motorhome. You suggested putting it sideways across the back. I have found a company in Loughborough that manufactures an easy lifter, which is a hydraulic version of lifting your motorbike on the back of the motorhome, but I can’t find a motorhome that will accept the extra 220 kilos. Could you please look into this? Thanks.
[00:17:03] Keith Gooden: Cheers. That is Pillion Dave in Nottingham.
[00:17:08] Matt Sims: Sidecar Keith.
[00:17:09] Keith Gooden: Sidecar. Very good. Sidekick Keith.
[00:17:12] Matt Sims: We had family here from America once and I rang them and said, where are you? And they said, oh, we’re in Lugar Berugger… Loughborough.
[00:17:19] Keith Gooden: Right. I used to work in “Worchester”. They used to come over. Worcester.
[00:17:24] Matt Sims: See, it’s a language podcast again.
[00:17:26] Keith Gooden: Yeah, yeah. It’s a big running gag, actually, in the United States, where they use a lot of Worcester sauce, especially down south, for the spicy foods. They can’t say Worcester. They do say Worcester, but it’s a running gag in comedy on TV.
[00:17:39] Matt Sims: They say tomato.
[00:17:40] Keith Gooden: Absolutely. So basically, Dave wants you to conjure up extra payload from a motorhome if you can.
[00:17:48] Matt Sims: I don’t need to. There is an answer for you! So yeah, putting the bike transverse across the back is a good idea because you’re not carrying a trailer. Much easier to drive the motorhome when the bike is part of the length of the van. But he’s right. He’s obviously got a big motorbike. I bet it’s a GS 1150 or something like that. And they are heavy. That is a problem because most motorhomes at the back, in the garage, only carry 200 kilos. And of course, the further back you go, the heavier things become. What’s the word for that? I can’t remember what the word is called.
[00:18:18] Keith Gooden: Leverage.
[00:18:19] Matt Sims: It could be leverage. Yeah. But anyway, the further away you go, the more mindful you need to be of the weight. There is something called a Hydra Trail from Easy-Lifter, and it is supported by two jockey wheels. So you pump the bike up and then you put the two wheels on, and they take all the weight. So you’re now driving along, and you’ve got this fixed kind of extra axle which does drag around a bit. And I have to say, when you go backwards that often, they go clunk and the bike moves. They look awful when you do it, but they take the weight of the ramp with the bike on, so the motorhome is not carrying all the weight. It’s called a Hydra Trail. There is a video on YouTube with some terrible music, but it’s a good demo on how you fit one. It’s being demoed on the back of a small transit van. Armitage Trailers also make one that will carry 225 kilos. So this piece that you put on the back does have a gross weight limit. You need to be mindful of that. And they’re on eBay for less than two grand. So they’re not terribly expensive. Hydra Trail – that’s what I would look for.
[00:19:21] Keith Gooden: And the jockey wheels actually run on the road when you drive.
[00:19:23] Matt Sims: They run on the road. When you’re driving, they take the weight of the bike. Yeah.
[00:19:26] Keith Gooden: Check the speed rating of the tyres on them!
[00:19:27] Matt Sims: Very, very sensible, Keith. Well done.
[00:19:30] Keith Gooden: Thank you. Because people don’t!
[00:19:34] Matt Sims: It’s true. I saw a camping trailer the other day in lane three of the motorway. The outside lane.
[00:19:38] Keith Gooden: Shouldn’t have been…
[00:19:39] Matt Sims: He shouldn’t have been. And he was doing at least 85 miles an hour. And this tiny little Erde trailer, you know, the tiny little metal one.
[00:19:47] Keith Gooden: It was bouncing?
[00:19:48] Matt Sims: It was hilarious. It was barely on the motorway. And I said to Mrs Motorhome Matt, the speed rating on those tyres doesn’t matter. They’re barely touching the tarmac. Honestly, this thing was in the air!
[00:19:59] Keith Gooden: Thanks, Dave. Lee’s in Northamptonshire. Hi Matt, can you advise on the best gadget to check the gas level without removing the bottle from the cupboard, please?
[00:20:10] Matt Sims: This is a product that I was very, very cynical about. It is a Truma gas level check. It works by ultrasonic, and you pop it on the side of your gas bottle. It has to be metal, so it won’t work on a plastic bottle, and it detects where the level is. So if you’re in the gas, it doesn’t show anything. If you’re above the gas in the air or whatever, that gap is above the gas, it doesn’t show.
[00:20:35] Keith Gooden: It’ll be a vacuum because the gas has come out.
[00:20:36] Matt Sims: It will be a vacuum. And when you get to the gas itself, it goes green. It’s red the rest of the time. It’s really clever. I don’t have a gas bottle here to demonstrate it. Anyway, someone said, oh, they’re really good. I said, no, they’re not. So I took one out, and we tested it on about ten gas bottles. It’s brilliant. They work really, really well. They’re around £60 odd. We sell them at www.thatleisureshop.com. Just search for Truma gas level check. Remember, as a Motorhome Matt podcast listener, you get 10% off your first purchase. Just use the code MOTORHOMEMATT, and you would be very welcome to get 10% off your purchase of a gas level check. They’re very, very good. The other product I would suggest – I don’t have one here to show you – is a GasStop safety valve, and that has a gauge on it that shows you when you’re getting near empty. It is also a safety device that, if you have a gas leak, shuts off the valve immediately. It’s a genius product that should be fitted to every motorhome and they’re around £40 odd.
[00:21:33] Keith Gooden: Fantastic. And what was it last week or the week before we had on the Q&A? Somebody wanted an app for when they refilled their water tank. And we took the mickey. But could you not use something like one of them repurposed, maybe?
[00:21:46] Matt Sims: I think if you dropped this in the water, you’d probably break it! It’s got a battery in it.
[00:21:49] Keith Gooden: There you go. Still waiting for that app, by the way. Julie Manning is in Hereford. Hi, Matt. Love your podcasts. I have learned so much in preparation for buying a campervan. Just wondering if the NEC show gives better discounts than local dealers, and if so, why this happens? For example, are Adria there, and can you order or buy directly from them? Would you need to buy or order through a dealer there instead? Or would you buy through Adria and they deliver to your local dealer? And if you can buy directly from Adria, how do you then follow up on any warranty issues? So can you buy direct? Do you have to go through a dealer? Will the dealer sell it to you at the show, or will the dealer?
[00:22:29] Matt Sims: My head’s spinning! Okay. Julie – thank you for the question – it’s a really good question. Going to a show can be very daunting and it needn’t be at all. And I’d highly recommend you go to a show. So the NEC motorhome show, which is on in a minute, we’ve just plugged it as we record this, is all new brand new motorhomes, campervans, and caravans. The Warners shows are a mix of new and used. I recommend, whatever you’re looking for, that you go to as many shows as you can because it’s a great way of seeing loads of product in one place, and you haven’t got to trawl around lots of dealerships. The first thing is that you can’t buy from a manufacturer directly unless they are a smaller manufacturer. For example, a brand like Consort, you can buy directly from them, but they are much smaller than Adria. I would also go and check out a podcast episode that we released. It was back in 2023. If you Google, “Motorhome Matt buying a motorhome at a show,” you will find it. In fact, if you Google most questions to do with motorhomes, if you put Motorhome Matt in, you’ll probably find something we’ve talked about! At a show, generally, as I say, you’re going to be buying from a dealer. So you need to ask them where are they based. Ask on the counter or the main desk. Is there a dealer near you? So give them the area of the country you’re in. Some of the bigger stands have big maps all their dealers on. Ask to speak to someone from the dealer near you. This is really important, and we’ve covered this a lot in the past, but if you live in Cornwall, you could end up buying from someone in Scotland. If you have a warranty issue, if you’re relying on the manufacturer’s warranty, you are probably taking it back to Scotland to have warranty issues sorted because the dealer near you in Exeter probably doesn’t want to sort your warranty issues out. They’re going to insist you go back to the supplying dealer.
[00:24:21] Keith Gooden: But Julie does make a good point, because when you’re at these big shows, you know, you do have the manufacturers who are displaying their wares, their motorhomes, caravans and camper vans, and they are taking orders. So she’s asking, okay, if I order through them, do they just give that to me through my local dealer?
[00:24:40] Matt Sims: The deal offered by the manufacturer is offered by the dealer to you, and the manufacturer might be underwriting it. So if it’s a free awning, for example, then the manufacturer will gift the dealer the free awning.
[00:24:53] Keith Gooden: So you’re in an Adria or whatever, or Hymer and you say, I’d like that. And they sign you up and you sign the contract, do they then hand you on to your local dealer?
[00:25:02] Matt Sims: No. You deal with the dealer from the start. It’s very rare that a manufacturer will sit down with you and do a deal, because they’re supplying the dealer who would do the deal with you. A friend of mine went to a show and managed to save £8,000 by talking to two dealers on the same stand. He had to travel 200 miles to get that saving, but that dealer 200 miles away was more motivated to sell that piece of stock than the one close to him. So he knew that he had to then potentially go back to them, the supplying dealer 200 miles away, in order to get any warranty work done. But cleverly, what he did is he was buying an aftermarket warranty from Warranty Solutions Group, and the dealer near him, they will supply at £200 an hour working rate if there’s a problem. The dealer near him is now happy to work on it and that cost him a few hundred pounds for the year.
[00:25:52] Keith Gooden: So Julia, we hope we’ve unravelled a bit of that for you!
[00:25:55] Matt Sims: There’s a lot in there.
[00:25:56] Keith Gooden: Yeah, but the thing is, at the show, don’t ever feel pressured to buy there and then. It’s a show. Use it to go and have a look. Have a look around, sit on the seats, lie on the beds and do whatever you can so you know you’re building up this great knowledge bank so when you come to buy, you’re fully informed.
[00:26:12] Matt Sims: That’s right. And check out the other episodes of this podcast as well. There’s so much rich content in the Q&A and in the topics that we’ve talked about. Buying at a show is something we’ve covered many times. So yeah, do go and check that out.
[00:26:25] Keith Gooden: How do people get in touch then, Matt?
[00:26:26] Matt Sims: Thank you. Yeah, we love it if you did! Head to mhmp.info/askmatt. Fill in the form, and we’ll read it for you. We’d love it if you recorded it. We love hearing your voices on the podcast. Click the orange button. Remember, tell us where you are, and we’ll include you in a future episode.
[00:26:42] Keith Gooden: And if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
[00:26:52] Matt Sims: And if you’re listening, remember to follow on your favourite podcast app. Or if you’re watching, click subscribe and the little bell on YouTube.
[00:26:59] Keith Gooden: And is it fair to share?
[00:27:02] Matt Sims: If you know someone who would find this content useful, entertaining, or would help them make a buying decision, would you share it with them? We’d love it if you did. Just send them a link to the podcast and help us grow the audience. Thank you.
[00:27:17] Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
