We attended the Florida RV Super Show in Tampa, FL on January 16-17. Said to be the greatest RV show in the country, it was the greatest RV show we’ve been to by a LONG shot. The promos said there were 450 vendor booths and more than 1550 RVs in a mere 26 acres. But we weren’t counting…
Much has been said and written about the incredible diversity of RVs available today – many could be seen at the show. Included were Class As, Class Bs, Class Cs, fifth wheels, travel trailers, toy haulers, truck campers, popups, teardrops, hybrids, park models and probably others I am not remembering at the moment. Each fits one’s lifestyle, budget and style of camping. The show was a great way to see all things RV in a relatively small area and short period of time.
Check out a few of the show views below:
YouTube has lots of videos posted by seasoned reviewers that offer great comments on what is new and different. This was our first BIG show so it was all new and different to us!
There were even Youtube RV celebrities at the show. We had a chance to meet up with Nathan and Marissa from Less Junk, More Journey. They spoke with their online followers for more than an hour!
Besides the mind-numbing array of camping rigs and vendor booths, the show included roving entertainment – a bagpipe band, cowboys on stilts, guitar and trumpet players, and much more.
Hungry or thirsty? There was a variety of fair-type food and drink – pizza, funnel cakes, barbecue, lemonade, burgers and hot dogs and so on.
Tired? Don’t want to walk? There were trams that continually circled the show.
Here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of RV shows you might attend in the future:
Save on tickets. We purchased show tickets in advance for a small savings. Then, as we entered the show, we got free tickets for a second day. Sometimes Groupon or websites have specials as well.
Save on parking. Cash was needed for parking – no credit cards! Carpool with friends to save even more.
Avoid crowds and arrive early to park near the gate. We attended Wednesday and Thursday to avoid the larger Friday and weekend crowds. The show opened at 9 am and we arrived around 9:15. This allowed us to park very close to the entrance. We bypassed the lines at the entrance ticket booths that got rather long by 10 am. We also bypassed kiosks where one could sign up for prizes (signup when leaving).
Decide what you want to see and stay focused. We determined the types of campers we wanted to see and decided on the RV manufacturers to visit. We found them on the show map and visited those at the back of the show first. We then worked forward.
On our second day we looked through campers that caught our eye in addition to those we were focusing on. We also used the second day to look over RV-related products and services in the exhibitor areas.
Dress wisely, take breaks. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing, with removable layers if it is chilly. Include a hat if sunny. We took regular breaks and stayed hydrated.
Take notes and photos. Details of the rigs visited run together after a very short while. We created a checklist of the key features of we were looking for in advance and took pictures to help us remember each rig.
Ask questions. There were lots of salesmen and manufacturer reps at the show. They were happy to answer detailed questions as we looked things over. We noticed they were much more attentive before lunch. As the crowds grew in the afternoon, everyone grew tired!
Enjoy the diversions. The fun and useful diversions were enjoyable – bagpipes, walking entertainers, seminars and the multitude of vendor displays.
Wait – there’s more! Not all models of a particular camper could be seen at the show. Review manufacturer brochures and tell sales people/manufacturer reps what you are looking for. What you are looking for may be found at a dealer nearby. Also, carry a backpack to stow brochures, completed checklists and any purchases you make.
Additional ideas? If you have other RV show tips, please add to the comments below.
Take the LONG Road... 