Park Model Trailers - the best kept secret in the RV industry today!
Posted 06-05-2011 at 09:29 AM by Zagami
I’m always amazed that when you read about the RV industry you seldom see references to Recreation Park Trailers, or park models as many dealers and owners refer to them. Park models are favorites for many people that enjoy destination camping where they will have a permanent trailer on a campsite that provides them all the enjoyment of the RV lifestyle enjoyed by other folks that enjoy it with a motorhome, travel trailer or fifth-wheel.
Park models, by law, are less than 400 square feet of living space and are usually only moved twice; once from the factory to the dealer and then from the dealer to the campground once the unit has been purchased.
In recent years many campgrounds have realized the value of having park models and camping cabins available for rental throughout the camping season and have purchased them and placed them on prime lots with incredible views and easy access to campground and resort facilities.
Park models are also a favorite for many retired people that no longer want to maintain a motorhome or trailer but still want to enjoy the lifestyle and the friendliness of the campground environment. In fact, many people will have a park model up north for the summer months and another one down south for the winter months. You can purchase two park models for $100,000 to $150,000 and have yourself two homes with little to no maintenance.
I have two park models at Wild Duck Campground in Maine; one for my wife and me and one across the street for my two daughters and their husbands. We have incredible family gatherings throughout the camping season that might include a day on the golf course or the beach and plenty of fresh Maine lobsters for dinner!
WHAT IS REALLY AMAZING about park models is the relatively low number sold each year. According to the Recreation Park Model Trailer Association (www.rptia.org) less than 10,000 units are shipped each year with most of those going to California, Arizona, Texas and Florida. Many RV dealers do not even carry park model trailers so consumers don’t get a chance to compare the value of the product or their intended use as a vacation or retirement camper right alongside the rest of the RV’s in the campground.
Some companies are now referring to these models as vacation cottages, which they are indeed. You can add a three-season sunroom to the unit that can provide another 300 or 400 square feet of living space.
Park models have all the amenities you enjoy at home, including full kitchens, large bathrooms, complete entertainment centers and house style furniture and appliances. Some units have pitched roofs, with shingles, similar to a regular house and others look more like a traditional travel trailer but obviously much larger with a glass patio door, slideouts, and a fiberglass or rubber roof. Some campgrounds restrict the type of park model that they will permit on their property.
You can discover the amazing selection of manufacturers and product offerings by visiting the RPTIA web site (www.rptia.org) or a local dealer that stocks park model trailers. I buy my park models at Seacoast RV in Saco, ME – one of the largest park model dealers in the country that specializes on this type of RV, including great service, support and a large parts and accessories store. You can visit visit their website and see the large selection of units on their lot. You can also visit their park model resort being developed in Old Orchard Beach, ME – a very popular tourist resort area May through October for many New Englanders and Canadians. You can see what a park model community looks like by visiting Seacoast RV Resort (www.seacoastresort.com) or Meadowledge RV Resort in Wells, ME (www.meadowledge.com). I point out these resources because they are local to our park model consumers in New England and great companies to do business with.
RPTIA provides a listing of many park model resorts throughout the country on their website and Bill Garpow, the Executive Director, will be happy to answer any questions you may have on this segment of the RV industry. Bill is a much sought after speaker at many RV and campground shows around the country each year.
You can also check with your favorite campground to see if they have park models for rent to try out the lifestyle in one of these units.
If you own a park model please contribute to the conversation here and let us know what you like, or don’t like about these RV’s.
If you have a particular resort or tourist area that you frequent each year, you will find the investment in a park model to be significantly less than you would have to make for a house or condo in the same area.
So check out park models, they are the best kept secret in the RV industry today, but we can change that by giving them equal billing in publications and including them in the discussions on the enjoyment and fun offered by all types of RV’s, and especially a park model trailer in a destination location.
Like mine shown below!
Park models, by law, are less than 400 square feet of living space and are usually only moved twice; once from the factory to the dealer and then from the dealer to the campground once the unit has been purchased.
In recent years many campgrounds have realized the value of having park models and camping cabins available for rental throughout the camping season and have purchased them and placed them on prime lots with incredible views and easy access to campground and resort facilities.
Park models are also a favorite for many retired people that no longer want to maintain a motorhome or trailer but still want to enjoy the lifestyle and the friendliness of the campground environment. In fact, many people will have a park model up north for the summer months and another one down south for the winter months. You can purchase two park models for $100,000 to $150,000 and have yourself two homes with little to no maintenance.
I have two park models at Wild Duck Campground in Maine; one for my wife and me and one across the street for my two daughters and their husbands. We have incredible family gatherings throughout the camping season that might include a day on the golf course or the beach and plenty of fresh Maine lobsters for dinner!
WHAT IS REALLY AMAZING about park models is the relatively low number sold each year. According to the Recreation Park Model Trailer Association (www.rptia.org) less than 10,000 units are shipped each year with most of those going to California, Arizona, Texas and Florida. Many RV dealers do not even carry park model trailers so consumers don’t get a chance to compare the value of the product or their intended use as a vacation or retirement camper right alongside the rest of the RV’s in the campground.
Some companies are now referring to these models as vacation cottages, which they are indeed. You can add a three-season sunroom to the unit that can provide another 300 or 400 square feet of living space.
Park models have all the amenities you enjoy at home, including full kitchens, large bathrooms, complete entertainment centers and house style furniture and appliances. Some units have pitched roofs, with shingles, similar to a regular house and others look more like a traditional travel trailer but obviously much larger with a glass patio door, slideouts, and a fiberglass or rubber roof. Some campgrounds restrict the type of park model that they will permit on their property.
You can discover the amazing selection of manufacturers and product offerings by visiting the RPTIA web site (www.rptia.org) or a local dealer that stocks park model trailers. I buy my park models at Seacoast RV in Saco, ME – one of the largest park model dealers in the country that specializes on this type of RV, including great service, support and a large parts and accessories store. You can visit visit their website and see the large selection of units on their lot. You can also visit their park model resort being developed in Old Orchard Beach, ME – a very popular tourist resort area May through October for many New Englanders and Canadians. You can see what a park model community looks like by visiting Seacoast RV Resort (www.seacoastresort.com) or Meadowledge RV Resort in Wells, ME (www.meadowledge.com). I point out these resources because they are local to our park model consumers in New England and great companies to do business with.
RPTIA provides a listing of many park model resorts throughout the country on their website and Bill Garpow, the Executive Director, will be happy to answer any questions you may have on this segment of the RV industry. Bill is a much sought after speaker at many RV and campground shows around the country each year.
You can also check with your favorite campground to see if they have park models for rent to try out the lifestyle in one of these units.
If you own a park model please contribute to the conversation here and let us know what you like, or don’t like about these RV’s.
If you have a particular resort or tourist area that you frequent each year, you will find the investment in a park model to be significantly less than you would have to make for a house or condo in the same area.
So check out park models, they are the best kept secret in the RV industry today, but we can change that by giving them equal billing in publications and including them in the discussions on the enjoyment and fun offered by all types of RV’s, and especially a park model trailer in a destination location.
Like mine shown below!
Total Comments 2
Comments
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This is mine favorite too..for always.
water beltPosted 06-17-2011 at 06:05 AM by finsswim 
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Park Model
We have just purchased a new Fairmont 100120 from Skyline RV resort in Darien NY. It will be transported and setup to Isle LaMotte, Vt. in the spring. We have been very well taken care of by Red and Jesse Tybor at Skyline and look forward to many good years in our new summer home. We also own a winter home in Florida and a 34ft Monaco Knight diesel pusher that we someday may let go. Happy TrailsPosted 10-22-2015 at 06:39 AM by yankeeflyer
