Thousands of shoppers turned out for America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, Pennsylvania, even as the broader RV industry continues to struggle with falling shipments.
Opening day drew 7,322 attendees, the show’s largest first-day crowd since 2021, according to attendance figures provided by the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association and reported by RVBusiness. That was up nearly 13% from the 6,497 people who attended opening day last year.
The only larger opening-day crowd in recent years came in 2021, when 8,899 people attended. Opening-day attendance totaled 6,359 in 2022, 6,279 in 2023 and 6,816 in 2024.
The turnout is especially notable because it comes during a much weaker year for RV manufacturers.
RV shipments are down nearly 14%
The latest numbers from the RV Industry Association show manufacturers shipped 19,948 RVs in July, down 11.9% from July 2025.
Through the first seven months of 2026, manufacturers shipped 183,592 RVs. That was 13.9% fewer than during the same period last year. Towable shipments were down 16.1% year to date.
July was particularly rough for motorhomes. Shipments fell 25.6% from a year earlier, including a 38% drop for Class A motorhomes and a 30.8% decline for Class C models.
The industry has also lowered its expectations for the full year.
The RV Industry Association’s summer 2026 forecast now calls for between 300,000 and 328,100 wholesale RV shipments this year, with a midpoint of 314,000. Hitting that midpoint would represent an 8.2% decline from the 342,200 units shipped in 2025.
Earlier this year, the association had expected about 349,000 shipments in 2026. The revised forecast cited higher financing costs, inflation and tighter household budgets as factors causing some consumers to delay large purchases.
So Why Was Hershey So Busy?
The numbers may look contradictory, but they are measuring two different things.
RV shipment figures track new RVs sent from manufacturers to dealers, not how many people are shopping for an RV. Dealers can reduce orders and manufacturers can cut production even while consumers continue visiting shows and comparing models.
Hershey also gives shoppers something they cannot easily get from visiting individual dealerships. This year’s show put nearly 1,500 RVs from 40 manufacturers in one place, including new 2027 models. The show also advertises special show pricing, accepts trade-ins, and offers financing on site. America’s Largest RV Show specifically tells attendees that many manufacturers and dealers offer show pricing and that buyers may save on transportation costs by purchasing there.
There is also evidence that interest in RV travel remains stronger than RV sales numbers might suggest. An August survey from the RV Industry Association found that 23 million Americans planned to take an RV trip this fall. More than 9.4 million people who did not own an RV said they planned to rent or borrow one.
The bigger obstacle may be getting interested shoppers to actually buy. When the RV Industry Association lowered its 2026 shipment forecast this summer, it specifically cited higher financing costs, continued inflation, tighter household budgets, and economic uncertainty as reasons consumers were delaying discretionary purchases.
That helps explain what Hershey may be showing us. Interest in RVing has not disappeared. Buying a new RV is the harder sell.
Write a comment