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The American RV industry fell off a cliff, but now it's bouncing back

A report shows that despite a two-month shutdown due to COVID-19, RV sales are nearing half a million units for the year.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
Blacksford Winnebago RV rental

The RV business is booming.

Blacksford

America is in a pretty rough place right now, both financially and from a public health standpoint, but that isn't stopping people from going out and buying or renting RVs and undertaking their great American road trip.

According to a report published Tuesday by Reuters, the RV industry is seeing a dramatic increase in sales after the initial plummet at the start of the COVID-19 crisis -- aka the mythical V-shaped recovery. Why, though? It's not as though new RVs are cheap.

Well, it's likely for the same reasons that basically all other outdoor activities have seen sales surges since coronavirus reared its ugly head: It's a way to get outside and to travel without having to be close to people you don't know. 

Despite being shut down for two months, the RV industry (which is centered in and around Indiana) expects to hit sales of over 400,000 units by the end of the year. That represents a 4.5% increase over 2019's numbers.

So, what do you think? Would you spend the money on an RV for you and your family in order to travel now? Or is it not worth it? Let us know in the comments.

Read more: Best RV rental companies for 2020

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