This fall, one of the hottest thing of interest to Millennials in outdoor gear wasn’t a new drone or motorized skateboard. It was the Airstream Basecamp, a $35,000 teardrop of aluminum that can be towed behind a Subaru.
The aerodynamic, riveted pod comes with one massive panoramic window, solar power, Italian cabinetry, and a Bose Bluetooth speaker system. It’s an RV made for Instagram. “It’s really kind of an online phenomenon,” said Bob Martin, chief executive of Airstream parent Thor Industries.
The Basecamp and a crowd of models like it have pushed an already brisk RV business to historic highs.
RV-makers pushed their advantage with a flurry of new rigs, generally smaller and lighter than the monster coaches they used to build. The idea was to draw new customers rather than coasting on Baby Boomers. “There’s kind of been a shift and we’re noticing younger buyers,” said Martin. “We’re starting to get the front-end of millennials and we’re strong now with Gen Xers. These people don’t want a huge unit.”
