Hardy campers brave storm for annual RV show 3-day event draws 3,200 attendees

BANGOR – Freezing temperatures and high snowbanks failed to deter the hardiest of central and northern Maine campers this weekend as they flocked to the 17th annual Down East Recreational Vehicle and Camper show at the Bangor Auditorium.

Total attendance was about 3,200 over the three-day show, down from last year’s 4,000 total. The luxury units were scaled back a bit from last year but RV dealers reported fairly good business while tent and sleeping bag sales were brisk.

All people with a military identification were let into the show free, and military attendance tripled on Saturday through the promotion, according to Thomas W. “Skip” Chappelle, events director for Bangor Daily News Enterprises. The organization sponsors the annual camper and RV show in conjunction with Bass Park.

People from Presque Isle to Rockland came to check out the latest in motor homes, pop-ups and all-terrain vehicles offered by dealers who said they made quite a few sales despite the winter weather outside.

“Folks who come here have their mind on summer,” said John Forman of Rhode Island. Forman, a Navy Seabee veteran, came to Bangor over Route 2 to talk about the Chinook line of motor homes. He pointed to a compact, shiny 22-foot version complete with a furnace, air conditioner and wide-screen television. “My wife and I bought one just like this in 1996. You can park it anywhere. Driveways. Side of the road. You don’t have to put it in a [campground] park,” said Forman, who added that he had put close to 50,000 miles on his camper-home traveling back and forth across the country to visit relatives.

The newer model had a list price of $93,543 but the dealer promised to slash $10,000 off the list price if an offer to buy was made during the weekend show.

Over on the other side of the auditorium, less pricey campers caught the eye of Jacob Caron, 6, of Eddington and his sister Rachel, 9.

Excited about a sign that read “$183” on one small trailer, young Jacob rushed off to find his parents, Nancy and Drew Cameron. “They’ve gotta see this,” he said before a reporter informed him that the sign meant a buyer would have to pay $183 a month for 10 years to purchase the camper, a Solaris model sold at McKay’s RV and Marine Center in Holden.

“We’re gonna get something anyway before summer,” said Jacob, excited about the prospect of camping with his family.

Prices ranged from a $119,885 “diesel pusher” luxury unit offered at Webb’s RV Center in Bangor to streamlined pop-ups that could be bought for $95 a month. In the Civic Center, two-person tents ranged upward from $60. New exhibits included a unique pop-up with an “A-frame” exterior for about $10,000 and a resource table where people interested in careers in outdoor recreation could obtain advice and information.

The event traditionally draws people in their 50s and older, with many experienced campers approaching retirement. The baby boomer generation comprises a large segment of the camping population.

Yet reports of active tent sales as well as small-camper unit sales may point to some newcomers making initial investments in the activity, according to organizers.

The recreational vehicle business is “very vibrant,” said Chappelle.