News: RV Sales Are Slumping — So Now You Can Finance One With Your House. Plus F150 Production Halt & More

September 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The RV industry is in Elkhart, Indiana this week for the annual dealer open house, a high-stakes sales pitch where manufacturers try to convince dealers to order 2027 models. The timing is awkward: RV shipments are down more than 14% so far this year, and the weakness is concentrated in the profitable towable segments that manufacturers are most eager to sell. Meanwhile, campground prices have fallen for three consecutive months, offering a rare bright spot for campers, and the White House is considering restricting diesel exports to bring down fuel costs. Forest River launched a new financial services arm with an unusual product that lets buyers tap home equity to finance an RV, and Ford temporarily halted F-150 production at its Dearborn plant due to a supplier part shortage.

The State of RV Shipments: Worse Than the Headline Number

The RV Industry Association's August shipment report shows manufacturers shipped 23,599 RVs, down 16.4% from August 2025. Through the first eight months of 2026, total shipments are down 14.2% — roughly 200,000 units versus about 242,000 at the same point last year, which was already a weak year. These are units sent to dealers, not retail sales, but they reflect how few new RVs dealers are willing to order.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Elkhart Dealer Open House & Industry Context** - Jason reports from Elkhart, Indiana, where manufacturers are pitching 2027 models to dealers amid a 14%+ shipment slump.
2 (02:34) **August RV Shipments Down 16.4%** - RVIA reports 23,599 RVs shipped in August, down 16.4% from last year, with year-to-date shipments off 14.2%.
3 (05:05) **Campground Prices Fall for Third Consecutive Month** - The Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index shows the national weighted average nightly rate at $102.22, with RV sites averaging $71.32.
4 (07:21) **Fuel Prices Stabilize; Diesel Drops Slightly** - Gasoline holds at $4.47/gallon (unchanged from last week), diesel edges down to $6.45 from $6.51.
5 (08:12) **White House Considering Diesel Export Restrictions** - President Trump says he's "very seriously considering" limiting U.S. diesel exports to lower domestic prices.
6 (09:20) **Forest River Launches Financial Services with HELOC Card** - Forest River partners with Octane for dealer financing and with Avon for a co-branded home equity line of credit (HELOC) card.
7 (11:21) **Ford Halts F-150 Production at Dearborn Plant** - A supplier part shortage forces Ford to stop F-150 production at its Dearborn Truck Plant and cancel shifts at Kansas City Assembly.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

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The RV industry is gathering in Elkhart, Indiana, this week to show dealers the newest RVs for the coming model year — but they're doing it against a pretty rough backdrop.

New RV shipments fell another 16.4% in August and are now down 14.2% for the year. We break down what those numbers actually mean, which RV categories are getting hit hardest, and why this year's Elkhart Open House matters so much for manufacturers.

Also in this week's RV and camping news:

• Campground prices have fallen for the third consecutive month
• Gas prices finally stopped climbing, while diesel dropped slightly
• President Trump is considering restrictions on U.S. diesel exports
• Forest River has launched a new financial-services company, including a home-equity product that could let qualified buyers finance an RV using equity in their house
• Ford has temporarily halted F-150 production at its Dearborn Truck Plant because of a supplier shortage

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