My theory is that US rv manufacturers bought so much fabric and paneling in the 60’s that they’ve yet to use it all.

A lot of Americans, when we buy older campers, often break out the paint and try to realize the interior in friendlier colors. You see this a lot too in DIY conversions, especially converted school buses, or "skoolies". I think dark woods used to be associated with luxury, but now they just get re-surfaced in lighter colors. Thus far, the industry has taken very little notice.

Must seem like a distant memory now despite it only being a few weeks ago. From being as free as a bird to being a caged bird. How life can change.

How amazing to see a camper trailer manufactured not 50 kilometers from my home in the US at a shown in New Zealand and all toured by a bright and interesting Englishman who normally lives on a canal boat! What a wonderful world we live in. Thank you David. Stay safe and stay well.

The reason they look like the Batcave is because the Batcave is cool man.

I do hope that you do more of the documentaries once life gets back to normal. You used to do this for a living and they are very very good. More documentaries please. You even make 'A day in the life' Thank you David. I am disabled and old now so I live my dream of narrow boating vicariously through your channels.

After a night of fighting crime being surrounded by dark wood is comforting

That was a neat David. Oh brings back old memeriors. My family had one of those campers that went on the back of a truck. My Dad also made a camper van. He welded all the frames for the table that made into a bed, kitchen was out of the back. One time my Mom poured dead sea urchins, that we collected & put in a coffee can, into the coffee pot to make coffee. You talk about a gag reflex then getting sick. There wasn't coffee that day. Oh dad was upset... lol... I was 7 yrs old @ the time. Then he build our houseboat. 20'x70'. That's was including front porch & swim deck. Then my family just has a pull behind, 8'x24'. We like it, but some girl that was mad @ my daughter chopped a hole in the ruff & we're going to have to redo the whole camper if we ever want to use it again. It's bad. Thanks for the tour of the camper show. Be safe & God bless us all durning this dang COVID-19 virus, Chris from Missouri

REO as in Ransom E. Olds, of Oldsmobile fame! :-)

Imagine the heartache if we had the money to purchase one of these beauties, and then found ourselves confined to barracks until we got this Covid19 back in it's box. Hope everything is well with you David.

Great coverage of the show - that was quite a wide variety of RVs.Those outdoor cookers are ideal for the Western US with our 300 or so days of sunshine, but I cannot imagine that being very convenient for a buggy wet environment. If I win the lotto I promise to be looking at one of those truck mounted beauties!

Excellent vlog,😎👍🚐🚐 I appreciate the videos during our lockdown here in san Francisco. Our RVs really do look like the batcave ,😅😊💖👍👍.

We Americans ask that all the time; we purchased a camper in 2010 and were amazed we could not find one that was not dark and dreary inside. I suppose it does make one want to venture out and not stay cooped up inside.

Next time pleaze travel to japan and show us informations about the famous mini camper szene. ;)

Alot of the people in the us s are partial to the log cabin heritage such as the old west. It was nice to see the 50's and 60's there as well.

Nice coverage of the over the ditch offerings. Here in Australia where we have a few places to go, there is the big loop concept. You buy a new off-road van with ensuite for maybe £18,000 then flog it off after flogging it down the Gibb River road, Kakadu, the Oodnadatta track, maybe Birdsville, the Warrumbungles with only a drop in price of £3000. Providing you can get all the red dirt out of it. It's not a lot of "dosh" for a year's holiday accommodation.

David, you traveled halfway around the world and went to a caravan show! Now that is dedication to a cause...

We very much agree about the dark wood in the US campers and RVs. We're looking to buy our retirement RV and only a handful of them offer anything but the standard Dark, Darker, and Darker Still color choices.

David the Reo Speedwagon was owned by the founder of the NZ Motor Caravan Association. I was restored two years ago by members of the local Eastland NZMCA. Where Mr Anderson started the Association

The thought of David boogie boarding, tickles me!

Yesssss I’m a Canadian and I’ve got to agree with you that most of what you find in North America is so dark and overdone! For some god forsaken reason every rv needs to be “luxurious” with fancy finishes... and a price to match! If I’m going camping I don’t need big tv’s or a full outdoor kitchen, real dark wood kitchen, nor do I need a full cd radio speaker system! It seems that European and Australian/New Zealand caravans are so much better designed. I like the brighter finishes and more simple designs!

While I am sure that it isn't the ONLY reason, it is important to remember that dark walls and cabinets do not show scuff marks and carelessness as boldly as lighter materials. To this my Mother would attest having dealt with teenagers in the early 1960s.

🤣😁 yes, I’ve also wondered why rv interiors resemble the bat cave 🤣 Give how popular lighter coloured wood is in many homes, it always strikes me as surprising

THANKS DAVID. YOUR VIDS ARE ALWAYS GREAT BUT THEY MEAN EVEN MORE THAN USUAL NOW THAT WE ARE ALL PRISONERS IN OUR OWN HOMES.

I really like the idea of the bed over the cab but some of those big beds in the back are so cool, practically entire bedrooms in a car :O camper vans always weirdly blow my mind

That magnificent REO Speedwagon. I'm just in love! Not loveing the fumes, the milage and all that. But I love the look of it. Simply in love.

And not one mention of chilli bins ! Kiwis have there own special kind of lingo :-)

That old Speedwagon is AMAZING!

This reminds me of the few American motorhomes at the NEC show. 1) person 1. Wow, look at the size of that motorhome! (Goes inside)... “SWEET JESUS ITS DARK” 2) person 2. Wow, enormous. (Goes inside) “SWEET JESUS WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE A 1970’s RETIREMENT HOME”. And so it continued.

Interesting to see that opus pop up camper in NZ. It’s a British company producing the campers in the UK I think. Probably need a new LR for the correct look though.. enjoy the trip!

Nice video. Thanks.

Quite interesting, thanks!

I was very happy to see this on my feed!

Great video with lovely opinions

Enjoy seeing the caravan shows!

You always make it interesting!

Great stuff, thanks for the vid David! Keeping us entertained with this lockdown.... :)

Great vid as usual method man

Great vlog David,always wanted to go to new Zealand myself. Looking forward to seeing more.

We can forgive you about not knowing about the naming of REO Speedwagon, the band. I'm from Illinois, so they are considered a local band as the guys were students (original members) of U of I in Champaign, IL, so those of us who followed them knew their history & where the name came from. Loved that first German home you showed. Will have to watch again. Thanks ! Q I concur with commenter Kevin Barrett, below! My hip replacements have been put off due to lockdown, so this is life blood to me.

Just love all of your videos. Thank you so much for inviting us into your activities. We find watching everything you are posting so engaging and peaceful and charming.

I enjoyed that nose around the show. Thank you. Cheers.

01:43 Very considerate of them to put diamond (tread) plate on the sides there--very handy when you flip on the side. Rugged life and all that..

Very interesting vlog David........stay safe.....thanks for sharing

Agree with your comments regarding dark wood. I got a 1970s cab-over camper in miserable condition. Completely rebuilt it for fun, used very light woods inside, and got rid of the dinette for a lot of extra space. It fits on a full size truck, 8 foot long bed, and is fairly easy to remove. Plus, it only weighs 750 pounds empty. I also bought a relatively new 26 foot trailer, 5600 pounds empty, redid the interior in white and got rid of the Venetian blinds that were so popular in the early 2000s. Drapes are far better and have more insulation value. I plan to live on the road for a year or so when I retire in the next year. Sort of like "cruisin the pavement"... Thanks for your cruisin vlogs.

In NZ / Aussie speak boogie boarding the 'boog' in boogie sounds similar to the 'shug' in sugar. Short vowel. I'm going to booger off. No wonder you always see endless DIY camper projects - now I know why seeing new prices.

Great video bro I have been past those sand dunes a couple of times but never climbed them. All the best and stay safe

The highlight . . . REO conversion. Be well - stay safe.

Love these walk round videos staying at home is never boring with tubers like yourself and AQUAHOLIC thanks 😊

Nice design

Thank you David, something new to watch..lol doing what you do best with your vlogs, so looking forward to a time when the world shakes itself away from infections and back to normal and seeing more of your vlogs, take care Happy Easter..

Jolly good show chap...lol, I hope I got that right.

Thanks for the look around. It was very interesting. Onward

This is a great video!!! Being disabled, it is hard for me to do this lifestyle, but I love watching these kind of videos!! Keep up the great work and thank you!! Please be careful out there and stay safe!!!

That felt great, like a visit to a candystore, ofcourse non for my budget, but lovely to look at.

Agreed, they love the dark wood in America campers 😊. Looked like a fab show.

The campers with the fold down fabric tops are very popular in Australia where the large distances and reduced frontal area saves a lot of fuel between camps.

Thanks David. Here I am stuck inside with my Motorhome ready to go. 🙁 however, I’m lucky to have one and will head off as soon as we get the go ahead. Not NZ though. Thanks for yet another great video, I’m looking forward to watching the rest of them. Hope canal life is going ok. Cheers Keith

I don't know quite how to think about these in comparison to your DYI van conversion. My father owned a couple of the pickup slide-on/slide-off campers in the 1970s. The 'over the cab beds' did not help his tendency to claustrophobia. Once again, you demonstrate your 'genes' for reportage!

Just finished applauding the NHS along with some of the neighbours, and saw that I had an email re this vandemonium vlog. Lovely to walk around the show with you (so to speak) David, thank you it was very enjoyable.

You went through quite a bit for this travelling footage but I'm looking forward to seeing more. Glad you have some material to work on during this shutdown.

Great to see the variety of motorhomes and caravans. Thank goodness we are not all the same. The American dream of a cabin in the woods lives on. Keep safe. Regards AJ

Nice tour David. I guess the high price of some of these would be due to labour being that each one would have to be physically put together manually.

The dark wook, outside cooking, gives that frontier vibe I guess, I find it bleak and morbid myself.

I do miss my 1968 Coleman pop up camper. I have had a couple Winnebago motor homes (36' and 38' Chieftains) the Coleman was stolen and chopped for scrap with no restitution after the thief was put in jail. 36' Chieftain engine went out and while it was being towed, the driver ran thru a deep ditch damaging most of the interior walls. 38' Chieftain was sold due to lack of use. I may actually build the next camper for pulling behind a Jeep.

Lovely Burstner interior, German logic and engineering, just looks right! Love the bat cave reference for the big (and dark) American fifth wheel rig.

Great video! Shame we missed you at the show would have loved to meet up! 😊🚐 hope you are staying safe!

Hello David The thing about caravanning is that we are all doing the same thing basically , but it amazes me on the individual campers concepts, inventions and accessories to improve the experience, plagiarism is alive and well. Keep smiling mate JD

Agree with you about U.S. RV builders using so many dark colors. I love to watch videos like yours because around the world are doing new set ups while being so light with their colors.

nice 1 m8! kit campers, sounds easy enough. thanks for the tour. you an yours stay safe an well eh!

I love all of your videos! If you’re looking to support David in any way but don’t have the spare money to, the best way for you to do that is to not skip ads! Keep up the fantastic work!

The dark wood hides dirt gathered when you get off road. or so I am told

I did enjoy seeing your thoughts on the show! Yes, I agree that a lot of the US interiors are WAY too dark and dated. And I also wonder why the flasher campervans aren't popular here.... we just seem to convert old vans!

Thanks David. The classic cars are bigger than the vintage caravans they tow. I'll take the REO speedwagon please. 💜

I agree with you comments about dark wood - I also prefer something lighter

Hi like this but I like your one better so keep yours as I love what you did to it nigel 🤗😏

I've never owned nor rented a campervan or motorhome & am not particularly inclined to do so, but as ever David you've managed to make another interesting video so cheers for that 😎👍👍

Thanks David..you realize that you are dating yourself simply by knowing who REO Speedwagon The Band is!!...Cant fight that feeling..

Great look at some of the new, and not so new, camping equipment. I think manufacturers here in the US are starting to go the brighter cheerier route.... very, very slowly and at a price.

I love an outdoor kitchen space. You can do all the cooking outside without steaming up the interior! Great when you're in a hot climate and don't want to heat up the interior that you may have just had the AC running in, or if you're dealing with humidity issues.

Ransom E. Olds was the father of REO Speedwagon known for heavy trucks and self propelled fire engines. Speedwagon and other noteables of that time provided the sound track of my youth.

Rock on with the videos

Your comments about how atrocious the interior (and exterior by the way) of US campers and RV are is spot on. In fact US owners of those same RVs and campers are constantly complaining about the horrible design choices. Why then do the makers continue to do this if in fact no one likes it? I think they do it because they can get away with it. You cannot buy an RV without those horrid stripes on the outside so no company wants to be the first to change. I wish one company would just make a red RV no swirls, no flashes, just a red exterior, and see how well it sells.

Some people may want their RVs to resemble the Batcave. I'd want mine to resemble the Tracy mansion, complete with secret switch to reveal all the gizmos. ;)

Very interesting. 👍 Especially the Reo Speedwagon. No need to apologize, I'm American and don't like all the dark wood in RVs either. Maybe they get a discount on the dark wood.

Those stackable battery modules are AGM which stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. That is a type of lead acid battery, not lithium. Thanks for the video. I can dream about owning one and hitting the open road even though I probably never will!

I am in complete agreement with you about the finishes in US campers. I do not understand why they want them to look so out of date. The wall finishes are crazy. I am an American. but I agree.

IN the US we like the Country house charm which tends to be earth tones and woods is my guess.

5:49 I've been reading old pulpy scifi and that looks like it belongs on Death World for sure

0:20 Deutsche Wertarbeit!!! 😀🇩🇪

I agree David, Those north American rv are very dark inside. Imho they are opressive, Depressing and they just make the small space seem even smaller.

Trust you to prefer the double bed - "In case the ladies come calling".

..if you have a chance check out the timeless Canadian made Boler camper trailer from the late 1960's. In my mind one of the Classic Campers ever manufactured and cute as a button to boot!!

I like a dark cave for sleeping and the occasional escape for migraine control. No idea why our RVs are so dark, I hate it too. I even insist on light colored auto interiors. On the positive, a sharpie can hide scratches in the crappy finish😂

My new camper doesn't have a European interior but that costs a lot more here in the US. It is in demand though. The Leisure Van brand built in Canada has a more modern interior and the waiting list to get one is about a year. I expect other manufacturers will take notice.

Reo speedwagon and I ment every word I said that's mint

I like the look and compactness of the European models. I find the ones here in the US to be too big. At least for here in the Northeast of the country where we love our narrow twisty roads.

Or is it that the Bat Cave resembles an RV? To the Batvan!

The irony of talking about the dark fabric cracks me up. Question: what colours are the walls and mahogany counter-tops in your van, sir? :) :) :)

Have to say David this video truly excellent and dare I mention definitely one of your best. I'm not especially into motor home stuff but your video beautifully shot and beautifully edited. No, really, it was excellent. And I believe you shot it on your phone cam? Might make folks realise they don't always need loads of high end tech kit apart from a decent sound/video editor to produce nigh on technically perfect masterpieces 😂.