How the RV became America's ultimate home on wheels

History on wheels

The RV is as American as apple pie. For decades, families have packed up and hit the road in a home-from-home kitted out with a kitchen, beds and plenty of mod cons. But how did RVs morph into the modern juggernauts we're familiar with today?

We trace the history of the motorhome from makeshift tour buses to full-blown houses on wheels.

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1870s: camping grows in popularity

Tent camping and the back-to-nature experience it offers is still a beloved pastime for many Americans – and that's where the story of the RV really begins. Karl Friedrich Benz is typically credited with creating the first automobile in the 1880s but even before the age of the motorcar, camping for pleasure was gaining in popularity. A book by clergyman William H.H. Murray, Adventures in the Wilderness; Or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks, inspired generations of Americans to strike out into the countryside and pitch up under the stars. Here two men canoe in the scenic Adirondack mountains.

1890s: camping with a horse and wagon

While the RV (and even the motorcar as we know it) was still a distant spot on the horizon in the late 19th century, keen campers found other ways to escape into nature. A horse-drawn wagon with plenty of room for gear was a popular mode of exploring and its virtues were extolled in John B. Bachelder's book Popular Resorts and How to Reach Them, published in the 1870s. This postcard advertising California's Yosemite National Park (designated in 1890) shows visitors beating a path through the landscape in a horse-pulled vehicle.

1900s: "the touring car of the future"

Fast-forward to the turn of the century and automobile manufacturing was increasing steadily. Couple that with wealthy Americans' increasing appetite for travel across the States and US travelers were in need of a new breed of motorcar. This 1905 sketch by Albert Levering – titled "The touring car of the future" – is tongue-in-cheek, but it signals a want for a new vehicle that offers explorers everything they need on the road.

1910s: the earliest RVs

Often pegged as the first-ever RV, the Pierce-Arrow Touring Landau debuted in 1910. Only the richest in society could afford this whizzy automobile, which included a fold-out bed, a stow-away sink and a chamber-pot toilet. This magazine advert dates to 1911.

 

1910s: the earliest RVs

Another early iteration of the RV, which arguably resembles the modern kind even more closely, was made by husband and wife Roland and Mary Conklin. Roland was the president of the Chicago Motor Bus Company and they transformed a regular bus into a swish motorhome fit for a cross-country tour.

1910s: the earliest RVs

Their creation – which included two decks, a kitted-out kitchen, sofas, sleeping berths and an electric generator – hit the headlines as they made their way from Huntington, New York to San Francisco, California. This innovative vehicle would ultimately set the bar for the RVs of the future.

1910s: makeshift RVs

The Conklins weren't the only keen travelers to tinker with existing vehicles and make their own motorhome. The innovative RV captured in this vintage shot is made from Sitka spruce and was used by a Californian to explore US states including Alaska. Across the country, handy Americans followed the trend.

1920s: the rise of the trailer

While early RVs and touring cars remained incredibly expensive in the early 1900s (and not everyone could make their own), the trailer grew in popularity. America's car industry boomed in the Roaring Twenties and the trailer represented a portable home-from-home with varying levels of creature comforts. Two women enjoy their trailer vacation in this 1920s shot.

1920s: the Curtiss Aerocar

Among the fanciest trailers on the market was the Curtiss Aerocar. It was tipped as a 'motor bungalow' and was fitted out with an observation deck, sleeping berths and even running water. The invention is snapped here in the 1920s, in the Floridian city of Opa-locka.

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1920s: a 'house car' named Harriet

Tin Can Tourists – tipped as America's first RV camping club – was born in 1919 and cemented America's love affair with recreational vehicles. Its mission was to provide clean, safe places to park up and camp, and to bring fellow 'tin can tourists' together. This smart 'house car', affectionately known as Harriet after her co-owner Harriett Warren, is captured at a Tin Can Tourists convention in Arcadia, Florida.

1930s: on the road with an RV

Through the 1930s, the Great Depression slowed the pace of America's automobile boom – but you'd still spot newfangled trailers, touring cars or makeshift RVs on US highways. Here a pair of gleaming vehicles pulling Curtiss Aerocars fill up at a gas station in New Jersey.

1930s: exploring America's national parks

America's national parks were among the most popular places to explore with a motorized RV or trailer. The National Park Service expanded significantly through the 1930s: the system acquired US Forest Service-managed national monuments and battlefields, and by 1933 it comprised 137 units (compared with just 37 in 1916). Here, a car and trailer are parked up in Glacier National Park, which was designated in 1910.

 

1930s: Tin Can Tourists

The Tin Can Tourists club was still going strong through the 1930s too. Here smiling camping enthusiasts gather before their RVs at a campsite in Tehachapi, California.

1930s: a trailer park in Florida

With the rise of RV and trailer vacations, came the rise of RV parks. Soon, dedicated RV sites like this one were popping up across the nation, particularly in sun-drenched states like Florida which was seeing an influx of tourists. This palm-dotted park was on Florida's Gulf Coast.

1940s: RV-ing in the war years

The Second World War put the production of RVs on the back-burner once more, as manufacturing efforts went into producing artillery, military vehicles and aircraft. But this glorious shot from the tail end of the Forties shows America's appetite for the open road was still strong. It shows a car and trailer rattling through Grand Teton National Park in the 1940s.

1950s: the launch of the Volkswagen camper van

Motorized RVs, though still pricey, continued to gain in popularity in the 1950s, helped along by a post-war manufacturing boom. And it was in this decade that the Volkswagen camper van debuted, representing a major milestone in RV history. The Volkswagen Type 2, which remains a classic today, is pictured here on display at an auto showroom in 1958. It's still loved for its streamlined design, with camping necessities like a bed and a stove.

1950s: creature comforts

For those who could afford the best on the market, RVs were becoming increasingly comfortable and well-equipped. More than ever, they served as a swish home-from-home, with plenty of mod cons like lighting, plus cozy soft furnishings. This photo shows the chintzy interior of a motorhome from the 1950s.

1950s: the trailer is here to stay

Despite the growing appetite for motorized RVs, the popularity of trailers showed no sign of abating either. This 1950s family have the perfect set-up: a lakeside pitch shaded by trees, a picnic-ready table and a rowing boat for adventures.

1960s: Winnebago comes onto the scene

By the 1960s, the RV was beginning to embed itself in American culture. This was helped along by Winnebago who began mass-producing its large, modern motorhomes in this decade. For the first time, the motorized RV was becoming more affordable and accessible to the regular traveler. Stamped with the unmistakable 'W' Winnebago RVs are still ubiquitous.

 

1960s: the modern RV takes shape

In this decade, RVs were beginning to take their modern shape: large, powerful vehicles crammed full of storage space and countertops, with comfy(ish) beds and a fully functioning kitchen to boot. The Wolverine Camper Co. was another notable player: this smart motorhome is pictured at the Wolverine factory in Quincy, Florida in 1961.

1960s: the RV vacation booms

RVs came on leaps and bounds in the 1960s: the vehicles were getting larger and larger, and mod cons such as insulation (pioneered by Winnebago and its Thermo-Panel) were becoming increasingly popular. The continued mass production of the vehicles carried on driving down prices too.

1960s: America's highways

America's highway system also continued to expand and the country's road quality improved immeasurably (although construction was met with protests in some parts of the country in this decade). Jack Kerouac's novel On The Road, which was published in 1957, had also found a place in America's heart by the 1960s. Here the Teton Range towers over a smooth, open road in the state of Wyoming.

1960s: scenic sites

RV campgrounds were now ubiquitous across America, although most parks only had a handful of full hook-up sites. This palm-studded park is filled with large RVs and airstream trailers, and could be found in the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park.

1960s: into the wild

However, some people still eschewed organized campgrounds in favor of parking up in their own peaceful pocket of America. This idyllic scene shows a family with a converted Ford Explorer camper van setting up for a picnic in a quiet meadow.

1970s: the hippy era

The 1960s and the 1970s ushered in the era of the hippie and the VW camper van became more than a motorhome: it became a symbol of peace, freedom and alternative lifestyles. This Volkswagen camper is sitting pretty on a beach in Little Duck Key in the Florida Keys.

1970s: camping by the beach

Combining a beach escape with a camper van adventure was – and still is – a popular vacation style. In this dreamy 1970s shot, a man pulls up in a beach buggy while a woman and her dog stand by a smart VW camper van.

 

1970s: a vehicle for the masses

Winnebago remained a titan of the RV industry through the 1970s. In this decade, the company celebrated the sale of its 100,000th motorhome, showing that the RV had well and truly entered the mainstream. Winnebago celebrate the milestone in this 1977 photograph.

1970s: a Winnebago in the wild

This snap shows a Winnebago motorhome in its natural habitat: in America's beautiful backyard with far-reaching views out across the countryside. The red-tinged photo captures Arches National Park, Utah in the Seventies, with the folks in the foreground setting up for an alfresco dinner.

1970s: a motorhome show

By the mid-1970s, RVs were part of the American psyche. This motorhome showroom from the decade doesn't look so different from those of the modern day. Potential buyers wander around the mammoth vehicles which come complete with roof decks and are described as 'micro mini-homes'.

1970s: fishing in Florida

While newfangled motorhomes and ever-improving highways opened up the whole of America to travelers, the Sunshine State remained an enduring favorite with vacationers. Here, a retired couple from California stop off in Florida's Spanish Harbor Key for a spot of fishing. Their RV glints in the sunshine at the water's edge.

1970s: life at a slow pace

Some vacationers used their RV as a base for activities like fishing, water sports or hiking, while others were content to simply be. This photo from the mid-Seventies shows an elderly couple at a picnic bench in a peaceful RV site in Torreya State Park, an underrated state park in Florida. Their lawn chairs are set out ready for a spot of sunbathing...

 

1970s: celebrities hit the road

The RV craze took off in celebrity circles too. Today, stars from Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis to Alicia Keys have been papped while road-tripping in RVs and there were some early adopters of the trend in the Seventies. This photo shows American actor Richard Kiel (best known for his role as villain Jaws in the James Bond franchise) relaxing with his family on the road in 1979. They're parked up in Covina, California.

1980s: the RV enters pop culture

The Eighties only solidified the RV's place in American culture. In this decade, movies including the satirical comedy Lost in America (1985) and the original Blues Brothers film (1980) put RVs front and center. This 1980s photo shows a lone RV parked up in a wild wetland area of Wisconsin.

1990s: a new world

By the Nineties, the world was changing. The planet was well and truly in the grip of the 'Information Age' and low-cost carriers were making it easier to travel by air around the States (and beyond). However, the call of RVs and the open road was still strong. In this decade, 'slide outs', which enhanced the space of already giant motorhomes, became commonplace too. A large RV is pictured driving past Wyoming's Devils Tower in this 1996 photo.

2000s: RVs have staying power

Despite the increased availability and affordability of flying across the States, many families still defaulted to a RV or camping trip through the Noughties. The tragic events of 9/11 in 2001 also led to an increased interest in RV vacations, according to industry experts. This classic American RV is parked up in a lot in Florida in the year 2000.

 

2010s: the rise of digital nomads

By the 2010s, the RV – by now an American institution – was not just used during vacation time. The term 'digital nomading' (typically meaning remote workers who travel around freely, often in a camper van or RV) was first used in 1997. But it wasn't until this decade that it would really catch on. According to research by MBO Partners, some 4.8 million Americans dubbed themselves 'digital nomads' by 2018. This 2014 photo captures a series of large RVs on the coast in Malibu, California.

2020s: RV travel during a pandemic

The world locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic and, as it gradually reopened, the RV was an attractive choice for vacationers: they're self-contained, they lend themselves to multi-generational travel and they offer an open road that's ideal for social distancing.

2020s: RV travel during a pandemic

In fact, the popularity of the RV vacation surged so much that rental company RVshare cited a 1,000% increase in bookings from April to mid-May in 2020. This renewed appeal led to packed-out campsites (most also had limits on capacity) and crowded national parks, as providers struggled to cope with demand. This 2021 photo shows a busy RV site in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

The future of RVs

The RV is keeping its wheels firmly on the road. With more remote workers than ever before, the motorhome is no longer just a vacation rental, but a way of life for many. The world's first all-electric RV debuted in Europe in 2019 too, and American motorhome giant Winnebago unveiled its own prototype in January 2022, so the wheels of change are turning.

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