Why do RV companies make twin RVs with different names?

If you’re shopping for an RV you may have come across two models that are almost identical. For example you might be scoping out that beautiful Salem 32 Veranda and see the Wildwood 32 Veranda and notice it’s basically the same trailer. In fact, it is the same trailer. What’s the deal with this?

You’re actually not crazy - there are a number of RV builders who actually offer more than one brand of the exact same product. While this might seem like a silly practice, it sort of makes sense as much as anything makes sense in the RV industry.

How RVs are sold

Unlike motor vehicles, RV dealers are not franchise operations for the most part. At least not when it comes to their relationship with the manufacturer.

An RV dealer signs-up with a manufacturer and then typically gets a territory in which they are guaranteed to be the only representative of that brand within a specified region.

For example, when I was working at Redwood Empire RVs we saw a lot of people want to buy Rockwood products in our area, but the closest Rockwood dealer was about 90 miles away. Based on the agreement with the factory, that meant that we couldn’t be a Rockwood dealer.

But Forest River’s Rockwood/Flagstaff division makes both Rockwood and Flagstaff products so we signed-up to be a Flagstaff dealer. This is exactly why these companies do this.

So with our much lower cost of operation we were able to sell comparable Flagstaff product at a lower price than our competition was able to sell Rockwood product. Further, the way the land was configured in our region it was a big deal to drive those 90 miles to the competing dealer so it was much more convenient for the customers in our little corner of the world to come to us.

What’s the difference?

In many of these brands the primary difference is in the decals on the outside. That’s it. They’re built in the same facilities by the same people using the same techniques. Often the only way the team at the manufacturer can tell the difference is at the end of the line where the decals are applied.

Sometimes there are some material differences but this is not common.

So a Wildwood and a Salem or a Rockwood and a Flagstaff or so many of these sister brands are the same in every way.

The funny thing is that our competition at the dealership would insist that the Flagstaff product wasn’t the same as the Rockwood product, but that’s simply not the case. I’ve been to the factory multiple times. It’s all about territories.

So what that boils down to is something I’ve often preached at seminars, workshops, in our podcast and just talking to people about RVs. Shop your RV dealership first. In fact our “Shop your RV dealership first” article has remained very popular.

One more thing

There are also what are called “captive brands” which are brands that are only available at specific RV dealerships. These are typically made for chains of dealerships.

In some cases these are identical to more common brands, in other cases the dealership chain will specify differences in content. In rare occasions that chain will specify features or build quality to match what that company does. For example, if they sell predominantly in regions with certain temperature extremes.

Other times they will specify lesser features or components to lower the cost of the RV or just make the profit margin greater. This is where your keen sense of shopping is going to really come in handy.

Some of these chains really do offer good service or benefits, but not all. So this goes back to shopping the RV dealership first.

Know that if a floor plan achieves any sales success whatsoever the rest of the RV industry is going to clone it. In fact if a floor plan does offer something special it may be that the clones are better than the original.

Sometimes a builder can see a flaw in how the originator of a floor plan created it and then make improvements. But sometimes those clones can have features or components that aren’t as good as the original. Again, shop carefully.

Brands that are identical

I’m starting the very beginning of a list of sister brands and, as always, welcome your input.

Thor Motor Coach

Four Winds - Chateau

Forest River

Salem-Wildwood

Flagstaff-Rockwood