When shopping for an RV, many major manufacturers follow similar aesthetics - muted colors on the outside, modern sleek on the inside. Usually the goal is to make them seem big and spacious and pack in as many amenities as possible. However, wherever one goes in the country, multiple dealers carry one trailer manufacturer that stands out with vintage green and reds, classic styling, and vintage style interiors. These are the Retro trailers made by Riverside RV.
Riverside RV, based out of LaGrange, Indiana, has been around for about 10 years. "It started out with 4 guys building trailers and one running the company from the owner's pole barn," recalls Chris Daniels, sale representative for Riverside. "They would make about one or two trailers a week then ship them out." These were the white water trailers that were the first trailers to be made by the company. They were a laminated trailer with an aluminum frame.
Eight years ago, the company started the retro line and they have been going strong ever since. These trailers have aluminum frames and are built to be just like the old trailers, with modern amenities like television, a/c, refrigerator, etc. Since the beginning with only a couple people working, about 80 folks now work on the production line building about 10-12 trailers a day. "The owner saw that no one was really making the vintage look and thought it was a great niche to get into," Daniels says. Turns out, it is what a lot of folks were looking for.
An original White Water vintage trailer 176S from Riverside RV. [Photo/Riverside RV]
"Where we spend the least amount of money is in marketing," Daniels tells The Buzz, "Because the word of mouth is so good." Daniels says when they do RV shows, they tend to get a lot of people coming in to see what the trailers are all about. Dealers often come to Riverside to stock their retro trailer line, too, because it gets a lot of folks inside the dealership to look at them. The travel trailers range from about 14' to 32'. Nearly all of them are half-ton towable, with the smallest coming in around 1,500 pounds and the largest weighing in around 7,000 pounds. The interiors are all vintage - checkered floors, wood paneling and real wood cabinets, retro-style cushions, and classic looking countertops. There are modern twists on many models, though, like slideouts, freezer/fridge combos, and more.
Are they quality? In fact, they are. "All the manufacturers get their RV parts from the same places, so it really just depends on how well they are put together," Daniels notes. Daniels explains that big manufacturers pump out 20-30 trailers a day, whereas Riverside is on the smaller side and does not need to get that many trailers out a week so they take a bit more time on every trailer making sure everything is built to standard. Users seem to agree. One user, who was full-timing in the 19' Model 177SE, reviewed, "Build quality is excellent. I get the feeling that the factory genuinely wanted to supply a quality camper."
Another note of interest is that about 80% of the employees are Amish. As that area of Indiana and Ohio have a large Amish population, it makes sense, as well as the owner and production manager being Amish. As a result, the turnover rate is very small. This is due to workers being in the same family and some go to the same church; so they can work together smoothly. The stereotype of Amish quality holds true at the factory, as well. "The truth is, the Amish do a great job because they take pride in their work and make sure it is done right because they were raised to do that since they were young children," Daniels says. (Interesting side note: the Amish do not use electricity in their home, but it is okay to use it at their workplace).
The atmosphere of the company is very family-oriented, too. "The owner has walked in to talk with us about 3 times already today," Daniels relays. "And the general manager has his office right across the hallway." For Daniels, he has worked at the company for 2 years and loves it. "This is the best job I have ever had," Daniels says. He started as a sales representative and now is the Sales & Production Manager. He previously worked at a few larger manufacturers and notices a difference in quality and pride with the Riverside RVs. "When I was a sale rep, for about 16 months, I don't think I had a single quality control call," he recalled, “which was not the case at the larger manufacturers.” Riverside not only builds travel trailers, but retro toy haulers and fifth wheels as well.
The people who are buying the trailers are all across the board, from the older retired couples to the younger millennials excited to show off their trailer at the campground. Daniels says they don't really target a specific demographic because of the diversity of clients. "We hear the word cute a lot," chuckles Daniels, "But I think for a lot of people it brings that old nostalgia feeling and people, especially campers, really like that feeling."