Need a travel trailer that is lightweight and loaded with design touches? Look no further than Venture RV based in Indiana. Venture RV's parent company is K-Z, Inc., a subsidiary of Thor Industries. The Venture line grew out of K-Z, Inc., which got its start building truck trailers in 1972. "Venture RV has been around for 7 years," general manager of Venture RV Dave Boggs tells The Buzz. "We have well-built trailers that are a little bit different look and design than others."
The trailers go from the quaint, lightweight Sonic Lite to the massive SportTrek Touring luxury line. "We have something for everyone," Boggs says. The Sonic Lite and Sonic trailers, single axle and tandem axle respectively, range from about 2,500 pounds to 3,500 pounds. They are good for couples and small families. A recent online review says, "We were planning on buying a Micro Minnie but, at the last minute, we watched some videos on our top choices and decided that the money would be better spent on the Sonic. The Winnebago murphy bed did not really compare to what we got in the Sonic. There was also a much roomier feel. The slide out is also deeper on the Sonic. We had several features that we had decided were "musts". A 6cf fridge/freezer, room in the bathroom to change, black tank flush and power on the awning and tongue jack. We also really like the huck bolt frame and the one piece roof. We are very pleased with the Sonic and would recommend it to others."
The largest, most spacious is the SportTrek Touring line. "They are great for families with 2-6 kids," Boggs says, "And we also have a lot of full-timers that decide to go for a travel trailer instead of a fifth wheel and this is perfect for them." The Touring line has all the features one would want in a travel trailer and Boggs notes that they are really taking off.
An inside look at the kitchen/living room of a 2019 Venture RV Stratus SR261VRL Travel Trailer. [Photo/Venture RV]
In fact, the SportTrek Touring 302VRB travel trailer was awarded the 2018 Top RV Debut by RV Business. The press release stated, "The 302VRB offers two slides, an outside Campfire Cafe, a 20-foot electric awning, and a strong, lightweight NXG frame that features Huck fasteners and superior quality." An NXG frame is a strong, lightweight, consistent foundation to build travel trailers and fifth wheels on. They are constructed with high strength, low alloy prime steel and a lot of it is robotically welded for consistent quality. The components are of course joined with Huck fasteners. Huck LockBolts are made to deal with a vibration-intense environment and engineered to never come loose in that setting.
All of the SportTrek Touring travel trailers have 2 fireplaces, slide-out bedrooms, complete with a window seat with ‘his-and-her’ closets on either side. Another reviewer says of theTouring line: "Overall after 3 years of looking, we found the best travel trailer out there for way less money than the other brands and could not be any happier."
Venture RV shares factory space with K-Z, amounting in about 400 employees between the two. Many of the people who work for Venture RV are outdoor recreationalists themselves, including Boggs, and their experiences go directly into the user friendly design of the travel trailers during production. "Our family goes camping a lot and I used to put my wallet, keys and phone on the table," Boggs recalls. "And my wife would hide them from me, then say, 'design some place else to put these.' So we did." The result is the Safe-Tek storage cabinet in the travel trailers. "The cabinet has a 110 outlet, USB chargers and provides a place to put all the valuables that you do not want to lose," he says.
Another example of user friendly design is their StorMore nightstands. "There is a bit of wasted space behind the closet by the bed," Boggs explains. "We realized more customers are using CPAPs, as well as phones for alarms. So we made little nightstands behind the closets that are near outlets for charging."
The newest trailer model is the Stratus Ultra-Lite. It has won multiple awards this year, including the RVBusiness Top RV Debut, RV News Best of Show, and the RV Pro Magazine Best of Show. RV Pro writes about the Stratus SR261VRK model: "The lighter interior works well with the bright exterior. And we love all the storage areas – the cabinet-end cubby, the flip-up seat, the hollow end table, the stow-and-go dinette storage bins, or the hidden shelves by the bed. It’s a really upscale touch. You can tell someone was certainly thinking when they put this great little unit together.” The Stratus has a modern look like white cabinets and comes in 4 different exterior colors - red, blue, grey and white.
Venture RV may be a young company. But with the experience from K-Z, Inc and the innovation that comes with personal experience of its employees, it will continue to provide exciting travel trailers for years to come.