REALITY TV HAS A LONG AND WILD HISTORY of giving us some awesome viewertainment. We’ve seen amazing races and insane challenges. We’ve seen strangers push themselves to their outermost limits. Strangely enough, what we haven’t seen a lot of is RVs. Well—like a producer’s timely plot twist—that’s all about to change. This March, the National RV Training Academy (NRVTA) is releasing the first-ever RV reality show: “RV Unplugged.” And from what we can tell so far, it has everything. Eight RV teams will go head-to-head in competition, putting their survivor skills to the test in trial after trial for a cash prize of $10,000. (We don’t know yet whether there will be alliances or tribunals, but we’re eager to find out.) Airing on the RV Unplugged YouTube channel, the series will have nine full episodes. Tony Flammia, NRVTA’s sales and marketing director, says, “We are really excited to see people tune into the series [and] learn what kind of fun and adventures people enjoy with the RV lifestyle.” If those viewers are new to RVing—whew— they’re in for a wild ride.
Jeep Goes Overland into New Terrain
With 60 years of offroad industry experience, the Utah-based company ADDAX Overland is now partnering with Jeep to tackle new territory, according to Globe Newswire. Clocking
in at a lean 850 pounds, the new Jeep-branded Edition ADDAX Overland Trailer is as lightweight as it is rugged. With a military-grade steel chassis seamlessly bent with a 14-gauge steel body,
the trailer is designed for durability. “[It] can follow a Jeep Trail-Rated vehicle anywhere,” says Jim Morrison, senior VP and head of Jeep North America. “Adventurers can now enjoy the most
beautiful and remote places on Earth even longer.” Well, Jim Morrison, you’re certainly singing our tune.
Female Inmates Train as RV Techs
Rehabilitation is a passion for Mark Munday, reports the Gatesville Messenger. After 24 years of working for private industry, the resident of Gatesville, Texas has found a new calling with the RV Technical Institute: teaching female inmates how to be RV technicians. “If they can get a job [after completing their sentence], it’s definitely a win-win situation,” Munday says. “Taxpayers pay for their education, but once they start making an income, they give back by paying taxes.” Female inmates at the Linda Woodman State jail serve shorter sentences, enabling them to use their RV repair skills relatively quickly. So, Munday has it right indeed: It’s a total win-win.
Hershey’s Sweet Sales and Scavenger Hunt
Last September, the 53rd annual edition of America’s Largest RV Show in Hershey, PA welcomed over 51,000 visitors—and over 1,500 RVs. The show saw big sales for manufacturers but also
offered seminars by RV pros on purchasing, maintenance, and travel tips. Visitors were even able to experience the Show’s first-ever scavenger hunt—with prizes ranging from a Ninja Woodfire™ to a $250 Visa gift card.
Starlink’s Big Mobile Connectivity Leap
SpaceX is obviously into motion—be that cross-country or interplanetary. And it is now accepting orders for its new Flat High-Performance dish, which complements the Starlink RV service announced in May 2022. The new dish has a hefty price tag, $2,500, but represents a qualitative leap for RVers looking to connect to the internet on the go. The Flat High-Performance dish gives off-grinders enhanced GPS services, improved weather resistance, and—of course—highspeed, low-latency internet. All of which is a future we like to imagine.
Looking for a Campsite? Your Park Could Text You
No one likes the last-minute campsite scramble. And officials at the Shenandoah National Park want to put an end to it with a new text-alert system. The text-message channel will convey availability and notify campers about unoccupied campsites in simple language (“Plenty” or “Full”) for the park’s five campgrounds. Alerts will go out on weekends in the afternoon.
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