There is trouble brewing in RV country
The trailer camp industry is teetering on the brink of a full-blown existential crisis at a time when there has never been more demand among Canadians
Nikki Ferreira had been married to her husband Steve for 20 years. They worked together, raised a daughter and knew one another’s quirks, and what she unequivocally understood about her spouse was that it was next to impossible to talk him out of any idea that got lodged in his brain.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what he was thinking; my idea of camping was a night at the Hilton,” she said. “I said, ‘Where is the money for an RV going to come from? Our daughter is going to university.’”
Steve answered a legitimate question with what has become a legendary family line: “Well, she is smart enough already.”
And that’s how the Ferreiras, who had never been camping with a recreational vehicle, or camping period, came to own “Smart Enough,” a 42-foot trailer — a.k.a. recreational vehicle — they bought for $89,000. They subsequently upgraded to a 45-footer with two air conditioners and a full shower. The trailer is larger than their first home, and it is currently parked as their summer residence at Shore Acres Park RV Resort on Lake Erie, just outside Port Dover, Ont.
