Yesterday we attended the 19th Annual Atlantic City RV & Camping Show. This is a “regional” show with nine local RV dealers and about 30+ vendors booths.The show runs from Friday to Monday. Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and with the recent barrage of snow storms, we figured the show would not be busy and we could spend more time looking at the selections of motorhomes. We were right and after three hours we saw what we came to see and was ready to go home.

The lack of a crowd really was to our advantage since we haven’t decided on what type of rig we are interested in, and haven’t decided what we’re eventually going to purchase. After driving the FR3 on the Maiden Voyage, I’m leaning more to a diesel pusher, Debbie on the other hand doesn’t see the reason for the added cost since our plan is to only relocate every three or four months once we go full time.

This debate is discussed in a lot of the Facebook groups. I think with proper maintenance, the diesel motorhome will outlast the gas version many times over.

Since this was our second year going to this show, we knew we didn’t need to stop by any of the vendor booths (some of them are still calling from last year) We came to see and compare rigs, and there were only a few we were interested in seeing. We wanted to take a good look at a Forest River Charleston 430FK (currently my #1), a Tiffin Allegro Red 38QBA, A comparable Newmar model, and a Winnebago Forza 38R.

The first RV we saw wasn’t on our list, but it was cool and we had to check it out. It’s a Dynamax DX37BHHD

One of the Dealers had “my” Charleston 430FK. it was really good to see it up close instead of in a brochure or online. I still like it. The “Show Price” was $269,988

The same dealer had a comparable Newmar model. It’s a Ventana 4369 and surprisingly the same price as the Charleston. We really liked the lighter wood and the furniture was extremely comfortable. It had a very cool buffet/bar with a hidden big screen TV that raised up when you wanted to watch it. The master bath was awesome too, it had a double sink and marble shower stall. Newmar also has the “Comfort Drive” steering system. Which make the coach easier to drive. I think I may have found a new #1

For about $80,000 less than the Charleston, or Ventana, you can get a Winnebago Forza. Clearly you get what you pay for because the interior finishes aren’t even close to the level of the Charleston or Ventana. Needless to say we weren’t impressed.

From pop-ups to custom buses, there is every type of RV at this show. We did check out a few 5th wheels since there’s ongoing debates on Facebook as to which one is better for full-timing. I think it’s just a personal preference. The 5th wheels are nice and home-like, but for us we would rather pull a small car then have to use the tow vehicle to run around town in.

I think our next step is to visit a larger show like Hershey so we can see more models/dealers. Since we have some time left in our plan there’s no rush right now.