The 2024 Tampa RV Show: Florida Supershow Details | RV Lifestyle (2024)

The 2024 Tampa RV Show, officially known as the Florida RV Supershow, runs January 17-21, 2024 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa and is always one of the top RV shows in America. Many think it is the best.

This week in Episode 476 of The RV Podcast, in the Interview of the Week, we talk to Dave Kelly, the show's executive director.

You can watch the video version from our RV Lifestyle YouTube Channel by clicking the player below.

If you prefer an audio-only podcast, you can hear us through your favorite podcast app or listen now through the player below.

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Interview of the Week – Dave Kelly, Florida RV Supershow Executive Director

The Tampa, Florida RV Super Show is a popular event that attracts many people. It features a wide range of RVs, vendor booths, and educational seminars.

The show also offers free entertainment and is a destination for snowbirds. There are rallies and new additions to the show each year. Attendees can even buy RVs at the show.

If you follow along in the video or audio version, here are the key points according to time:

00:00 Introduction to the Tampa, Florida RV Super Show

01:11 Vendor Booths and RV Displays

02:00 Different Facets of RVing

04:00 Educational Seminars and Influencer Meetup Space

07:06 Free Entertainment at the Show

09:21 Rallies and Snowbirds

10:32 New Additions to the Show

11:17 Buying RVs at the Show

SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ – Wendy Bowyer

Wendy Bowyer reports on the hot issues most talked about this past week on our RV Lifestyle Facebook Group:

Renee is selling her 2019 Thor Four Winds on what appeared to be Facebook Marketplace and someone from New York offered to buy it unseen and said he would instruct his bank to put a $1,500 deposit into her bank account so she would hold it until he could get there. Renee said something seemed odd about this exchange and asked the RV Lifestyle Facebook Group if there was anything she should worry about.

The resounding answer? Run! It is a scam.

One clue was how he said, “I will instruct my bank” – regular people don't talk like this.

Second and most importantly, this person wanted direct access to her bank account. This is a big red flag.

Several of the 800-some commenters said they had been taken by similar schemes.

And amazingly another member of the group named Will had someone with the same name make an offer on his 2017 Roadtrek earlier this year. The scammer sent Will a check for $3,850. When Will told this person he sent too much, the scammer wanted him to send the overpayment back. And when Will deposited the check, the money appeared to be in his account one day, but the next day the funds were gone. If Will had not been carefully monitoring the situation, he could have been taken for thousands.

Lots of words of caution in this post about what scammers may do that could be very helpful to anyone selling your RV by yourself.

Next I'd like to tell you about Paula. Paula and her husband recently bought a 37-foot bumper pull. Thinking ahead, she asked: “How friendly are the trucker side gas pumps at a truck stop for a large RV?”

Jim said that is all he uses when towing his 42.5 footer.

Sean said he is a former trucker, and truckers don't mind large RVers filling up there as long as they pull up and move the RV if they need to go in the store.

And Diana said some Flying J's have RV designated pumps, so that is another option if you are concerned about pulling a big rig to the pump.

Then finally I need to leave you with a post from Teena. Teena and her husband are part-timers, and she says she is a crafty person who often finds it hard to find something crafty to take along on their travels. She said her current love is finding things to make on her 10 needle embroidery machine and she asked the group to show her all the crafty things they make while on the road.

Wow! So many crafty RVers out there!

Jayna knits these super cute wool socks. Amy and many others do beautiful embroidery.

Elaine makes fabric rope bowls that are very interesting. Annette is one of many who paints rocks.

Steve carves wood, just gorgeous wooden trays. Candace takes photographs of nature and puts them on tiles. And Lissette, get this, makes gorgeous baskets out of pine needles!

So many ideas here – it was really fun to read.

RV NEWS OF THE WEEK

Two popular national parks are raising their camping fees for the 2024 season

RVers planning to camp at Utah's Zion or Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nation Parks next year are going to have to pay a little more.

Utah's Zion National Park will raise the cost of nonelectric campsites at Watchman and South campgrounds from $20 per night to $35 starting July 1. Electric campsites at Watchman will rise from $30 to $45 per night, and non-electric at Lava Point Campground will rise from $20 to $25 per night.

Zion Park officials said the extra money is needed to maintain water, bathrooms, and campsites.

At Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, camping costs will rise from $20 to $34 a night starting Jan. 1. Officials there said the added money is also needed for maintenance.

We have visited both of these national parks and highly recommend them. You can read more about our suggested travel route, things to see, and places to camp in our 7 Day Adventure Guides for Colorado (click here) and southern Utah (click here).

Three new trails officially become part of the National Park System

The National Park System now has three new national trails – the Ice Age, New England, and North Country National Scenic Trails.

The three new trails have a combined 5,500 miles through 10 states and doubles the number of national trails in the NPS to six. The three existing national trails are the Appalachian, Natchez Trace, and Potomac Heritage trails.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail covers 1,200 miles of rolling hills, lakes, and ridges in Wisconsin, with its name serving as a reminder that during the Ice Age, much of North America lay under a huge glacier.

The New England National Scenic Trail travels through Connecticut and Massachusetts, covering 235 miles from the shores of Long Island Sound to mountain summits.

The North Country National Scenic Trail is expected to be 4,600 miles, traveling through Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

We are excited to explore these new trails, and a current one – the Natchez Trace – is one of our favorite places to camp.

We wrote a 7 Day Adventure guide to help RVers explore the Natchez Trace, too, that you can check out here.

Winter camping is becoming more popular

Our friends at the Dyrt, a popular camping app, recently released a survey showing nearly one third (31 percent) of all campers tried winter camping at least once last year.

And, the number of winter campers increased by 40 percent between 2019 to 2021, suggesting that campers bought the equipment, tried it out, and plan to continue.

Winter camping certainly is a special experience. Walking through a campground after a fresh layer of snow on a bright sunny day is one of my favorite camping memories.

If you are thinking of trying it this year, be sure to check out our Ultimate Guide to Winter RV Camping Guide story here.

New Hampshire to vote on raising camping costs for state parks this week

The cost of camping at a New Hampshire state park may be going up for the first time since 2012.

State officials say the increase is necessary because current camping fees are not competitive with private campgrounds and do not reflect major improvements the state has made to its campgrounds, particularly to RV hookups and bathhouses.

Under the proposed change the cost of a primate state campsite, which generally has pit toilets, would go from $23 a night to $29. And the cost of a standard campsite would go from $25 a night to $35.

A New Hampshire committee is expected to vote on the price hike Dec. 15.

RV APP OF THE WEEK

– This has been our main go-to app for years now. It lists campgrounds, boondocking spots, BLM land, parks, attractions and more, and it shows them all on a map. You can search near you or along a route or by state and you can have the map show you everything from campgrounds to interstate rest areas to Walmarts, RV dump sites, pretty much anything an RVer needs to find.

RV QUESTION OF THE WEEK

QUESTION: Like many, we’re thinking about going fulltime, selling our house and living in our 26-foot fifth wheel. The kids are grown and scattered around the country and we can visit them from time to time. We’re experienced campers but trying to get an idea on fulltime budgeting, especially what we will pay for monthly campground fees. We plan to stay long-term for a few months at a time in different regions. My husband thinks it will save us money over our $2,000 mortgage. I’m not so sure. Can you give us a reality check? – Makena

ANSWER: It all depends on what kind of campground you want. But generally, you should be able to get a very nice campground for the same or a bit less, maybe $1,800 a month long term. The cheapest I’ve seen is usually about $850 for one I’d call acceptable. But the real cost varies widely depending on the time of year, the amenities in the campground, and the popularity of the location.

And remember, you’re throwing that money away. It’s giving you no equity. Your $2,000 a month house mortgage is giving you value.

As to the rest of the expenses, like health care, clothing, groceries, meals, entertainment, Internet and whatnot, figure you’ll be paying the same if not a bit more when in popular tourist spots.

Mike and Jennifer's Southern Utah RV Adventure Guide

Utah, Utah, Utah.What more is there to be said? In very few places across the United States is there such a tremendous area with breathtaking vistas and diversity of terrain.

This ebook is a seven-day guided exploration of the State and National Parks in Southern Utah. We provide a suggested route and itinerary, links to multiple campgrounds and boondocking spots, and the best spots to see along the way. Don’t plan your trip to Southern Utah without it!