RV show rolls out luxury on 4 wheels

For those who prefer to think of their motor home as their castle, the palatially appointed Alfa Gold is priced to move at a special 2005 Seattle RV & Outdoor Recreation Show price of $209,995. This rig truly is an RV that has OD'd.

Standard equipment includes leather sofas, 10-disc CD changer, touch-screen dashboard computer, DuPont Corian countertops, Moen faucets, convection microwave, stainless-steel refrigerator, cedar-lined bedroom closet, shower skylight, roof deck (perfect for watching NASCAR races), wind-sensor electric awning and four — that's right, four — TVs. All that, and a living room that is 7½ feet from floor to ceiling.

"Shaquille O'Neal could walk through this vehicle without hitting his head," said Donnie "Brosco" Jones, a sales associate for Poulsbo RV in Kent. "And that's even with the ceiling fan on."

That's right, a ceiling fan.

Salesmanship aside, the latest and greatest in recreational vehicles are on display through Sunday as more than 500 rigs have pulled into the Qwest Field Event Center, as well as the stadium's west concourse and north plaza.

Many innovations and gizmos are geared toward younger male buyers. The Fleetwood Evolution folding trailer, with its color choices of You Want a Piece of Me Yellow or Play Hard Platinum, oozes with testosterone. Its 15-inch wheels allow for higher clearance and therefore can go down dirt roads where wimpy travel trailers fail.

"This is made for guys who want to go deep into the woods," said Mark Kappert, service manager for Apache Camping Center of Tacoma and Everett. "It's especially popular with hunters, fishermen and rock climbers. The trend now for outdoorsmen is to work out of a base camp, and this makes for a great base camp."

At $10,995, it ought to. About the only feature the Evolution doesn't have that family-oriented travel trailers do is a built-in toilet.

"Real men don't need toilets," Kappert said. "Everywhere is our toilet."

Another new product trend is the sport-utility trailer, or SUT. Most come equipped with built-in 30- or 35-gallon separate fuel tank for "when you're boondockin' out in the middle of the desert and you need to fuel up your ATV [all-terrain vehicle] or motorcycle," said Christian Gerling, the show's marketer. The sport-utility models have "toy haulers" — pull-down ramps or hydraulic platforms — with rear cargo space for hauling a variety of off-road "toys."

One of the more eye-catching SUTs is being offered by Extreme RVs of Caldwell, Idaho. The interior resembles a retro diner, with red vinyl benches on either side of a white dinette table, black-and-white checkerboard flooring, brushed nickel wall paneling and silver cabinet trim.

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES More than 500 rigs are at the Qwest Field Event Center for the 2005 Seattle RV & Outdoor Recreation Show, open through Sunday.

"This floor plan is popular with two generations of folks," said Matt Wicks, sales manager of Renton Marine Center, a local dealer of Extreme RVs. "The older generation says it reminds them of the '50s, and the younger generation says it's sweet because it has a racing look to it."

But RV-ing is not yet an extreme sport, so manufacturers continue to create creature comforts to appeal to their more reliable target market: retirees and those nearing that age.

The 37-foot-long Dutchmen Grand Junction 37QSL-H5, also sold by Poulsbo RV, features a sunken living room complete with a heat-emitting electric fireplace. Mary Tyler Moore, aka Mary Richards, whose Minneapolis bachelorette pad had a sunken living room, would be jealous, a sign proclaims.

But sunken living rooms, which the industry has been offering for about the past 18 months, do not impress Arlo Koletzky of Silverdale, who browsed the show yesterday with her husband, Wayne.

"We have a sunken living room at home," she said. "You know the scene, a friend with a glass of red wine doesn't see the step down and the next thing you know, you have wine stains all over the carpet. I just don't see how an extra step is very handy in an RV, especially for senior citizens."

The couple, owners of a 35-footer, also are not impressed with the fueling stations and toy haulers.

"We don't do toys," Wayne Koletzky harrumphed. They prefer bicycles.

The couple are most interested in old-fashioned comforts, Arlo Koletzky said.

"I want a kitchen I can move around in and get things without having to reach for them. I want a refrigerator with enough room and a standard-size sink. And I want a shower wide enough so I can actually put my elbows out."

Stuart Eskenazi: 206-464-2293 or seskenazi@seattletimes.com

IF YOU GO

2005 Seattle RV & Outdoor Recreation Show

• Qwest Field Event Center

• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and tomorrow; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

• Tickets at Qwest Field Event Center box office and Ticketmaster outlets: $8 adults; $7 seniors 60 and over; $5 students 13 to 18; free for children 12 and under. Couples two for the price of one today

• Free parking at Qwest Field north lot, entrance off South King Street

• Free child care for kids 10 and under tomorrow and Sunday

425-277-8132 or www.mhrvshows.com