We Were Built for This

The energy crisis had a lasting impact. Total RV sales dropped from 528,000 in 1973 to 295,800 in 1974. Jayco’s production dropped 40 percent in one year, forcing plant closings. Jayco management worked on a production line for several weeks.

“Time with your children passes quickly, and this is such an amazing way to build close relationships with them. Life is busy and can pull us in so many directions. RVing brings us back together again, making memories that we know will stay with our kids forever.”

“We like to stay five nights at a campground near lots of hiking and sightseeing, especially in the mountains. Then we reward the kids and ourselves with a few nights at a resort-style campground with lots of scheduled activities so we can just enjoy ourselves and not have to leave the campground.”

“With life’s busy schedule, we all need to decompress and get away from the hectic life and just relax and spend quality time together.”

Tragedy struck the Jayco family. Founder, Lloyd Bontrager, along with his son Wendall, Nelson Hershberger and his son Marcus were killed in an airplane crash during a storm on Easter Sunday.

The crash was a huge blow to the family and the company, but because of the solid foundation Lloyd had laid, his clear vision and the company’s dedicated personnel, Jayco moved ahead with a renewed commitment to its founding values.

“The dealer gave us a full walk-through demonstration of how to work all of the various gadgets. We were so excited to try it out for ourselves for the first time, we had a spontaneous idea: Why don’t we book a campsite tonight and practice setting it up!”

“RVers are a special breed of people from backgrounds as diverse as the population of this great country. There is always someone willing to help if there is a problem.”

In response to the energy crisis, Jayco focused on developing a lamination process that further reduced the weight of a unit. This brought on the introduction of the Songbird lightweight travel trailers, the first in Jayco’s long line of lightweight, laminated travel trailer products.

To help cope with ongoing economic difficulties, Jayco also introduced the light-towing FeatherLite I and FeatherLite II fold-down units

“Any little difficulties we experienced were far outweighed by the spectacular scenery, wilderness, wildlife and the memorable people we met along the way.”

“I camped as a kid with my family in a pop-up and later in a travel trailer and I still remember our annual cross-country road trips. I want my kids to have those memories as well.”

“We had overdone it, so of course, we were grumpy. I also realized I could have had the same temper tantrum in my living room—it was much better to be having it in the spectacular setting of Yosemite. Lesson learned: Your family isn’t always going to plan well or play nice on vacation, but you can persevere and still make wonderful memories.”