Joe’s Camper Sales 28th Annual RV Camper Show is a regional tradition with visitors coming all across southwestern Minnesota to see what is new in camping vehicles.

Ron and Bev Fults of Sanborn were among the first to attend this year’s show on Wednesday. The couple was not necessarily looking for a new camper. They already have a 17-foot trailer, but each year they like to check out the show.

“The campers are fun to look at,” Bev Fults said.

Ron Fults said their current trailer is getting a little old, but they would prefer find something roughly the same size.

Brian Earl of New Ulm inspects the walkout deck on one of the newest camper models.

Bev Fults said she doesn’t like to clean a large floor space. Their current trailer has about 12 square feet of floor space and she likes it that way. The couple also did not need a large kitchen space because they do most of their cooking outside.

The Fults were considering a smaller RV. Their previous campers have all been pull behinds.

The Henle and Sveine family were also exploring the camper show on the first day. Between the two families there were four little children who enjoyed climbing up into the bunks and lofts spaces of the different campers.

“We love coming to the camper show,” Chay Henle said. “We want to see what options are available.”

“You have got to see the new trends,” Sarah Sveine said. She noticed there were more brown colors on the interiors with textured walls. Sveine said they have no camper yet. She wasn’t sure if the family would invest but said it would have to be child friendly.

Over 70 campers are parked door to door in the New Ulm Civic Center for the 28th annual Camper Show hosted by Joe’s Camper Sales.

The Phillips and Baker families of Madison Lake came to the show just to test their curiosity. Chad Phillips said they came to look at some of the fish houses, but they had to explore the larger campers as well.

“We’re always curious,” he said.

“Its always interesting to see what they have,” Nicki Baker said.

Chad Phillips said this was one of the better camper shows to attend. Some of the show they have near the Twin Cities are too crowded and it’s hard to move around. You can actually see more at the New Ulm show.

“This is a great show,” Heidi Phillips said.

Joe Lamecker, owner of Joe’s Camper Sales, said in the 28 years of doing the show, Lamecker said the overall concept has not unchanged, but the actual campers have changed a lot.

Mankato couple Gretchen Sadaka and Jeff Schauer were also just looking. They already had a 2017 camper, but could be willing to upgrade. Schauer said they might consider upgrading to a 2021 model.

“It’s so fun to look around,” Sadaka said.

Schauer was not looking for any one feature, but Sadaka had a list of needs. She was interested in an electric fireplace feature, she liked the island kitchen design and loved the campers with side by side sinks in the bathroom. However, she admits it was tricky to find everything in a single camper.

“There is always a give and take with the campers,” she said.

Sam Jacobs, a salesman at Joe’s Camper, said part of the fun of the camper show is the variety.

The Henle and Sveine families explore the camper show together. Michael Henle inspects camper loft space with the children. L to R: Quinn Henle, Michael Henle holding Mason Henle, Finn Sveine and Cal Sveine

“We have a little bit of everything,” he said. “Any way you want to go, there is probably a camper for you.”

Joe Lamecker, the owner of Joe’s Camper Sales, said the setup for the Camper Show was always a little challenging. Fitting 70 campers into the Civic Center took a lot of planning. Since every camper is a different size and shape, they had to place them carefully. If a camper has slide outs on both sides, it needs to be parked with enough space on both sides.

“It always takes some maneuvering,” he said “But this year went really fast. We had all the campers in here by 4 p.m. Tuesday and we started Monday morning.”

In the 28 years of doing the show, Lamecker said the overall concept has not changed, but the actual campers have changed a lot.

“There is a lot more electronics,” he said. “Everyone needs wifi and cell phones. Everyone wants convenience. They want to be automatic. That means a lot of push-button features.”

Five rows of campers are parked on each side of the New Ulm Civic Center for the annual Camper Show. “It always takes some maneuvering,” said Joe’s Camper Sales owner Joe Lamecker, “but this year went really fast. We had all the campers in here by 4 p.m. Tuesday and we started Monday morning.”

The latest feature coming to the new campers line is the walkout deck. Lamecker said this was easily the standout feature of the new models. The idea of putting a porch on the back of a camper came out during COVID. During the pandemic lockdown, camper designers went to work and developed the camper porch.

Lamecker said after two days, the camper show was doing pretty well. It is difficult to judge the show based on sales. He said most years the majority of their sales happen after the camper show. People come down to see what they have and visit the show room within the next week if they’re interested in a camper.

He views the show as a great opportunity to bring people together to show off what is new in campers and give people ideas. The show is also popular with sales representatives who can actually show off the full camper trailer at the show, instead of settling for a photo on a computer screen or sales magazine.

“We have people who come here each day of the show” Lamecker said. “They know that they can look around without anyone bothering them, but if they need help, we’re here for them.”

The Camper Show continues at the New Ulm Civic Center through weekend. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Ron and Bev Fults look through an RV and the camper show. The couple has a 17-foot pull behind trailer, but are considering upgraded to a smaller RV.

Gretchen Sadaka of Mankato inspects the refrigerator in one of the camper parked outside the Civic Center.

Paxton Schmiesing examines every camper at the show for one with buck beds and bike storage. He said that’s what his family needs to attend BMX events.