The UnHamptons

Housing Crisis? Try Mobile McMansions - Today's business section leads with this piece on the annual convention of the RV Industry Association in Louisville, Ky and related RV lore. RV sales are a leading indicator for the economy, the customized behemoths cost over a million.

As Good As News interviewed Max Camper, who was attending the conference for the tenth straight year. Mr. Camper just traded up to an Allure 470 Crane Praire, pictured above.

Q. -Why a camper, Max?
A. - We thought about an inert second home, but the camper only cost me $1.2 Million, a place the same size in the Hamptons would have been triple that. Plus, if you're going to be caught in traffic, this baby is the only place you want to be. With the autopilot it's an all-hands party 24/7.


Q. - What do your neighbors think once you weigh anchor, I mean park?
A. - That depends. They love me at the Penn State games, but some of those people take the whole happy valley thing a little too far, it's bad enough when they sneak into the guest bathroom but I'm really getting fed up with kicking them out the master bedroom. When I get to my favorite spot in Bridgehampton I have to keep my head down until I can get the artificial landscaping out and cover the wheels. Whenever I visit my son in Boston he tells me every three minutes to watch out for the truck eating overpasses on Storrow and Memorial Drives.


Q. - Do you take much heat for guzzling gas, Max?
A.- All the time. I think it's a sick joke. Suppose I had bought that second home in the Hamptons. Heat all winter to keep the pipes from freezing when I'm not there, cool a little all summer to keep the humidity down and beat the fungi, heat the pool, mow the lawn, appliances drawing power constantly. You should be comparing this rig to an estate, not a Honda Civic. When you consider the real alternatives, well, paint this baby green.

Q. - What's your most exotic destination so far?
A. - Hawaii............., just kidding, that's a little camper humor. We took in everything from Denali to Key West in my old rig. I've already mapped out an A to Z tour as a maiden voyage for my new one. That's Acadia to Zoo - San Diego Zoo, via Boston, Cleveland, Denver - you get the idea. Yellowstone is the last stop before the zoo, but we're still looking for fun destinations for Q and X if you have any ideas.