Following my plan I let the opening weekend of the Quartzsite RV show pass without attending in hopes I could avoid the shoulder to shoulder crowds inside the main tent. The following Tuesday my 14 day camping pass was expiring so on my way out of my campsite I drove near the show, parked the Tank, and continued on to the show on foot, avoiding the car and RV traffic.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYvJAvvvDJETFk8q-H8ozvcNnPzm0xRKpcW3o31ykMZPsGvnYNkW03U55afZdiPcn3w5Xjrs9vUkCo2QK9TFXVlmSrVorQgmMvvVpOxpGOqLPUQ5ASx9osSxn1e-Q2xVtIZpjvL3v4pY/s400/Sign.jpg) |
Bet you can't tell Progressive Insurance is one of the show's sponser. |
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As I mentioned in my previous post the weather at Quartzsite this year was way below par. It has been at least 10-15 degrees BELOW average temperatures for mid-January and those temperatures combined with a surprising amount of rain AND high winds have not made for the most pleasant camping experience. As I walked to the Big Tent which contains the bulk of the displays I was hands-in-pockets shivering and inside the unheated Big Tent the only thing that improved, comfortability-wise was the wind was blocked.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTyc_sJCUeSc45wfyeWgZhpmiw95TY2iOdVjjT5YlnZukYE5MtQdm_YJpqwl01QbSbuyLJOLYdoomqa7E79aImnwgnvURWW8Q0WCOxlkZK6vO4niBwUSlKUzjnwks-C9K-lYb4_aNJyQ/s400/Big+tent.jpg) |
The Big Tent. It was actually a one-time circus tent. |
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I got to the show around 9:30am and apparently beat the "crowd" because there weren't more than a couple hundred of the curious wandering up and down the display booth aisles, a far cry from the show two years ago where you almost had to "swim" through the tightly packed mob.
I chatted with some long time attendees who lamented that the Quartzsite show had evolved away from just being about RVs and parts for them and become a much more broadly focused show with many booths having seemingly noting to do with RVs.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVroxSKdWOTjJsiZkWeyWfL1vZB2X60ar598k_X3dvtkmFNWFywT2XZL39icQhuDpkwo-uPx5Pw0DsjGJ1DPmyrq8cYYhWw-sK2vhhaDiJFgalO__DqgEkrNGENxVnU9_Jo6DjssF2oHE/s400/Hot+tub.jpg) |
A hot tub booth, guess I could tow it behind the Tank if it had wheels. |
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Several of the booth vendors I talked to mentioned the sub-par weather as holding this year's attendance down and it sounded like sales for some were extremely slow.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0QCcc198m-w0ZZgm_VRZNCWskk4YSJmr6E9cQEw1_mtFmG2UR_9Ff1u8flPP2lqXmgDSKqGfIvZd_3rCwhZqafCXk1faxSw-FfkV6L83Fb9OJY6s0a6hmutYktYUNsLpsG7mHmYqNDU/s400/Salsa+maker.jpg) |
Some booths were unmanned, maybe waiting for things to get more crowded? |
The food booths outside the Big Tent did a land office business two years ago but it appeared everyone was still adhering to their New Year's dieting resolutions this year.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDt7vP6SCf_KaloXKtzMvvzCf-aphWcgnY8FRzVKOHaUVXnZPSCTd9_h3KWqNmziR7WdkDYr_mufbQcQnf88q-LtGP3KzZsgklR360FwpOsTqc7LK0u2HxJrHkR3NVk-E42k5FQSMTSs/s400/Phat+dawgs.jpg) |
The line for Phat Dawgs was 10 deep 2 years ago. |
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Although I got a little thirsty with all the walking around I didn't have the guts to try this:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQYGMiNLcLEDA54vUtVgb_Yl8cbtYcpdIdkoMTQPXnG1YB7HjYFzs93c5wGzL4FMQ1ltKwXKYs72NW3fpG_0zSLfaRXNQ8-ScMAQp2gOzh5FYsX1yKJx1PLoVkhKFpnAAO1s_MWdrANhE/s400/Bacon+lemonade.jpg) |
I like bacon and lemonade, just not mixed! |
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My Escapees RV Club had a booth at the show and it had surprisingly robust traffic, considering they weren't exactly selling anything.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ISeflI2IxUqsYjEP7I2_7ISdjfOw4mP5m4jmCuv0cX3U0PUjwpfndqYtGo92QrbqW1lrXOslN2ehnsMAnsyzrKoanFTTMXcuIWvHNrw2mgBe_8DWQcSyg5z8CAuEubKnUWqSSaW-aTg/s400/Escapees+booth.jpg) |
The Escapee booth. |
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It's too bad the weather depressed the crowds at this year's show, I'm sure a lot of the exhibitors count on the show to kick off the new sales year and, from what I could tell, sales were pretty lackluster. I did talk to a guy at a sales booth for Renogy, the maker of the Tank's solar panels, and got some questions I had answered regarding portable panel setups so it wasn't a wasted trip for me, but if the weather forecast next year doesn't show temperatures in the mid-70's (which would be usual) I will probably forego the 2018 Quartzsite Show.
Thanks for reading!
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