You Won’t Find A Used Bowlus®. Here’s Why.

You Won’t Find A Used Bowlus®. Here’s Why.

Bowlus receives numerous calls each week from people looking for a used Bowlus. The callers are not searching for a vintage Bowlus, but a recently manufactured On The Road or Endless Highways edition produced since the Bowlus went into production in 2013.

Callers are always incredulous that there isn’t one for sale. Often they complain they have done extensive internet searches and still haven’t found one for sale. Others ask if they really exist since they expect, like other used aluminum travel trailers, that they are widely available. The answer to this lack of availability is due to how the Bowlus is built along with the quality of work and components selected to be part of each Bowlus.

The Bowlus is the original aluminum riveted travel trailer first produced in 1934, which was later copied by others. It has long been the most respected RV to collect, and about 40 of the original 80 produced remain with various collectors around the world. While they do change ownership occasionally, the last public sale was in 2011 recorded by Goodings & Co for $187,000.

Today every Bowlus is built with incredibly strong aircraft aluminum (2024 T3) with true aircraft rivets (not pop rivets) spaced one inch apart like the original. However, the similarities stop there as the modern Bowlus is loaded with industry firsts. These include heated floors, silent heating, indoor/outdoor showers, wifi amplifiers, and modems. Every component used in a Bowlus is more likely found in the yachting world than typical sourced in the RV industry. This means the quality of a Bowlus is not seen anywhere in the RV industry so that they can be handed down from generation to generation. Something that isn’t possible with modern Airstreams or other motorhomes due to the quality of the build and materials used. Additionally, the Bowlus is also odor-free, so they smell as good the first day, then they do five years later, so there is no need to upgrade due to foul odors like RVs you’ll find elsewhere.

A Bowlus is built with respect to the environment, the people that build them, and the people that own them. For that reason, Bowlus is built to last, which is another reason why they are not regularly seen for resale.

Bowlus®