For nearly a week, manufacturers of innovative products for cars, motorcycles and RVs converged at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) 2016 conference at The Las Vegas Convention Center, displaying all the hot trends in the $36 billion specialty automotive industry. The gathering isn’t open to the public, but here’s a preview on some of the most interesting and innovative RV products at SEMA 2016.
We highlight some of the most interesting RV products that were showcased at SEMA 2016
Best RVing Products at SEMA 2016
From rooftop campers, anti-theft devices and self-regulating air springs to pop-up Jeep campers and more, buyers and gear heads drooled over innovative items packing every square inch of the mammoth exhibit halls. Interesting new RVing products at SEMA 2016 include:
HaulGauge
Do you ever wish you knew exactly how heavy your trailer is?
HaulGauge gets our vote for one of the best RVing products at SEMA. This ingenious creation stands out as a plug-and-play automotive gizmo that tells users exactly how much weight they are towing.
The idea was born when founders Melanie McEntire and Michael Hall accidentally destroyed their car’s transmission while hauling an overloaded moving trailer. Knowing there had to be a better way for consumers to know what they are towing, the two math gurus engineered a plug-and-play gauge that calculates Gross Combined Weight (the sum of vehicle, payload, passengers and trailer). As soon as a user pulls away, HaulGauge clearly shows exactly how much weight they’re towing.
The product is currently available for late model popular full-size pickups with an automatic transmission. A model for older vehicles is coming soon. Further, McEntire and Hall’s desire to make Gross Combined Weight as ubiquitous on the dashboard as a fuel gauge puts HaulGauge on the “must have” list for RVers with towables, boaters and utility trailer users.
MULTI SEAL Tire Sealant with KEVLAR
If you’ve never considered using a tire sealant before, now’s the time. For instance, MULTI SEAL Tire Sealant with KEVLAR is entering the consumer space. The manufacturer claims it resolves 90 percent of tire punctures, which we wouldn’t have believed ourselves if it wasn’t for their SEMA demo.
Watch for this at RV supply and automotive stores next year.
Extreme performance industrial users like the military have used it for 35 years. Today, it’s a no-brainer for RVers as well. The formula is blended with super-strong Kevlar fibers so when a puncture happens, it instantly blends into the tire material. Any hole up to a 1/2-inch in diameter is instantly sealed with this product.
What`s more, according to the company, is a single application is good for the life of the tire, no matter how many times it’s been punctured or repaired.
Sealants like this aren’t compatible with tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). However for RVers without a TPMS, this is a must have for any roadside repair toolkit.
Blue Ox “Super Ride” Fifth Wheel Hitch
While Blue Ox offers sway bars, hitch distribution hitches, base plates plus a vast series of other proven towing products, the company has entered a new product in the fifth wheel hitch marketplace with the Super Ride fifth wheel sliding hitch.
Blue Ox debuts new fifth wheel hitch.
The Super Ride attaches directly to the gooseneck ball – not the ball. So, this makes it compatible with any gooseneck hitch featuring a 25/16 inch hitch ball. It has an encapsulated king pin, three vertical adjustments and a head cushioned by rubber springs.
Additionally, Blue Ox reps on the show floor explained that the innovative design has built-in suspension. This means the Super Ride is much smoother without the annoying bucking motion.
The Blue Ox Super Ride Hitch.
Also, the hitch is available in a model that attaches to industry standard rails. RVers can find it in early 2017.
Although these developments only scratch the surface of what’s coming in the RVing world, we’ll be bringing you several more great RVing products from SEMA 2016.
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Rene Agredano and her husband, Jim Nelson, became full-time RVers in 2007 and have been touring the country ever since. In her blog, Rene chronicles the ins and outs of the full-timing life and brings readers along to meet the fascinating people and amazing places they visit on the road. Her road trip adventures are chronicled in her blog at LiveWorkDream.com.
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