INNOVATION IN THE RV INDUSTRY comes in waves. Once a breakthrough feature or “industry-first” technology appears, it often becomes the new standard across the market. But the top RV innovations always share one thing in common: they address a key pain point to make RVs better and RV life easier and safer for campers.
Last year, we saw the debut of a destination-style 5th wheel, built-in patio decks on non-toy hauler RVs, and many others. This year, we combed the Giant Center grounds in Hershey, Pennsylvania at America’s Largest RV Show to bring you the top trends and exciting changes you can expect to see in 2026 RVs.
Key Takeaways
- Design & Comfort Upgrades: 2026 RVs emphasize brighter interiors with larger, creative window placements, versatile multi-use furniture, and unique design touches that improve both aesthetics and functionality.
- Outdoor & Lifestyle Enhancements: Expect more luxury campsite features like powered side patios, upgraded outdoor kitchens, and expanded full-body paint options for a standout exterior look.
- Smarter Systems & Safety: New tech blends analog reliability with Bluetooth convenience, while built-in water filtration and residential-style water management systems improve ease of use, troubleshooting, and long-term durability.
Windows, Windows, Windows
Yes, windows are nothing new in RVs—but windows like these definitely are. Starting well before brands like Campsite Ultra and Thrive introduced front windows similar to automotive windshields, manufacturers have been trying to bring more natural light into their RVs.
The pain point? RV interiors often feel dark and cave-like, and even those of us who love the camp comforts that come with an RV can feel cut off from one of the biggest reasons we camp in the first place—to immerse in and enjoy nature.
In 2026, you won’t have a problem finding a floor plan that lets abundant natural light pour in. Floor-to-ceiling windows have hit the RV industry in a big way, with models like the Springdale 31SUNROOM pushing that boundary further than we’ve seen before.
We also saw several rear living floor plans with massive rear windows, thanks to brands like Wildwood engineering a thicker window that can retain durability without adding too much weight.
Images by Camping World
This theme of larger windows and windows in more places saw perhaps its most head-turning development in the Passport 2600FK, where Keystone delivered slide-top windows—the first of their kind we’ve seen.
Images by Camping World
The key takeaway? You’re likely to see 2026 RVs with more creative approaches to flooding RV interiors with natural light—windows that are larger, more numerous, and in places you might not expect. And as someone who’s always imagining where we’ll camp next, it’s hard not to see this trend and daydream about the panoramic backdrops we’ll enjoy out those windows!
Multi-Use Furniture
Roll-top Dinette
Gone are the days of convertible RV furniture being limited to the dinette and sofa. Those staples aren’t going anywhere, but manufacturers continue to deliver innovative ways to customize interior layouts.
The pain point? Sure, RVs are smaller than most homes. But that means we can’t enjoy dedicated spaces for dining, lounging, remote work, and sleeping.
Especially in smaller floor plans (but not limited to them), we’re seeing extra attention paid to multi-use furniture like the roll-top dinette you’ll find in many Jayco fifth wheels or the pivoting dinette in models like the Cougar 26RES. These dinettes don’t go from bed to table for four—they allow you to enjoy expanded seating for guests when you need it and more floor space when you don’t.
Flex Dinette
Then, there’s Wildwood’s Versa-Lounge—easily one of the best options we’ve seen for ultimate living space versatility. The central seatback cushion lifts out and swaps to the opposite side to turn the 4-person dinette + sofa setup into a 2-person dinette + L-shaped lounge configuration. Plus, it still delivers the ability to drop the dinette table down and fold out the sofa, turning the entire area into a massive sleeping space.
The key takeaway? It feels like manufacturers have heard feedback from couples who don’t always need dining space for four or families who need added customizability from day to night. If you’re seeking an RV with multi-use furniture everywhere you’d need, you certainly won’t see a shortage in 2026.
Creative Interior Design Elements
Often in conjunction with this seemingly renewed focus on natural light, we saw so many layouts with creative interior design elements at Hershey. Many of these elements deliver added functionality, but some simply add a level of interior feng shui we haven’t seen before.
The pain point? Some RVs simply lack interior imagination, while others lack real-world usability, like enough prep space for quality meals or hanging storage for your camp wardrobe.
We found plenty of imaginative interior design elements at Hershey this year, with some of our favorite examples being live-edge lighting spanning the ceiling and kitchen wall, custom recliners set in front of a rear picture window, a fireplace below a pull-out dinette table, and board-and-batten entertainment center accent walls.
You’ll also see more hung lighting solutions in 2026 RV models, offering function and design after dark. Plus, manufacturers heard complaints about a lack of hanging storage and meal prep space, with their responses highlighted in models like the Cougar 28RLI—one of the largest prep counters you’ll see in an RV kitchen—and the Heritage Glen 380WDR—a wraparound hanging rod in a massive walk-in front closet.
28RLI Kitchen
380WDR Closet
The key takeaway? When we walk into any RV, there’s an immediate element we can’t always see, but we definitely sense—call it “the feel.” When we walk hundreds of models at Hershey, many start to feel the same. But 2026 will bring many creative interiors that just feel different. And then there are the real-world additions that will make life easier in the kitchen, closet, and elsewhere!
Exterior Luxuries
3532SP Patio
Unless we’re unlucky with the weather, we want to spend most of our time outside once we reach camp. We saw some intriguing exterior features that make this easier—and much more luxurious.
The pain point? Not every campsite offers a well-manicured outdoor living space, and making one where non exists requires extra effort and more cleanup at the end of your trip.
If last year was almost the year of the built-in rear deck, this year might be the year of the powered side patio. We found them on so many models at Hershey, from the Montana 3532SP to the influencer-inspired Sabre 37RVMILES. But perhaps the most innovative approach we noticed was on the Paradigm 388SP, where the patio deck includes an extending outside grill, a wine cooler/mini fridge, and a massive “pass through” window to seamlessly join the indoor and outdoor cooking spaces.
388SP Patio
Speaking of outdoor cooking, we saw some trendy new outdoor kitchen designs at Hershey. Campsite Reserve’s new 29TJ bunk room floor plan features a huge outdoor kitchen that includes two mini fridges, an ice maker, a plumbed sink with hot and cold water, a storage cabinet and open shelving, and two pull-out drawers—one with a griddle and another that’s great for a collapsible sink basin.
29TJ Outdoor Kitchen
For those who want the luxury of entertainment while they’re cooking or lounging outside, the Montana High Country 325RK delivers an outdoor kitchen set in the campside slideout. It is complete with a huge TV on a tilting mount, a mini fridge, ample prep space, and a pull-out shelf with a built-in griddle that comes with an upgraded cast-iron surface.
29TJ Outdoor Kitchen
Over in the R-Pod Unmapped and Grand Surveyor display, we were impressed by the outdoor kitchen setups, which have the griddle and prep table mounted on the exterior sidewall and a flip-down door that becomes an outdoor prep or serving table with pass through access to the kitchen inside.
Grand Surveyor Outdoor Kitchen
The key takeaway? You won’t find any lack of outdoor lounging luxury in 2026 RVs. Combined with last year’s focus on built-in patio decks, the emergence of more powered side patios allows you to enjoy the comfort of an outdoor living space with less setup and easier cleanup.
Full Body Paint
Images by Camping World
Whether we’re talking about laminated fiberglass or aluminum-sided towables, most exterior finishes are customized using decals. Without them, it’d be hard to tell the difference between brands from different manufacturers.
The pain point? These decals all seem to be some variation of wavy lines, mountain-inspired backdrops, or downright head-scratching configurations. I always found it hard to walk through a campground and find an RV exterior that truly pops compared to its peers.
Building on their history of delivering fifth wheels with unique full-body painted exteriors, Keystone featured a robust selection of painted exteriors at Hershey this year—including the first full-body painted travel trailer we’ve seen in the Cougar Hero Edition 22MLS.
There were the patriotic-themed 1776 Edition, the Phantom Gray and Black Onyx variations of the Midnight Edition, and the matte green of the Hero Edition, which is in partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project.
And while the introduction of the 1776 Edition and the arrival of full-body paint on travel trailers were the latest developments in the Cougar lineup, we were equally impressed with the full-body paint selection coming to Keystone’s Fuzion toy hauler lineup. Not only are they bringing the Hero Edition to these toy haulers, but they’re also offering a handful of other paint palettes to choose from.
Images by Camping World
The key takeaway? If you truly want your RV to stand out at the campsite and better stand up to the elements, 2026 will offer plenty of options. And with full-body paint coming to new segments like travel trailers and toy haulers, you’re no longer limited to a high-end 5th wheel or motorhome to find a camper with a unique finish.
Useful Technology
RV control systems have seen several upgrades over the last few years. The overwhelming motivation is to make setup and breakdown easier and to give campers greater freedom to monitor systems.
The pain point? While one could argue that setting up a tent campsite takes just as long as a basic RV setup, making camp can always be simpler and quicker—allowing us to spend more time enjoying our destination.
One issue with analog RV controls is that they often require two people when extending slide-outs and awnings, one to monitor for ample clearance outside while the other operates the controls. Conversely, systems that rely entirely on digital or Bluetooth controls can be much harder to troubleshoot or fix when issues arise.
Images by Camping World
So, one trend we’re seeing this year is the inclusion of analog systems with a digital option, giving you the freedom to operate systems from a connected smartphone—or one that comes with your camper in the case of the latest systems introduced in the Wildwood campers in Hershey. This device allows you to walk outside and watch as you extend slide-outs, awnings, and stabilizing jacks, taking the guesswork out of it and allowing one person to set up camp more quickly and easily. It also provides tank monitoring in the palm of your hand, along with easy control of interior and exterior lighting.
Systems like Jayco’s JayCommand Mobile app provide similar convenience by connecting your phone to your RV’s control system. Exact usability can vary because the app is integrated with interior control systems by LCI, BMPro, or Firefly, depending on the model and floor plan. However, the app extends your controls beyond slides, awnings, lights, and tank monitoring to include tire pressure monitoring and controls for your air conditioner, generator, water pump, and water heater, and more.
Images by Camping World
The key takeaway? Manufacturers aren’t shying away from integrating the latest Bluetooth technology to provide enhanced RV system controls while honoring the time-tested reliability and ease of maintenance that come with analog systems.
Water Safety & Management
Nobody likes unwanted water inside an RV, whether you’re troubleshooting an issue or just unhappy with the taste or texture of campground-sourced drinking water.
The pain point? Water quality is an oft-overlooked issue for new campers, and troubleshooting RV plumbing issues can be incredibly clunky based on how most systems are designed.
To address the quality issue, we’re seeing more manufacturers upgrade to built-in water filtration systems. This trend is even making its way into towables at a price segment where you wouldn’t expect water filtration to be standard—ahem, Campsite Reserve.
However, at a price segment where you would expect it, Jayco impressed by including the NuvoH2O triple-cartridge water filtration system to most of their fifth wheel and toy haulers, along with some of their more luxurious travel trailers in the Eagle HT lineup.
This system offers filtration along with salt-free water conditioning, instead relying on a proprietary citric acid-based agent that binds minerals like calcium and magnesium to prevent scale buildup in pipes, appliances, and fixtures.
Images by Camping World
While this system delivers better water quality and protection for your RV’s plumbing, Keystone’s Cougar fifth wheels debuted a new water management system that provides impressive maintenance and troubleshooting ability.
Inspired by residential water manifolds, this water management system provides a single, central location where you can control water flow to all essential systems and fixtures in your 5th wheel—including shutoffs for all hot and cold water lines.
If your fifth wheel is washer-dryer prepped but you don’t install a stackable or combo unit, why do you need water running to those lines? Or sitting in them? This system allows you to close those lines. But perhaps more importantly, the system allows you to isolate any issues that occur, retaining the use of other water systems until you can perform a fix or schedule service.
Before this system, a minor issue in a half bath might require shutting off water to the entire camper until a solution is found. Now, you can isolate the half bath, continue to enjoy water in the kitchen, shower, and primary bathroom for the duration of your trip, and troubleshoot when you get home and have more resources at your disposal.
The key takeaway? The importance of quality water treatment speaks for itself, but a residential-style water management system can be a game-changer for RVers who would otherwise have to cut trips short to address a plumbing issue.
Final Thoughts on Hershey RV Trends & Innovations
This year’s Hershey trends and innovations share many common themes:
- Bringing the outdoors in by prioritizing natural light and panoramic views.
- Offering owners better layout versatility in a single floor plan.
- Incorporating unique lighting and interior design elements.
- Improving campsite luxury with outdoor living comforts.
- Making RVs safer, easier to use, and simpler to troubleshoot.
From windows in the top of a slide-out to a whole RV water management system, the latest RV innovations ranged from the hidden but oh-so-functional to can’t miss from the moment you step inside.
See what else caught our eye at Hershey 2025 and hear directly from industry insiders about the enticing changes coming in 2026:
- Top 2026 RVs At America’s Largest RV Show
- Discover the Salem/Wildwood ZEN Campers
- Meet the RV Insiders
What trends are you most excited about? Are there other innovations you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments below!
