Every year, RV manufacturers and suppliers bring new RV innovations to the marketplace, keeping us ever-intrigued by what’s coming next. From innovative 2025 RV floor plans to RV upgrades that offer improved safety, navigation, and performance, there’s always something new on the horizon. Perhaps nowhere is that clearer than at the Hershey RV show.
Hershey’s Head-Turning RV Innovations
For the second time in less than a year, we’re on-site at a massive RV show to report on RV innovations and upgrades. As we move into 2025, here are the top RV innovations you’ll find on Camping World lots near you.
Sliding Patio Decks Emerge in the Non-Toy Hauler Segment
One of our favorite toy hauler features is the rear ramp that converts to a patio once your toys are unloaded. There was a time when we thought, “To get an RV with an outside deck, it has to be a toy hauler.” Well, we stand corrected. We saw rear patios on many new travel trailers that aren’t designed for hauling.
One of the coolest patios you’ll see in 2025 will be on the Salem and Wildwood VERANDA travel trailers and destination trailers. And it’s more than just a deck. You get a built-in outdoor kitchen on a rear covered patio that’s accessed through a sliding glass door. The patio has three features that all RVs with outdoor kitchens should include: a built-in griddle, a plumbed sink, and dedicated storage.
Plus, the sliding patio provides functional space for at least two comfortable camping chairs for dining or relaxing. Select VERANDA models may also include patio misters, keeping your grill master cool during those hot summer cookouts.
These were some of the coolest destination trailers and travel trailers with rear patios at Hershey in 2024:
- Salem and Wildwood 32VERANDA
- Wildwood FSX 269VC
- Salem Cruise Lite and Wildwood X-Lite 22VERANDA
- Wildwood Grand Lodge and Salem Villa 42VERANDA
- Select Keystone Bullet travel trailers
The sliding patio deck isn’t the only big RV innovation coming to 2025 Salem and Wildwood RVs—learn more.
The Debut of the Destination-Style Fifth Wheel
Heritage Glen ROOST43
Fifth wheels have historically been a sought-after RV for many different types of RVers. In recent years, destination trailers have become popular for those seeking a camper for extended seasonal stays or full-time living. With another ingenious twist of RV innovation, Forest River combined the residential amenities of the industry’s best destination trailers with the improved towability of a fifth wheel—creating unique destination-style fifth wheels.
The 2025 Wildwood Heritage Glen ROOST43 is a two-story, multi-bedroom fifth wheel with two custom king beds and a loft area with bunk mats for the kids. It also has a bath and a half with a washer and dryer, a pull-out tray for easy access to everything in the exterior compartment, and a massive sectional sofa across from the entertainment center.
We also love the huge windows that let ample natural light pour in, the shelf above the kitchen for house plants or additional storage, the expansive 20 cubic-foot 12V refrigerator, and the kitchen island with bar stool seating. Is it a destination trailer? Is it a fifth wheel? All we know is it’s an intriguing new option that’s worth a second look.
Cedar Creek Cottage 41FWC
Forest River’s Cedar Creek Cottage 41FWC is another destination-style fifth wheel worth a second take. It boasts many of the same features as the ROOST43: a rear loft with bunk mats, a second loft over the bathroom, a sectional sofa across from an entertainment center in the rear living area, and a spacious front bedroom with a king-sized bed and a bench seat below the bayfront windows.
The major differences are in the kitchen. I love what they’ve done with an L-shaped countertop and a bar top along the campside wall with seating for up to three. It may not be the ideal communal dining space, but it adds versatility by doubling as a comfortable desk for remote work.
Grand Design Enters The Motorhome Segment
Grand Design has a longstanding reputation for manufacturing excellent travel trailers and fifth wheels. So it’s exciting to see them introduce their first-ever motorhome—the Lineage Series M 25FW.
Perhaps it was that reputation, and perhaps it was unique features like headrest gun safes, but the excitement around this compact motorhome was palpable. Hershey introduced us to three of the eight available exterior graphics packages for the Lineage, showcasing the Pearl Cabernet, Pearl Slate, and Midnight Wave color schemes.
Inside, the 70” x 80” king bed was a pleasant surprise in a motorhome under 26 feet. Power theater seating comes standard, but there’s a booth dinette option if you prefer a more comfortable dining space.
Perhaps most importantly, Grand Design built this cozy camper with upgraded RV innovations to improve its comfort and versatility. The deeper 40” slide makes the floor plan feel more spacious, the C.O.B.R.A. ventilation provides improved airflow to the cabover bunk, and a 600-watt solar package helps you enjoy longer remote trips.
CURT Designs a New and Improved Fifth Wheel Pin Box
Every RVer wants smooth travel. Unfortunately, we all deal with issues like tire blowouts from time to time. Thankfully, suppliers like CURT are always looking for ways to make RV travel safer and more comfortable. With those goals in mind, CURT developed an advanced pin box known as the Helux 5th Wheel Pin Box.
This innovative pin box utilizes CURT’s proprietary coil spring and shock-absorbing technology to reduce chucking, jarring, and vibrations. While some upgraded pin boxes rely on air spring technology to achieve smoother towing, the CURT Helux provides similar benefits in a system that requires less maintenance over its lifetime.
Currently, there are two pin box designs in the Helux design: a traditional king pin and a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck connection. The traditional king pin offers capacity options up to 21,000 pounds and connects to all jaw-style fifth wheel hitches. The 5th wheel-to-gooseneck connection has capacity options up to 20,000 pounds and accepts a standard 2 and 5/16” gooseneck ball.
The new CURT Helux pin box is approved for use on all Lippert fifth wheel frames. You’ll find it on select 2025 RV models like the Cougar and Arcadia from Keystone, Paradigm and Valor from Alliance, and Model Z from Brinkley.
Ember Expands the Spark E-Series Lineup
Ember is growing a reputation for creative RV innovations like a rear storage area that doubles as a hammock hangout. In 2025, their Spark E-Series ETS floor plans feature a customizable track-based bunk and storage system that allows you to set up for sleeping, gear storage, or your campside office.
With a storage locker door to the outside, you can enjoy ample ventilation while you work. When you’re finished, the bunk panels can be relocated to open the space for storage. Or, you can reposition them to create an additional sleeping area. These floor plans also feature a front queen bed, making these ideal campers for adventurous couples, small families, or solo travelers.
Our First Look at a Voice-Activated Control System
We had Rockwood’s Geo-Pro travel trailers on our list of Top 2025 RVs at Hershey for other reasons, but we were quickly distracted by their POWER PRO™ voice-activated control system, built by WFCO Technologies. If you rely on Alexa at home, you’ll love this innovative RV upgrade.
WFCO’s POWER PRO™ systems are built with an AI-trained voice recognition system that delivers voice control over interior lighting, water pump, water heater, slide-outs, and awnings. The system can also alert you to holding tank levels and battery usage, providing real-time updates to keep you on track with critical RV maintenance.
The systems can be hardwired into an RV’s control panel or operated using WFCO’s mobile app. The app allows you to customize preset lighting zones, tank and battery monitoring alerts, and other personal settings. Controlling your RV’s systems is constantly getting easier, with customizable options at your fingertips…or should we say vocal chords?
These RV upgrades and innovative designs from suppliers are all aimed at making RV travel and camping smoother. New changes are always coming, and many manufacturers consistently seek consumer feedback to help them make useful changes to future RV models.
Do you have any innovative ideas you’d love to see in an RV floor plan, design, or construction? Let us know in the comments below.
What surprised and amazed me most was the “Lance” truck campers , I was amazed of the room of their pick-up truck camper tops.
Which Lance truck camper model was your favorite?