Toy Haulers and the American Dream

If it hasn’t been made official, then at least unofficially, toy haulers have been added to the list of items creating the overall vision of the “American Dream.” And it’s not surprising. Everyone knows that the ideal lifestyle of today’s modern family does not have much to do with the fulfillment of the basic necessities. The basic necessities still exist and are a requirement that has to be fulfilled, but almost just as important are the frivolous and the fun; they have become almost more important in our daily lives. One in ten households owns a recreational vehicle and it is predicted that the number of households owning recreational vehicles or toy haulers will rise to 10.4 million by 2010 (that’s a gain of 21%). This is good news. It means that a lot of people out there are well on their way to establishing themselves as partakers of the ever elusive American Dream. Who knew toy haulers could provide their owners with such satisfaction?

Everyone has heard it said, “The man who dies with the most toys wins . . .” and there are a lot of people out there who are absolutely, positively out to win that particular competition. Nobody knows what the award will be, but everyone knows they want to be the winner; toy haulers in tow. Maybe that’s why the need for toy haulers has risen dramatically. If you’re going to win the competition and end it all as the one with the very most toys, you’ve got to have toy haulers to cart around all your toys.

Modern families love the outdoors. It was a very long time ago that the public decided to return to nature. Since the inception of the idea, we’ve taken a few steps forward and back and to the side. We’re still heavily appreciative of nature on the whole and, more than that, many people have even arranged their lifestyles specifically to include the outdoors. There is no question that one of the current social trends is to enjoy the outdoors. I don’t think anyone questions the importance of outdoor activity in modern society, but I also think that most would admit that we have turned back to nature in our own, odd little way – with toy haulers in tow. The additional excitement added to outdoor recreation by the modern conveniences we enjoy has made the love of the outdoors a popular pass time. We simply can’t stand to stop playing. From quading to boating to four wheeling, consumers have found countless reasons for their need of the recreational trailer.

Toy haulers have become a modern symbol of fun and excitement. They conceal the toys we all wish we were headed off to enjoy. As we drive down the road beside toy haulers . . . those off on their most current recreational adventure . . . they are the holders of the unknown. How often do you think a trailer goes down the road with nothing inside, nevertheless leaving the other drivers with a sense of envy and curiosity? The very fact that somebody owns the trailer indicates that they are headed off to fun and exciting places to do fun and exciting things. Recreational vehicles cart around the things we all want to be out doing. We all want to be the one headed out to the dunes, or to the lake, or to the mountains, or the desert. More and more people are picking up the mantra and loading their trailers to head out of town.

It used to be that the American Dream meant a good job, a nice house and a nice family. I don’t think we can really say that’s all it is anymore. We want to have the toys that go along with the good life. We need the quads, we need the fun vehicles with no other purpose besides recreation, we need to visit the dunes and load all our toys up in our recreational trailers for transportation as well as display. Then we can say we have it all. Because what is the rest worth if it’s not any fun?