Ultra-luxury RV maker Bowlus is marketing its cheapest and smallest trailer to younger travelers — see inside the $165,000 Rivet

The company's most expensive RV, the Volterra, starts at $310,000.

That's almost double the cost of the newer and smaller Rivet. The lower price is intended to open Bowlus to more customers, Geneva Long, the company's CEO, told Business Insider.

New 2024 travel trailers currently start at about $13,000 with RV dealership Camping World, although these models aren't nearly as shiny as Bowlus' aluminum trailers.

Like Bowlus, legacy RV maker Airstream loves cladding its trailers with aluminum. And depending on the model, the latter could be a more economical option: Its Trade Wind, which is three inches shorter than the Rivet, starts at $129,400.

However, Long says Bowlus' manufacturing methods — like the in-house production of its RVs' steel frames and more than 70% of its parts — justify its price. Plus, she says Bowlus' products are durable: No need to "flip" one every few years "as a standard in the industry."

Long hopes Bowlus can appeal to younger buyers with the rollout of the less expensive Rivet.

It's a strategic decision: There's been an influx of Gen Z and millennial RVers. And they're pining for an upgrade: 84% of 18-to-34-year-olds who own an RV said they intend to buy another one in the next few years, according to a 2021 survey from trade group RV Industry Association.

But it's not the first to explore this off-road route.

Over the last few years, several legacy RV makers have launched products with similar capabilities, some more rugged than the Rivet.

This includes Airstream's Interstate 19X camper van was built for boondocking. The Mercedes Ben Sprinter-based RV starts at $199,940.

But for travelers who'd rather prioritize affordability, Winnebago says its $64,421 Micro Minnie FLX travel trailer can go off-grid for five days with the help of power systems like 400-watt solar panels and a 320-amp-hour lithium-ion battery.

Who needs toy cars when you have an RV? The new travel trailer can be driven into campsites or parking spots using a handheld remote — although it'll add another $10,000 onto the base cost.

This isn't Bowlus' first attempt at a more affordable build.

In early 2023, it unveiled another travel trailer, Heritage, at the same price point as the Rivet. However, the model was discounted "because Bowlus only likes to offer three models at a time," Long told Business Insider in an email.

But unlike its predecessor, the new build is ready to go off-grid and onto dirt roads: The RV comes with a three-inch lift kit and all-terrain tires.

The RV has four distinct spaces: a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen.

The space also doubles as a second bedroom: Both sides can convert into extra beds.

Water in the bathroom and kitchen is sourced and dumped into the trailer's 19-gallon freshwater, 21-gallon gray water, and 4.5-gallon black water tanks.

To achieve full solar capabilities, travelers must purchase the $875 130-watt "solar suitcase" upgrade.

With it, the trailer's power system could sustain most of its amenities — like the refrigerator and laptop chargers — off-grid indefinitely, Long said.

However, it can only support about 16 hours of air conditioning, she said, noting that it's common for travelers to use it for about four hours a day. (If needed, the RV can be charged with a separate generator.)

Shipments of motorhomes — which include the previously ultra-popular camper vans — dipped 26.5% in January compared to the same time in 2023, according to data from the RV Industry Association.

In the same period, shipments of travel trailers ballooned by 27.3%.

But Long says Bowlus was unaffected by this otherwise industry-wide dip.

At the end of 2023, the RV maker added five dealerships to its network, which now spans across the US.