The Vacationer is one of the Holiday Rambler names that covers two quite different vehicles: the company lists it among its Class A motorhomes and again among its bumper-pull travel trailers. For a firm that has built recreational vehicles in northern Indiana since 1953, reusing a good name across the catalogue is part of the way the range is organised.
Holiday Rambler Vacationer at a glance
| Maker | Holiday Rambler Corporation, Indiana, United States |
|---|---|
| Company founded | 1953, by Richard Klingler |
| Model type | Class A motorhome and bumper-pull travel trailer |
| Class A layout | large frame similar to a bus, own specialised chassis |
| Class A size | up to 45 feet (14 m) long and 12.5 feet high |
| Class A capacity | up to 100 US gallons (380 L) of water and of diesel |
| Class A weight | up to 50,000 pounds loaded |
| Trailer size | up to 10,000 pounds loaded |
| Trailer capacity | up to 50 US gallons (190 L) of water |
| Trailer price | from US$20,000 MSRP |
| Shown in the video | a 2015 Vacationer 36SBT Class A gas motorhome |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on Holiday Rambler, which lists the model without a separate page. No free photographs of the Vacationer were found, so the article keeps the existing picture.
History of the Holiday Rambler Vacationer
Where the company came from
Richard Klingler started Holiday Rambler in the 1950s, building trailer parts in a chicken coop and assembling trailers outdoors in Wakarusa, Indiana. The Elkhart and Wakarusa area, ten miles south of Elkhart, had become the recreational vehicle capital of the United States after the Second World War, and the first Holiday Rambler vehicle, a travel trailer, was introduced to the public in 1953 by the Klingler Corporation. A restored example of that first trailer is in the RV museum in Elkhart, Indiana. In 1961 the company introduced aluminium body framing, the Alumaframe, which became the standard for lighter and stronger RVs for the next forty years.
Two vehicles under one name
Holiday Rambler makes motorhomes, which travel on their own power, and towables, which are designed to be pulled by another vehicle; all of them carry toilets and cooking and sleeping facilities. The Vacationer appears in the Class A list, alongside the Traveler, Navigator, Imperial, Scepter, Endeavor, Ambassador, Neptune, Admiral, Arista, Aluma-Lite, Trip, Limited, Invicta and Armada, and it also appears among the bumper-pull travel trailers. In a Class A motorhome the frame is large and bus-like, built on a specialised chassis; such vehicles can be 45 feet (14 m) long and 12.5 feet high, carry up to 100 US gallons (380 L) of water and 100 US gallons of diesel, and weigh up to 50,000 pounds loaded. A bumper-pull trailer attaches behind the rear axle on the bumper or a receiver, carries up to 50 US gallons (190 L) of water, weighs up to 10,000 pounds loaded and starts at US$20,000.
Changes of ownership
Harley-Davidson acquired Holiday Rambler in December 1986, and the RV division competed mostly in the mid to premium segment of the market. On 4 March 1996 the Monaco Coach Corporation of Oregon bought the assets from Harley-Davidson for $21.5 million in cash, redeemable preferred stock later converted into common stock, and the assumption of most liabilities, and at the same time acquired ten Holiday World dealerships for $13.0 million. When Monaco moved from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June 2009, the factories, inventory, brands and intellectual property were sold to Navistar International for $47 million. In May 2013 Navistar sold the brand to Allied Specialty Vehicles. The founder, Richard Klingler, died on 16 August 2024 at 97.
Design and features
- One name, two classes: the Vacationer is offered both as a self-propelled Class A motorhome and as a towed trailer.
- Class A scale: the motorhome version belongs to the largest class, with a bus-like frame on its own chassis.
- Practical towable: the trailer version needs only a bumper or receiver hitch behind the towing vehicle.
- Long-lived badge: the name was still current in 2015, when the 36SBT Class A gas motorhome in the video was new.
Holiday Rambler Vacationer versions
- Vacationer Class A: the motorhome version, built on a specialised chassis and capable of up to 50,000 pounds loaded.
- Vacationer bumper-pull: the travel trailer version, weighing up to 10,000 pounds loaded.
- 36SBT: the Class A gas motorhome shown in the video, a 2015 model.
The same catalogue includes the Holiday Rambler Imperial and the Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite, which is listed in four different classes. More vehicles are in the Holiday Rambler collection.
Sources
- Holiday Rambler, English Wikipedia: company history, model lists, class descriptions, ownership
