MIDDLEBURY, Ind. — It’s not all that often an RV brand gets to celebrate a 25th anniversary, but the freshly minted 2027 Jayco Jay Flight travel line is marking such a milestone. With nearly 400,000 units produced, the Jay Flight is one of, if not, the top selling brands in RV history. This includes 15 consecutive years of being the No. 1-selling trailer in the world.
To commemorate the milestone, Jayco hosted an Open House last week at its Middlebury, Ind., campus with team members, dealers, content creators, media and partners on hand for some camaraderie and an opportunity to review several units from the 2027 Jay Flight anniversary line.
Ken Walters, president of the Jayco/Tiffin RV Group, said he and the rest of his team are “happy to celebrate it with our dealers” and noted that, over the course of the last 25 years, the Jay Flight has been “the highest volume unit in our industry by a mile.”
“Most things at Jayco — our people, our products and our culture — have deep roots and lots of legacy, and Jay Flight is the best example of that,” he told RVBusiness. “We’re excited to continue to carry that flag. It’s still an important — if not the most important — piece of what we do every day. We continue to gain retail market share in that segment. So, we have the benefit of a brand that matters, a legacy brand like Jay Flight at Jayco and then be able to evolve quick enough in the market to be great value and to continue to gain retail share.
Walters mentioned that people from all three of Jay Flight production plants were out for the commemoration as well, where they could grab a bite to eat, see the finished product and celebrate the brand’s silver anniversary.
“And we’re going to bang that drum pretty loud this year,” he added.
Built at both the Jayco campus in Middlebury, Ind., and another production facility in Twin Falls, Idaho, the Jay Flight line itself runs very deep, with over 40 floorplans ranging from a 13-foot single axle all the way up to 40-foot, triple-slide model. The brand includes the regular Jay Flight line as well as the Jay Flight Sport series, which serves as the entry level line. Also, the Twin Falls plant builds a Baja Edition more suited to the rugged off-grid camping out West, and add the Jay Flight Bungalow destination trailer and it’s easy to see why the brand broad appeal has made it a mainstay for a quarter of a century.
In fact, Jay Flight was originally introduced as both a travel trailer and a fifth-wheel. In 2008, Jayco decided to concentrate the Jay Flight brand in the travel trailer market and the Jay Flight fifth-wheel was blended into the Eagle brand. Also in 2008, the Jay Flight Bungalow destination trailer was introduced to meet the more seasonal camper demand.
Among the Jayco team on hand was Jay Flight Product Manager Matt Fisher, who said one of the biggest keys to the brand’s success has been its “ability to change and adapt to what it needs to be — whether that’s market changes, customer feedback or dealers’ feedback.”
“It’s been a well-built travel trailer,” said Fisher, who happens to be celebrating his 20th anniversary at Jayco this summer. “We pride ourselves with a two-year warranty on every trailer and fifth-wheel that we build. So, because of that, we’re using top quality products. You mix in good construction, high level products at a reasonably good price, and you’re going to be successful. That’s what we’ve been able to maintain for the last 25 years.”
To commemorate the 25th anniversary for the 2027 model year, the Jay Flight features all-new exteriors and all-new interiors including a Desert Sand color scheme with Dune Gray cabinetry to create a bright and open interior space. Among other things, the main Jay Flight series offers a larger 11-cubic-foot refrigerator, new flooring, new wallboard and more windows.
“The last few years, the Jay Flight travel trailer has had the Modern Farmhouse-style of interior, which is more the white cabinetry throughout. So, it was just time to freshen it up,” Fisher explained. “Grays are still very popular and residential, too. We wanted to still stay clear of just all brown. We still don’t want an all-brown camper.”
Fisher acknowledged his position carries a certain amount of pressure and responsibility to maintain Jay Flight’s legacy.
“When the Jay Flight product director position opened up, one thing that my boss and I talked about was this person needs to be familiar with Jayco and with the history and the legacy of what this is. And I am that person and I know the history and appreciate the history,” he said, adding that the Jay Flight operates in an extremely competitive segment.
“Everybody’s doing anything and everything they can to build the best camper they can and make it look the best they can, and make it priced the best they can,” he said. “So, yeah, it’s a lot of pressure and it’s a lot of good competition and, honestly, I appreciate and I enjoy that. I’m the type of person who would much rather have a competitive market than not. I’m a competitive person and look forward to those days and the times, and so I don’t mind it.”
And what’s in store for Jay Flight’s next 25 years?
“There are absolutely no plans in just being content with what the Jay Flight is,” Fisher said. “Again, that’s one of the things that’s made it successful. We’re not just sitting back and watching it perform. We’re constantly evolving and changing and modifying. We are just a few weeks into building ’27s, and I have to be 100% hones, I already have a small list of things for 2028. So, we are constantly going to be working on the Jay Flight to make sure it is one of the top-selling travel trailers in the industry.”
Below, courtesy of Jayco, are highlights from the festivities.
