The RV industry is an impressive machine. While auto manufacturers pump out something new every few years or so, some major players in the RV industry still crank out campers that aren’t much different at their core than they were decades ago. One new company wants to change that. This is the all-new Awaken MorningStar, and it’s a fiberglass RV by an executive who wants to do something different. I toured this trailer, and it might live up to the promise.
I’ve noticed many great, positive trends during this year’s Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa. Many major RV manufacturers are putting a focus on affordability. That’s awesome in itself, as you shouldn’t have to be rich to enjoy RV-based camping. However, I have also noticed that many of the new affordable units on the market are built better than the RVs of the past. One of my favorite trends is that several manufacturers are slowly moving away from wood framing and rubberized roofs for more durable materials. Water leaks and catastrophic damage have been some of the greatest enemies of the RV for most of RV history, and the changes happening now are great.
Then there are the startup companies. Many of these companies, including Lightship, Pebble, Evotrex, and AC Future, want to do more than just build a camper that’s not made out of sticks and tropical plywood. These firms want to lace RVs with technology borrowed from EVs and computing, including huge batteries, traction motors, and AI.
However, to Awaken RV founder Scott Hubble, most of the RV industry is still trapped doing things the old way, building boring boxes out of inadequate materials, and it’s time for something different. Awaken wants to sell Americans a camper that’s designed to last, is roomy, and has that European flair many buyers are begging for right now. Specifically, Awaken wants to build an evolution of the classic fiberglass camper.
Awaken’s Origins
Scott Hubble has long taken command of a weirder side of the RV industry. He was a co-founder and then CEO of nuCamp, the American brand with a knack for repurposing European RV designs for the American market. Under Scott’s control, nuCamp grew to become what the company claims is the world’s largest teardrop camper manufacturer. After about 15 years with the company, Scott left nuCamp in 2024 and founded Awaken RV in September of that year.
According to Awaken RV, the impetus for its creation was Scott’s realization that much of the RV industry was spinning its wheels, building the same trailers it had made for decades. Indeed, if you go to an RV show, it’s still not hard to find a rubberized roof or wood framing. The downsides of these construction methods have been known for decades. Nobody likes water leaks, and repairing damage can cost more than you paid for your RV.
Awaken admits that yes, there has been a lot of innovation in RVs lately, but too many units are still just the same thing as they’ve always been, only with new decals and interior decor.
Scott believes the future of RVs is in its past – specifically, fiberglass. There have been viable fiberglass campers since at least the early 1950s, and fiberglass really came into its own by the 1970s. The fiberglass campers of the 1970s and the 1980s were lightweight, durable, affordable, and cheerful. Many of these campers were built so well that it’s not even hard to find one still being used today, decades after they were built. The most famous fiberglass brand in America is Scamp, and its trailers don’t look a whole lot different today than they looked back in the 1980s.
Scott has taken note of all of this. Molded fiberglass has proven itself to be one of the best materials to make an RV out of if longevity is a primary concern. Sure, you have to forget about slides and fiberglass campers tend to be smaller units, but those are worthy trade-offs for many buyers.
The folks of Awaken took a peek at the fiberglass market and found a bit of an oddity. The vast majority of the market is either on the affordable end, like Scamp and Casita, or on the high end, like Oliver and Bigfoot. Awaken thinks there’s a spot right in between these ends for a mid-priced trailer. The company has also taken note that most fiberglass RV producers do direct sales, and wants to make something for whatever buyers out there might still prefer a dealership model. Oh, but there’s a catch to this.
Then there’s the trailer itself. Most fiberglass campers on the market are of the famous classic “egg” design, featuring two very round molded halves joined at the center. Awaken loves molded fiberglass, but wants to do something different than another egg. The result is the MorningStar, and I got to tour the prototype at the RV show.
The MorningStar
The existence of Awaken RV has been known for a while. I did not write about it because Awaken RV had nothing but unconvincing renders of what its trailer would look like and no concrete details. Awaken RV then wanted to debut the MorningStar at the big show in Indiana back in September, but the prototype wasn’t quite ready yet. So, that morning when I saw the MorningStar in Florida, it was the first time it was being shown to the public.
The MorningStar starts off with an aluminum chassis. Aluminum frames are known for their light weight, strength, and longevity. They also don’t start rusting only a month outside of the factory like some trailers with steel frames do. Oliver, inTech, and ATC are among the other brands known for aluminum frames. That said, aluminum frames can also be tricky. Some inTech owners have complained about frame cracks that were repaired with welding and then reinforced to prevent future issues.
Continuing with the underbody, the frame features a pair of Dexter torsion axles, sealed bearings, and a GenY coupler. The underbody also has fiberglass panels for aero and protection. I’m told that the panels of the prototype, shown here, are rough, and the production version will be smooth underneath.
Sitting atop this chassis is a molded fiberglass body. Awaken makes the MorningStar like other modern fiberglass campers, and the build consists of double-hulled fiberglass that is joined at a central point. The difference here is that there isn’t a visible beltline (where the multiple layers of fiberglass are met and bonded together) as you’d find on most other fiberglass designs. Awaken says its double-hull design and insulation allow the MorningStar to be used comfortably in every season.
The fiberglass of the MorningStar is substantial. It feels rock-solid, and the exterior gel coat finish is smooth and shiny. I couldn’t even cause the fiberglass to flex more than maybe a few millimeters by leaning on it. If you squint, you can see a faint line where the upper and lower halves of the fiberglass were joined together.
The MorningStar’s look comes from the fact that Scott loves what people can buy in Europe, from RVBusiness:
“I’m a big fan of having a lot of windows to let in natural light, so you’ll see that with these units. And I’m a big fan of the European caravan market, so I think you’ll see some of those styling trends, because I wanted something that’s visually pleasing,” he said. “It’s also important that this unit be functional, so it was important that it was a four-season camper and that it had those creature comforts, like a good-sized dry bath.”
The MorningStar has sizable acrylic windows that let in tons of natural light. I hate how many trailers feel like dungeons inside. This? It feels light and airy. So that’s a big win in my book.
The exterior does appear to be pretty well thought-out, with one large storage compartment up front, one more hatch in the rear, and a bumper with storage for your sewage hose. It’s a pretty minimalist design, with the fiberglass broken only by the addition of the awning and a few exterior ports to hook up to shore connections or to provide outside power.
The only part I’m not a fan of on the outside is the 15-inch wheels. Those wheels look like they belong on a trailer carrying a gaudy boat, not a fancy and restrained camper. But I suppose those shouldn’t be too hard to replace yourself.
It’s So Nice Inside
The interior is where the MorningStar shines. These trailers will be built in Ohio Amish country and feature real handcrafted wood. The cabinetry, doors, and counters are all made out of real hardwood. You’ll find no particleboard or plywood here. The floor covering is woven vinyl, while the countertops and tabletops are Sorrento parchment.
All of the interior materials have a good feel and quality to them. I love the feeling, quality, and weight of real hardwood. The floor plan is pretty simple with the bedroom up front, a U-shaped dinette, the kitchen in the middle, and the bathroom taking up the rear. The list of features is pretty good, too. You get a three-burner stove, a convection microwave, ducted Truma heat and air-conditioning, a Truma water heater, a 12-volt refrigerator, and a dry bath with a porcelain toilet and a relatively roomy 24-cubic-foot shower.
All of this, Awaken says, is supposed to make for a nice little home away from home for a couple. The bedroom up front features a convertible bed that switches between 33″ by 79″ twins or an 80″ by 60″ queen. Technically, the camper sleeps up to four people. I think there should be some sort of privacy divider between the bedroom and the rest of the trailer, even a removable one would work.
Stores seem pretty reasonable for two people. The trailer has 270Ah of Battle Born lithium batteries and more than 500 watts of solar, plus a 39-gallon fresh tank, 32-gallon gray tank, and 18-gallon black tank.
The MorningStar measures 24 feet in length (of which 19 feet is the living space), weighs 5,320 pounds empty (7,000 pounds loaded), and has a decent 6’6″ interior height. Awaken says that the MorningStar will be assembled in Apple Creek, Ohio, using fiberglass parts sourced from AC&T and Goldshield, both located in Decatur, Indiana. Awaken expects its 17,000-square-foot facility to produce around 200 units a year at first, before later ramping up to 1,200 units per year.
You Keep Using That Word…
I walked out of the MorningStar pretty pleased. It’s not perfect, but it does so much right, from the build quality to the interior. So then, what’s the catch? It’s the price.
The MorningStar starts at $88,900. Now, you might be scratching your head a little bit because Awaken talked some big game about making a trailer for the middle of the market. A mid-priced fiberglass trailer should cost around $55,000 or so. Awaken is solidly in the high-end fiberglass luxury field, which it said its trailer will not be a part of. Mind you, $88,900 is only the starting price, so it gets even more expensive from there.
There’s also a MorningStar-i on the way, which is the same length but weighs 5,690 pounds, has an independent suspension, and has off-road tires for the starting price of $93,500. Awaken also wants to make bigger models somewhere down the line.
Awaken says the MorningStar is mid-priced, but its starting price is about $9,000 more than an Oliver Legacy Elite II, which starts at $79,995, is about the same length, and is basically a yacht inside. Incredibly, Awaken also lists out competition that has luxury trailers like the $103,900 Airstream Flying Cloud 23FB. So, Awaken and some of the RV industry press keep saying “mid-priced” or “middle of the market,” but the pricing shows a different reality.
At any rate, Awaken says that the ideal buyer for the MorningStar is a Gen-X couple who have retired or are near retirement and have an empty nest. Presumably, that couple also has Airstream Flying Cloud money, but will want to spend it on fiberglass, instead.
There’s so much to love about the MorningStar, from its fresh design, high-quality interior, and just doing something new with fiberglass. I thought the MorningStar was one of the biggest debuts of this year’s Florida show. But it’s very disappointing that the price is nowhere near where the marketing says it should be. Regardless, if you do have the kind of cash this commands and you don’t want to spend it on an Airstream, I can see picking one of these up. If Awaken is right, maybe we’ll still see these rolling around decades from now.
Top graphic image: Mercedes Streeter
The post This New RV Might Be One Of The Greatest Evolutions Of Fiberglass Campers In Years, But There’s A Catch appeared first on The Autopian.
