The company was founded in 1968 by Lloyd and Bertha Bontrager. Bontrager developed a unique lifter system for fold-down camping trailers in 1967 and started the business of making fold-down trailers in two chicken houses and a barn. The name “Jayco” originated from Lloyd’s middle name “Jay” and the “co” Buzz Leonard suggested to represent “company”. In the first year of operations, the company sold 132 trailers, and by the end of 1968, it had 15 employees. Lloyd and Bertha consistently would set out extra chairs at the dinner table to host dealers and employees in their home for dinner. Treating employees like family was installed in Jayco from the very beginning. The company continued to grow, building another plant in Harper, Kansas in 1970.
The company was hard hit in the energy crunch of the 1970s and several of its plants were closed temporarily. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the company also suffered another slowdown due to the high price of gasoline. The company recovered to become the second largest U.S. manufacturer of towable products by 1995.
On Easter Sunday in 1985, Lloyd Bontrager and his youngest son Wendall were killed when his small airplane crashed in the vicinity of Muncie, Indiana. His wife Bertha became chairman of the board at Jayco and later, her sons Wilbur and Derald assumed leadership roles within the company.
In addition to the Jayco brand, Jayco acquired Starcraft RV in 1991, Entegra Coach in 2008 and Highland Ridge RV in 2014. In 2016, Jayco reached their 1 millionth manufactured RV milestone and the Eagle line celebrated 25 years, becoming the industry's longest-running trailer brand. Jayco was acquired by Thor Industries in July 2016 for $576 million.
Jayco, Inc. rebranded to the Jayco Family of Companies in 2021 to better encapsulate the four divisions – Jayco, Entegra Coach, Highland Ridge RV and Starcraft RV.
Models
Jayco is known for their Jay Flight model, which became available in 2001. Since 2005, the Jayco Jay Flight has been the #1 selling travel trailer brand.[1] In 2006, the Jay Flight brand expanded its model lineup with the addition of the seasonal model, Bungalow. As part of an exclusive deal, Jay Flights began featuring tires from Goodyear with Durawall technology as standard. Jay Flight was the first to be listed as a Gold Medal Green Certified RV.
RV Magazine – Favorite Small Camping Trailer – Gold
RV Magazine – Favorite Class C – Silver
RVB – RV Business Top Debut – Eagle Fifth Wheel 335RDOK
RVB – Top Debut – Terrain Class B Van
RV Pro – Best of 2022 – North Point 340CKTS
RV News – Luxury Fifth Wheel of the Year – Pinnacle 38FLGS
RV News – Type B of the Year – Terrain 19Y
2023
RV Business Top 10 Finalist – RV of the Year
RV Magazine – Class C Manufacturer of the Year – Gold
RV Magazine – Small Camping Trailer Manufacturer of the Year – Silver
RV Magazine – Travel Trailer Manufacturer of the Year – Bronze
RVDA DSI Towable – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Towables
RVDA DSI Motorized – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Motorized
RV News – High-end Fifth Wheel of the Year – North Point 380RKGS
RV News – Lightweight Travel Trailer of the Year – Jay Feather Volaré
RV News – Class C/Super C Motorhome of the Year – Seneca XT 35L
2024
Business - Top Debut - Jayco Greyhawk XL 32U
RV News – RV of the Year – Luxury 5th Wheel
RV News – Entry Level Travel Trailer of the Year – Jay Flight 235MBH
RV Magazine – Favorite Fifth Wheel - Silver
RV Magazine – Favorite Travel Trailer - Bronze
RV Magazine – Favorite Toy Hauler - Silver
RV Magazine – Favorite Tiny Trailer - Gold
RV Magazine – Favorite Class C Motorhome – Gold
RV Magazine – Favorite 4x4 Motorhome – Bronze
RVDA’s DSI – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Towables
RVDA’s DSI – Dealer Satisfaction Index Award – Jayco Motorized
2025
RV Pro (embargoed) – Best of Open House – Jayco Greyhawk
RV News (embargoed) – RV of the Year: Single-Axle Travel Trailer – Jayco Jay Feather Air 18MBH
RV News (embargoed) – RV of the Year: High-end Fifth Wheel – Jayco North Point
RV Business – Top 10 Finalist RV of the Year – Jayco Eagle HT 230MLCS
RV Business – Top Innovations – Jayco (water filtration system)
DSI Awards – Jayco Motorized
DSI Awards – Jayco Towables
International
Jayco partnered with a UK-based company in the late 1970s and produced a tent camper for the European market.[2] Jayco Australia Ltd was founded in 1975, and production commenced there the following year. Jayco of Australia soon became the largest player in the Australian camper/caravan industry.
^"Jayco, Inc. company history". Fundinguniverse. International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13. traiSt. James Press, 1996. 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
Axelrod, Karen (2006). Watch It Made in the U.S.A.: A Visitor's Guide to the Best Factory Tours and Company Museums. Avalon Travel. ISBN1-59880-000-0.
