Hitching a ride

RV industry awaiting laffer windfall

By CHRIS GARDNER

Columbia's laffer "RV" is all about the pitfalls of family travel, right down to the tagline: "On a family vacation, no one can hear you scream."

But the RV industry is hoping auds have the opposite reaction : Dealers are ready and waiting for any windfall, much the way California's wine biz got an intoxicating boost from "Sideways."

National rental outlet El Monte RV says in a press release that it's actually holding some rentals in reserve, anticipating demand following the pic's bow this past weekend:

"While we don't know exactly what 'RV' will be about until it is officially released, we're optimistic about the movie's impact on the industry," says El Monte RV spokesman Joe Laing. "There's no doubt that lots of adventures can happen when vacationing in a motor home"

But the adventures -- er, misadventures -- that take place in the Barry Sonnenfeld-directed film are perhaps not the ones companies like El Monte RV would like relatives to replicate. The pic sees Robin Williams and kin dodging annoying travelers, lost in the woods and -- indignity of indignities -- pumping out their RV's septic tank.

Alpha Books is also releasing a new edition of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Rving," which is actually featured in the pic.

Buckle up, America.