The mansion-like motorhomes, with their granite countertops, flat-screen televisions and king-size beds, might steal the spotlight at this week’s Colorado RV Adventure Travel Show, but it’s their smaller, lighter cousins that are speeding off the lots, according to local dealers.

“We sell a lot of lightweight small trailers. Those sales are off the charts,” said Don Secord, general sales manager at Ketelsen Campers of Colorado in Wheat Ridge. “People can tow small trailers with the same vehicle they potentially drive to work everyday. It’s no longer a lifestyle or a hobby that you have to go and invest in a big ol’ truck.”

The 26th annual recreational vehicle showcase, which runs through Saturday at the Colorado Convention Center, comes on the heels of a strong year for RV sales nationwide.

In Colorado, sales of towable RVs increased 15 percent last year, according to event organizers, and dealers are expecting an equally good showing in 2016.

Nationwide, recreational vehicle shipments are surpassing pre-Great Recession levels, up nearly 5 percent in 2015 through November, according to the latest data available from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.

Smaller travel trailers performed even better, with deliveries up 7.7 percent year over year through November.

Locally, much of the growth can be tied to low gas prices and low interest rates, as well as increasing interest from young families, said Trailer Source owner Jim Blumenthal.

AAA estimates the average price of gas nationally in 2016 will fall to between $2.25 and $2.45 per gallon, slightly cheaper or comparable to the 2015 average of $2.40.

“What we’re seeing is the economy has turned around, I’m comfortable with my 401(k), I’m comfortable in my position at work, I have a little more disposable income, wages seem to be coming up, and then fuel — fuel, fuel, fuel, fuel, fuel,” Blumenthal said. “You can drive anywhere you want for half of what it used to be.”

Smaller travel trailers and retro “teardrops” are where Blumenthal is seeing the most growth.

Winnebago, one of the biggest names in the RV world, recently launched a new line of teardrop trailers, the Winnie Drop.

Blumenthal said he expects them to fly off Trailer Source lots in Wheat Ridge, Erie and Colorado Springs.

At Ketelsen, the bulk of business has been in units under 5,000 pounds, the “magic mark” for what can be towed by most SUVs, Secord said.

A 19-foot Spree Escape trailer that Ketelsen brought to the show sleeps up to six people, weighs less than 4,000 pounds, sells for less than $18,000 — and can hitch a ride on an SUV.

“You don’t give up amenities,” Secord said. “Years ago, it was small, and it was just a bed. Now it’s a bed, plus bunks, plus a kitchen, a refrigerator, a microwave, a shower. That’s livability.”

On the larger end of things, toy haulers — towable fifth-wheel RVs with a garage/cargo area — remain a popular option, said Jim Humble, general manager of Windish RV Center in Lakewood and Longmont.

Many toy haulers these days have retractable bunk beds in the garage and ramps that convert into outdoor patios.

“I’ve been in the business for 24 years, and 24 years ago, it was a lot more retired folks,” Humble said. “Nowadays, our customer is getting younger and younger.”

Lakewood resident Laura Hartgerink, among the younger generation of RVers, was inspired by her husband, who spent his childhood summers traveling with his parents across the country in a pop-up trailer.

“It was really important for him to be able to pass that on to our kids, that we’re going to spend time together and make memories together,” said Hartgerink, whose children are ages 5, 2½ and 8 months.

They bought their first RV — a small travel trailer they tow behind the family van — this past fall, with her husband’s parents going in on the purchase.

“We’re investing in this, so we’re saving in the long run,” she said. “We want our kids to have a great time in nature and be able to go to the museums and stay in places we wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit if we had to buy a hotel room or vacation package.”

Colorado RV Adventure Travel Show

When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver

Cost: $12 for adults, kids 12 and under free, $6 for Good Sam members