Aero Efficiency of Motorhome/RV vs Car & Caravan

[freebeard]

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/04/did-you-know-that-u-haul-got-into.html

Find one of these. Ship it to Oz-tralia.

[Hersbird]

I have a nice new RV and previously had something more MPG friendly the Hi-Lo, but my last trip was in a tent. Now don't go thinking some confined dome thing, I'm talking 12x15 circus style 10oz flame/marine canvas from Reliable Tent and Tepee in Montana. I have a wood stove for it and a XL cot with memory foam pad. Me and a 13 year old set it all up in about 20 mins and it takes about that long to tear down and pack. It was under $1000 with shipping during g the winter sale and I love it. It is so airy inside with a 13' peak and dry and warm with the stove going. I like to cook outside even with the fancy new camper, i the weather looks bad I'll set up a tarp cookshack. All I need now is a dry aeroshell for the 8' bed of the pickup to store everything. My wife like the camper, so we will still use that, but I think I'm a wall tent guy now.

[freebeard]

https://cleantechnica.com/2013/03/24/army-energy-efficiency-goals-lead-to-new-energy-saving-tents/

[Hersbird]

This place is out sort of by you, Greys Harbour, Wa. SingCore | Warp-free, lightweight honeycomb panels and door cores
This is what I wanted to make my camper out of but they sell a lightweight AFrame shelter that sets up easy with just a few panels.

[freebeard]

It's an interesting product.

Our price is based on the quantity, length, width, thickness, and type of skin (choice of plywood, MDF, solid wood, aluminum, fiber glass, stainless steel, hardy planks, etc.).

How well insulated are Sing Panels?

The R-Value of a Sing Sandwich using EPS Foam is 3.5 per inch. For technical specifications on our EPS foam, please visit this page. The R-value of a Sing Sandwich using Urethane Foam is 6.5 per inch.

How big can you make Sing Panels?

A standard sized panel is 4 ft. x 8 ft. We also specialize in custom sizes, which are available in any dimensions, up to 22 ft. by 40 ft. or larger.

So it's an egg-crate with EPS foam infill. One could order custom triangles with a thick edge then rip them to the proper angles to make a geodesic dome. Hmm.....

[Hersbird]

And they can do any metal exterior, and wood interior combo.

[freebeard]

Aluminum/Birch plywood would be retro-cool.

[s_t]

Originally Posted by slowmover

....
I prefer (and forty-five years of experience tells me) that for lowest overall cost (as fuel is but one part; generally half) drivetrain separate from RV works best. Why? Majority of hours of use are ALWAYS when parked. The right trailer can last decades. The motive power can be changed as desired.
.......

Yes, that applies in many situations, perhaps including my own right now! If only using it for a few weeks a year, its some expensive machinery to sit unused the majority of the time.

I'll add a few 'buts' though, which help to mitigate this:
- I planned to drive the electric motorhome to work and back each day. So it would take the place of an ICE vehicle. Overkill for commuting, yes, but at least not sitting idle from months.
- it makes sense when thinking about regularly spending long periods travelling, as we did for 6 months in 2014.
- during our around Australia trip in 2014, fuel was our single biggest expense (and as far as motorhomes go, it was quite fuel efficient). Fuel costs completely dwarfed depreciation of the motorhome on resale.

Originally Posted by slowmover

Not in his country. They’ve plenty. Purpose-built.

True, there are plenty to choose from. But made in low volumes, so they charge an arm and a leg...

For now I'll stick with the homemade camper/caravan/RV. Whilst it doesn't have all the comforts of commercial ones, and our existing tow vehicles can't get us everywhere we might want to go, we'll manage using it for a few more years and then re-assess.

[s_t]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

This place is out sort of by you, Greys Harbour, Wa. SingCore | Warp-free, lightweight honeycomb panels and door cores
This is what I wanted to make my camper out of but they sell a lightweight AFrame shelter that sets up easy with just a few panels.

Interesting - haven't seen SIP cores like that, with ply providing the shear strength. More similar to traditional building techniques of timber frame and insulation infill, but at a smaller scale and in a pre-packed core type arrangement. Also brings back the risks of moisture damage though, which common SIP panels avoid.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Majority of hours of use are ALWAYS when parked. The right trailer can last decades.

Motorhome or trailer, if it has a rear entry and it's parking spot is backed up to a porch, then it becomes an extension of the [more] permanent structure.