Ever had the itch for an RV??

[flying kurmaster]

going back to that thread on trailers, I like small converted vans because you can go more places then when you are towing something, and to be honest i got tired of towing it around but we owned a 10 foot caravan for about 10 years and pound for pound that thing was a bargain. 35 dollars a year to register, a tube of caulking every few years to reseal the roof other wise no maintenance to speak of, we replaced the curtains when we first bought it, new tires and a bit of tidy up, paid 2200 for it sold it 10 years later for 5500 people started seing the retro aspect of it by then and the convenience of it, a bit like the argument around a pick up or a trailer, An RV or a small travel trailer??? it was simple, very cosy and economical. I like those little bolers, triliums or scamps in your area WW but there are plenty of newer funkyEuro designs to choose from too, I saw this reallly cool tear drop shaped one in Italy a few years back, It was alluminium color with this very bright lime green or yellow plastic tube piece that outlined the teardrop towed by a little Alpha Romeo both with mags, boy it looked smart

[War_Wagon]

I like the idea of a van better than a trailer personally. Though a Boler would be sweet! A friend of mine upgraded his "camping" setup this year with this:



New truck, new trailer. It's a diesel at least. He is not the kind of person that ever drives slow, and his first trip in it was to a campground up in the mountains, so a lot of steep climbing that he would not slow down for. Still, somehow this all managed 12.5-13 mpg average for the trip! Interesting to think that with a different driver something as heavy as this set up might be able to get some half decent FE, for what it is. Though, up here, that combo, brand new, going down the road after taxes etc etc is probably pushing close to $100k - hmmm ya I think my RV budget is about 2% of that lol

[slowmover]

Mine, truck & trailer, was under $30k. And I average 15 highway. That TT shown will be on a hunting lease or in the landfill by about 10-years. Mine is 24 and will be on-road viable long after I'm gone.

A Touareg and a 22' Airstream are good for 20+ mpg on level Interstate.

The sig pic is of my Silver Streak of a few years ago. An '83. Now have a '90 (different appearance).

One of the best aero TT's would be a 1972 AVION. Better built (as is mine) than an Airstream, and this year model features separate black and grey water tanks. No real penalty on FE per size, more a matter of matching the tow vehicles axle weight ratings ("tow ratings" are rather bogus, subject to the OEMs wanting you in a high profit pickup).



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[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

I like the idea of a van better than a trailer personally. Though a Boler would be sweet! A friend of mine upgraded his "camping" setup this year with this:

In a truck I'm more favorable to camper modules than trailers, since they would preserve the cross-country capabilities of the truck.

[NachtRitter]

Some of those TT that I see on the road seem to be suspended awfully high, such as below:

Haven't ever figured out why... Seems like it'd be better from cg and aero povs to have the whole thing sit lower (even with the potential loss of space for fender wells)...

[War_Wagon]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

In a truck I'm more favorable to camper modules than trailers, since they would preserve the cross-country capabilities of the truck.

Unless you are these guys.

And I imagine the trailers sit so high just to help them not drag their rear bumpers on the ground when they have to go over something like a steep entrance to a parking lot etc.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

Some of those TT that I see on the road seem to be suspended awfully high, such as below:

Haven't ever figured out why... Seems like it'd be better from cg and aero povs to have the whole thing sit lower (even with the potential loss of space for fender wells)...

A higher clearance is more favorable to the departure angle, which gets very compromised due to that long rear overhang.

[NachtRitter]

Ah... ya, that makes sense!

[flying kurmaster]

however there is really no gain having them over an RV in my mind, unless you have to have a large truck in your every day life. I am talking small light weight, possibly aerodynamic with simple comforts, fridge stove bed sitting area, toilet, out of the weather, easy to tow with a small car, mini van. I think that the market will expand in the near futur for small, clever, standing room with all the comforts under 600kg TT as the price of fuel rises and our parking spaces get smaller.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Some of those big trailers look even bigger than my apartment

Anyway, I'd rather get either a small self-contained camper van, because of its more discrete look, or a camper module to attach into a pickup bed. Less tyres to replace, less prejudices to the maneuverability, and also would avoid more expensive road fees due to a trailer.