It's vacation season. The nights are long, the kids are out of school, and there's no better time to unplug from daily life and take the family on a camping adventure. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, motor-home sales alone are up 33 percent this year so far, and RV (which includes towable campers) sales on the whole are predicted to hit more than 300,000. Here's a look at some of the coolest RVs on the market in every price class - from most to least expensive.
1. Newell Coach #1488
Price: US$1.7 million
A Newell motor home is a penthouse apartment on wheels - and they cost about as much. Newells are so custom and so exclusive, in fact, that each one is individually numbered. Newell No. 1488 costs a cool US$1.7 million and has an interior nicer than most homes or hotel rooms.
What do you get for a couple million bucks? How about a 45-foot motor home with four slide-out rooms, 47-inch and 42-inch TVs, Sub-Zero appliances, a washer and dryer, miles of real marble, and a full-security camera system. Oh, and a 600-hp Cummins diesel that generates 1950 lb-ft of torque to move this thing around. Yes, a Newell is pure fantasy. But it sure would be fun to take a road trip across the country in one.
2. Airstream Land Yacht
Price: US$100,000-plus
Perhaps no other RV nameplate is as iconic and revered as Airstream. The sleek aluminium travel trailers were first produced in 1936 and are some of the most luxurious travel trailers on the market. The most modern Airstream produced today is the 28-foot 2014 Land Yacht, built to emulate the upscale watercraft from which it is named.
Outside, the trailer preserves the classic Airstream aluminium shell. Inside, there are sleek furnishings by Italian cabinetmaker Tecnoform including teak woods, Corian counters, soft leather, and LED lighting. The Land Yacht sleeps up to five and has a gross vehicle weight rating of 9000, so a modern light-duty full-size pickup with the right tow package can handle the towing chores.
3. Thor Chateau Super C 33SW
Price: US$138,675
Class C motor homes are some of the most versatile RVs. Most are based on heavy-duty cut-away van chassis, which means the living accommodations can be quite a bit larger than those of a Class B motor home (which keeps the living accommodations within the stock body of the van). Thor has introduced a new "Super" C motorhome, the 3SW, based on the bones of a Ford F-550 Super Duty. This monstrously strong chassis paired to the 6.7-litre Power Stroke diesel with 660 lb-ft of torque and the ability to tow a whopping 10,000 pounds. The 34 foot-long home has a nearly 7-foot ceiling, an 18 cubic-foot refrigerator, king-size bed, dual flat-panel TVs, and dual 13,500-BTU air conditioners.
4. Winnebago Via
Price: US$128,640
Class A motor homes are the largest and most expensive RVs. Some of the plushest units can run to the hundreds of thousands of dollars - and swallow fuel like an 18-wheeler. Winnebago's Via goes the other direction. It's based on a smaller, more fuel-efficient Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis and turbo diesel V-6 engine. That combination not only delivers better mileage but also creates a relatively nimble and manoeuvrable coach. The Via offers three bedroom configurations, the most practical of which (at least for a family) offers a loft bed that lowers from the ceiling above the cab as well as two twin beds in back that can combine into a queen. This 25.5-foot motor home is compact (for a Winnebago), but there's still a full shower aboard as well as a two-burner stove, refrigerator/freezer, and two flat-panel TVs.
5. Sportsmobile 4WD Ford E-350 vans
Price: Est. US$100,000
There's real adventure out there beyond the paved road, and one of the best ways to see it is with a 4WD vehicle equipped for overland camping. Sportsmobile has decades of experience building heavy-duty 4x4 vans for expeditions. These motor homes are so capable they can often follow modified Jeeps and other hard-core 4WD vehicles up and over the world's best trails - packing full camping amenities right on-board. On the inside, these vans are compact but offer many of the same features of conventional Class B motor homes. They just could be the coolest looking and certainly one of the most capable campers on the market.
6. Roadtrek N6 Active
Price: US$78,156
The Class B motor home, otherwise known as a camper van, has roots that run back to the first VW Westfalia campers of the 1950s. One of our favourites, the new Roadtrek N6 Active van, is based on the Nissan NV passenger van and offers a highly flexible vehicle. It can be used as a six-passenger minivan replacement during the weekday grind and then reconfigured for camping duty on the weekend - the N6 can sleep five thanks to the pop-up roof tent, just like those vintage VWs had. There's an on-board fridge, sink, and microwave to make a road trip or weekend outing a little easier. And the N6 Active can tow 8000 pounds worth of trailer, which makes this van a valid replacement for a full-size SUV.
7. Livin Lite Axxess Toy Hauler
Price: US$29,950
Toy haulers are towable camping trailers that are designed to bring along your ATVs, motorcycles or UTV side-by-sides, adding exponentially to the summer vacation camping fun. These practical trailers range from the humble to the extreme, with some stretching more than 40 feet long and weighing around 18,000 pounds once loaded down with the toys and gear. Those awesome beasts almost certainly require a heavy-duty pickup truck as the tow vehicle. But the 26-foot all-aluminium Axxess lightweight toy hauler tips the scales at just 5400 pounds and can handle 4600 pounds inside, making it a manageable tow for a tow-package-equipped light-duty pickup, or even for an SUV such as a Chevy Suburban if the trailer is not fully loaded. Inside, there are all the amenities you'd need for a weekend of power sports, including a queen-size bed, kitchen, bathroom, fridge, and a fold-up sofa/bed. You can even option the Axxess with 15-inch off-road tires for additional ground clearance.
8. Forrest River Rockwood Tent Camper Trailers
Price: Est. US$20,000
Pop-up, folding-tent camping trailers are one of the most budget-friendly ways to see the outdoors in an RV. They are lightweight and compact, and many can be had for less than 10 grand. For example, the Rockwood HW316TH weighs just under 3700 pounds, which means it can be towed safely by most SUVs and even some crossovers. Once folded out, there are two 70 x 80–inch beds on either end, a shower, dinette, and full kitchen. And when it's closed up, the trailer is just under 6 feet tall. That low profile makes it easy to tow and probably quite a bit more aerodynamic than a travel trailer, which means better fuel economy on your tow rig.
9. 4-Wheel Campers Finch
Price: US$12,595
Slide-in campers peaked in popularity during the 1970s and early 1980s, but they still make sense if you own a pickup. The Finch by 4-Wheel Campers is the company's smallest slide-in and is built to fit crew-cab midsize pickups like the Toyota Tacoma. These rugged campers weight just under 800 pounds, but are built for four-wheel drive excursions.
The Finch can sleep two to three adults and is packed with a sink, stove, couch, and countertops. Raise the roof and there's nearly 6/-1/2 feet of headroom. The extensive list of options includes a fridge/freezer, Yakima roof-rack systems, dual batteries, and even a "ready to go anywhere" package that includes a water purification system. It's a great solution for those who don't need the expense or size of a full motor home or travel trailer.
10. Autohome Maggiolina Carbon Fibre Rooftop Tent
Price: US$5599
Let's say you want a motor home but the family budget is more than a little tight. There's a great way to sleep soundly above the ground without busting open the savings account. Autohome makes a line of rooftop tents that can be mounted to just about any pickup, SUV, or crossover, and to many cars too. The tents themselves weigh between 73 and 154 pounds and are designed to mount to roof-rack systems from Thule or Yakima. The Maggiolia Carbon Fibre comes in two sizes (the larger of which can accommodate two adults and a child) and weighs just 101 pounds. And a height-adjustable alloy ladder provides an easy climb up.
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1. 11 Cool Campers and Mobile Home Concepts
2. 10 Unique Designs of Traveling House
3. Life on Wheels: 15 Offbeat and Awesome Rolling Homes
Thanks for sharing this useful information.....
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