Think all RVs are eco-unfriendly? Try these Top 10 modern homes on wheels
Mobile homes, RVs, travel trailers, caravans, and campers are very green forms of housing because they are prefabricated and small. Mobile homes' assembly line construction uses less energy and creates less waste than regular home construction. Mobile homes are usually smaller and that means less energy to heat and cool. We figures there are many new modern designs for mobile homes you might have missed, so we compiled a list of the newest and the best in homes on wheels. Below the fold are the 10 best modern travel trailers, RV, campers, caravans, and mobile homes. No one will mistake you for an old couple taking a cross country trip in any of these designs.
[Source: Inhabitat, fabprefab, MoCo Loco]
1. GMC Pad concept. The Pad is one of only three concept vehicles on this list. The Pad won the Design Challenge at the 2006 L.A. Auto Show. The exterior design of the Pad is very cool, as you can see, and the interior is all about media display.
2. Deseo Modular Caravan. The Modular Caravan won the iF product design award in 2006. The exterior is very modern with smooth, rounded edges. The Modular Caravan's interior looks better than my house.
3. Young Activity Trailer. The Young Activity Trailer has a very simple, clean exterior. The interior of the Young Activity Trailer has a back that opens fully and can make room for things like your bullet bike.
4. Modern Park Trailer. The exterior of the Modern Park Trailer has amazing, large windows. The interior actually has a bathroom, living room and a bedroom with a closet.
5. VW Westfalia concept. The second concept on our list comes from Volkswagen, a modern update of the old VW bus by the Canadian company Verdier. The solar powered concept won a prize at the 2007 Caravaning Desing Award.
6. Urban Camper. The last concept on the list, the Urban Camper, shows homes on wheels don't need to be too large. The Urban Camper has a toilet in the trunk and the seats act as beds.
7. Tada Travel Trailer. The Tada has a very traditional trailer shape. I really liked the fact the Tada comes in a wide variety of very bright, primary colors like green, red, yellow and blue.
8. Eggcamper. The Eggcamper reminds me a lot of the Airstream Bambi. The Air Stream design has been around for decades but it still has a certain charm.
9. Snail Shell System. There is no reason all the homes on wheels need to be powered by a fuel-guzzling engine, so I included the Snail Shell System. You just roll this tent-like shelter on its side to move it around.
10. Fiat Ducato. The Fiat Ducator is a popular van for conversion into a motor home. You can see why: The Ducator has clean lines and a very modern shape.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dean 10:02PM (4/09/2008)
I hear and feel your pain. VW's: great looking and performing but expensive to repair and who's kidding who with the ill educated VW repair people? $69 for an oil change, oil all over the interior, no fluids topped and overfilling the oil 3 times at two different dealers. I traded it after 1.5 years of painfully expensive diesel fuel on another Toyota. Wish I still had my '89 Camry wagon. 236k miles, no oil use, 30mpg. Camped in Grand Canyon. Hauled bath-tubs. What a car! Way better than the Passat.
Hang in there people. As a recent corporate castaway with 20 years of sales, customer service and product developement experience I may have something that will meet your van camping needs, fit in a garage, get 20+ mpg and cost less than an SUV in the near future. Wish me luck!
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 4:37AM (5/31/2008)
I doubt very much that the extensive use of the Fiat Ducato base by so many camper builders is primarily because of the looks. Even before petrol prices went through the roof in Europe, the main reason was the performance/fuel efficiency of the multijet engine that goes with the Ducato.
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philmcneal 11:57PM (9/27/2007)
lol wow some of those do look really good, does anyone have a pro RV site that convinces people that RV is better for the environment than owning your own house and yawn + yard?
Pair it up with a Yukon GM TWO mode and your good to go! And then recharge the batteries of the home when you got a chance wee!
I wonder what the cost comparison is lets say... renting out an apartment.
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Domenick 1:28AM (9/28/2007)
Like my buddy, Dan Carrigan, says, "If you lived in your car you'd be home by now."
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Guenther 9:51AM (9/28/2007)
There is so much cool stuff to be had if you look at the European RV market. Small, maneuverable campers, huge tent trailers... stuff that actually handles OK and gets better fuel economy than the American family sedan.
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Phil L. 10:12AM (9/28/2007)
This list, as with many like it, is perhaps only useful for generating discussion. C'mon: Looking at concept vehicles (which are, by definition, not available to consumers) can be a little frustrating. The same goes for vehicles that aren't available your own market (I live in the US, which throws out a few choices on this list).
That said, there are efficient RV options available to the average consumer. I have a popup camper that I tow with a minivan. It has enough room for the kids and gets us outside while offering enough convenience to keep my wife happy. The combination gets good mileage by RV standards, and I get a reasonably efficient vehicle for the majority of the time I'm not towing.
We can debate what you "want" vs. what you "need" all day. And does a retired couple who winter in Florida burn more diesel in their motorhome - or more heating oil if they heated their midwest home during the cold months? Hard to tell. People will want options for how and where they spend their time; RVs are a way to do that.
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macmanic 10:49AM (9/28/2007)
I really wish that VW or some other company would realize that there is still a very substantial market for smaller van-campers like the old Westphalia in the US. While Europe is awash in small Toyota Hiace and Mazda Bongo pop-top conversion vans (with high mpg small diesel engines and AWD) here in the US there is...NOTHING at all similar.
Our choices consist of only gas guzzling, fugly, full sized GM, Ford or Dodge vans with no AWD or 4x4 capability and garage unfriendly and non-aerodynamic fiberglass extended tops. And what is even more ironic is that the marketing hype for SUVs that successfully taped into the public's yearning to be seen as part of the "outdoor/extreme/adventure sports" crowd totally misses the fact that the REAL outdoor oriented people out there actually HATE SUVs as worthless vehicles for actually getting out and staying out in the wild. Most of the whitewater kayakers, climbers, hikers, and mt bikers I know all agree that MINIVANS (no kidding!) are currently the best vehicles for their active lifestyles.
There are entire cottage industries now that are keeping the old VW pop-top campers still running and commanding ever higher prices for camper vans that have not been imported into this country since 1991.
Whatever auto company (and that's probably NOT VW) finally wakes up to this market will really make some money.
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Phil L. 11:33AM (9/28/2007)
Actually, I have seen some newer VW campers in the US based on the Eurovan chassis, very reminiscent of the Westphalia. As it turns out, there are several on eBay right now; search on "Eurovan camper".
Sadly, the market apparently wasn't substantial enough to sustain it. The big problem was the Eurovan itself: It was far more expensive than other minivans and never terribly popular in the US; adding the camping gear didn't help. You could get a much larger "US-style" RV with more features for less money. This is particularly true on the used market, which is where my budget says I must stay.
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Shawna Tayler 8:20PM (10/01/2007)
I have lived in a travel trailer for about 5 years. It is VERY economical. I pay between 300 to 425 per month including electricity, water, etc. to park in an rv resort. It's like living where people vacation. There's pool, hot tub and clubhouse, too.
I wouldn't live any other way. If you would like to check out living in an RV there is some great info on my website at http://www,rvinfotoo.com or my blog
http://www.squidoo.com/craigslist_san_diego
Living in an rv of any kind is soft on the environment and there are many American companies building small affordable and comfortable trailers - you don't have to go to Europe for innovation in this area...check out your local RV show.
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macmanic 12:10PM (10/03/2007)
Yes I know all about the Eurovan based Winnebego pop-top campers - I owned one. A a great and efficient camper design but a complete disaster of a vehicle and one that probably helped to further ruin WV's reputation in the US. While outrageously expensive to buy in the first place (desperate Westphalia seekers will pay almost anything!) the VW EV was astronomically expensive to repair - an occurence that unfortunately happened way too frequently. You don't want to know - but let me say that I will NEVER EVER buy ANY kind of VW again without an ironclad, 100k+ bumper to bumper warranty. Actually, at this point it will really take a lot for me to ever buy a VW again - and this being stated by someone who had owned many VWs over the years starting with my first one - a new 1962 VW bug...
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Phil L. 7:35AM (10/06/2007)
Sadly, your experience has confirmed some stories I've heard. This perception persists for me to this day. For example, I'd like to believe VW really did their homework on the TDI, but pricey maintenance is still the kiss of death for a car line. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.
The Eurovan might have done better with a more US-friendly drivetrain (even the VR6 just wasn't enough), but its reliability reputation was too much to overcome.
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