Say Hello To Our New European RV -> La Mini Bête!!
“We could totally do this…”
Those were dangerous words.
The last time we both uttered them was in San Diego at an RV fair in mid 2009. We wandered in to “have a look at RVs” and walked out with the signed papers to a 40-foot beast. It was impulsive, crazy, and ultimately turned out to be a GREAT decision, but we had already decided that we were never going to do THAT again.
No, no, no….this time we were going to think things through, take our time, shop around and plan well ahead. We would research all possibilities, narrow down the options and then make an informed decision only once we were absolutely, 100% sure of what we wanted. Yup, THIS time we would do it right, the slo-mo way, the way the “experts” always tell you to do it.
But damn, there was that tingly feeling again.
We were in a Foire De Camping (an RV fair) in Toulouse, France and we had just popped in to “check out some camping cars”. We were simply going to browse around and get a feel for things. Do a little window shopping if you will. But then we walked into this one rig, and suddenly we could see our future.
She was small, TEENY in fact, but somehow she felt just right.
The features were perfect, the size was perfect and even the location was perfect! The dealer (Loisireo Muratet) who had it on display was located only ~35 mins from our house, just a hop and a skip away, and they had a full service department at that same location. So not only would pick-up be easy, but we’d be able to install solar, and do all our yearly checks without having to drive miles away. Plus we really liked it. I mean really liked it. The whole thing was basically just feeling eerily serendipitous, and scarily similar to our last buy ~9 years ago and ~6000 miles away.
“We could totally do this…”
So of course we bought it. That same day, just a few hours later, after a bit of negotiation (discount on the floor model and such), some talk about upgrades (solar and lithium were our immediate requirements) and signing around an inch-worth of papers (definitely more paperwork for vehicle purchases in France than in the US). There was going to be a month or more of wait time (again, totally normal in France) while everything got sorted, but then she’d be ours.
OMG, did we really just do this????
What Were Our “Wants”?
Now all impulsiveness aside we did have a bit of an idea of what we wanted when we went shopping for our new RV. As I explained in my post about European versus US RV’s, things are very different on this side of the pond. A “very large” RV is 8 m (~26 feet) long and that’s considered a monster of a beast. Most folks end up buying somewhere in the 6.5 – 7.5 m (~20-23 ft) range, and that’s WITHOUT slides! That’s not a lot of space to work with and means you have to make compromises no matter what you get.
Despite all this, we had several things we were really hoping to get in our new rig.
General/Overall Requirements:
- Good Quality Construction – Most European RV’s are pretty solidly constructed, but there are a few brands that stand above the rest. Hymer, Carthargo, Burstner & Pilote were top of our radar as we were shopping around. Ideally we wanted one of those 4 brands.
- Full Length Double-floor Insulation – We really wanted an “all weather” rig, with full length double-floors and high-quality insulation all around. The better brands all offer this.
- Around 7 m (~23 ft) In Size – This is a really “nice” size for everything in Europe, not too large, not too small. The larger you get the more you pay in ferry fees and such, plus it becomes more difficult to travel through the smaller European towns. But we honestly didn’t know if we could cram everything we wanted into that size.
- Under 3,5 Tonnes In Weight – We wanted to stay within the limits of a regular drivers license so that we did not need special endorsements (which would require extra testing etc.). Plus staying under 3,5 tonnes also gives us cheaper insurance rates, cheaper road fees, cheaper tunnel fees etc.
- A Large Storage “Garage” With Carrying Capacity To Use It – Ideally we wanted space for our 2 bikes plus a bit more, so not only did we need a large garage, but we also needed a rig that was light enough (in base weight) to offer decent cargo carrying capacity. Many European RVs scrimp on this and with only 3.5 tonnes to work with it was going to be a challenge!!
Interior/Layout Requirements:
- Two Comfortable Lounge Areas – This was a tough one, but we really wanted TWO separate places to lounge & work. Sometimes we like being at the same table, but sometimes we need “space” for ourselves. And since we spend most of the day on our computers it was critical that both these spaces be big enough for that. We had this (easily) in our old 40-foot “beast”, but it would be a definite challenge to find anything like it in a small European rig.
- A Large King-Size Bed (With Minimal Or No Conversion Needed) – We have the two of us, plus the paws, and as fellow pet-owners will attest, a dog will magically extend themselves to three times their actual size once they get into bed (Yes, Polly sleeps in the bed with us….that’s just how it is!). If we wanted a comfortable nights sleep without our feet hanging off the edge we needed a BIG bed. Plus we really didn’t want to be “making the bed” every night. Many smaller RV’s get around the whole bed issue by having lounges that convert into bedrooms at night. We just knew that would become old real quick. So really we wanted a fixed, large bed. Was this even going to be possible?
- A Kitchen Big Enough To Fit Our Wok – Yes, this is a very specific and rather strange need, but there’s a reason for it!! When we lived in Hong Kong back in the day we had a teeeeeeny kitchen. The way we made it work was by becoming masters at using the Wok and I tell you, once you learn to cook in a Wok you can almost make anything!! We’ve used it for everything from whole roasts to curries and soups, so it’s a key piece of equipment for us. Our new rig needed both a cupboard and a cook-top big enough to handle it.
- A Separate Shower & Toilet – Again, a major challenge in a small RV especially in the 7 m size. Many small RV’s have wet baths and we really, really wanted to avoid that. Plus we needed a shower space that could handle our cat litter. That was a pretty important and non-negotiable thing.
- An Extra Bed For Guests – We plan to bring guests along every now and then, including my dad. So we wanted an additional, comfy bed for that purpose too. Most European RV’s do have extra beds (family camping is a definite thing here), but it’s just a question of how big or comfy they are.
Our wants were ambitious, and perhaps totally unrealistic?? Certainly up until we went to the Foire De Camping in Toulouse, we hadn’t found anything that came close.
And Then We Found Her!!
The minute we walked into the Carthargo c-compactline I 143, we were impressed, not only by the construction and feel of it (it felt and looked super solid & super cozy), but also the layout and features.
This is a small RV, TEENY in fact! The whole thing is only 6.95 m (~22.8 ft) long, which is just about the same size as a Sprinter van (does this mean I can use the #vanlife hashtag now???), plus it’s narrower than a regular European RV at only 2.12 m (6.6 ft) wide. It is also SUPER light, giving it the highest cargo carrying capacity (around 600 kg) of any motorhome of it’s size. Aaaand it has a HUGE garage, big enough to fit a scooter (!!), so it can easily handle two bikes as well as storage boxes, tools, table, chairs etc. If we arrange this thing right we can carry almost everything we want.
Plus it packs in an incredibly intelligent layout:
- Configurable Lounge Area – the lounge has a comfy L-couch as well as front seats that spin around and a table that can be rotated into any position, so that there’s at least 3-4 different ways you can sit with your feet off the floor (very important for lounging and working).
- HUGE Rear Bed – the bed is actually two twin beds that can be combined into one HUGE king. The bed (and central part) are permanent, and can be used as-is for a comfy sleeping PLUS dog-bed arrangement. Or you can extend the middle by pulling out a short slide to get a bed with the full width of the RV. Fully extended, this bed is actually bigger than the one we had in the 40-foot beast!
- The Bedroom Can Double As A Private Lounge – The other really cool thing about the rear bedroom is that you can raise the back of each of the beds (instant extra lounge/work area), plus you can close the door to the living area, creating two completely separate “private spaces”. Perfect!
- Kitchen With DEEP Drawers – The kitchen is teeny, tiny, and practically without counter-space, but it has super deep drawers and a very wide cooktop. Our Wok was going to fit!!!
- Ingeniously Designed Bathroom – The bathroom is private and has both a toilet & shower that can be converted depending on what you need. The shower can fit our cat litter, and you can close off the shower (completely) by just swinging around the shower door. So only the shower floor gets wet. It’s not exactly a totally separate shower & bath, but it’s NOT a wet bath which is what we were looking for.
- Large, Comfy Guest Bed – The front of the RV has a drop-down bed that’s a comfy foam mattress 180 x 160 cm in size with lots of head-space. It’s perfect for guests.
In addition the rig has all the cool, modern equipment you’d want including 12V LED TV (extendable from a cabinet), super-quiet Truma heating (which also heats the floor!), fantastic fan (above the kitchen), day/night shades (all around), several skylights, LED lighting (throughout) and tons and tons of internal nooks & crannies for storage.
She is a BEAST of a rig in a mini size, and of course she’s French (well German by design, but French by immigration), so we named her exactly that -> La Mini Bête (the mini beast) or LMB for short. The name suits her perfectly, don’t you think?
NOTE/ For a 360-degree interior view, check out the Carthargo website (2nd one down)
Of Course There Are Compromises!
This is not a 40-foot RV and there are multiple compromises we need to make to live in this kind of space. We don’t have a washer/dryer, or a generator, or an A/C, and our kitchen is teeny and although there are tons of cabinets, they’re not nearly as big as they were in the old rig.
Plus she is TIGHT! Not only is she small, but she has no slides….NO SLIDES! When you’re moving around inside you have to move just right and you can’t really occupy the same space as your partner unless you’re looking to get intimate. I guess you could consider that a bonus feature?
Then, there’s the “things” compromise. Although we have ample storage for our size, there are MANY things we RV’d with in the US that we simply can’t bring with us on our European adventures. And because of the limited space, we will need to think really hard about the things we DO bring.
Can we bring our fav chopping board? The answer is no, it’s too big {{weep}}
What about our kitchen knives? Yes, but we can only fit a few of them {{weep again}}
Where do we put our towels? Honestly don’t know yet…
Any space for a clothes hamper? Hmmm….that’s a no
Does the cat litter fit? Only just, but it takes up the entire bathroom {{yikes}}
What about cat food? No space inside, so garage it is!
What about clothing? Thankfully we wear a very limited wardrobe
There are SO many questions and SO much we still need to figure out.
Which brings us to my last item….
Crap, Are We Actually Doing This????
We’ve planned and thought about RVing in Europe for YEARS. Plus we’ve always wanted to try the “small RV” thing. But like every new adventure in life it’s never easy to make a big transition, and there is no way to tell if it’s all going to work out.
Can we adjust to traveling in such a teeny space? I have NO idea!
Will the cats be OK with it all? I have NO idea!
Will we even enjoy European-style camping? I have NO idea!
There are many stories of folks who downsize and end up hating it. And then there are stories of folks who do the same, but end up loving it. We plan to part-time in this thing, so it’s not going to be a FULL switch, but we honestly we have NO idea how well we’ll adapt, and we likely won’t know for some time. That’s all part of the challenge, and the journey we’re on and I guess we’ll find out together on the blog. It’s going to be interesting, right?
Coming Up Next -> What about the specs? How big are your tanks? How much solar did you get? What about the lithium? For the curious and the techie-minded aaaallll that juicy info is coming next..
ABSOLUTELY Beautiful! We are 5th-wheelers, but still jealous!
Your funny story about your (2nd) impulsive buy was just like us – we visited an RV dealership in Gilroy, CA just for the experience for my (Dave’s) first time to see what RV’s even were – and ended up buying an older but cheaper 5th wheel there and then – and I was only visiting, I hadn’t even ‘moved’ to USA at that time (to marry Kim), so we had to ask them to store it for us for 6 months!! Crazy, but it all worked out OK (though we downsized from 32ft to 27ft later).
The Best Of Luck to you both with your wonderful EuroBeast!!
You have an identical story! That is so cool. I guess it’s just like everything in life…when you know, you know.
Nina
This looks great! Cheers to your new adventure!
I think you made a great choice! Since you’re not full timing, it’s perfect and will take you anywhere you want to go. Can’t wait to hear about your new adventures. Congratulations and enjoy!
That’s what we figure too. Since we’re not fulltiming, it’s better to err on the smaller side and keep with something that’s nimble and easy. We’re going to have to make a few mods for the cats, but I think it’ll work out.
Nina
great description…..I am betting after time, with trip an error you will all adapt very well….I would love to try out the guest bed:)
If you can do it, we can do it!!
Nina
oops that should have been trial and error ….
She’s gorgeous! I have no doubt you will make it work and love it. I hope we will be able to meet up at some point. We arrive in Paris 2/21 and will stay in the Sens area while we look for our motorhome. You’ve given us so much to think about. Thank you for sharing all this great information!
Good luck on the buying!! If you can hit a “Foire De Camping” I think it’s well worth it (don’t know if any are going on while you’re here) since it’ll give you a huge overview of choices in one place. The dealers here in France don’t carry nearly as much inventory as those in the USA, plus it’s not uncommon for a dealer to specialize in certain brands. So if you want to look at a specific brand, you may need to search for a dealer that carries it. If there’s no “Foire” going on, then hit up a few different dealers to get a feel for what’s out there. Good luck!
Nina
It’s totally awesome!! So happy for you guys and can’t wait to hear more about your camping experiences! I miss our RV!
Wonderful! La Mini Bete looks great! Congratulations Nina and Paul! It’s a big change form the Beast, but I’m sure you’ll love all your adventures and adjustments all the same. I can’t wait to hear all about them.
Cheers,
Lisa.
Wow….that looks very cool. Paul should have NO problem driving compared to the Beast! But, the storage. I’m feeling that for you. Good luck and keep the stories comin !!!
OMG…she is SO EASY to drive. She drives like a van or a big car and turns on a dime. So, so easy.
Nina
A new adventure begins as soon as you get behind the wheel. We had small and kinda enjoyed it. (Lots of grabbing and excuse me’s).
Can’t wait to watch your journeys and beyond in Europe.
Yup, there’s definitely not the same kinda space to “spread out” as the old rig. When we bring guests they’re going to have to be CLOSE friends LOL.
Nina
We’ve had a 24 ft Winnebago Era 170X for 3 years. Love the small size, easy to maneuver, fit almost anywhere footprint. You adjust to taking fewer things, shopping for groceries more often, etc. We wouldn’t trade it for a larger unit in a million years. Happy travels to you. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures!
That’s what everyone tells me! There’s no doubt we’ve been spoiled rotten by living in a 40-foot “beast” with 4 slides for the past 8 years. We never really had to think about what we couldn’t bring, or even worry about shopping more than once per two weeks. So, it’s a question of de-programming ourselves from all that luxury and becoming more minimalist. I’m determined to do it!
Nina
Having never experienced anything bigger than our 19′ Roadtrek, it looks super spacious. Especially since you won’t be full time. Congratulations! Can’t wait to see all the places you’ll go.
Size is all a perspective, most definitely. We have lots of buddies who travel in vans, and they love it. I think as a couple it’s fairly easy. We just gotta make sure the cats get comfortable..that’s the bigger challenge.
Nina
Well she’s absolutely beautiful! Six feet wide is the most difficult thing to imagine – that’s definitely teeny. I’m sure the cats will both find their perfect spots 🙂
Can’t wait to see how you like her on the road.
The NO SLIDES (!!!) thing is definitely our biggest adjustment. With a slide this thing could actually be really spacious, but it’s just not done in Europe. I think there are a few, specialty models with slides in the UK, but in France they simply don’t exist. It does take some getting used to.
Nina
Yay, she beautiful. Our 1st RV was a Sprinter. After awhile you just adjust and have a special dance that you do when moving around the inside to get around your partner. So looking forward to more of your adventures. Congratulations
It definitely takes some adjusting, and doing the special dance is a must. Hopefully we’ll figure it out.
Nina
She is wonderful! I wish there were more Euro style options in the US. It will be interesting to see how you all adapt to the small space.
SUPER Huge Congratulations!!!! You’ve been an inspiration for a long time and I’m glad to see that you have more to teach!!
Thank you much 🙂
Nina
What clever name – “La Mini Bête” 🙂
She is beautiful, and I so look forward to following your adventures into your upcoming discoveries. And if you end up not clicking with the smaller space, please let me us give you our address to ship her over. US RV manufacturers need to learn a thing or two.
Thanks to your input on the name, definitely 🙂 It was the perfect fit.
Nina
She’s lovely! I am pleased at how much they fit into such a small space. You’ll soon learn who needs to be where when to keep from bumping into each other all the time. Our European river cruise ship had beds where you could raise the head to make a lounge; it was wonderful! Happy to see that feature in your RV. It was also nice to be able to put the head up just one notch when an upset stomach suggested laying flat might not be a good idea. 🙂
I totally agree. Being able to raise the back of the bed is HUGE!! When we tried that option out, we were practically sold. It really creates a completely separate, and very comfortable lounge space.
Nina
A gorgeous rig! Why can’t we buy RV’s like that in the US?! This would be the perfect step up from our 19 ft Roadtrek. Congratulations!
European-type models are sloooooowly coming to the USA, but real slow. Hymer is selling over there now, and the Leisure Van we looked at last year was Euro-style and quite innovative. But still, nothing you can buy in the USA comes close to optimizing the space like they do here in EU. They really are very creative with use of space here.
Nina
I love it! They sure packed everything one needs in a compact space. Very sleek! Sure it works for all of you:)
Way Cool..I wondered how long it would take for you two…(3)…To get back to a rig…I’ll be looking forward to your adventures..
Upriverdavid
Congrats!
Looks like it would be great in the USA also. Look forward to your many adventures.
I think it would! We’ve toyed with the idea of shipping it back to the USA when our European adventures are done. That’s many years away tho’ so we’ll see….
Nina
She looks fantastic and you did a great job with the perfect name. It’s good to see Polly has picked her spot. I look forward to this ‘downsized’ adventure. It looks like you and Paul are adapting quite well in France.
Yeah, Polly managed to find her spot, and of course it’s right in front of the main door. The best views are there so I don’t blame her. It does mean we have to make some big “over the dog” steps as we move around though LOL.
Nina
Super. The Tour de France route for 2019 is fixed. Time to start planning how you are going to follow it in your new RV. Maybe I’ll see it on TV several times during the race.
Indeed…we hope to see a bit more of the Tour this coming year. We caught it locally this summer, but it would be nice to experience some of the bigger mountain climbs.
Nina
Looks as if you made a great choice. I continue to learn from you all. We’re getting ready to downsize in a few months so I am watching you all very closely and taking notes. Thayfor the great info and your impressions.
Wow! I can see how she appealed to you and Paul. The Europeans certainly are creative with space aren’t they. We own an older 41′ coach with two slide outs and have three small dogs and two cats who all travel with us. I can see where Polly is going to need to learn to park herself in one place when you and Paul need to be moving around. My guess is that with your both being active and spending a lot of time outdoors that you will adjust beautifully. Hoping you are able to travel as you have planned!!
The outdoors is definitely going to need to become part of our regular space. Thankfully the cats are leash-trained, so they’ll be able to hang with us outside.
Nina
Congratulations on the new RV. Looks great! We just drove our new Safari Condo Promaster MX from Quebec to Prescott, and are really enjoying rethinking what we carry with us and where.
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I am enjoying the challenge of figuring out what exactly we can carry (and where!). It’s a whole different kind of RVing than what we did before, and it’s always interesting to try something new.
Nina
Love it. Wish they had these in the USA. Enjoy the new ride.
Beautiful rig but it looks like your bed is also your garage? How will you be able to use it?
The bed is actually on TOP of the garage. That’s why it’s kinda high off the floor. You can see the steps up to the bed in the back of the wide-angle interior pic from Carthargo that I posted under “And Then We Found Her!”. So the two spaces are fixed, and can both be used.
Nina
I see it now! Ingenious! What we find really amazing is that you’re going to stay under 3.5 tonnes. Our truck alone is 8.5 (well, it’s a huge work-truck with a lot of tools, and it alone is 27′!) and the RV (39′ 5th wheel) another 8.5! Didn’t know about the drivers license though (and I’m from Holland) so it makes sense.
It’s going to be interesting! Have fun!
Beautiful! Your La Mini Bete is gorgeous. I would love one of those. I wonder if it would be worth going over to Europe to buy one and bring it to the USA? I know people here that have done that with cars. They seem to be made so much better there. Can’t wait to see your adventures.
If and when we’re done with our EU travels, we may well ship this baby back to USA. I LOVE the design aspects, but the one thing that US-folks might baulk at is the cassette toilet. It’s just so foreign to RVers that are used to big black tanks & sewer hoses. So I don’t know. I think it’s worth it for the design if you can handle the quirks.
Nina
Congratulations!
When we were in Europe, I always secretly wanted to snoop through a motorhome now and again, but knew it was a slippery slope.
Interestingly, “Leisure Travel Vans” out of Winkler, Manitoba has introduced a model with a “garage”, (The “Wonder”, and I wonder what they were thinking) but they sort of dropped the ball on that one, as it’s still not as big as what is available in Europe. Plus, they neglected to think about the second pull down bed in the front, which I think is genius.
It’ll take a while to catch on I suspect.
Have fun!
Leisure Vans are starting to do some innovative stuff in USA. We actually almost bought one of their vans in 2017 (we came very, very close) with the intent of shipping it to Europe, but in the end we decided to ditch that idea and buy over here in EU instead. I’m glad we did! Out of all the “small rigs” we looked at in USA before we left, Leisure Vans were the ones we liked most, but like you said they still don’t compare to EU vans in terms of space optimization & design.
Nina
Congratulations! That’s how we ended up with a Class A. Went to the Pomona show to look at a bigger 5th wheel and ended up with the bus. Zero research, zero knowledge but it worked out. I am so looking forward to reading about your trips and how you like the camping on the continent.
You are soul spirits to us in that regard! Here’s to crazy, impulsive decisions that turn out great!
Nina
And so, the European RV’ing Adventures begin… You two have such an open and honest relationship, that you’ll both adapt to this new, smaller, format well… Attitude is everything, and I don’t see you two as the kind that will keep comparing LMB to The Beast. And what is not perfect, will be worked around. Enjoy, and look forward to armchair traveling with you on this trek of your ongoing adventures:)!
Smitty
Thanks Smitty. I totally agree that you need to be VERY comfy with your partner to travel in a small space like this, but thankfully we’re OK with spending 24/7 right next to each other, so I think we’ll do OK. It’s all part of the adventure…
Nina
Congratulations on your new rig! Can you do some posts on wok cooking? I’d love to see how you make a roast in one.
That’s a good idea! I haven’t done much writing about Wok cooking, but that’s something I might take up on the blog.
Nina
What an ingenious design! Congratulations and I look forward to following your European travels!
Congratulations!! Exciting for you and Paul and us as we look forward to more of your RV adventures.
Cheers!
Tim and Linda
Of “CasaRoll”
Casarollnotes.blogspot.com
Lucky you! Thats a beautiful motorhome. We (from Canada) bought an older one (2001 Knaus) back in Sept 2016 and drove all thru Europe and Morocco for 9 months! We loved it!! We FT in a 37ft 5th wheel in Alberta during the summer. I really want to do the travelling here again. Right now we have rented a house on Crete for 2 months. I have been told that is it difficult for a non-resident to buy a motorhome here? Problems? Can hardly wait to read your posts as you travel 🙂
Lydanddwaynelivingthegypsylife.com
What a SWEEEET trip! We hope to do a similar thing in our new rig.
And as for buying as a non-resident that is a good question. In France it’s fairly easy AS LONG AS you have the cash (financing is almost impossible if you don’t own a home) AND you have a fixed address (pretty much required for everything here). Other than that, there are not many barriers. You don’t need a French drivers license (you can drive on your US one for the first year), and you don’t need to show your residence status or anything like that. But financing is near impossible without fixed assets here in France, and the address thing is a must.
Nina
So excited for you! Looks like you made a great choice. We will be RVing again this spring from Italy to London with a Justgo rental. We hope to spend some time in France and Spain on the way! Thanks so much for sharing.
What a wonderful trip you have planned! We’re starting to plan some excursions for next year. Spain is top of our list for Jan.
Nina
Looks great! What surprised me is that there is no A/C. Could you mount one on the roof?
No A/C is common in Europe. In fact it’s very hard to find a rig that has it already installed. You can get it aftermarket and we do have space in our rig (the front skylight), where it could go. It’s on our potential upgrade list, but we’re going to try without for a while and see how it goes.
Nina
Congrats y’all! Love it! Crazy there is no generator either, not even a engine generator huh?
No generator, but we do have an engine alternator, and that is hooked up to charge the batteries while we’re driving. So a couple of hours on the road will get the batteries full.
Nina
She is quite the looker! If anyone can figure out how to adapt, it is the two of you. Hopefully all the paws will be happy with your purchase as well. Looking forward to reading about your new adventures.
congratulations … LMB is beautiful. We moved from full-time in a 40-foot class A, to most-of-the-time in a Travel Trailer, to currently some-of-the-time in a sprinter based Dynamax, so I can completely understand the size evolution. What I’m so impressed with in your motorhome is that you have beds that are always available and the two separate lounging areas is a big deal! Ours has the benefit of slides and yes, that does give one the feeling of spaciousness, however, not necessarily the most efficient use of space as seems to be the case with yours. For example, our bed is in the rear slide and folds for travel. Very comfy once arranged and especially since our little Kiah also “triples in size” once she hits the bed! From our experience, we have really loved being smaller, simpler and nimbler. Can’t wait to see all the mini travels you’ll be taking her on!
Good luck part timing over there. I hope that the campgrounds are closer than where I am located at since it is 11 miles or so one way where I live to the closest campgrounds. I have been in cities where it is closer than that.
About the 600 CCC (around 1,320 pounds) – you are going to have to subtract Paul’s weight, your weight, paws weight, gas, LP, water, and any dealer installed options such as the solar that you mentioned in the post. I have read for full timers to allow 1,500 pounds per person or 3,000 pounds for a couple.
I think that the paws might have a hard time adjusting to the smaller size while you are away from the RV, but maybe not depending on how long at a time you decide to RV.
If you bring the European RV back to the states, I don’t think that you could boondock two weeks at a time anymore. So keep that in mind when you decide to come back here.
The way carrying capacity is listed in Carthargo motorhomes is actually AFTER you include people, tank loads (water, fuel), LP and a few other things. So, it’s truly extra (stuff) weight. But yes, we need to add the weight of the other mods we’ve done.
Nina
What a beauty! Perfect floor plan and our favorite model in the weight class up to 3.5 t – the 143 we would buy too.
The size fits for sure. We travel part time (only holidays, 4-6 weeks at a time) with a narrow 6.40 m Hymer RV. And that works great for us.
Congratulations again!
We are looking forward to your first travel reports. The photos of the first Aire looked very good. And it seemed comfortable too.
Greetings from Berlin!
Leif
The LMB looks beautiful and a “perfect” RV for continental touring. Having followed your adventures for years, I have no doubt you’ll adapt to the space changes. And, yes, the outdoors becomes part of your “living” space when camped.
We just (Oct.) purchased a Casita travel trailer (17’ ft ball to bumper) and are loving it! The small space has it’s challenges, but the places we can go and the campsite options that it permits are, so far, well worth the downsize. I predict you’ll love LMB and likely bring it back stateside one day. Looking forward to your new adventures.
Awe, its so exciting!!! What a totally different adventure this is going to be. Similar but so very different from your last RV adventure. I have a feeling we’re in for some great insights and actual sights. Looking forward to it all! Congrats!
So what is the real CCC according to the definition that we use here? I can envision it being over 2,200 pounds based on people weight, 40 gallons of water, and a few extra things such as dual pane windows, which on my CCC spreadsheet weighs 150 pounds. If you wait to add the water until hitting the campground, you could get an extra 340 or so pounds of more things to carry.
I did put a check mark in the email notification box, but never received an email notification on this topic. I did get one for a USA based topic a couple of weeks or so ago if my memory is right. So what is up with the email notification system?
Finally catching up with you guys! Let the adventure begin!
Actually, with you folks, the adventure never really ended. So more to the point: “Let the NEW adventure begin!”
I love how you guys believe in yourselves, have confidence and get clear on lists like needs, have the determination and follow thru to make it all sound intelligable and intelligently considered, and have the philosophy to go with surprises and the honesty of sharing that one doesn’t “KNOW” if it works until you do it.
The only one i really relate to is the not knowing. I am going through the scary process of deciding on a class B, but they are so expensive and a B+ would be so much roomier for just me, IF ONLY I KNEW how much i will be in san diego, how much i will need the san diego street parking ability (20ft class B ideally or less). how i will like being far away from here for extended periods of time, and if I will like it. I DON’T KNOW. I feel like i am going to pull the trigger / bite the bullet in December ….. I just hope something stops me b4 i make a terrible mistake. LOVE YOUR RIG!!!!!!! If i was in Europe i would for me no animals, buy an electric camper van, or if it is available one with extended range capabilities. There are several electriv van camper conversions that have been done. I’m so sad that the US does not even have one of themany reular campervans like the California. This is the even larger VW California in concept https://newatlas.com/volkswagen-california-xxl-camper-reveal/51072/ , and the regular VW California Van https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swtpoH-HZgY
Stunning workmanship. Would love to see one in person. I’m retiring next year after 35 years in the semiconductor industry. I will be travelling a lot in an RV. After a long search I decided to go small. If I start small I’ll be forced to acclimate. I’ve settled on a 26 ft Lazy Daze. No slides but very high marks on workmanship, Thanks for your posts. Have a great adventure…
Bob
The RV Geeks have a video on how to empty the black and gray tanks over in Europe plus how to fill up the LP. The black tank looks familiar except on our pop up camper it was beige in color. It lasted longer than two days since we use public facilities most of the time. On our pop up camper for the black tank there was a gauge that said how full it was.