2021 is just around the corner.
I have in mind a van or a profile, about 6 metres long, with 3 to 4 seats and a maximum budget of €160,000.
I'm continuing my showroom visits and discoveries:
Kitchen
At an angle?
Possible if I take a profile, more difficult on a van unless I close off the driver's cab from the passenger compartment and leave the intermediate wall.
In line?
One of the most common versions in motorhomes.
Gas, lpg, electric, diesel?
One thing is certain, I don't want gas.
Too many nomads complain about the difficulty of finding the right size of cylinder (3, 6, 11 kg, etc.), finding LPG stations and getting the right hoses ....
I'm opting for a diesel hob and a portable stove with petrol.
If I can't find diesel ... I'll have trouble driving, lol, and petrol is available in every country.
No risk of starving.
Bathroom
With shower room and WC or without?
I admit that I'd like a minimum of comfort. I'm going to get older and I can't see myself going outside to relieve myself, with all the risks that entails.
Some of the countries I'll be visiting have a different vision of women and their freedoms from the European one, so taking a shower inside the motorhome in complete privacy will reassure me and allow me to go about my business in peace.
The shower will be an appreciable luxury.
I'm discovering the possibility of a single tray with a curtain, a version embedded in the floor or a complete cubicle.
When it comes to cleaning dirt from my bike, sand from my body or rinsing salt from my diving gear so as not to contaminate the motorhome's grey water tank, I opt for a hot and cold outdoor shower.
Portable or fixed toilet, chemical/cassette type, dry with separation?
Most of the motorhomes I visited were equipped with cassette or chemical toilets.
A flush releases water to carry waste into a separate tank, the black water tank. It's easy to use and easy to handle. The disadvantage is the limited capacity, which requires frequent emptying depending on use and the type of product used.
Dry or compostable toilets help to reduce environmental impact.
As I'm being kindly lectured by my daughter and as I want to make an eco-responsible effort in the years to come, I've opted for this type of separating toilet, which reduces water consumption while composting the faeces and coconut fibre into a natural fertiliser.
I'm taking care of our blue planet!
And for those of you who read on pot, I recommend Kathleen Meyer's amusing book ‘How to shit in the woods’ : An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art (1989).
It's a sociological guide to living, thinking and fitting in with nature. The approach is more Anglo-Saxon and therefore more uptight than our Belgian-French approach.
The author was a hiking guide for several years and had to teach or reteach city-dwellers how to ‘eliminate’ in the middle of nature.
Bedroom (sounds pompous)
Longitudinal / transverse / central / convertible / ceiling-high .... French-style bed?
I have to admit that I was interested in the French-style bed in a profile! The double bed is positioned lengthways at the rear, adjacent to the shower room.
As I'm travelling solo, accessibility from one side only doesn't bother me much, but what does the future hold for me, let's dream, anything's possible (laughs).
I wouldn't dream of a central bed, maybe in the profile but not in a van.
With a nod to Mathieu, this is one of the only beds where you can put your Darth Vader breathing apparatus 😂
A transverse bed, often high up, optimises the passenger compartment and allows you to take advantage of the storage space underneath the beds.
But the height is not easy for everyone, and when there are two of you, the one at the back has to step over the other if he wakes up early.
It's a compromise for couples.
People taller than 1.85 m should be provided with widening cheeks in a van, otherwise they will be obliged either to lie at an angle or to sleep in a foetal position.
Twin beds are similar to transverse beds, but more often longitudinal.
Each sleeps better, with more space and always the advantage of the hold underneath. They can be fitted with intermediate cushions to form a double bed.
There are also convertible beds, which save a lot of space. You can convert your bench seat into a lounge, dining room or a convivial place to meet friends, and in the evening you can turn it into a bed.
But I'm going to have to make my bed every night.
I'm getting old slowly but surely, am I going to enjoy doing this non-stop?
And then you have to put away the sheets, pillows, duvets...
Then there are the bunk beds, which are handy with children, and the extra beds ....
An embarrassment of riches.
I've already got my idea, laziness helping: a fixed bed allowing me to have a hold seems to me a good end ....
I can feel the reader boiling .... but damn, she's already inside putting together her living space, but the title said 4x4, when is she going to start talking about that?
I'm getting there .....
As I explained earlier, I'm now in contact with nomads and Youtubers who tell me about their motorhomes and the choices they've made, and one comment often comes up: ‘if the grass is wet, it's hard to get my motorhome out, my wheels slip, and if there's snow, they slip too. You have to stay on the tarmac and not go out on the slopes, because a normal motorhome is low ....’.
The motorhome drivers then tell me about the 4x4 versions, which are practical but expensive, they say.
Is there such a thing as a 4x4 motorhome?
I did a bit of research and yes, some carriers do offer off-road versions, and there's something for everyone's budget, not always mine.
So a bit of a dream for those who have some savings in their wallets.
Ford Transit, one of the most popular, less expensive than the Mercedes but because it's American it can't be used in certain countries such as Iran ....
AWD Mercedes Sprinter
Toyota, either as a minivan or in a Hylux version with airframe
RAM, you should opt for a pickup
Citroën, but requires technical adaptation
Iveco, a real beast
Comparing theur techniicak qualities :
I've given up on the Iveco because there are far fewer service points around the world, or none at all in some countries.
The Toyota is great as a 4x4, but the number of servicing points puts me off, and what's more I'm not getting any replies from the airframe manufacturers to give me an idea of the budget.
I'm opting for the Mercedes Sprinter 4x4, so I won't be stuck on the grass and I can make tracks to make the most of isolated places.
Conclusion :
I need to find a Mercedes Sprinter fitter.
It's a never-ending quest to find the ideal vehicle for travelling.
As I sometimes get discouraged, my friends try to motivate me ...
Don't forget to put on your glasses ...
You parked like a boss !!!!
Did you need wifi or electricity ???
It takes up a lot less space this way .... and as Bourvil used to say: she's going to walk a lot less well ...
Grrrrrr, but I had a good laugh .....
See you next time !!!!
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