Expo Vehicle MPG

[1000arms]

One of the things I constantly wrestle with is the balance between mobility, space and comfort, and fuel economy in an expedition vehicle or camper.

I know a lot of folks here don't feel the same way, but as the world burns, I feel less and less comfortable with a vehicle designed to explore the world (or country) that hastens its demise with excessive emissions.

Thinking through the options...

• A RTT or ground tent provide the best fuel economy, but least comfortable/amenity-rich.
• A pop-top truck camper keeps the fuel economy good, but is often lacking in space.
• Campervans seem to get shockingly good MPG, but are narrower and better suited for 2 people than a family.
• A hard-side truck camper or expedition vehicle has comfort and space in spades, but guzzles gas.
• A travel trailer can get better MPG with the right setup, but now you're stuck towing a big thing.

Am I missing anything? Are there hard-side campers that do better than 12-15 MPG? Pop-ups or campervans that aren't cramped with a family?

I also suspect this actually belongs in a different channel than DIY, but couldn't figure out the right place for it. Admins, feel free to move it!

If I understand what you are asking, this isn’t one of your threads where you have asked, “How do I …?”, but rather an idea generating thread for you? An open discussion about traveling and exploring while minimizing the damage one does while traveling and exploring?

Perhaps switching from discussing “fuel economy and MPG” to “minimizing emissions per mile” will help?

You might research “eco-modding” vehicles to see the efforts some people undertake.

RTTs can really impact some vehicles.

If I remember correctly, you were planning on traveling with 2 adults and 4 kids? Has this changed? There are more vehicles to choose from if one is packing 4 people plus gear into a vehicle. Even more so if only 2 people plus gear into a vehicle.

I will suggest that you camp/travel/explore with what you currently have to keep costs down while you consider any changes you might want to make.

Depending on the age of your companions, multiple smaller tents might be cheaper, lighter, and allow for more privacy than a single large tent.

You might look at Alaskan Campers for ideas to build your own hardsided pop-up camper. They make slide-in and flatbed models.

 

[Christian P.]

I bought a Rav4 Prime back when Toyota was offering the $6500 credit. 50 mpg average combined. It's awesome. Just turned 20000 miles in a year. Putting $15 of fuel in it feels like I am back in college. I haven't used it for camping yet but you could, plenty of people have done it.


I still have my Transit AWD High Roof but I only use it for long travel. I am lucky to get 13mpg in it.