Hello from Europe! And why is USA so (UNINFORMED/UNDER-EQUIPPED)

[HSSC]

DEF====$$$$ the consumer, the consumer, the consumer, pays for that bill on every load of the product that my industry supplies. Those costs are passed on. Pushing more and more people into poverty and or keeping them monetary suppressed.
Yes in the good old USA.

 

[DCGibbs]

I have watched this post for some time, and really didn't want to comment. However - the thread continues to morph off topic.

The Mrs, & I attended both Overland Expo West and Northwest Overland Rally this year. At OEW, I heard an Aussie and a German say "We All Want your Large Pick-up's and Campers" - you Americans want our small diesels and exotic vehicles. I spent a little more time at NOR talking to folks, rig owners and vendors. Everything from a 8X8 Ex-Military Unit, to a brand new Ford Turbo-Diesel Transit Van... There isn't an RV option here in the states, unless you have a couple 100K to throw around.

Three of my friends have built their own Cabins on top of trucks procured for that purpose. Of the 3, the best in my mind - is the fully self contained, Winterized Cabin mounted to a Unimog (Mog purchased in Germany)... We really like the Transit and Sprinter chassis, however feel we need more space for travel 9 months at a time (we retired). So near-term we are building out a new 2018 Tacoma DC, SB, TRD Off-road to be the "GO DO" travel vehicle, and purchase a Travel Trailer that I'll beef up to pull on Off-highway travel... Long-term - is going to be a Renegade Sport with 4X added, and pull the Tacoma on a Trailer. No Win, Win - here.

The RV Industry does not care for "Double Income, No Kids" adults, who want Well-engineered, Rugged, and capable Off-highway Travel Vehicle. I don't want a Class A, C, that I can't drive off-road. As a "Yuppie" in 1988 we purchased a 62 Series LandCrusier, which now has 309,000+ original-owner miles on it. What I want, does not exist. I don't want to spend more for a "Mobilehome with 4 Wheel Drive" than I paid for our current home in 1994... House's and property - appreciate, Vehicles are a depreciating-liability. Overlanding isn't a fade, it's a lifestyle. I don't care if it's an 80 Year-old, driving an old Dodge PU pulling an old Air-stream -or- a set of 30's hanging in a van... Get out, go explore.

 

[HSSC]

God bless American small businesses. I wish I had the mahomies for that. But I'm a gutless coward and like to go home at night and let others deal with the babysitting, taxes, regulations, headaches, lawsuits, sleepless nights, and slavery of owning a small business.

 

[HSSC]

Living the dream.

 

[HSSC]

The reason why....

Speed week at Mammoth Mountain

 

[JaSAn]

It's been entertaining following this conversation. I'd like to add my 2¢

The cultures of Europe and the US are different. The small go anywhere RV doesn't fit most peoples lifestyle in the US. There are a number of things that are prevalent in my family and friends that you won't see in the European camping crowd:

• Families with multiple children and dogs. Ever travel with 3 small children in a car for 3 hours? Now extrapolate that to 24+ hours on a rainy weekend in in Roadtrek. Now add a couple of golden retrievers.
• Retired couples that spend 3 - 5 months in a warm climate living out of their RV. And want room for their children and grandchildren when they visit.
• Hunters that use their RV as a hunting (or fishing) shack for 5, 6 or even 10 friends.
• Families that wants a cabin by the lake without the tax liability of a permanent structure.

If there was a market for small, quality European RVs someone would have figured out how to import the interiors and install them on similar vehicles here. Or copy them.

IMO the market isn't big enough to justify the investment.

jim

 

[charlieaarons]

Last year, my wife and I (both in our twenties), went to a big RV show in Toronto. We concluded we must not be the intended demographic for most RVs. It seems like they are designed for 65 year olds, who want to feel at home, when they are on the road. Their "home" being a house built in the 70s, and not upgraded stylistically at all.

There are a few nice interior designs, but they seem few and far between.

I’m 69 but I am in a Unicat/U500

 

[Choff]

We have bigger roads and more ground to cover than Europe does, Smaller cars and RV'S are a needed for the narrow roads over seas.
That is why we drive big trucks. And gas is more expensive than the States.
I do ageee we are behind on RV's , most RV'S built in US are just for our throw away society.

 

[winmag4582001]

To the OP.... I 100% agree.

Between DOT and EPA, anything worth a dam can’t be brought to the US.
Last month I was in Mexico City and drove around in a Nissan midsized van, 6 cylinder, 5spd manual and rwd. It would be a ************ base for a vehicle here in the states, but safety rules will make dam sure we don’t have anything useful. Australia has turbo diesel Subaru Foresters! I would LOVE one!

A couple other points. Most Americans are big... they won’t fit in a smaller vehicle, so they gravitate towards bigger vehicles. Also, most Americans have no mechanical aptitude. They will blindly and willing pay for a vehicle as long as it’s big. Case in point: Earthroamer. They build $400-$1mm vehicles, using premium materials, but it’s slapped together by $15hr techs. LOL At least when you buy a million dollar Ferrari it’s assembled by highly skilled and paid professionals.

 

[Buliwyf]

Ouch. I remember thinking, at a trailer factory: A $15/hr laborer isn't going to give a darn about the build quality of some yuppie sheep mobile.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Yeah... I have zero desire for a European camper.... why would I want to pay more to get something that's cramped?

 

[Paddy]

Wow lots of opinions on this thread that I don’t agree with. To me, the main reason we don’t have here options is simple, we just don’t know they exist. The jones’s Down the street got a pickup camper, so we will too. Btw pickup campers are exactly what could be repackaged into a capable dedicated RV.
Americans are on average fat and unhealthy, but many many are not, and are seeking a camper to exploit the active outdoors life they are already living.

So, you think the fact that sportsmobile and outside van can’t make 130k$ sprinter campers fast enough isn’t proof that there’s a market for something better? A sprinter is NOT designed as a camper. It’s a mail truck that has a sink and a bed slapped in. But guess what? They go fast and get good mpg and are small enough to fit in your driveway or on your city street. And people LOVE them. They go for unreasonable prices around here. So, the market is here. In the old days the VW busses were very popular. What happened to them? Not that I’d ever drive a vw.

A unimog is cool but I want mpg not gpm.

To me this is the same reason we don’t have a lot of things in USA. We eat what we are offered. It’s sad, it’s based on ignorance.

 

[rruff]

Yeah, its hard when we cant get good stuff imported. DOT and EPA requirements are not that different than europe, but testing to conform is not cheap, and most European companies won't go through the cost for the risk. The agencies in question have zero flexibility on imports, either it meets spec provably, or it doesn't.

The reality is that if the EPA didn't enforce the rules rigorously, People would import smoke belching stuff from the third world (in large quantities).

I think you might have missed the obvious point in your statement. They could just let those European vehicles that meet basically the same requirements be imported. No smole belching 3rd world stuff. Or better yet, just use the *same* standards as Europe! But the regulations create a protected domestic market, and I suspect that is the real reason they are so rigorous.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I think you might have missed the obvious point in your statement. They could just let those European vehicles that meet basically the same requirements be imported. No smole belching 3rd world stuff. Or better yet, just use the *same* standards as Europe! But the regulations create a protected domestic market, and I suspect that is the real reason they are so rigorous.

It's like that in most bureaucracies it seems. Same situation with submitting for the FCC in the U.S., which doesn't mean anything towards ISED (nee IC) in Canada or CE in Europe even though a lot of the time the same unit will pass either unmodified or with trivial differences. It just costs you 3 times to comply with all the fiefdoms.

 

[rruff]

...US requirements probably include all sorts of safety gear not required over there.

Ever wonder why it's required here? It's legal to put on a wingsuit and jump off a cliff, yet.... we need the nanny state to "protect" us when we get behind the wheel.

I wouldn't be able to afford any of this if I worked in Europe.

Why not? The Europeans I know travel way more than your average American.