Advice on TC for 12 month trip to Europe

joerg68 wrote:
3.5 tons is not a problem on all but very small backcountry roads or villages / residential areas. It can be an issue for the locals as they need a different license for higher weight. There are a lot of additional rules centering around 3.5 tons - speed limits, road tolls, inspection intervals and so on. None of these are usually relevant for you with your american RV. And even if they were, I'd guess that local police would not want to deal with it...

But you may come up to that small remote bridge that says 3.5 tons max, and then the decision is up to you ;-)

The width can be an issue. With a dually, be prepared to take the truck route. We had an 8ft wide Lance camper with an AC on the roof, and it was not always fun to drive. The narrower Outfitter was much better to handle, even though 1ft difference doesn't sound like much.

I would look at Northstar campers. They are lower-profile and narrower than most hardwall competition. Also, probably stay away from slideouts if you plan to do any stealth boondocking.

Let me know if / when you travel through s/w germany and stop by for a drink of your choice.

Euro made class C are abundant. Decent units start new around 40K EUR, more money buys you more camper. It should not be a problem to buy, but I am not sure about that whole insurance and tax thing. On the plus side, you would not stick out like a sore thumb from the masses. Unlike us when we travel with our american truck & camper.

I've been on mobile.de and following blogs of Germans traveling full time. I also have friends there. I love the wide variety of 6 to 6.75 meter (20-22') semi-integrated (class c) vehicles on either the Fiat Decato or Mercedes Sprinter or similar chassis. America lacks market incentives that would result in the production of smaller, efficient vehicles, so option here are few.

Buying in Germany may be achieved, but ya can't get isurace without residency, which presents a legal and economic quagmire. Some buy and register with a 12 month "export tag", but that doesn't fit my circumstances or risk profile.

If I buy there, I think I'll end up using a sale/ buy back scheme, wherein equitable title is vested in the buyer, but the seller retains an insurance interest sufficient to keep the insurance on the vehicle. This is perfectly legal and done all over Europe, but I'm still looking into the personal liability issues. If I could simply buy a vehicle there, I'd have what I want, them sell it a year or so later, and take a 5-7.000 euro loss, + insurance (say 8.500 euros all in) which would be much cheaper than hiring (renting) for 20.000 euros. Plus as an owner, I can modify the vehicle to my liking.

Oh well, lot to keep researching. Shipping my truck over still is an option. It would be a bulky 8' wide (244cm), 11'3" (344cm) high, 22' (670 cm) long, 13,000# (6,000 kilo) vehicles. Looking at the dimensions of the top of the line expedition RV, the Australian EarthCruiser, I can see that my F350/TC rig is bulky, especially on width.

Still researching. I'll look at Northstar. A pop-up might be more practical.