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George here giving a “mini motorhome” review of the Nu Venture Freedom, Rio and Surf models
Table Of Contents
What Is Wild Camping In A Motorhome?
Mini Motorhomes Under 20 Feet Long
9 Benefits Of A Mini Motorhome
What Is A Class B Mini Motorhome?
Nu Venture Freedom 2007 Mini Motorhome Review
Nu Venture Rio 2006 Mini Motorhome Review
Nu Venture Surf Mini Motorhome Review
Which Mini Motorhome To Get: Nu Venture Freedom, Rio Or Surf?
“Wild camping in a motorhome is when you park overnight somewhere other than an official motorhome campsite.”
Before we picked the motorhome we were going to use for our epic full-time 18-month motorhome adventure, we put a lot of hard yards into our research. I hate to put a number on it because it will probably depress me to come face to face with the number of life hours that I will never get back. I hope this post shaves some time off your research.
If you’re wild camping, you will be staying in some fairly tight spots sometimes, and you will need to venture into town every week to buy supplies and park in carparks. That automatically rules out any motorhome over 20 feet, which makes your search for a suitable motorhome for wild camping a lot easier. It’s a bit like being a vegan. When I go to the supermarket, 95% of the shelves is a no go zone for me. So, I only need to visit 5% off the shelves, which makes shopping so much quicker.
With a motorhome under 20 feet long you have the flexibility to go wherever you want, but if you’re tempted to get a larger vehicle wild camping will become a pain in the ass, and you’ll end up going to the official motorhome campsites.
Even when you restrict your search to motorhomes under 20 feet, it’s mind numbing how many chooses you’ve got, which will inevitably lead to paralysis by analysis. There’s just way too much choice even when looking fo small to medium-sized vans, to pop-top and high-top motorhomes.
Putting your thinking camp on before making the purchase will pay dividends. For guidance and reference, here are what we thought were the best motorhomes for wild camping, for long road trips, and for full timing.
As I mentioned above, you will need a compact motorhome. To me, the definition of a compact motorhome is one that is under 20 feet. Only B Class Motorhomes are under 20 feet long. Anything over that and you’re in the realm of the large (Class A and C motorhomes). You simply cannot wild camp for any length of time in a large motorhome. Trust me on this! Your mantra during your entire research time should be something like this:
“I shalt not get a motorhome over 20 feet long if I know what’s good for me.”
I’ve read on some motorhome sites, that you need one with as much space as possible if you’re going to live and travel in your motorhome for a long time. And that’s absolutely true if all you do is go to official motorhome campsites. But it’s absolutely the wrong advice if your aim is to wild camp.
A compact motorhome is much, much, much easier to drive than larger motorhomes. When you’re driving up or down a narrow winding hill inches away from scraping the sides of your motorhome, you will feel a crushing pressure that is all but overwhelming, especially when another vehicle comes in the opposite direction, and you have to back up 1/2 a mile. If you’re wild camping, you will be going off the beaten track a lot, and beaten tracks would scare the bejesus out of me if I was in a vehicle anything over 20 feet.
Benefit 2: Move Freely Around Towns And Cities
I’ve already mentioned this benefit in my intro. If, for example, you have a luxury £80,000, 23-foot motorhome and you find yourself driving around a busy town or city, you will prefer to be driving a beat-up, 30-year-old, £10,000 Hymer because the smaller vehicle is easier to drive on busy, chaotic roads.
Benefit 3: Easily Parkup In Towns And Cities
If you have a 23-foot motorhome, you will quickly find out that there is nowhere to park the thing when you’re in towns and cities. You’ll look great in your gleaming, expensive, large motorhome, but you won’t be able to park the damn thing.
Benefit 4: Travel Light
Minimalism is becoming a bit of a thing these days. If you type in “minimalism” to Google search you’ll see that there are 567,000,000 results for that search. That’s 567 million! Minimalism is all about living with less. The philosophy is about getting rid of excess stuff and living life based on experiences rather than worldly possessions. You will find that the less material baggage you bring with you, the lighter you will mentally feel. There’s something spiritual about traveling light.
Benefit 5: Save 18 Minutes Per Day Not Having To Shower
It’s amazing how quickly you will adapt to not need to take a 20-minute hot shower in order to start the day. All you need a sink full of water, a bar of soap, and your hands. This is similar to “benefit 4”, of keeping things minimal. You’ll love it.
Benefit 6: Fit In Your Garage
Most garages can fit a class B motorhome which will give you a bit of peace of mind, knowing it’s safe from thieves.
Benefit 7: Snackles (a.ka. snacks) On The Move
I am partial to snackling when driving. I try very hard to make sure they are healthy snacks. If, however, god forbid I forget my snacks before buckling in and setting off, I can turn to my partner in the passenger seat and politely ask her to get them for me, without having to stop the motorhome.
Benefit 8: Passenger Can Go Toilet While On The Move
My partner must have one of the weakest bladders on the planet. She is constantly going for a wee, but that isn’t a problem when you have a class B motorhome. She can simply unbuckle herself and saunter over to the toilet while I’m still driving (and get me some extra snacks on the way back).
Benefit 9: Local Car Mechanic
Class B motorhome chassis, engine service, and MOTs are available locally. It’s essentially a big car, so doesn’t require you to go to a special motorhome dealership to get your brakes fixed. Just pop down to your local, friendly car mechanic.
B Class Motorhomes are small, streamlined, and cute.
Nimble and more fuel-efficient than Class B or C motorhomes, they are perfect for wild camping, or long road trips. Most Class A motorhomes have all the luxuries that provide a home from home including galley kitchens, beds, and restrooms. The length varies from 17 to 24 feet and usually is a two birth (sleeps 2 people).
Most Class B motorhomes can be parked anywhere you can park a car or van. All you need to know about Class A and C motorhomes is that they are too long for wild camping because they range from 23 to 30+ feet long.
Price: £24,000 (2007 model)
Length: 5.3 metres (17.3 feet)
Class: B
Berth: 2
Make: Fiat
Model: Ducato
Engine Size: 1,997cc
Features
2 birth.
Pull out awning.
Fridge freezer.
Grill and gas hob.
Heating system.
Toilet.
Seated area converts to spacious double bed.
Gas bottle.
Hook up cable.
Rear barn door entrance.
2 seats and table (dinette).
1 large sofa.
Positive
It’s a nice, small, 2 berth model with a lovely lounge layout. ‘I also love the two seats with a table in between.
Because this is a small motorhome, it can be driven by anyone of any age with a full UK driving license. And because of the “small size,” it can be used as a second car. My partner and I share a car because we both work from home, so having a small motorhome as a second car is a big positive for us.
Fiat Ducato motorhomes are renowned for having the highest level of quality in technology, safety, reliability and comfort.
The Nu Venture Freedom has everything a larger motorhome (e.g. Hymer B544 and Hymer B534) would have but has the convenience of being small. The small size means it’s easier to drive, easier to get to out-of-the-way places and ideal for wildcamping.
Negative
Due to their small size, they are popular which is why even a second-hand one can seem a bit expensive.
It’s hard to see any differences between the Nu Venture Freedom and the Nu Venture Rio.
Price: £17,500 (2006 model)
Length: 5.3 metres (17.3 feet)
Class: B
Berth: 2
Make: Fiat
Model: Ducato
Engine Size: 1,997cc
Features
2 birth.
Pull out awning.
Fridge freezer.
Gas hob.
Heating system.
Toilet.
Seated area converts to spacious double bed.
Gas bottle.
Hook up cable.
Rear barn door entrance.
2 seats and table (dinette).
1 large sofa.
Price: £26,000 (2007 model)
Lenght: 5.1 metres (17 feet)
Class: B
Berth: 2
Make: Citroen
Model: Berlingo
Engine Size: 1,600cc
Features
2 birth.
Pull out awning.
Fridge freezer.
Gas hob.
Heating system.
Toilet.
Seated area converts to spacious double bed.
Gas bottle.
Hook up cable.
Rear barn door entrance.
2 softas.
Dinette area.
Pros
An alternative to the campervan, this micro-motorhome offers all the practicalities of a coachbuilt but shrunk down.
It’s advertised as the “world’s smallest motorhome”, but it’s not that much smaller than the Hymer B544 or other small B Class Motorhomes.
The Nu Surf is equipped to be more than just a day camper. B Class Motorhomes are the smaller of the motorhome classes (class A & C motorhomes are bigger), but the Nu Venture Surf is one of the smallest.
At only 17 feet long, it’s a little bit smaller than the Hymer B544 (18 feet long). Step inside, and your eyes will widen in awe because it has all the features of larger B Class Motorhomes.
It’s built from a compact Citroen Berlingo Multi-Purpose Vehicle. Nu Venture has added a camper box on the back that extends the vehicle’s length ever so slightly, but it’s still wondrously small considering everything you’ll find inside.
Entering the back door (which also splits to function as a barn door for extra ventilation) brings you to the kitchen, spanning the rear of the camper. You’ll find everything that you’ll get in larger motorhomes such as a four-burner stove, oven, sink, sizeable refrigerator, private bathroom with a cassette toilet and a sink, living area consisting of two sofas running lengthwise from the kitchen to the front seats, a sofa that converts to individual single beds or connected to form a large double bed.
In sofa mode, there’s a floor mount for a dining table in the middle. Components for the table and the cushions for the bed are stored in the cabover section.
Cons
The only thing missing is a shower, but with no onboard water heater, that’s probably for the best.
In my eyes, there’s very little to separate all three of them. If you like the idea of having a small B Class Motorhome (a.k.a Mini Motorhome, Mini Camper, Micro Camper, Micro Motorhome, & Incy Wincy Motorhome), then all of them will be viable options for you.
Though, I prefer either the Nu Venture Freedom or Rio models because of the 2 seats and table (dinette area) layout. I prefer that to the 2 sofa layouts.
I hope that’s helped you in finding the best motorhome for wildcamping.
If you like this post, want to support my site and would like more time to spend in your motorhome, take a quick peek at Become A Time Millionaire.
