Interesting video. Thank you. Love the La Mancelle. Liked it when I first saw it a few years ago. The Knaus is the same price and weight as my soon to arrive Bessacarr 580. Will I be changing my order for the Knaus? No! Interior is a bit too quirky and combined shower and loo is not for me ... been there and done that! I like the Basecamp ... but I'm a Swift fan ... however friendly dealer reports people tend to come in to look at the Basecamp but leave having ordered a Sprite Alpine 2!
Thanks Iain. I noted to someone on Twitter that it’s still £6,000 less than a Buccaneer Aruba and Swift Elegance Grande! I understand that the Knaus represents something of a “lifestyle choice” due to its style and decor, but I was mainly impressed by the innovations such as the body shell, interior lighting and lithium pack as standard. I didn’t even get time to talk about the 3D printed framework, the robot guided build or the new Knott chassis with plastic(!) corner steadies! I left out the latter because I noted how wobbly it was at the NEC 😂 I’m wondering why more and more German vans are moving from Al-ko chassis over to Knott… 🤔 Also I’ve heard the same about the Basecamp, but many still buy it for the lifestyle choice and the overall design. The Alpine 2 is great value for money, the Basecamp on the face of it isn’t. But dig deeper and people will find that it shares the same plastic construction as the top of the range Swift Elegance and features tons of stuff that the Sprite doesn’t have such as a solar panel, Swift Command system, adaptable seating, exterior shower and shock absorbers. It also tows a lot better due to the shape, wide wheel track and shock absorbers as standard.
There are certainly more Basecamp models on site and on the road this year. Mainly the 4 ... wonder how the 3 will do on the open market. It should sell well as it has a good layout. As for the Knaus ... the tech is impressive. That outer shell sounds great. As I said its price and weight are pretty much the same as my soon to arrive Bessacarr 580. So I guess I am a potential customer. Already said the combined shower and loo is a big negative. I've climbed on board with new tech before eg smart construction on my 2012 Sterling, Smart HT on my previous Conqueror and current Elegance so that is not a worry ... the plastic steadies I'm not so sure about. To me as an early 50s, lifelong caravanner it just doesn't look comfortable! Looks dark too but hard to assess when it us in an exhibition hall. No Knaus dealers handy either which would be a worry for warranty and service. I hope some of the innovative ideas move out into other makers stuff. The UK manufacturers do need a shake up ... we are lightyears ahead of US manufacturers for tech etc but really need to look at making vans lighter as our car choices change. However people are still flocking to buy big heavy vans .... myself included ... so the impetus is not there ...yet! Where will we be in 10 years I wonder? We seem to have gone the wrong way ... considering in the 80s you could get a well equipped family van eg Swift Corniche 14/4 that tipped the scales at less than 900kg all up. Now even a small van like the Sprite Compact is a good bit heavier
Some years ago as caravanning 'newbies' we purchased a brand new Alpine 4. The handover was nothing short of abysmal. It put us completely off the brand for life. We've since bought a Freedom Jetstream. Huge difference in pre and post sales service. And of course it's GRP and in theory damp free 👌
@@NotAnotherWhiteBox Moving away from Al-ko is mainly caused by prices skyrocketing because of the ongoing war and Germany's ban on Russian steel, which made production stop or at least slow down. But since in 2022 camping was booming like crazy here, caravan manufacturers had to find other chassis to work with.
I wonder if the self healing would cope with the tangerine sized hail stones we get here in the Pyrenees? Hmm doubt it. Thanks great vlog. Love les Mancelles. Jo in France 🇫🇷
I'm very new to caravanning, uhm, what do you guys do with these that would require it to self heal!? 😅😂🤣, perhaps I need to reconsider this hobby ....
Some interesting ideas in these contenders.. I'm not a fan of the U shaped lounge and i think the Europeans tend to eat out when away on their camping trips , hense the lack of cookers.. should be interesting how well they sell when they arrive in the uk!!.♥️🇬🇧
Eriba is the only decent one out of all of them, as least you sit at the front and look out of the window, just. The other are just like fancy house kitchens on wheels full of superfluous lighting and gadgets that just add weight with tiny windows that are to high, bloody awful heavy monstrosity's. I'll have 1980 Buccaneers, Castleton, Vanroyce, Swift etc, etc made with a modern shell with lovely low windows that I can open wide and see the scenery. As for the one that looks like a diner/cafe at the front.....give me strength, I've been in better man caves with a warmer atmosphere.
Cameron, do you know who makes those multifunctional, rechargeable battery-powered light that can be used as either a reading light, torch or ambient light.
The one in the Eriba? I don’t I’m afraid, I have looked online for it. When I’m next in one I’ll take a closer look and see what I can find in terms of a makers label. But I’m sure it’s a fitting exclusive to Hymer/Eriba. There’s a similar idea in the new flagship Adria models but a different lamp design.
@@NotAnotherWhiteBox It's an optional extra for all brands of the Erwin-Hymer-Group, such as Eriba, Bürstner, Dethleffs and LMC. But sadly I don't know who fabricates these lamps.
There is no good reason for 12v compressor fridges to be as expensive as they are, other than their size is unique, but wait till the Chinese get on the case. The Compressor cool boxes were hideously expensive when on Dometic were doing them, now you can get a 50L compressor 12v cool box for less than £300, compared to the nearly £2k Dometic were charging. We can thank LG for developing the 12v compressor that's making these units possible and will eventually bring the cost right down...
The first one looks cheaply made like the materials look thin and cheap. The sofa fabric looks like pillow protectors 😩 Num2- is abit mehhh but I LOVE the shower/toilet room
Talk about giving false information that awning on the Swift Bascamp 2 is a nightmare to put up ask any Basecamp owner, having had a Basecamp for over six years and trying put one up ,you might put one up once maybe twice , but than you will trying to sell it on eBay at a fraction of what you paid for it .
I agree with you on the last caravan x it doesn't need a cocker it's got everything it needs it this little van
Thank you Cameron. "Oo 'err indeed" 😆But seriously, after all those festivities I needed a bit of a 'caravan fix' 😉
You’re welcome, I felt like some caravanning content was much needed! Got another three videos to launch in the next month or so.
I’m liking seeing the higher cushions on the sofa area. Caravan seat cushions never give any neck support. Hooray!
Interesting video. Thank you. Love the La Mancelle. Liked it when I first saw it a few years ago. The Knaus is the same price and weight as my soon to arrive Bessacarr 580. Will I be changing my order for the Knaus? No! Interior is a bit too quirky and combined shower and loo is not for me ... been there and done that! I like the Basecamp ... but I'm a Swift fan ... however friendly dealer reports people tend to come in to look at the Basecamp but leave having ordered a Sprite Alpine 2!
Thanks Iain. I noted to someone on Twitter that it’s still £6,000 less than a Buccaneer Aruba and Swift Elegance Grande! I understand that the Knaus represents something of a “lifestyle choice” due to its style and decor, but I was mainly impressed by the innovations such as the body shell, interior lighting and lithium pack as standard. I didn’t even get time to talk about the 3D printed framework, the robot guided build or the new Knott chassis with plastic(!) corner steadies! I left out the latter because I noted how wobbly it was at the NEC 😂 I’m wondering why more and more German vans are moving from Al-ko chassis over to Knott… 🤔
Also I’ve heard the same about the Basecamp, but many still buy it for the lifestyle choice and the overall design. The Alpine 2 is great value for money, the Basecamp on the face of it isn’t. But dig deeper and people will find that it shares the same plastic construction as the top of the range Swift Elegance and features tons of stuff that the Sprite doesn’t have such as a solar panel, Swift Command system, adaptable seating, exterior shower and shock absorbers. It also tows a lot better due to the shape, wide wheel track and shock absorbers as standard.
There are certainly more Basecamp models on site and on the road this year. Mainly the 4 ... wonder how the 3 will do on the open market. It should sell well as it has a good layout.
As for the Knaus ... the tech is impressive. That outer shell sounds great. As I said its price and weight are pretty much the same as my soon to arrive Bessacarr 580. So I guess I am a potential customer. Already said the combined shower and loo is a big negative. I've climbed on board with new tech before eg smart construction on my 2012 Sterling, Smart HT on my previous Conqueror and current Elegance so that is not a worry ... the plastic steadies I'm not so sure about. To me as an early 50s, lifelong caravanner it just doesn't look comfortable! Looks dark too but hard to assess when it us in an exhibition hall. No Knaus dealers handy either which would be a worry for warranty and service. I hope some of the innovative ideas move out into other makers stuff. The UK manufacturers do need a shake up ... we are lightyears ahead of US manufacturers for tech etc but really need to look at making vans lighter as our car choices change. However people are still flocking to buy big heavy vans .... myself included ... so the impetus is not there ...yet! Where will we be in 10 years I wonder? We seem to have gone the wrong way ... considering in the 80s you could get a well equipped family van eg Swift Corniche 14/4 that tipped the scales at less than 900kg all up. Now even a small van like the Sprite Compact is a good bit heavier
Some years ago as caravanning 'newbies' we purchased a brand new Alpine 4.
The handover was nothing short of abysmal.
It put us completely off the brand for life.
We've since bought a Freedom Jetstream. Huge difference in pre and post sales service.
And of course it's GRP and in theory damp free 👌
@@NotAnotherWhiteBox Moving away from Al-ko is mainly caused by prices skyrocketing because of the ongoing war and Germany's ban on Russian steel, which made production stop or at least slow down. But since in 2022 camping was booming like crazy here, caravan manufacturers had to find other chassis to work with.
I think the smallest Pantiga from Tabbert beat all the other smal size caravans.
I wonder if the self healing would cope with the tangerine sized hail stones we get here in the Pyrenees? Hmm doubt it. Thanks great vlog. Love les Mancelles. Jo in France 🇫🇷
How about the bearfoot camper?
I'm very new to caravanning, uhm, what do you guys do with these that would require it to self heal!? 😅😂🤣, perhaps I need to reconsider this hobby ....
Some interesting ideas in these contenders.. I'm not a fan of the U shaped lounge and i think the Europeans tend to eat out when away on their camping trips , hense the lack of cookers.. should be interesting how well they sell when they arrive in the uk!!.♥️🇬🇧
Looking at UK brands it seems like they have a total different interior style.
Eriba is the only decent one out of all of them, as least you sit at the front and look out of the window, just. The other are just like fancy house kitchens on wheels full of superfluous lighting and gadgets that just add weight with tiny windows that are to high, bloody awful heavy monstrosity's. I'll have 1980 Buccaneers, Castleton, Vanroyce, Swift etc, etc made with a modern shell with lovely low windows that I can open wide and see the scenery. As for the one that looks like a diner/cafe at the front.....give me strength, I've been in better man caves with a warmer atmosphere.
Cameron, do you know who makes those multifunctional, rechargeable battery-powered light that can be used as either a reading light, torch or ambient light.
The one in the Eriba? I don’t I’m afraid, I have looked online for it. When I’m next in one I’ll take a closer look and see what I can find in terms of a makers label. But I’m sure it’s a fitting exclusive to Hymer/Eriba. There’s a similar idea in the new flagship Adria models but a different lamp design.
@@NotAnotherWhiteBox It's an optional extra for all brands of the Erwin-Hymer-Group, such as Eriba, Bürstner, Dethleffs and LMC. But sadly I don't know who fabricates these lamps.
Cozy you mean tight
There is no good reason for 12v compressor fridges to be as expensive as they are, other than their size is unique, but wait till the Chinese get on the case. The Compressor cool boxes were hideously expensive when on Dometic were doing them, now you can get a 50L compressor 12v cool box for less than £300, compared to the nearly £2k Dometic were charging. We can thank LG for developing the 12v compressor that's making these units possible and will eventually bring the cost right down...
The first one looks cheaply made like the materials look thin and cheap.
The sofa fabric looks like pillow protectors 😩
Num2- is abit mehhh but I LOVE the shower/toilet room
You'd think it would drive on the battery to at that price.
Is that a toilet seat on the outside of the round porthole?
that firdt one looks like IKEA messy to me ???
Messy?
Talk about giving false information that awning on the Swift Bascamp 2 is a nightmare to put up ask any Basecamp owner, having had a Basecamp for over six years and trying put one up ,you might put one up once maybe twice , but than you will trying to sell it on eBay at a fraction of what you paid for it .
No body likes combined shower and wc
On the bed with your shoe, Not so smart.
Don’t like any of them