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Hey there, in this month's newsletter, we will share our thoughts on what we mean by an Uncompromised Life on the Road™. We will introduce our new blog series, and we will discuss water. Yes, water - a precious resource that we need to manage carefully and while on the road, can sometimes be a challenge to have enough of. The next month will be busy. As part of our TravelHomeNation™ Across America Tour, we will be at the Steamboat Springs KOA (Sept 29th - Oct 2), Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountain Resort (Oct 2 - 5), and Denver (Oct 5 - 8), where we will host an Open House with Aktiv Style at Stanley Marketplace on the 7th featuring Haglofs clothing, Hestra gloves, and Polyver boots. We are also attending and speaking at the National HDT Rally in Hutchinson, Kansas (Oct 9-15), attending the Buffalo Bills/Kansas City Chiefs NFL game on Oct 16th), and then heading down to Austin, TX to see the F1 race on the weekend of October 22. If you are in the neighborhood, please reach out. We would love to see you. |
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Uncompromised Life on the Road™ |
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What do we mean by that? When we set out to live full time on the road, we did not want to compromise on the comforts and amenities that we had grown accustomed to. We were living comfortably in a large home with all the modern conveniences and appliances, and had room to entertain friends and family. Living in a small space, on the road, was honestly a big decision, not to be taken lightly. We started to look at all the options for full time living, from travel trailers to fifth-wheels and even coaches. Prices range from hundred of thousands to literally millions of dollars. What we did find was that regardless of the direction we went, there were compromises. A truly custom $2.5M coach was not an option we felt comfortable investing in nor did we find that most of the available lower cost options offered the quality we were used to. Interestingly, most of the choices out there were seemingly very similar using common components, basic design principles, and features and functions that appeared to have been made for mass RV market appeal. |
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We set out to create something different. The traditional home offered appliances, technologies, and building materials that we felt were superior in many ways. Of course, there are RV industry components that are great as well, so we wanted to use best of breed. We also wanted to take a clean sheet design approach which did not use conventional RV design as a de facto requirement. This allowed us to think differently, innovate to achieve new uses and ways to utilize the space available in the small footprint required for an on the road vehicle. The end result is a Travel Home. A home built with traditional home principles of structure, ventilation, and materials designed for full time on the road travel. It is a space that allows for entertainment while also providing comfort. It is a space that houses the latest and greatest technologies, appliances, and amenities that one should not have to give up, just because one lives on the road. And it is a space that truly feels like home. It gives us the opportunity to experience Uncompromised Life on the Road™. |
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There are several unique aspects of our Custom Travel Homes and there are many things to take into consideration when designing your own space to live comfortably, all while traveling down the road. We decided to start a blog series going into a little more detail on each of these areas. It will be published weekly on our website, and each month we will introduce and have a link to each of the previous months articles in these Newsletters. At the moment, we have planned the following 15 articles: Kitchen Storage Bifold Doors Rooftop Deck Main floor Deck Heated Floors Wood Stove Minisplit HVAC A truly four season Home Starlink Solar Compost Toilet Washer and Dryer Suspension An active lifestyle
Let's start out with the first one.... |
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Blog Entry: Creating a chefs Kitchen on the road |
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The kitchen is the heart of the home - in a traditional home it is where people gather, memories are made, and delicious food is created. When living smaller or on the road, why should it be any different? When designing a kitchen gathering place, there are many things to consider and the choices of appliances are plentiful. One thing is certain, having enough counter space can be a challenge. Accessible storage and under-counter appliances prevent clutter, maximize counter space, and minimize the time needed to prepare for travel. Now let’s talk about the appliances. Again, to create that all-important chef’s kitchen on the road, there is no need to compromise. Traditional RVs do have limitations as they are most often running a 12v based electrical system. The Travel Home uses a 48v based system with a traditional 220v electrical panel and thus can use any regular home appliance. <click here to read the full article> |
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Water - a natural resource worth thinking about |
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The last few weeks we had the opportunity to travel to Sweden where we met with two companies whose sole focus is water. How to use less of it and how to make it more accessible. These two companies are Orbital Systems and Blue Water Group. When we first learned of Orbital and the shower of the future, we were extremely intrigued. Showers are notorious for using large amounts of precious water and the idea of a NASA inspired technology that only used 3 gallons of water for a 10 minute shower was simply amazing. We had conversations with them several years ago when they first explored the US market. They, however, decided to refocus their efforts in Scandinavia and Europe as they built a stronger product portfolio and gained invaluable insight from installations in their own backyard. |
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The system uses highly sensitive filters, pumps, and internal heaters to save upwards of 90% of water usage and 80% energy of a traditional shower. That is mind boggling. The technology is so advanced, that the water that comes out of the shower-head after being recycled is actually cleaner than the original. We designed the shower in our current CTH 34 to accommodate the components necessary to install the system and they have since created several optional configurations that makes this even more possible. |
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In addition, we are ensuring that our Travel Homes have the necessary water pressure and electrical support to enable future upgrades to use this technology once they fully enter the US market. Our meeting with them was very productive and we look forward to when we can take advantage of this game changing shower. While Orbital's focus is minimizing the water usage, Blue Water Group mission is to ensure there is good quality drinking water available. The recent flooding in Mississippi with catastrophic impact to the availability of drinking water or the Russian bombing of filtration stations in Ukraine leaving hundred of thousands without access to water are both proof that we live in a fragile world. However, even for us, as we live a life on the road, access to clean drinking water can be of concern. Sure, we attach our water filters and softeners to the water spigot at campsites and use our Berkey filter on the counter for our daily drinking water, but the promise of what Blue Water Group has developed is truly revolutionary. |
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Their high capacity Reverse Osmosis filtering systems are twice as efficient as others on the market and so compact that a small suitcase sized system can provide drinking water for a village of 6,000 people. As a matter a fact, they developed and deployed special portable suitcase systems to Ukraine in response to the war. By simply throwing a pump and a hose in a lake, they provide clean drinking water for thousands. |
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Now, just imagine having a system like this installed in your travel home. You don't even need to worry about the quality of water from the campground water spigot. But perhaps even more exciting is the ability to use any running stream or lake as a filling station by simply using a water hose and submergible pump. Boon docking will never be the same. |
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We are excited to continue our conversations with Blue Water Group to see what comes of it. They recently acquired Flowater which you may be more familiar with. They eliminate the need for bottled water by providing high quality refill stations creating great tasting healthy, electrolyte infused, water from regular tap water. You will find them across the country in corporate offices, health clubs, and retails stores. |
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Thank you for being part of our journey. We love to hear from you and also hope to run into you as we travel across the country. Feel free to reply to this email, send us a message through the link below, or give us a call. Let us know what we can do better. You can also follow our travels on our personal instagram here - TinyLivingLivingLarge | | |
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