From Ulan-Ude to Suzdal - a motorhome in Russia

While the whole world is waiting for news about the opening of borders, true connoisseurs of adventure open them themselves, choosing alternative ways to travel. One of these is a motorhome, camper or, as people like to say, a motor home. You can travel all over Russia on it, visit its most remote corners, but the most important thing is that you always stay at home, while opening up new horizons.

Motorhome in Russia

If for Europeans life and travel in a motorhome is a completely familiar and even somewhat economical phenomenon, then for our compatriots a camper is still a curiosity. In addition, the Russian auto industry offers not so many options that allow you to combine accommodation and travel. Roughly speaking, all offers can be divided into three categories:

• ✅ New or used motorhomes made in Europe. These are vans, semi-integrals and alcoves
  
• ✅ New and used caravans. Also from USA or UK
  
• ✅ Russian-made motorhomes
  
• ✅ A separate category includes garage alterations
  

The latter include four-wheel drive campers assembled on cargo platforms - these are Kamaz, Man and other exotics such as motorhomes in buses, "loaves", plug-in modules in pickups and so on. This pickle is very popular in Europe. It does not enter Russia due to low demand and specific import rules.

As you can see, the choice is not very large. Our compatriots most often buy used trailers from Europe. They can be imported at a fixed customs rate, regardless of the year of issue.



Such a deal looks quite attractive. Europeans, with their standard of living and interest rates on loans, can afford to buy a brand new trailer, drive it for several hundred kilometers, and then sell it with the thought: “Well, it didn’t work out, with whom it doesn’t happen ...”. Money from the sale to the bank and the topic is closed.

Nevertheless, life on wheels is gradually gaining momentum in our country. Today, an increasing number of Russians are abandoning sugary sweet Turkey in favor of their native latitudes. And there is something to see in Russia. And today, the Ulan-Ude-Suzdal route came into our field of vision. Consider it in the context of overcoming on a comfortable camper.

Choosing a camper for Russian roads

As we have already said, the domestic auto industry cannot yet please travelers with motorhomes that combine three main qualities:

• ✅ comfort
  
• ✅ attraction
  
• ✅ practicality
  

As a rule, this is something between a PAZ at maximum speed for 5,5 million rubles and a KAMAZ 44108 with a 13-meter trailer, the living area of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbwhich is quite consistent with the dimensions of the "odnushka".



However, our "made in Russia" sometimes gives out quite decent options. Take, for example, the Avtokemper company, which presented its products at the Caravanex exhibition, which is held in Sokolniki.

The debut model was the Helix 4200 motorhome. The camper is built on a high-performance Citroen Jumper chassis with a manual transmission and a 130-horsepower diesel engine. The weight does not exceed three and a half tons, which means that category B is enough to manage it.



The walls are assembled from sandwich panels, and plastic elements are supplied by a Togliatti company. Inside there are six beds, a gas stove, a sink, a spacious refrigerator and a bathroom with a shower and a toilet. The Helix 4200 motorhome is equipped with two independent heating systems. Such a camper costs about 4 million rubles.

Another solution from Autocamper is the Helix 2400 four-seat module. It is easily placed on the cargo platform of a Toyota Hilux all-wheel drive pickup truck. The place, of course, is smaller here, but it is quite enough to accommodate 4 travelers, a small kitchen, a shower and a toilet. Estimated cost - from 1,5 to 2 million rubles - depends on the configuration.

If you need an even more budget option, then you can install a kind of house with a lifting roof – Helix 1500 – in the back of a pickup truck. In such a “tent” there is a fairly large bed, a table and a sink with a folding washbasin. Quite enough for a romantic trip. The price tag starts its run from 650 thousand for the superstructure.



Another interesting solution is UAZ Baikal. This off-road camper is equipped with everything you need for travel, has 4 berths and excellent ground clearance with transfer case and differential. Of course, the conditions are Spartan, but the price tag of 2,1 million rubles and the off-road capability of the Loaf are impressive!


But let's better go through the most popular models of motorhomes from foreign manufacturers. Whatever one may say, they are much more comfortable.

Challenger Genesis C394GA

The camper from the French manufacturer is built on the basis of a Ford truck. A good suspension effectively "swallows" all the defects of our roads. The motorhome is quite maneuverable and stable, so the driver does not have to slowly reach for caravans of trucks.



Camper of the classic design "Alcove" - ​​there is a berth directly above the driver's seat. There is also a double bed. It is usually used to accommodate small travelers. The design allows you to equip an extra bed by transforming passenger seats and a dining table.

Inside there is a shower and toilet, a gas stove and an autonomous heating system. Such a motor home costs a little more than 5 million rubles in the basic configuration.

ADRIA Sport A576DK

The brainchild of the Slovenian car industry provides comfortable accommodation for 6 people. An alcove-type residential van with a convenient layout was created on the basis of Fiat Ducato. Inside there is everything you need to travel in comfort. Separate shower, toilet, kitchenette, dining table and more.



The motorhome is distinguished by good maneuverability and stability, good cross-country ability and relatively low fuel consumption. The best option for those who travel with a family or a good company.

MALIBU I 440 QB

Camper of Bavarian origin with the possibility of equipping isolated recreation areas. In particular, the design of the motorhome provides for a separate bedroom for two. If desired, the beds can be separated by a door. From here you have access to the shower and kitchen.



The Malibu I 440 QB can accommodate 5 passengers inside.

The layout provides for a full bathroom with a toilet and a shower, a living room, a kitchen, a refrigerator, an air conditioning and heating system. All of this rests on the high-performance Fiat Ducato base, which is recognized as one of the best in the automotive world.

From Ulan-Ude to Suzdal - a motorhome trip

Now let's move from words to actions. We will drive along our native roads and look at the sights of vast Russia through the prism of traveling in a comfortable car.

Distance from Ulan-Ude to Suzdal is:

• ✅ About 5 km if you go through Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod
  
• ✅ A little more than 5 km if you go Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Perm
  

The choice of route is a purely individual matter. In any case, both options are comfortable from the point of view of the camper driver and travelers. There are many sights and picturesque places of rest along this route, and a well-thought-out infrastructure will not allow you to stay in an open field without fuel and food. The Krasnoyarsk Eiffel Tower, the "Place of Decision Making", the keyboard monument, the Triumphal Arch or the Royal Gates, as well as the Garden of Stones, the Elabuga Devil's Cemetery and much more - our sights can sometimes turn out to be much better and more significant than European ones.



What about those who are just looking at a motorhome and cannot decide whether it is necessary at all? It is clear that it is not a pity to give a few million for a dream. But what if this dream later turns out to be not a dream at all, but a hasty decision. The way out is to rent a motorhome and test it in action. As they say, it's better to try once.

Camper rental

There are several companies along the designated route that offer this service. Directly in Ulan-Ude itself there is no such organization, but if you make a small circle, having stopped in Irkutsk, you can contact the Caravan 38 company. The range of the fleet is not so hot, of course, but for novice travelers it will do just fine. So, Caravan offers to rent directly a motorhome for 4-6 people and a trailer for 5-6 people.



After driving a motorhome from Caravan to the Altai Republic, you can transfer to the rented transport of Altai Motorhomes. Here the fleet is already represented by 4 models:

• ✅ Adria Aviva 360 DK
  
• ✅Adria Sport A57DK
  
• ✅ Ford Transit Sunlight 65
  
• ✅ Ford Transit LMC Breezer A 694
  

The rental price is 10-12 thousand rubles / day. The company offers absolutely transparent terms of the deal, additional equipment (for a fee, of course) and impeccable technical equipment of campers.
Thus, in one trip, you can try out several models of motorhomes in action and make a choice. The main thing is to decide to get out of your usual comfort zone and go towards new experiences. You'll like it!