With pandemic restrictions lifting in several parts of the world, many are excited to get as far away from home as possible, leading to a renewed interest in recreation vehicles. As a result, the RV industry is starting to deliver some truly luxurious homes on wheels, with amenities making them seem more like pricy hotel rooms than just an alternative to tents.
Back in February, we stared in awe as a Chinese company revealed an RV with an entire second floor that automatically raised from the roof, accessible by a tiny elevator (that wasn’t really that accessible) but only to those willing to cough up over $US400,000 ($513,040). But with much of the world having adapted to working from home over the past year, we’re starting to see another trend in RVs and camping trailers: the addition of office space. A few months ago Airstream debuted a new floor plan option for its Flying Cloud 30FB trailer that included a tiny office in a back corner, allowing vacationers to stay on top of work, or take their work from home experience to a more exotic locale, like the shores of an idyllic lake.
That’s what the French-German RV maker is promising with its new Bürstner Lyseo Gallery concept RV that it’s planning to put into production sometime in 2022. The main floor of the Lyseo Gallery features the usual amenities of a well-equipped RV, including a small dining area with a bench that wraps around the table, a kitchenette, and a spacious bathroom in the back.
Once the vehicle reaches its destination, at the push of a button a built-in air compressor comes to life and begins to inflate a series of wall chambers which lifts the roof area over the RV’s cab to create a second-floor area that features a small desk so it can be used as a somewhat secluded office, as well as enough room for a mattress for sleeping. The inflatable walls make the conversion effortless, and also serve as excellent insulation.
The inflation process takes just 90 seconds, and sensors continually monitor the pressure in the walls and will automatically restart the air pump to ensure they remain fully inflated and rigid so the roof never begins to sag. Bürstner also promises that should the wall’s reinforced material be accidentally pierced, it’s designed with a special structure featuring several chambers that ensure a leak isn’t going to cause the roof to suddenly collapse on someone trying to clear out a few emails.
Pricing details for the Lyseo Gallery aren’t known just yet given Bürstner hasn’t put it into production, but don’t expect it to be a cheap way to tour the country given the other amenities inside. Despite the compact size of the kitchen, it still features a full-size arched faucet, a sink with an integrated drying rack, a pop-up coffee maker, and a combination gas and induction cooktop with a fan-powered extractor that raises out of the countertop when it’s time to cook. It’s a camping experience that’s not exactly roughing it, but since we’ve all spent the past year fighting over toilet paper and struggling to cut our own hair, who really wants to keep roughing it?