VanLife Weekly #16: Motorhome & Campervan News, Apr 13–19, 2026

A roundup of the key motorhome, campervan and vanlife news from 13–19 April 2026. This issue covers a parking crackdown on the Turkish coast, the expansion of Lightship's US electric-caravan factory, the youth-driven vanlife boom in Italy and Normandy, and the arrest of a driver carrying 800 kg of hashish in a motorhome at the Spanish border.

For travellers, the week pointed to three trends: southern Europe is tightening pressure on wild camping (Turkey, Spain); vanlife is going mainstream with young travellers — half of rental customers in Italy are under 35; and the Japanese and US markets are diverging, with Japan betting on compact, low-cost conversions while the US pushes premium electric caravans.

Laws and bans

Kumluca (Turkey): gendarmes evicted caravanners from Aktaş beach in Mavikent, citing public order concerns. The eviction went ahead despite the municipality having prepared an alternative site.

Almería (Spain): the municipality installed physical barriers at the former fairground site and is drafting dedicated motorhome regulations. In parallel, evictions are under way in the Cabo de Gata nature park over environmental pressure.

Industry

Colorado (US): electric-caravan maker Lightship is expanding its plant by 4,100 sq m — quadrupling production capacity while rolling out design changes to key components of the model.

HIRABO (Japan): the company unveiled the compact BOUKEN camper, built on the Suzuki Every with a simplified electrical system powered by a portable battery and a sleeping berth longer than 2.4 m. It will debut at a Kawasaki show on 25–26 April.

Anker Japan: the portable power station maker has launched the Solix Alternator Charger, delivering up to 800 W of charging from a vehicle alternator. Priced at 89,990 yen, it went on sale on 14 April.

Johannesburg (South Africa): Dometicⓘ introduced the Feather-Lite II rooftop tent, weighing 49 kg and just 32 cm tall when folded — among the lightest on the market.

Europe: a road test of the Dethleffs Trend I 7057 EBL showed a 7.4-metre motorhome with a starting price under 100,000 euros and a gross weight of 3.5 tonnes — light enough to be driven on a category B licence.

Moscow (Russia): a motorhome built on a "Trofim" pickup has been listed on Drom for 2.69 million roubles — a 4.1-metre living module with shower, toilet, kitchen and solar panel, with the conversion officially registered.

Openings and closures

Gifu (Japan): the "Kemonomichi Mori-no Hanare" RV park has opened — an exclusive forest campsite for only one group per night. Rates start at 13,200 yen per night, with a toilet and basic amenities on site.

Arnsberg (Germany): a 20-pitch site has opened in the Ruhr valley, with digital booking and walking access to the historic centre. Officials say Germany has 1.9 million registered motorhomes and recorded 72,000 new registrations last year.

Lifestyle

Italy: according to Yescapa, more than 50% of motorhome renters are under 35, with bookings up 480% between 2020 and 2025. Compact campervans account for 33% of the fleet, and the average trip lasts 4–6 days.

Normandy (France): motorhome overnight stays rose 28% in 2025, reaching 262,000 nights across the Camping-Car Park network. The most popular site, near Mont-Saint-Michel, logged 72,362 nights.

East Izu (Japan): Carstay supplied four motorhomes as a mobile headquarters for the Rainbow Disco Club festival — used as offices, equipment storage and staff accommodation.

Japan: the auto show showcased the Suzuki Every "Puchi Camp" version — a simple conversion kit that turns a commercial microvan into a basic overnight camper.

Latin America: the studio ALMACÉN Arquitectura has unveiled the Casa RV project — a 15 sq m living module with slide-outs that expand the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

Spain/France: a calculation found that the cost of buying and running a campervan (about 40,000 euros plus 2,000 a year) equates to 16 years of hotel holidays for a couple travelling 15 days a year.

By region

Europe: Italians are embracing vanlife more loudly — +480% bookings in five years, Normandy with +28% overnight stays, and Dethleffs testing the Trend I under 3.5 tonnes. Southern Europe is cracking down on wild camping: Almería installs barriers, Turkey evicts caravanners. Incidents: at the Spanish border a woman was detained with 800 kg of hashish in a motorhome, in Renningen thieves tried to steal gas cylinders, and in Schaffhausen a German driver ran out of diesel and blocked the A4 tunnel for 40 minutes. Asia: Japan remains the hub of compact solutions — Anker released an 800 W alternator charger, HIRABO unveiled the BOUKEN on the Suzuki Every, Gifu opened a forest RV park, and Carstay plugged motorhomes into a festival. Americas: Lightship is quadrupling electric production in Colorado, while in Ohio a tornado tore through an RV park in Hillsdale.

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