Dutch expedition camping module specialist Bliss Mobil has launched its smallest model to date. Rather than getting tied to the likes of a large heavy-duty Mercedes Zetros or MAN TGS cab, the new Bliss 8 is designed to ride aback smaller, nimbler 4x4 chassis like the Toyota Land Cruiser or Ford F-Series. With help from an electro-actuated hard-walled lift system, it still offers the precisely organized essentials and modern comforts on which Bliss stakes its reputation, including a wireless smart home suite with Sonos audio.
As impressive as massive seven-figure expedition trucks built like heavy-duty mining vehicles are to gawk at and tour at RV shows, many adventurers will ultimately prefer far, far smaller (and cheaper) rigs for actually exploring the wild. So while Bliss Mobil's lineup of state-of-the-art, go-anywhere motorhome boxes stretching up to 23 feet (7-m) long is certainly cool, it's the smaller units that really pique our interest.
Bliss has been sizing its tech down for years, and last time we looked at it, it was launching an 11-foot (3.4-m) module on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog chassis. With the new 8-footer (2.4-m), it expands the availability of its tech and design proficiency out to owners of more everyday truck models.
Bliss' advertising initially suggested the new 8-foot module was designed for chassis as small as midsize trucks like the Ford Ranger and Jeep Gladiator, but the math didn't add up on mounting a 2,000-lb (907-kg) camper to truck chassis variants that max out at 1,805 lb (819 kg) of payload (in bare stock 2WD spec). Even after subtracting the weight of the pickup bed, you're still left with too little payload to so much as fill up the gas tank or carry a single passenger.
We reached out to Bliss Mobil USA to clarify, and the company was quick to confirm that Bliss 8 buyers will ultimately want to upsize to something more like a full-size 1-ton platform, such as a Ford F-350, Ram 3500 or Chevy Silverado 3500, perhaps something even larger like a 5500-series. The company plans to change its website information to reflect that, but it's worth pointing out in the meantime to head off any confusion.
In Europe, Bliss debuted the 8-ft module atop a Land Cruiser 79 Series pickup chassis, a lighter, sleeker option than a 3500-series truck. That truck offers up to 2,921 lb (1,325 kg) of payload straight from Toyota, well more than any US-market midsize truck, and can also get an aftermarket gross vehicle mass (GVM) upgrade in markets around Europe and Australia to boost capability.
Even with all that in mind, the combination of 2,000 pounds and 8.6 feet (2.6 m) of body length is a big step into compact, lightweight construction territory for Bliss Mobil, which counts the 3,527-lb (1,600-kg) Bliss 11 its next smallest unit. And gone is the need for a hulking cab like a Unimog or restomodded military tactical truck – not that we don't appreciate those rigs, too, but a single-cab pickup up front will be more familiar, compact and nimble.
The 8-ft-series module compensates for its compact sizing with a power-lifting telescopic roof that nests over top the main body when lowered for travel. It even covers the camper's windows, protecting those vulnerable panes from the stray kicked rock or rogue angry tree branch. At camp, a push of the button sends it into high position in a matter of seconds, adding just under 2.5 feet (76 cm) to the 5.1-foot (154-cm) closed module height (measured to the vehicle chassis, not the ground).
The small, cube-like dimensions of the Bliss 8 naturally require an interior simplification, which starts with designating it a two-person camping space with lift-away 81 x 59-in (206 x 151-in) queen-size bed. While optimized for two people, a third person can crash on the 75 x 25-in (190 x 64-in) couch space in the dinette, but that really seems like a snug option best left to occasional grandchild-type use, not regular three-sleeper travel.
You might not think so from looking at it from outside, but the Bliss 8 does come complete with a bathroom. Bliss Mobil shows two different bathroom locations in its photos, with the rear door-equipped model using the entryway as the shower, much like a classic Earthcruiser. The entry has a shower floor, and the shower itself is located on the wall to the left. To the right, the macerator toilet stands on a higher section of floor. There's no mention of a door to close off the toilet from the shower, but the toilet is up and out of the way of the shower, not right in it.
The entryway bathroom location not only serves to save space in the main interior but allows the shower to double as a sort of mudroom for stripping down and washing up before entering the main living area. A translucent inner door works with the outside entry door to wall off a private shower/toilet room.
The second bathroom location is up against the rear wall, a floor plan that involves shortening up the sofas on the dinette.
The compact kitchen block has a sink and dual-hob induction cooktop up on the counter and a 95-L compressor fridge/freezer down below next to the drawers. Fresh water stores in a 235-L tank, and Bliss' advanced carbon/UV multi-filtration system gives campers the ability to fill up from natural water sources without worrying about pathogens, providing for true off-grid autonomy.
Power for that cooktop, fridge and other electric hardware comes from a 330-Ah lithium battery pack supported by 860 watts of rooftop solar. The Bliss 8 module also includes a 110-V shore power connection, global Wi-Fi system with 4G, 6 dBi, GPS and Sonos Audio, and a smart home-style command system with mobile connectivity.
The Bliss 8's two-part heating system pairs together a diesel air heater and electric floor heater. Air conditioning is available as an optional upgrade. Bliss Mobil's 2.4-in-thick (6-cm) sandwich-panel lower walls and 1.2-in-thick upper walls keep the interior climate isolated from whatever's going on outside, even in extreme weather.
Like all Bliss modules we've looked at previously, the Bliss 8 is a self-contained module that packs all its equipment and utilities inside the box, rather than leaving anything to be bolted to the truck itself. This means that the box can be easily transferred between different base chassis, potentially outliving the truck (or multiple trucks). Individual systems (electrical, water, etc.) are packaged together under the benches, below the countertops and in exterior hatches to simplify maintenance, troubleshooting and repair.
The Bliss 8 is also designed to fit inside a standard shipping container for customers who intend to ship it to different starting points for international travel and adventure. Depending upon vehicle specs, it can slide into the container when fully mounted and ready to drive.
Bliss Mobil began showing the new power-lift camping cube atop the white Land Cruiser in Europe last year and launched the pictured American-spec model on the Ram 3500 chassis earlier this year. The 8-foot unit is now available to order at a base price of US$160,000 in the US or €120,000 in Europe, neither of which includes the base truck.
Have a quick look at the Land Cruiser with Bliss 8 exploring incredible landscapes in the intro clip below.
Source: Bliss Mobil
