Camping and caravanning have gotten a big boost in popularity in recent years due to people’s desire to disconnect from technology, daily stresses, and responsibilities and reconnect with nature. The outdoors brings a unique sense of tranquility that you cannot find in an urban environment, which explains why more people seek the on-the-road lifestyle.
Photo: La Mancelle Caravans
Now, many of you might be wondering, who is La Mancelle? The name might not be familiar to people in the US because the French manufacturer does not sell its travel trailers on the continent, but they have just introduced a few models to the UK market. Established by André Devaux in 1960, the French brand has been quite popular in Europe for decades, producing beautiful leisure vehicles built with quality materials and equipped with features that make camping more comfortable and convenient.
Currently owned by the mighty Trigano Group trailer manufacturer, La Mancelle was born in the heart of historic Le Mans, best known for the iconic endurance race, and is still producing its leisure vehicles in its home city in France’s Pays de la Loire region.
Photo: La Mancelle Caravans
Only two of the La Mancelle Liberty range are available in the UK through Marquis Leisure, the country’s biggest caravan and motorhome dealer. These are the Liberty 490 SA which features an island bed, and the Liberty 440 PC, with a corner bed and washroom.
The travel trailer you see in the gallery is the island-bedded 490 SA, a unique model that stands out with its aerodynamic profile that combines the shape of a shell on the front and a well-rounded rear end. The mock wood paneling on the exterior is also a nice aesthetic touch and blends perfectly with the trailer’s gentle curves.
Sitting on a sturdy AL-KO chassis, the La Mancelle Liberty 490 SA is a well-built caravan boasting a polyester bodywork and underfloor, high-performance foam insulation, and a dry curb weight of just 1,297 kg (2,860 pounds). In terms of dimensions, the Liberty trailer is 6.71 meters (22 ft) long, 2.26 meters (7.4 ft) wide, and 2.58 meters (8.5 ft) high.
Photo: La Mancelle Caravans
On the inside, what makes it stick out is the semi-circular lounge area and the comfortable bedroom. Though it conforms to a rather typical layout, with the lounging area at the front, the central kitchen and bathroom, and a rear island bed, the interior looks unique and intimate.
The front lounge, with its round aesthetic, is one of the signature features of the Liberty line. The front and side windows in this area of the trailer make it all bright and airy, while the seating area is quite alluring with deep, comfortable sofas and a center table on a fixed pedestal leg that comes with height as well as swivel and fore-and-aft adjustment, so it can basically be moved in all directions. There are no overhead lockers, which also contributes to the feeling of spaciousness. At night, the sofas can easily turn into a comfortable double bed using the tabletop as a base.
For the occupant’s entertainment, a TV area is set up next to the lounge, with two main sockets and a double USB portal, plus a cabinet above.
At the back of the caravan is the spacious sleeping space with a comfortable bed and a lot of practical storage solutions, including a wardrobe on each side, a trio of lockers overhead, and eye-level cupboards for each occupant, perfect for books you’re currently reading and other personal items.
The island double bed sits on a lift-up base with storage underneath, which can also be accessed from the outside.
Photo: La Mancelle Caravans
The kitchen is in the center of the travel trailer and is well-equipped for cooking on the road. It has decent space for meal prep, including a worktop extension, a full cooker with a three-burner hob, grill, and oven, a stainless-steel circular sink, and a 150-liter slimline fridge with a freezer compartment. For storing kitchen essentials, there is a suite of drawers and two overhead cabinets.
Opposite the kitchenette, you will find the bathroom of the Liberty trailer, which features a swing-wall section that creates a separate shower unit – a feature sometimes seen in motorhomes but not so often in caravans. A swivel toilet and a sink complete the washroom. A cupboard above the toilet plus two little shelves offer plenty of space to store your lotions and potions. It feels surprisingly spacious and the lighting is quite special.
This top-of-the-range La Mancelle Liberty model will set you back a little over £40,000, which is around $51,400 at current exchange rates, but it is definitely worth a look. It offers an interesting mix of original exterior design that breaks the norm and a very cozy interior with a spacious lounge area, a comfortable bedroom, and a clever bathroom.
