Bowlus Hits Us With a One-Two! Unveils the Rivet, and It Could Be Their Newest Flagship

Folks, the name Bowlus is known the world over. Considering this crew has been around since 1934, it's really no wonder. However, after disappearing from the production scene for decades, this brand is now back. For the past couple of years, they've been in the news quite heavily with Terra Firma and Volterra. These two exceptional machines bring back the Bowlus look and feel and are optimized to the most modern standards. Heck, the Volterra is completely electric.

All that brings us to the freshest addition to join the Bowlus family, the Rivet! I wish you could see the excitement on my face, but I'll try and relate it all with words and feelings. As for why such a level of ecstasy? For starters, the Rivet comes across as the answer to the rather expensive lineup Bowlus already offers. For example, up until now, the Terra was the cheapest of the two available units from this manufacturer, starting at $285K. Yes, it was the cheapest: keyword "was."

The Rivet, on the other hand, is priced at nearly half that, starting at a more down-to-earth $148,500 (€135,700K at current exchange rates. After tax credits). All right; that's more like it! It looks like Bowlus has understood that if you want to sell, you need to make a unit a tad more affordable, in the process, opening up your doors to a larger potential customer base.

None of this, however, means that Bowlus is, in any way, lowering the standards they've been offering lately. We still get ourselves that amazing and UFO-like habitat crafted out of aluminum and shining in the morning light as though it's made of mirrors. The signature aerodynamic shape is sure to tell the world that this is a Bowlus and not an Airstream.

So, to figure out how Bowlus managed to slash their prices to nearly half for a unit that's nearly as large as the Terra, I dove deeper, and boy, am I glad I did. Overall, the Rivet comes in with a length of 25.3 ft (7.7m), so under two feet shorter than the Terra Firma, but both still carry the same width (6.6 ft) and interior height (6.3 ft), so quite a similar base to work with.

That shell is built in the same fashion as the Terra, too, with a TIG-welded aluminum skeleton (frame) with an aluminum monocoque exterior skin, giving off that signature look. Proprietary Bowlus features, like AeroMove (remote-controlled parking) and AeroSolar, are also in place. Don't forget the signature rivets all over the place.

Now, rolling into some trailer park with a Rivet is bound to turn heads, and there's really no reason why this needs to be made any more clear. So, once you've parked your unit, be ready to be flooded by the occasional straggler who's just looking for a peak inside; let's give it to them!

Once you've parked your camper like a little kid playing with his remote-controlled car, it's time to take that first step aboard what looks like a little quaint patio at the front of the unit and swing open the aluminum door to your wheeled soda can.

As we enter the Rivet, our senses are once again smashed with the modern Bowlus look we've come to love and revere, and the whole airliner feeling is present here, too; brownie points to Bowlus for not losing their signature touches even if this unit is selling at nearly half their flagship. Actually, we may very well have a new contender for 'flagship' with this one, and that price factor is sure to be a major factor in all this.

Making our way toward the rear, we'll first encounter the galley, with its composite countertops and readily available features like the sink, tap, and oven to one side and cooktop and fridge to the other. If your guests are staying for dinner, let's take another few steps toward the rear and find ourselves in the midst of a wonderfully segmented lounge.

It's here that you'll be able to share stories of who you are and where you're going, and when you're all alone or with the family, this is a place where you can squeeze in a couple of hours of work, read a book, and once night falls, can be used to get some shut-eye, creating two single beds in the process. I'm not sure if there's an option to transform this bedding area into a large double.

As we head toward the front of this unit, we'll encounter the bathroom, a space that'll tell you all you really need to know about a camper and the level of attention it received while being designed and built. For the Rivet, Bowlus has chosen to split the toilet and lav from the shower, unlocking the ability for facilities to be used by more than one person at a time. If you're traveling with the family, you know how important this can be, especially if someone ate the wrong berries.

After washing up, brushing those fangs, and scrounging for PJs in the maze of cargo and storage bays, let's crawl into that nook of a bedroom stuffed into the tip of the Rivet and get some shut-eye. Before you do, peek out into the world through the elongated port-hole windows.

If the kids can't sleep, here's an idea: seal off this area with a bedsheet, put on some spacey sounds on the system, head outside, and take the kids for a slow-paced night ride through the lot via that remote control. That's bound to be magical. Once the joy simmers down, head inside and tuck them in.

With a quick checkup on systems like those 8 kWh of battery power, 25K BTUs of heating power, and 19-gallon (72 l) fresh water supply, you tuck into bed next to your significant other. Just press the repeat button the next day but with some spicey adventuring into the nearby wilderness. Go ahead and eat the wrong berry; the Rivet will handle whatever your adventurous lifestyle has in store.