One of the things that I love most about the RV world is that there’s something for everyone. If your idea of camping is a simple place to lay your head, you can buy any number of tent campers for that. If you want a rolling hotel room, pick any travel trailer or general motorhome. On the far end of the spectrum is something like the 2027 Axiom RV Vendetta. This fifth wheel “camper” is 47-feet-long, has a gross weight of 27,000 pounds, and can sleep up to 12 people. This might be the most absurd and excessive new trailer launch that tries to call itself a camper.
If you’ve read my work for long enough, you know that I love to cover RVs that meet some sort of mix of being weird, well-built, vintage, custom, or just have a good story. I love pointing out what campers you can tow without buying a big pickup truck, and what campers seem to offer a pretty good bang for your buck.
But sometimes, I run across a new RV release that’s so absurd that it stops me in my tracks. The American RV has a stereotype for being needlessly excessive. For some, American RVs are too huge, too heavy, and filled to the brim with features that nobody will ever actually need to go camping. After all, isn’t part of the point being close to nature?
The 2027 Axiom RV Vendetta is one of those RVs that has stopped me in my tracks. Everything about this thing is absurd. Dare I say, this camper might be the new poster child for the ridiculousness of the American RV industry.
From Former RV Execs
If you haven’t heard of Axiom before, it’s because it’s a brand-new company. A press release about the company’s launch was sent out in May, and its trailers are beginning to show up at dealerships, so the company is just storming onto the RV scene with all wheels spinning.
According to RVBusiness, Axiom RV was founded by A.J. Jones, John Jones, and Tom Ison, all of whom used to be executives over at Heartland RV and Cruiser RV, brands of Thor Industries. Together, the trio brings over 60 years of RV company experience, and they have been collaborating with each other for the past 15 years. Reportedly, the three all had a big dream of starting their own RV company and building better RVs.
A.J. Jones, president of Axiom, says, via RVBusiness: “Over the past several months, our team has poured everything into redefining what a fifth-wheel can be. We set out to challenge the status quo — to tackle a long list of industry shortcomings that have been accepted for far too long. It wasn’t easy, but with the right people, thoughtful innovation, and relentless dedication, we found a way.”
Axiom says that its goals, alongside “challenge the status quo,” include delivering what RVers have been asking for and building the best fifth wheels in the industry. The company is starting off in the high-end side of the market, but sees itself becoming a full-line towable camper manufacturer with a brand per price point. Something neat is that Axiom is an independent company, so there’s no leash from the likes of Thor or Forest River.
Axiom currently sells two products, the ridiculous 33-foot Imperium (above) and the frankly absurd Vendetta. Both trailers have somewhat similar theming. Let’s just look at the flagship Vendetta, because the crazy starts and doesn’t stop.
The 47-Foot Beast
The Axiom starts off with what sounds like some pretty neat specs.
The trailer features a skeleton of low-alloy, corrosion-resistant steel. Axiom says that its structure has been tested to be 72 percent stronger than aluminum. Likewise, Axiom says that its trailer is so strong that it should be able to dodge long-term metal fatigue and “flex.” This is important because, as you may remember, Grand Design’s fifth wheel owners have been dealing with catastrophic frame “flex” and frame failures for too long now. There’s no way of knowing at this immediate moment if Axiom has fixed this problem, but at the very least, the company appears to be trying.
Anyway, the steel walls are backed with two layers of Azdel-style composite panels with foam cores. Axiom proudly says that there is no plywood and no lauan to be seen here. So, we’re already off to a really great start here.
As far as the rest of the build, Axiom says that this trailer is riding on a Curt coil spring suspension, and the exterior siding is marine-grade fiberglass with gelcoat. Axiom also claims to have the fifth wheel industry’s first “clean roof” design, which just means that the company moved everything off the roof. There are no holes up there for air conditioners, vents, or anything like that, which is great for longevity and removing potential sources for water leaks.
All of this is good, I think. No wood and metal, and/or composite structures should be the baseline for a camper. It sucks that deciding to build a camper out of good materials is still considered to be game-changing. So, good on Axiom for learning from the mistakes that much of the industry still makes.
Anyway, things get outrageously excessive when you get inside. How do you fill a 47-foot-long trailer? With everything, of course!
Axiom says the Vendetta starts with a tall ceiling, 9’10” of it, to be exact. This way, you could have a crew of any height and they will feel nice and comfortable. Speaking of having the whole crew with you, the living room has 12 recliners. There’s a primary bedroom in the front of the trailer and a 14’6″ garage in the rear. The couches can all be turned into beds, and there’s a bed hanging from the ceiling in the garage. Add all of the sleeping surfaces together, and you have room for 12 people to sleep in this thing.
The trailer doesn’t stop there, as there are four slides, a patio, and a garage door ramp that turns into a second patio. Features packages include a triple mini-split system, frameless windows, Starlink prep, solid surface countertops, hardwood cabinetry, a 65-inch TV, electric tank dump valves, hydraulic levelers, an on-demand water heater, and 200 watts of solar.
Additional options include dual-pane windows, cameras, an additional 190-watt solar panel, a separate washer and dryer, a dishwasher, dark graphics, and some other smaller bits. There’s also a boombox, a big electric fireplace, and LED lights absolutely covering this thing.
What’s pretty weird about this trailer is that the bathroom isn’t nearly as bombastic as the rest of the trailer tries to be. Axiom gave this crazy thing 12 recliners and 12 beds, yet the shower isn’t doing anything new. Sure, it offers seven feet of ceiling height and is large enough for a big person, but then the shower head deletes basically six inches of that headroom, anyway.
There is also a half-bath in the garage area. You can see the toilet in this image:
Other notes about this trailer include the fact that the generator has been moved to the rear and under the trailer to maximize front storage space, and you get a residential-style kitchen. Something else I noticed is that Axiom’s trailers ride really low to the ground. Axiom gives no specs for ground clearance in the Vendetta, but the smaller Imperium sits 10 inches off the ground. There have been concerns about ground clearance and departure angles with both Axiom models.
An RV tech on YouTube claims that despite appearances, the Axiom Vendetta has similar ground clearance as some other fifth wheels, and the Vendetta can clear a 13-inch drop over an 11-foot ramp with just a little bit of room to spare:
But here’s the thing: that’s a ramp at a dealership. The real world has sharp drops like curbs and driveways. Also, it’s unclear how much ride height this trailer would have at its gross weight. This is to say that you probably should be careful traversing driveways and probably don’t get daring enough to take it off-pavement.
Another oddity is that the main entry door and staircase are embedded in one of the slides. This design decision means that it would be unwise to open or close that slide with the stairs in the down position.
Anyway, things start getting cool again with the stores. The Vendetta holds 170 gallons of water, 110 gallons of gray water, and 110 gallons of waste. It carries another 60 gallons of fuel for the generator. The base model of the Vendetta is the V4250, while the higher model is the V4250SP. Both are the same size, but empty weights are 21,240 pounds and 21,885 pounds, respectively. Check out the front storage area:
Given the girth of this rig, you’ll need a one-ton dually at a minimum to tow this thing. When fully loaded, this trailer would use up about 77 percent of the capacity of a properly equipped Ford F-350 Super Duty DRW.
Does It Change The Game?
Axiom does not publish prices for its RVs, which is annoying. I suppose Axiom’s mission to change the RV game doesn’t include pricing transparency. From what I can find, you could probably get a Vendetta V4250 for around $190,000 or the V4250SP for around $200,000. Dealers are already claiming to have huge sales on these things, with one dealer seemingly suggesting that its V4250SP had an original price of $248,843.
RV influencers have had their minds blown by the Axiom. Some influencers are calling these “the future of RVs” and that Axiom “changes the game.” Now, I haven’t seen it yet, but at least when I watch the influencer videos and see the pictures, I don’t feel the same way.
Building a camper out of metal and composites isn’t anything new. I’ve championed all sorts of metal and composite campers. Though, to be fair to the company, what Axiom is doing is different from traditional fifth wheels. But, that aside, it’s weird that this thing has a 60-gallon fuel tank for its generator and 170 gallons for water storage, but only 200 watts to 390 watts of solar for a 47-foot luxury camper filled to the brim with lights and other hungry devices. Then there are those valid ground clearance concerns.
So, I like a lot of the materials and such here, but I’m not convinced the Vendetta is “the future” or a game-changer like the influencers say. It’s just different, but in a cool, wild, and interesting way.
What I am also blown away by is just how far the RV industry is willing to stretch the definition of “camper.” This thing is a 27,000-pound luxury palace for 12 people. It’s basically a single-family home bolted to three axles. A Vendetta is so huge that there are going to be campgrounds where you can’t even park this thing. I suppose a camper like this is why the term “glamping” exists, because this thing is all glam, all the time.
I want to end this with a question. Do you think you’d be the target market for a Vendetta? If so, I’d love to know what you’d do with it!
Top graphic image: Axiom RV
this thing weighs more than a cheap entry level single wide mobile home! Mercedes, can you please show the floor plan for the rv’s you feature if possible? I don’t know the logistics, is there a copyright issue if you include the floorplan?
Finally, something with enough space for my wife and I.
based on your user name, your wife would probably love one of the rv’s with a big loft. FYI, you’ll probably be sleeping in the loft as hot stinky air goes upwards. She will be safe from the fumes on the lower deck. just saying. I crack up every time I see your user name BTW. Clever!
That’s not an RV.
Nobody will ever use one of these for camping.
It’s a mobile dressing room for top-tier movie actors on location film sets, or top-level live performance artists for outdoor venues, supplementing the typical custom Prevost tour bus.
See Star Waggons/Starline Productions Rentals.
And in those use-cases – price does not matter because it’s all a write off.
It’s all about pleasing the talent and their entourage.
“RV influencers have had their minds blown by the Axiom.”
Not exactly the hardest-to-impress group though, are they? (Present company excluded, though you’re a journalist and not an influencer imo).
Egregiously excessive. It’s actually sickening to me.
Why don’t they just plumb the showerhead flush in the ceiling for more headroom? Seems like an easy gain.
If I could afford the trailer, I would hire driver to drive the truck!
You mention it has a garage, a SINGLE garage? And no helipad? Do you expect me to live like a commoner? You, Ms Mercedes, owe me a new monocle!
This RV with the helipad would need Fancy Kristen for a proper review. Can we recruit her for an occasional article?
These aren’t meant to be towed around. These are meant to be delivered to an RV Park by the dealer and then left there year round.
Not remotely the target market for this, but I’d love to see a more mass market manufacturer break up the duopoly between Thor and Forest River. But if Axiom is successful, what are the odds that one of those two doesn’t just back up a dump truck full of cash to the owners’ front yards and borg the whole company, then enshittify the remains. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.
Unfortunately, that is what happens to a lot of indy companies. They get huge and popular, then sell out to the big guys for a fat payday.
I can hear depreciation through the screen
Yup!
Meh, a formula one team has asked me to broker their motorhome, I declined, politely.
Meh, I still see a lot of Lippert components in this rig.
The rig is only as good as its parts and Lippert isn’t exactly known for quality.
I just don’t get it.
I bought land in the woods. I bought a tent camper at auction. I had the amish build me a cabin shell I will build out.
All is so much cheaper than these campers, and I can drag the camper someplace with sleeping room for 8 if I need to, like I did to Assateague a couple years back.
No one needs this much. I just don’t get it.
Plot twist, you aren’t even getting this into the woods unless you want to see how well a generator works as a skid plate!
I agree. I actually had to tow my camper through the woods in a circle to get out of where I stashed it to put it on the new pad, and it was a little gnarly for a smidge there. Some people around here tow some seriously large 5th wheel campers (even new ones!) into the National Forest for the two week max. But…they have some space to make some funky turns as needed. This one….I don’t think this one’s going the distance, my friend
If you can afford one of these, how it a vacation home not better?
A vacation home in a desirable location would cost substantially more than this, and then you can only go to that one location. I also wouldn’t be surprised if this is targeted at full-timers who don’t have a stick-built house at all. If this is your primary residence, then 200k + 100k for a truck to tow it isn’t nearly as outrageous.
Fair point
A vacation home would appreciate. This is a money vacuum cleaning device.
Then you flew your lear jet to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun…
This is not a camper. It is a portable condominium. It also costs more than I paid for my house and the 30×60 pole barn that sits on the 4.8 acres lot that makes my homestead. But hey I could back it into my barn.
“Imperium” is a very appropriate name, because the only people who can afford this play Warhammer 40k.
vendetta on the other hand is hilarious for this type of vehicle.
Ah, finally a portable hotel and convention center you can put an entire furry convention in!
“delivering what RVers have been asking for”
Finally! The main reason I don’t go camping is because I miss hanging out in my garage. I wonder if they can add a roof garden?
I was wondering how to get dibs on the garage bed myself. Especially if what’s parked in there has new tires, or there’s a light, soothing scent of auto work throughout.
In real life I’d probably not be able to sleep in there because the echoes of my swearing haven’t died down from the last thing I tried to fix, but a man can dream.
A garage? Now that’s what I call a camper!
This thing feels like the SnL Taco Town of RVs.
“ Do you think you’d be the target market for a Vendetta?”
My thoughts are it might be suitable for the movie industry for a place to stay for top-bill talent when shooting at a remote location that doesn’t have any decent hotels nearby.
It would also be a great alternative for someone who buys a plot of land in cottage country and instead of building a cottage/house from scratch, just park one of these things on a concrete pad.
Or let’s say you live in an area that experiences floods or fires every so often. With this thing, not only can you live in it, you can physically take it with you if you have to evacuate.
I assume these are mainly for film shoots and things where they plop these down once and don’t move for a week or month or whatever. It’s damn cool and would be a fun camper, but I actually kinda think there might be some savings compared to having to use Semis to bring the trailers they currently use.
This thing is not for people who give a flying shit about fuel use, the environment or anything else that would induce them to want to use solar to run the whole rig.
I’d bet someone said “let’s put the panels on there to trickle-charge the house battery so we can run the fridge when it’s on the road without draining the propane, only because it’s inconvenient to get to a campground and be out of propane with nowhere open to buy more.”
This is a Hollywood trailer, or for similar use where it will park on pavement most of its life to function as an on-site apartment. It’s not going to be running in and out of regular campgrounds unless they’re the “resort” kind.
I’d really like to see this kind of construction applied to a more general-purpose 5th-wheel or conventional towable; this is more of a halo product to get market attention.
I’d like to agree with you, but the sorts of trailers that actors use have no need for a toy hauler garage.
You say “Toy Hauler Garage” – I say “Makeup and Costume Room”