Is there anything better than hitting the open road and going wherever the feeling takes you? It’s so much easier to pick up and set off on a spontaneous camping trip when you’ve got a camper or mobile home waiting to haul you and your gear to new surroundings. These mobile homes and rooms-on-wheels have the function and style to make your next camping trip unlike any of those cramped, bug-infested journeys that you probably remember from childhood.
Modern Yukon Tiny Home
(images via: Tiny House Blog)
Yukon resident Laird Herbert built this tiny 160 square foot mobile home as a miniature alternative to a traditional home. The small house is tailored to its harsh environment with features like heavy-duty construction and extra insulation. It contains a surprising amount of storage considering its diminutive footprint, along with a fully functional kitchen and queen-size loft bed.
252-Degree Mobile Home
(images via: Yanko Design)
Designers Stephanie Bellanger, David Dethoor, François Gustin, and Amaury Watine designed their unique mobile home idea with a spaceship in mind. The home opens up like a book, with every “page” revealing a new room. When you arrive at a campsite and decide to set up for the evening, a screen comes around to enclose the entire camper, keeping away the bugs and adding a sense of cohesion to the segmented home.
Colim Caravan
(images via: Tuvie)
The Colim Caravan concept gives mobile home dwellers a choice between taking their entire home around with them or simply driving a run of the mill car. The Colim (Colors of Life in Motion, according to the designer, Christian Susana) is a mobile home in two pieces: a tiny, agile car and a large living space. The two are ordinarily attached, allowing the vehicle portion to haul around the living space. But when needed, the two can separate, leaving the living space sitting where it is and letting the vehicle be used to get around unencumbered.
Mehrzeller Multicellular Caravan
(images via: Mehrzeller)
Travelers who have a hard time finding a mobile home or camper that works for them will be pleased to know that the Mehrzeller concept strives to be much more personalized. The Mehrzeller designers say that their plan is to work with customers to figure out exactly what they need, then to build a caravan that is completely personalized and seems as though it developed organically one cell at a time.
VW Westfalia Solar Powered Mobile Home
(images via: My Modern Met)
The Volkswagen Westfalia has been a well-loved symbol of hippie culture and freedom for a very long time. When designer Alexandre Verdier set out to improve the experience of traveling in a Westfalia, he created an eco-friendly and luxurious Volkswagen. The top of the camper van is equipped with solar panels which follow the sun to collect the maximum amount of solar energy. A pneumatic suspension system lowers the van to the ground to increase stability when the camper is parked. Thanks to the pop-up top, the caravan even sports a second story. The camper is very different than the usual Volkswagen camping experience, and at $26,000 to $69,000 the unique experience it offers comes at a rather steep price.
Eco Capsula
(images via: Nice Architects)
This diminutive trailer doesn’t seek attention from fellow travelers – in fact, it actually blends into its surroundings. The Eco Capsula is meant to be used in a community-type setting, with each unit connecting to the next to form a complete electric system. The units each include either a wind turbine or solar panels up on the roof, providing simple and eco-friendly ways to power the lives of the occupants. The shiny exterior is made from recycled drinks cans that reflect the surroundings, making each capsule blend in to wherever it happens to be at that moment. Meant for two to six people, the entire egg-like unit can open up in nice weather to let in the beauty of nature.
Midget Bushtrekka
(images via: Kamprite)
Travelers looking to go ultra-green might choose to take a bike rather than a motorized vehicle. The Midget Bushtrekka makes that dream practical by putting a rugged trailer behind your bicycle. An optional “tentcot” provides a handy – if rather unconventional – place to sleep while you’re on the road.
The Innovan
(images via: Innovan)
The Innovan line of products redefines just what a camper, caravan or trailer should be. Rather than the bulky, boxy things we are used to, Innovan products are smooth and aerodynamic. When driving, the top of the camper is low to the vehicle to reduce wind resistance. When parked, the top pops up to add an incredible amount of interior space.
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Woody
(images via: Moore and Giles)
There has probably never been a more stylish or fun-loving trailer than this one. Admittedly, you can’t camp in it or even stash your lawn chairs in its interior. But what it lacks in camping space, it makes up for in pure style. The Whiskey Woody is a full-service bar inside a classic trailer, including fun details like a poker set and lush leather furniture.
Modern Mobile Home
(images via: Yanko Design)
If you were to head out on the highway with this mobile home in tow, passers-by likely would not even realize that you were hauling a small residence. Folded up, the design from Mehdi Hidari Badie looks like one of those mobile storage units. But when you get to your destination, this incredible modern mobile home unfolds into a house that looks nothing like the mobile homes we are used to. The lightweight but sturdy home is made of eco-friendly recycled materials and includes a bank of solar panels on top to keep the home powered up at all times.
The Opera Mobile Suite
(images via: Opera)
Although most of us would refer to camping as “roughing it,” there is no reason to give up on luxury entirely during a camping trip. The Opera Mobile Suite is a gorgeous, elegant mobile home that takes on the shape and style of the iconic Sydney Opera House. It lets campers take a little piece of luxury with them wherever they might be.
