Smaller than an iconic “silver bullet” Airstream trailer but cuter than the brand’s compact lightweight Nest model, the new Airstream Basecamp X is designed to go farther than ever. An upgrade to the standard Basecamp model released in 2016, the X adds three inches of extra ground clearance, Goodyear all-terrain tires, increased departure angles and a steel front stone guard to stand up to road conditions far off the beaten path – but it retains a sense of Airstream charm.

Rugged off-road trailers are big business, and there are certainly plenty of them to choose from, whether you’re a hardcore survivalist looking for a bug-out vehicle or just like a little more comfort than tent camping can offer when you’re in the wilderness. Some simply contain the basics and pack down to highly streamlined proportions, and some include everything you can imagine needing, including the kitchen sink. But if you’re an Airstream enthusiast stuck on a classic look, the Basecamp X may be a nice compromise, and at $39,600, it comes a lot cheaper than the full-length version, which can run upwards of $100K.

The Basecamp X weighs in at 2,635 pounds with a gross weight rating of 3,500 pounds, falling into the towing capacity range of many small and midsize SUVs. Inside, it’s got a convertible sofa bed offering accommodations for two travelers, a small kitchenette and bathroom and a large back door for loading kayaks and other gear. It’s pre-wired for solar panels, too. It may not be quite rugged enough to manage the rockiest of roads, but it’s capable of handling the needs of most outdoor enthusiasts.

The Nest, which debuted last year, is more of a departure from Airstream’s general aesthetic with its molded fiberglass body, but it’s also super lightweight and more comfortable and spacious inside than the Basecamp, for those who prefer a slightly less adventurous approach to trailer camping.

If the standard camping trailer just isn’t extreme enough for you, maybe a compact ‘bug out trailer’ with monster wheels, a full kitchen and a pop-up roof tent will satisfy your survivalist impulses. Designed for adventurous off-roading types, these trailers are designed to facilitate max comfort no matter how far out into the wilderness you may wander.

Schutt Xventure

From the same company building trailer platforms for the armed forces comes the ‘Xventure,’ a severe-duty trailer packed with military-grade gear. It’s got an all-aluminum weldless construction, electric brakes, a removable tailgate offering a heavy-duty work surface and a large front utility cabinet holding jerry cans, tools, lighting equipment and more.

Turtleback Weekender

Made in Phoenix, Arizona, the Turtleback Weekender is a lightweight aluminum trailer with marine-grade electrical components, Lockable exterior compartments, cargo rack, kitchen, shower and more. It has a small frame to fit standard family vehicles, so you don’t need a huge beefy truck to transport it. Use the roof rack to carry items like kayaks, and as an elevated tent platform.

Tigermoth Trailer

This compact trailer is a workhorse, taking you off-grid in comfort while weighing just 900 pounds so it can be towed just about anywhere. The Tigermoth camping trailer boasts a side-hatch entrance, built-in LED lights, running water, power outlets, USB ports, a mounted toolbox, roof racks, cargo decks in the front and the back, and optional solar panels.

Moab Fort by Bivouac Camping Trailer

“Designed to go beyond pavement where camp sites are declared, not rented,” the Moab Fort by Bivouac Camping Trailer makes off-grid exploration more comfortable without requiring a huge, bulky setup. It’s a small utility trailer packed with cargo space for bikes, canoes, tents, propane tanks and any other gear you want to bring along. Various parts extend outward, like tables and sun shades.

OPUS Self-Inflating Camper Trailer

The inside of this camper trailer is surprisingly swanky given its low profile, and unlike traditional pop-up camper trailers, the OPUS self-inflates within 90 seconds into a well-ventilated multi-room space. The full setup includes a kitchen with a stove, sink and refrigerator and a seating area that converts into a bed.

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Extremely Comfortable Camping 13 Rugged Off Road Trailers

Choosing to ride a bike instead of driving a car doesn’t mean you have to forego the convenience of a camper trailer – if you’ve got the leg muscles to pull it off. From prototypes by a major German RV manufacturer to impressively innovative DIY creations, these 12 miniature mobile homes for bicycles pack lots of function into small (and not-so-small) trailers that don’t require gas or electricity to transport.

Mini Mobile Home for Bikes by Kevin Cyr

(images via: kevin cyr)

This amazing bike camper by Kevin Cyr looks exactly like a standard car camper, down to the smallest details like faux wood siding, reflectors and power inlets. For Cyr the camper is more sculptural art piece than functional recreational item, but he has definitely proven its viability by cruising it all over various cities.

Midget BushTrekka by Kamp-Rite

(images via: kamprite)

Available at Kamp-Rite, the Midget BUSHTREKKA is a lightweight bike trailer built for uneven terrain. It features three main storage compartments with over 41 gallons of storage space and fully adjustable leveling jacks. The trailer pairs with the ‘TentCot‘ to create the camper setup pictured.

Room Room Camper for Bikes & Burros</>

(images via: design boom)

The adaptable ‘Room Room’ by Encore Heureux + G Studio for ‘Crossing: Dialogues for Emergency Architecture’ Exhibition in China can be pulled by bicycle, motorcycle, donkey or on foot. Conceived as a mobile shelter for post-disaster recovery, the shelter can be picked up and hauled on its wheels, set back for sleeping or turned on its head and extended with a tent for longer-term use.

Burning Man Bike Camper

(images via: dvice)

Built for Burning Man, this camper weighs 100 pounds and is packed with a solar oven and a solar water heating system, and has a wind turbine and solar lights on the exterior.

DIY Bike Camper Inspired by Moon Rovers

(images via: bikeportland)

Spotted in Portland, this DIY bike camper was inspired by moon rovers and the moon landing vehicle.

Minimalist Wood Camper by Sakari Holma

(images via: saholm)

Finish designer Sakari Holma built this minimalist wood bike camper trailer, which is just wide enough to lay down in to ensure that the design is streamlined enough to pull without too much effort.

Little Tag Along by Kevin Cyr

(images via: kevin cyr)

The ‘Little Tag Along’ camper is another design by Kevin Cyr, with the look of a conventional camper shrunk down to bike-size. Pulled by a vintage 3-speed bicycle, Little Tag Along contains the minimum that you’d need to hunker down for the night on a regular basis – just a bed and a little bit of storage space.

Ultralight DIY Teardrop Bike Camper

(images via: tiny house design)

Michael Janzen of Tiny House Design envisions a lightweight teardrop trailer for bikes in this concept illustration, pointing out that a company called Human Powered Machines makes bike trailers that can carry up to 500 pounds. Of course, whether the person riding the bicycle can tow that much is another question.

The Caravan

(image via: eta.co.uk)

This tiny lightweight bike caravan is fancier inside than you’d expect: it fits a twin bed, a 19″ flat-screen television, an electric kettle for tea and a ‘drinks cabinet’. Optional extras include solar roof panels, a satellite dish, a gaming console, central heating and an external luggage rack.

Dethleffs Bike Camper Prototype

(image via: xhyperactive)

German RV maker Dethleffs experimented with a concept bike camper, producing a prototype that included a bed and a small kitchen.

Supertramp Fabric Bike Caravan

(image via: lehmanb)

Made largely of fabric, Lehman B’s ‘Supertramp’ is relatively roomy and even contains a wood stove. The designer took the bike around London in summer 2010, setting up near bars, restaurants, companies and galleries to inspire curiosity about living in tiny mobile spaces.

Custom Electric Bike Camper

(image via: jay nelson)

Of course, the addition of an electric motor to pull a bike camper makes this particular creation a whole different beast, but it’s still impressive. The Golden Gate by Jay Nelson has an unusual geometric exterior made of fiberglass, plywood, glass and epoxy and incorporates bicycle wheels and other bike parts. It’s got a bed,a miniature kitchen with sink, stove and cooler, a toilet and storage space, but it won’t go more than 20 miles per hour, and only gets about 10 miles per charge. Nelson uses it for trips to the beach.

Imagine a city in motion, where not a single building is anchored to the ground, with hotels, event halls and other structures all on rails and movable at will. That’s the vision behind ‘A Rolling Master Plan‘, a concept for the Norwegian city of Andalsnes by Swedish architects Jägnefält Milton. Both existing and new railway systems would be used to reconfigure the town for seasonal changes and special events.

The concept, which won third place in a competition to design a new masterplan for the city, is based upon small blocky buildings including a rolling hotel, public bath and concert hall. Because the town is full of tourists in the summer but becomes very cold and dreary in the winter, such a scheme would allow the entire town to take full advantage of warm weather by spreading out.

In the winter, the collection of buildings would be pulled into the the town center for locals to enjoy. Moving the structures and reorganizing how they’re laid out gives tourists a new town to come back to every year. Each of the portable structures is kept on a trailer at all times, making transport quick and fairly simple.

“We are really happy that the jury took our proposal serious, its not only a good proposal which we are very proud of, it´s also fully doable,” says Carl Jägnefält, one of the two founders of Jägnefält Milton.

With global warming threatening coastal cities and a new era of mass migration on the horizon, going mobile just might be today’s bright idea – and tomorrow’s way of life. Those who want to get rolling right away have a tantalizing choice of ambulatory abodes from which to choose. Here are a dozen tech-packed trailers that are full of Win… without the Winnebago.

Rolling Stone Home Gathers No Moss

(images via: Dornob and Inhabitat)

Slovakia-based Nice Architects has a nice idea for future mobile-homers: the Rolling Stone eco-capsule. Though not connected in any way with a certain English music group, a certain American pop culture magazine or a song by a certain singer named Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stone stands on its own when it comes to being environmentally friendly, self-sufficient and generally cute & cozy.

Concept Caravan Captures Cubist Chic

(images via: Balleride and Core77)

Those who wouldn’t be caught dead in a classic, Harvest Gold motor home might find the svelte & stylish Mehrzeller much more appealing. German for “multi-cell”, the Mehrzeller caravan concept maximizes interior space while displaying an organic, polygon exterior that resembles natural mineral crystals. The Mehrzeller hails from Graz, Austria, birthplace of another svelte & stylish object: California “Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ford Airstream Evokes the Thirties

(images via: All Hydrogen Cars and Fotki)

The 2030s, that is. Actually the Airstream concept Ford’s been showing off lately looks both ways: its eco-friendly hybrid hydrogen fuel cell is most futuristic while the silvery style and iconic name harken back to the good old dust bowl days when hydrogen power was all the rage… until that idea went down like a lead zeppelin.

The Fold-Out Foldoub Trailer

(images via: Treehugger)

Dutch designer Niels Caris has created a foldout trailer called, naturally, the Foldoub Trailer. Tow, park, push a switch and the whole kit & kaboodle opens up like Godzilla’s big pop-up book of home design. On the downside, the Foldoub Trailer has no kitchen, bathroom or storage… which could be a problem if you’re parked 50 miles past the “100 miles to Next Gas & Lodging” sign.

252° Living Area Maximizes Your Mini

(images via: Busyboo and Yanko Design)

The 252° Living Area springs from the creative mind of French designer Stephanie Bellange. Small enough to be towed by a Mini, the 3-wheeled trailer features supporting feet that spread automatically once the trailer’s outside shell is opened. The interior parts follow, much like the petals of a blossoming flower.

Colim Modular Camper

(images via: Trendbird and Luxist)

The Colim Modular Camper is a car, a trailer and a motorhome all in one. Park at your campsite, then tour the sites in the two-seater convertible module. The interior lives up to the exterior’s promises as well, with flowing, organic surfaces and eye-pleasing colors – not a splinter of plastic wood anywhere. The Colim Modular Camper is eco-friendly as well, with a solar panel on the roof and a hybrid engine nestled under the hood.

Put It On My T@B

(images via: Squob and Design Applause)

The T@B XL takes the classic teardrop trailer concept and lifts it into a new level of luxury. T@B’s (pronounced “Tab”) lesser models are anything but trashy but the twin-axle XL definitely rules the roost. Sleekly styled, the XL still stretches 22 feet from stem to stern and is expected to be priced in the $60K range. That is, if manufacturer Knaus Tabbert manages to emerge from bankruptcy – times are tough for the purveyors of luxo-goods.

Car Trailers For Motorcycles

(images via: Carscoop and American Custom Trailers)

You’ve seen cars towing motorcycles, but how about ‘cycles towing cars? They may be scaled down a mite but these very cool trailers still evoke the spirit of pinstriped, big-tired muscle cars. Mustangs and Corvettes are featured but the manufacturer, American Custom Trailers, also takes custom orders.

Have Tent, Will Travel

(images via: Gear)

The Sylvan Sport GO trailer looks like a comfy pop-up camping trailer at first glance but the more you look, the more you see. Indeed, versatility is the Sport GO’s middle name. Weighing in at 800 lbs., the camper morphs into an ATV hauler, a camping gear hauler, basically whatever you need it to do. Calling it the Transformers of pop-up campers would be an understatement, though the Sport GO seems to be the non-combative type. Here’s a video of the Sylvan Sport GO in action:

GM Goes Mobile Bigtime

(images via: World’s Fair Community and Gizmag)

This intimidating mobile home concept from General Motors Advanced Design Group shows the beleaguered corporation isn’t bankrupt – at least when it comes to provocative ideas. The GMC PAD is sort of a Winnebago on steroids that sports 6 wheels, an enormous full length (and width) windshield and a curious articulating feature that extends a step-like device out from the, er, fuselage to ease entry and exit. The PAD runs on a diesel-Electric hybrid system and its innovative resource management technology ensures onboard fuel and water supplies will last weeks, even months!

Tumblin’ Tumbleweed Homes

(images via: Find A Property)

The Tumbleweed Tiny Home Company has got a good thing going. These tiny perfect houses come mounted on wheels, so by law they’re considered travel trailers and thus a building permit isn’t required. Tiny they are, however: could you live in 65 to 140 square feet of space without padding the walls?

Capsule Caravan Really Gets A Round

(images via: Design Art Book)

The Capsule Caravan may look lke an oversized M&M but there’s nothing nutty about what’s inside. British designer David Tonkinson engineered the ovoid trailer to separate into distinct Comfort and Service Pods to keep men and machines apart. Conceived as a way to take in summer music festivals by day while resting comfortably by night, the Capsule Caravan is one of the sharpest trailers around – and that’s saying something as it’s one of the smoothest designs going!