Outdoors

Telescoping wooden caravan raises the roof on small living

Telescoping wooden caravan raises the roof on small living
Woodenwidget's Slidavan at camp
Woodenwidget's Slidavan at camp
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The Slidavan lifts with help from a simple, drill-powered system and offers 6 feet of headroom inside
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The Slidavan lifts with help from a simple, drill-powered system and offers 6 feet of headroom inside
Two windows add brightness inside
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Two windows add brightness inside
The Slidavan drops down to around car height for towing
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The Slidavan drops down to around car height for towing
Woodenwidget's Slidavan at camp
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Woodenwidget's Slidavan at camp
The dinette works as two beds or one double bed
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The dinette works as two beds or one double bed
The seat backs fill out the middle to create the double bed option
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The seat backs fill out the middle to create the double bed option
Benjy says the space to the looker's left of the door could be used for a shower or another work area, but he's chosen to dedicate it to open storage
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Benjy says the space to the looker's left of the door could be used for a shower or another work area, but he's chosen to dedicate it to open storage
The curved ceiling helps to optimize space and provide a more aesthetic look
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The curved ceiling helps to optimize space and provide a more aesthetic look
With the large windows and white wall and roof, the Slidavan makes the most of natural light
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With the large windows and white wall and roof, the Slidavan makes the most of natural light
Slidavan in lounge mode
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Slidavan in lounge mode
The table affixes with a few wing nuts, creating the dining area
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The table affixes with a few wing nuts, creating the dining area
Two of Woodenwidget's creations pose for the camera
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Two of Woodenwidget's creations pose for the camera
Woodenwidget's listed weight is 661 lb (300 kg), with trailer, but that could vary depending upon specific materials used
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Woodenwidget's listed weight is 661 lb (300 kg), with trailer, but that could vary depending upon specific materials used 
Benjy says that the Slidavan has proven easy to tow and hasn't cut in on fuel economy too badly
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Benjy says that the Slidavan has proven easy to tow and hasn't cut in on fuel economy too badly
Woodenwidget Slidavan and Hoopy wooden bicycle
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Woodenwidget Slidavan and Hoopy wooden bicycle
Woodenwidget went with the rear door for easier loading
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Woodenwidget went with the rear door for easier loading
An older Woodenwidget design, the Foldavan is a different style of caravan
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An older Woodenwidget design, the Foldavan is a different style of caravan
Built to be moved by leg muscles, not motor vehicle, the Foldavan is an intriguing, little bike trailer
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Built to be moved by leg muscles, not motor vehicle, the Foldavan is an intriguing, little bike trailer
Since you sometimes have to drive to your cycling destination, the Foldavan compacts down
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Since you sometimes have to drive to your cycling destination, the Foldavan compacts down
A look inside Woodenwidget's Foldavan bike trailer
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A look inside Woodenwidget's Foldavan bike trailer
Folding bike, collapsible trailer
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Folding bike, collapsible trailer
Foldavan slims down
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Foldavan slims down
Woodenwidget sells Foldavan plans, too
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Woodenwidget sells Foldavan plans, too
View gallery - 23 images

Woodenwidget has managed to put a very interesting spin on the classic pop-up camper. It's designed a sort of wooden gypsy caravan with a two-part body that rises up at camp. The ingenious, little Slidavan tucks low to ride behind the car, then grows to full size to provide a comfy place to cook, eat, sleep and live. And Woodenwidget doesn't want to sell you a Slidavan; it wants you to build your own at home.

Like so many that end up building their own camping trailers, Woodenwidget founder Robin Benjamin, who's better known simply as "Benjy," started his journey somewhere around the intersection of frustration and disappointment. He was searching the market for a light, simple and affordable camping solution that would also be spacious and comfortable enough to not only sleep in, but to stand up and cook in. Large, heavy and/or expensive trailers were out. Teardrops were out. Claustrophobic or poorly designed caravans? No and no.

Being a boatbuilder and designer of some pretty innovative crafts for land and water, Benjy decided to rely on his own skills and design the perfect camper himself. He set out with a central goal of keeping weight below 1,100 lb (500 kg) to avoid added European regulations on larger trailers. He then let practicality, simplicity and functionality lead the way.

Benjy began his journey with a simple Norauto trailer chassis, thinking, sawing, fastening and finishing his way to something that fits comfortably between a pop-up trailer and a tiny home.

When you specialize in wooden creations meant to be replicated by DIYers with basic tools and materials, you learn to think about things in a different way than you might if you were building something exclusively for yourself or something to sell at an RV dealership. When it came to the Slidavan, that meant throwing out complications like a flawlessly rounded, aero-optimized shell. A more basic box-shaped body was chosen for its simplicity to build and ease of interior fitment - all right angles and straight lines.

"If the initial design is too complicated then the plans will be too," Benjy explains on his blog. "If I couldn't make the Slidavan aerodynamic, I could at least make it reduce in size when being towed. If you can make the caravan the same size and height as the tow car, you can cut down on drag massively."

Benjy says that the Slidavan has proven easy to tow and hasn't cut in on fuel economy too badly
Benjy says that the Slidavan has proven easy to tow and hasn't cut in on fuel economy too badly

So that's where he went with the design, rejiggering the idea of a pop-up roof as more of a pop-up body shell. The main body structure is an 8.4-foot-long (2.6-m-long) box with an upper half nesting over top the lower half during transit. At camp, the upper half rises from 5.6 feet (1.7 m) to a full height of 7.7 feet (2.3 m), opening up 6 feet (1.9 m) of interior headroom. The body is made from a sandwich construction of plywood and extruded polystyrene (XPS).

To get the upper to easily lift, Benjy first looked at the hardware on the Hi-Lo trailer but decided against an integrated hydraulic lift. Again, he wanted a simple design that people would be inclined to look at and say, "I can make that!"

So, the Slidavan uses a lead screw-based system that sets up in front of the dinette set, translating rotational motion into the linear motion needed for raising the roof. Torque comes from a simple battery-operated drill. The system stays in place with the roof lowered, so it's ready for immediate lifting at camp, then stores away under a bench when camping. It takes roughly 40 seconds to lift the upper half up, and four bolts then hold it in raised position. Benjy says the lift system weighs about 6.6 lb (3 kg).

With the large windows and white wall and roof, the Slidavan makes the most of natural light
With the large windows and white wall and roof, the Slidavan makes the most of natural light

The one slightly complicated part of the Slidavan design is the curved roof, a combination of wooden beams and waterproof PVC fabric. The curved shape was chosen to give the design more aesthetic appeal, open up headroom and help with moisture flow.

Campers enter the Slidavan through a rear split door, which also allows for easy loading of bicycles and other large cargo. A small kitchen flanks the doorway, offering space for a two-burner stove and sink. Benjy has left the other side more open for storage but mentions you could choose to add another worktop or a shower. The dinette can serve as two 6 x 2-foot (185 x 60-cm) beds or as a 6 x 5.3-foot (185 x 160-cm) bed when the middle is filled out with the seat back cushions. A removable table secures between the benches for dining.

Benjy says the space to the looker's left of the door could be used for a shower or another work area, but he's chosen to dedicate it to open storage
Benjy says the space to the looker's left of the door could be used for a shower or another work area, but he's chosen to dedicate it to open storage

Benjy has painted the front interior wall white, which helps illuminate the interior. It also doubles as a 60-in projection screen for watching movies - the type of thing for which you might have thought you'd need a rugged, US$55,000 pop-up. Simple LED strips hooked to the same 18V batteries that power the drill provide interior lighting at night. Those batteries also power USB ports.

All in all, the Slidavan weighs 661 lb (300 kg, 441 lb/200 kg for the camper unit, 220 lb/100 kg for the trailer) and measures 10.7 feet (3.3 m) in total length, including the trailer. That leaves 441 lb of potential payload to remain within the European-regulated 1,100-lb (500-kg) number that Woodenwidget designed around. Benjy works with a payload of 220 lb so as not to overwhelm his Fiat Panda 4x4.

Benjy has been testing the Slidavan out around France for weeks and says that it tows and handles with ease. On fuel consumption, he says, "Since I have owned Bernie [his Panda 4x4] I have never managed to average better than 7.4 L/100 km (32 US mpg). The Panda 4x4 was never a very economical car with it's lofty stance, fat tires and 4WD system, but after 1,000 km (620 miles) of varied driving, I was surprised to see that my average had barely increased to 7.7 L/100 km (31 US mpg), and that's not just towing the Slidavan, that's with a well loaded car."

Benjy promises that even inexperienced builders can handle the Slidavan build, though it will take some time - about 200 hours' worth. The 100-page plans walk you through it with full instructions and more than 250 photos. Those plans cost £50 (US$64) and are available for immediate download upon payment. Benjy estimates that brand-new materials would run around £3,000 ($3,850), less for secondhand materials, though costs could obviously vary depending upon where you are and what you're buying.

The Slidavan is Woodenwidget's first vehicle that relies on motor power, but it's not its first caravan. It's also designed the equally innovative Foldavan – a 66-lb (30-kg), teardrop-style bike trailer that compresses like an accordion for storage and transport.

Built to be moved by leg muscles, not motor vehicle, the Foldavan is an intriguing, little bike trailer
Built to be moved by leg muscles, not motor vehicle, the Foldavan is an intriguing, little bike trailer

You can see more of Woodenwidget's collapsible wooden vehicles on its website, linked below. And for a fuller account of the Slidavan build, you can have a read of Benjy's blog, a particularly good idea if you're mulling over the prospect of taking the build on yourself.

Source: Woodenwidget

View gallery - 23 images
6 comments
6 comments
Nik
By curving the sides, from front to rear, to give an elliptical floor-plan, the trailer could be made significantly more aerodynamic. This would reduce drag, and so fuel consumption. Also curved panels are inclined to be more rigid than flat ones, which would be an additional bonus. I had a similar idea to this, forty years ago, but I prefer not to tow a home, so never progressed it.
Aross
Nothing new here other than the smaller size. I've seen this type of trailer around Canada and the US for many years.
Tom Lee Mullins
I think that is a really interesting design. I wonder if it could be made lighter? I like the idea of the design.
Catweazle
There's nothing new under the Sun... http://www.gargrave.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/rice_caravans1_sm.jpg
chase
The draw back to pop-up trailers is the lack of ability to add anything to the upper half such as shelves or cabinets. And once in use, a pain in the sense everything must below the uppermost line. Or it gets crushed. They are nice in a sense, especially for towing. I did see a design that did have cabinets on the upper. But it was a bicycle towing pop-up sort of rig. It was nice. I even thought of building one myself. But... lol... I'm not that into pedaling something that large around.
Benjy
@Nik The Slidavan's compact size means it does not need to be aerodynamic as it is tucked in behind the tow car. It is designed to be easy to build, curved sides would not help this feature. @ Catweazle The Rice caravan is not fully insulated but the Slidavan is and you can't buy a Slidavan, you have to make it. @Chase You can install cupboards in the upper section if you want. @across Perhaps you should read the article. @Tom Lee Mullins. Lighter than 300 kilos? Carbon fibre?