Caravans of the future - where are the designers going?

What will the caravans look like in the future? Do they even have a chance of becoming popular in a few or a dozen years? Young designers say yes! In an era where mobility is one of the most appreciated values, caravans are still needed, although the vision of what they should look like is changing.

Designers from the Austrian studio Nonstandard created the concept of the Mehrzeller trailer. In their opinion, it corresponds to the spirit of the times and reflects contemporary trends in both lifestyle and architecture.

Say what you want

The external appearance of the trailer is very different from the vehicles we know from our streets. Irregular shapes create the form of a bizarre capsule that can be freely decorated , adjusting the appearance to the client's vision.

The whole concept of Mehrzeller is based on this. The essence of the entire project is the ability to personalize each trailer to an extent that is not able to be provided by manufacturers currently available on the market.

The creators of this concept want the creation of a caravan to look similar to furnishing a home with the help of an interior designer. The client presents his initial ideas, which can be helped by the computer configurator . Then, together with specialists, the design is refined and finally the trailer is built on its basis. Thanks to this, each vehicle can be unique.

Mehrezeller uses the term "mass customization" which means combining mass production with the individualisation of each product. The appearance and layout of the interior as well as the equipment used are a matter of preferences of a specific customer. The attached visualizations show that thanks to the futuristic architecture, the interior of the caravan may seem much more spacious than in a standard caravan.

Live in the egg

British designer David Tonkinson went even further in his visions, who wanted to create something that in caravanning would be the equivalent of an iPod - a small device with great possibilities.

The Tonkinson capsule looks like a giant egg, but is more of a midget among the trailers. However, the dimensions are an advantage, because the caravan was created for modern inhabitants of large cities, and such people will enjoy a vehicle with dimensions of 2.2 x 3.9 m . Thanks to this, the capsule can be easily left in a standard parking space.

If we want to spend some time inside, it is enough to use electronic actuators that will extend the capsule to the surface of large windows . Two adults should easily fit in the vehicle.

The available equipment does not differ from what we can find in typical caravans, although the appearance of individual devices resembles gadgets from science-fiction movies.

And any news in the equipment? Yes, they are. Electrochromic windows darken at the push of a button (no blinds or blinds). In addition, the caravan can be fitted with massage chairs and other elements that make this vehicle a small spa salon.

The designer also provides for the possibility of attaching awnings on both sides of the capsule, which would look like fabric tunnels - thanks to this, the space that could be used by users will be significantly enlarged.

Trends for the future

These two projects indicate three trends that can be expected in the design of caravans in the near future.

The first is the pursuit of unusual design . A modern caravan must not only be practical, but also look amazing. The second trend is even greater efforts than before to arrange a small interior in the best possible way. It can be expected that the caravans of the future will be small on the outside but very roomy on the inside . And the last, but not least, trend - even greater individualization of equipment and interior layouts , so that they are tailored to the wishes of specific customers.

So it's definitely too early today to talk about the end of the caravanning era. Perhaps we are only at its beginning.