Heading for the hills seems like a good idea these days, and the Track Tvan trailer might just be one of the nicer ways to go. There is so much to learn about tiny living from trailers, about designing things for lightness and portability, and the Tvan teaches a few really interesting lessons.

© Track TVAN © Track TVAN © Track TVAN © Track TVAN

It is designed for serious off-road action, sitting very high off the ground, and has a low profile for good aerodynamics.

But it also has a full queen size bed inside under the hard roof, and if you are staying put for a while, a giant tent living room; they claim it can be set up in sixty seconds. Track trailers also have a great track record; they have been building versions of this since the early eighties, and introduced the original Tvan model in 2000.

Being made for Australia where there are lots of creepy crawlers, the tent is set on a folding platform that keeps it off the ground. The tent folds out from the underside of the rear door so the bed inside can be kept clean and dry.

There are awnings and attachments and even a toilet and shower tent that can turn this little trailer into a big canvas house.

The premium upgrade kitchen has a sink, fridge and a three burner stove. It is really quite ingenious, the way everything pulls out. Lots of storage, and wind shields that pull up so that the flames don’t get blown out. The kitchen really has everything you need; in so many tiny houses, the kitchens are bigger than you see in some New York apartments. I wonder if a kitchen that pulls out like this could do the job.

Of course there is solar power and a very sophisticated power management system. It is quite amazing, how much they can squeeze into such a small package. It’s not cheap (about AU$ 69,000 or US$ 52,950) but one can dream. More at Track Trailer

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