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Articles by CC Weiss
Sneaky telescoping capsule camper triples into 8-person vacation cabin Original
French innovator Beauer has blown up the internet a couple times over the years with clever telescopic campers that condense to within the width of the tow vehicle before expanding nearly double or triple the size at camp. Previously, its largest expandable camper slept up to six people inside a 300-sq ft floor plan. This year, it reshuffles its lineup with a new model that offers even more capacity, sleeping a total of eight people.
Electro camper trunk beams into a 2-story livable pickup truck mullet
The new Pickupmate Trunk from Chinese car camping specialist Wild Land is an impressive piece of truck camping kit that fuses several different products into one. It's not quite a rooftop tent, not quite a pickup camping topper and not quite a basic truck cap. Instead, it's all three in one, delivering a remote controlled dual-level camping experience like no other.
Ford e-MPV camper van strikes a blow at Kia's flourishing camper biz
Ford has established itself as a leading badge in plug-in hybrid camper vans, both in-house and via third-party conversions, but it hasn't shown the same level of juice in all-electric campers, despite having a very solid base van for the purpose. Polish conversion shop Wavecamper looks to change that with the Flex E-Line, a convincing battery-driven mini-camper with over 200 miles of range built into Ford's E-Transit Custom. Will it take a big bite out of Kia's electric camper van success?
Rugged milk crate is actually an undercover self-rescue multitool
A handy multifunctional contraption for camping, 4x4ing and overlanding, the RT700 Traction Crate from Colorado's Rock Tamers looks simply at first to be a new milk crate design complete with flip-open lid. It's rugged, capable of carrying just over 35 liters of gear, ready to work as a makeshift seat, and designed to stack up into a handy table for camp or garage.
Palm-sized pocket axe brings its own fire starter to the pit
An axe so tiny, you could actually fit it in a pants pocket, the Axvant looks at first to be some kind of model or novelty toy. Surely it's made out of foam or wood, painted to look like a real axe? That's a negative. It is an actual axe (or tiny hatchet, at least), and while it won't be felling any spruces or processing cords of firewood, it can handle more modest tasks around camp and yard. Plus, it's actually a multitool, working as its own fire-starting kit, mallet and bottle opener.
Gorgeous leather-trimmed camper breaks out of its aluminum cube
Like something of a squarer Dutch answer to the ageless Airstream, Lume emerged in 2018 with a very stylish aluminum-shelled trailer of its own. Its riveted, rounded-corner Traveler box trailer featured the unique distinction of working as a convertible, using a retractable fabric roof panel to open its cabin to the sky above.
Sleeked Ford camper van is the best Nugget of all ... and VW will join
Toward the end of 2025, German Ford camper van specialist Nugget Schmiede began previewing the high-roofed Nugget Twin it was preparing for a big 2026 launch. The van's neatly swept fiberglass roof looked smoother all around than even the version Ford itself came up with. That roof and the Nugget Twin it tops have officially launched to give Nugget buyers a new winter-ready camper van option with four solid walls and space for four people.
Unstoppable Toyota 4x4 mini-RV screams out, 'BEST IN SHOW!!'
Toward the end of each summer, the annual Düsseldorf Caravan Salon showcases the most diverse selection of camping vehicles you're likely to ever see gathered in one place – from beautiful classics to cutting-edge concepts and prototypes, and from tiny, featherlight trailers to massive tundra-roving 8-wheelers. It's never easy to pick out a favorite vehicle from that deep fleet, so we don't usually try.
4-min turbo-inflatable cubic camp castle is now available in the USA
One of the more impressive tent innovations to emerge from 2025, Cube Air Tent debuted as a spinoff of South African inflatable tent trailer brand Alphago. The brand quickly took on a life of its own, and while it always offered to ship globally, it's now made an official US launch, stocking its big, blow-up tents locally for faster, easier delivery at a lower price.
Flatpack camping pod explodes a tiny van into a big camper van
Believe it or not, the Cubivan Camping System wasn't the only multi-component camper pod system at this year's Caravan Salon built to slide out and camp outside the van itself. The Ebicos Happy Dreamer isn't quite as extreme a setup, but it is a similar concept with simpler execution. The main sleeper pod packs down small to store easily at home, then loads neatly into small and midsize vans only to burst out the tailgate at camp and create an instant bedroom.
Tiny, sub-$10K camper pod builds rep as world's cutest teardrop
Ever since we first laid eyes on it in 2022, the Kleox trailer has been one of our all time favorite teardrops. It pairs a beautifully arched fiberglass body with an exceptionally simple design meant to keep price down well under €10,000. And with a starting weight of under 500 lb, it doesn't require much vehicle to tow it.
World's largest e-motorhome targets 1,000 km per charge ... for a price
Prior to this week, the terms "world's largest electric motorhome" and "1,000-km range" could have led to only one conclusion: one of China's latest high-mileage extended range electric vehicle (EREV) platforms got outfitted with a big motorhome box. But the most massive electric motorhome we spotted at this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon wasn't a range-extender, and it wasn't Chinese.
Wild origami camper cube seizes command of your van to make it livable
When we first spotted the Italian brand "Cubivan" at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon this past weekend, we assumed it was another in the burgeoning market of complete in-van camper pods, or maybe a boxy camper module built to go on top of a van chassis. Both guesses were kind of right, but neither quite prepared us for what the system really is.
6-wheel Ford Ranger Super Duty RV is pure excess, but not for Americans
"American excess" is a simple term that points at the United States' tendency toward materialistic overconsumption. As a culture, we aim for what we want, not necessarily what we need. So when you see a massive overland RV with an extra axle and a big, proud Ford badge all capped out in its gape, it'd be easy to slap that "American excess" label on it without thinking twice.
Otherworldly telescopic pickup camper is a 5-sleeper like nothing else
Colorado truck topper innovator Radica Products has never been known to follow convention. Its very first product widened out the common pickup cap to create a low-profile but roomy camper capable of sleeping two people across the width of the truck. Its subsequent launches picked up on the theme and ran with it, and its latest build takes the most extreme tack yet. The all-new Stargate lands as a hard-sided telescopic pop-topper that creates standing height in the bed and sleeps up to five people.
Ultra-slim fire pit packs like a laptop, flames up where others can't
The RTE FireFold from overland accessories specialist Rough Trails Equipment is one of the slimmest, fastest packing fire pits out there. It folds more completely than other fire pits, packing slim enough to carry in a laptop bag. And whether there are strict campfire bans in place or not, the FireFold is ready to serve as the flickering centerpiece of base camp. There were many products at this year's Overland Expo Mountain West that you couldn't miss if you wanted to ...
VW's all-new California Beach camper van adds inflatable flexibility
We weren't expecting Volkswagen to do anything too big for this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, given that it launched an all-new California camper van (and sub brand) two years ago and tweaked several of its campers with minor updates over the past few months. But the 'people's RV maker' often surprises with its annual Caravan Salon slate. This year it's revealing multiple world-first concept vans that plumb uncharted waters in exploring the future of VW camper van life.
Review: VW's first US electric camper van makes a clean city escape
Love the all-new electrified incarnation or not, the Volkswagen Microbus is finally making a return to the US market. And with it, the Volkswagen camper bus – and some promising sub-$100K camper van options in general – also make a much-welcome return to US shores. We had the chance to test the world's first ID. Buzz camper van ahead of its official US availability to take an early taste of the dawning era of Volkswagen van life. The bus Volkswagen's announcement of a US ID.
VW's most dialed California camper van yet launches at tempting price
Sure, maybe it's blasphemy to say that any new Volkswagen California camper van is better than the icons that came before it. But Volkswagen has worked quite hard to optimize the freshly launched California eHybrid 4Motion for smart, affordable, carefree road trips. Not only does the new camper bus pack standard all-wheel drive to master the slick conditions inevitable in van life, it boasts a virtually silent, zero-emissions electric range over 80 km (50 miles) per charge.
Monster 4x4 camper van is a go-anywhere work and camp machine
Don't let its bright, friendly stripes fool you – the Iveco Daily Switch 4x4 was the meanest-looking camper van at the year's largest RV Show. By far. The towering RV was also among the show's most versatile, combining Iveco's highly configurable van platform, a warehouse worth of airline tie-down track, and a modular equipment set that seamlessly "switches" between hauling supplies to remote forestry and mining sites and hunting down the highest, remotest camping sites the world has to offer.
Covert and camp-ready MPV might be world's lowest profile mini-RV
German camper brand Vanderer has proven itself a master at transforming the smallest vans into warm, cozy wheeled tiny homes with a layout that goes above and beyond the average mini-camper. It goes simpler for its second floor plan, deconstructing the camper van into a series of smart, versatile components spread around the vehicle.
Off-road Ford camper van hooks and loops its way into the deep wilds
German off-road camper van builder Terracamper has long kept things in-country, building its uncommonly capable campers on vehicles from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz. But with recent shifts in the van landscape, it's now launched a Ford Transit Custom-based camper van that's every bit as rugged and gnarly as its other offerings.
New Volkswagen plug-in mini-camper reigns supreme over VW California
Reimo's Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Camp is often among the top highlights of the tiny camper van segment at the annual Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, but this year's variant was doubly so. Not only does Reimo's mini-camper handily surpass Volkswagen's own Caddy California in terms of overall van life accommodations, it's also the first Caddy camper conversion with available plug-in hybrid power.
Iconic Westfalia camper van streamlined into fast-pitching all-roader
Westfalia may be back in North America, but it’s still doing its best work over in Europe. The world-famous pop-up camper builder joined the likes of Volkswagen and Ford in updating one of van life's icons at this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. It introduced a simpler, more streamlined version of the James Cook camper van it revived in 2019 as an innovative Mercedes-Benz Sprinter slide-expander for on- and off-road RVing.
Sub-Nugget Ford micro-camper is the tiniest camper van in Düsseldorf
The tiniest, most adorable motorized camper we saw at this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon is a slick, space-efficient micro-camper that rides on Ford's smallest van. No, not the Transit Connect Ford sold in the US not so long ago, but the Transit Courier, an even smaller van that looks more like a subcompact crossover.
Concept camper bus dares you to gaze (and smell) into RVing's future
Italy's Mobilvetta is exploring the future of RVing with a concept it calls Fluideen. Something of a mini-jungle on wheels, the design study looks to seamlessly blend the natural with the technological, bringing in innovations like electrochromatic privacy glass, fragrance-diffusing composite wallpaper and electric-retractable furniture and appliances.
This VW camper van has the wildest pop-up roof in the small RV world
Germany's SpaceCamper prides itself on pushing the boundaries of what a camper can be, to the point of building an unexpected amalgamation of tent camper, e-cargo bike and micro-motorhome. So perhaps it's not surprising to see it introduce the wildest pop-up camper van at the 2024 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. And yet, it still is. SpaceCamper's Volkswagen Multivan pop-up concept is unlike anything we've ever seen, blurring the lines between a rooftop tent, high fixed sleeper roof and standard pop-top.
Luxury-branded adventure camper van handily undercuts Winnebago
Tiffin is best known for offering some of the American market's most lavish and expensive bus-sized Class A motorhomes. So it might come as a surprise that it's added a gritty, fully off-grid-capable Mercedes Sprinter camper van to its lineup. It's even more of a surprise that the GH1 all-wheel-drive adventure camper prices in lower than much of the competition, including its own cousin, the Airstream Interstate 19X. And it looks like a legit adventure machine.
Killer Toyota micro-camper provides trapdoor access to rustic abode
Not every German-turned-American expedition vehicle builder at Overland Expo West 2024 was vying for a "most massive vehicle of show" title. New entrant World Travel Vehicles (WTV) out of Durango, Colorado offered one of the show's most impressive full-blown all-terrain campers based on a midsize truck, the always-popular Toyota Tacoma. The World Travel TrekTwo aims to be an agile explorer that carries along an efficient micro-retreat with distinctive look and layout.
Survivalist camper turns Tesla Cybertruck into e-RV that makes water
Living Vehicle makes some of the most self-sustaining RVs on planet earth, so much so that it strived to carve out a new category - the LV, a fully equipped cabin in the woods that's ready to tow from private to public land and back again. Now the company turns its attention to Tesla's headline-making Cybertruck. The LV CyberTrailer looks as ...uh, unique ...
$1-million Ram expedition RV pulls elite German engineering into US
Germany's Unicat has been building some of Earth's largest, most capable, most meticulously equipped expedition vehicles for decades. For its latest rig, it's cozying up to the American market, turning the Ram 5500 into the sharply angled B63X all-terrain motorhome. The wealthy, wanderlustful American's options for go-anywhere adventure just got a whole lot bigger and bolder.
Modular truck rack detonates pickup truck box into a sea of bikes
Utah startup Boundry wants you to think inside the box when it comes to hauling bikes with your pickup. Instead of draping them over the tailgate, standing them off the hitch or mounting them to the side of the bed on an above-bed rack or camping topper, its modular rack system stretches between the bed rails like a chase rack and holds up to five mountain bikes inside the closed tailgate. It also works with motorbikes and opens bed space for other gear.
Arctic Ford F-Series expedition camper is a mini mansion on 6 wheels
We wrapped up a gorgeous, albeit a bit windy and dusty, weekend at this year's Overland Expo West in Flagstaff, Arizona on Sunday. Easily the biggest story at the show – literally and figuratively – was the major European brands establishing US-specific operations and models.
Modular telescopic truck rack/shell is as versatile as a pickup itself Original
Küat is best known for the work it's done around the vehicle hitch, offering a well-known lineup of bike racks. This year, it's stepped up a little higher, designing one of the most innovative and versatile pickup racks on the market. In fact, its Ibex isn't merely a skeletal rack capable of carrying bikes, boards, cargo boxes, traction boards and other accessories – it doubles as a truck cap, concealing and protecting cargo behind lock and key.
Ultralight TC Truck Camper lets you teardrop camp in your pickup bed Original
The all-new TC Truck Camper was one of the truly eye-grabbing exhibits at this year's Overland Expo West. It looks quite literally like a wheel-less teardrop trailer hoisted up into a pickup bed. But the new micro-camper is more than just an oddity, as it's one of the lightest hard-sided truck campers available, at one of the least expensive price points. Wisconsin-based TC Teardrops has been building teardrops since 2008.
Best motorhomes, large camper vans and expanding RVs of 2022
We already took a look back at the best small camping vehicles and trailers of 2022, so now we turn our attention to larger RVs and full-size van campers measuring over 5 meters (16.4 ft) in length, along with expanding truck campers that pack small and grow on arrival. This year proved quite a big one in this regard, highlighted by watching one of history's great concept campers make it through to production, complete with many of its most amazing features.
Most expensive RV of 2022: $5-million LaFerrari carrier with roof deck
Every year, one motorhome stands above the rest in terms of its truly outrageous, no-expense-spared build spec and price tag. It usually comes down to a battle between the two German Vs – Volkner and Variomobil.
Odd, clever and crazy-light micro-camper trailers of 2022 Original
This year saw the introduction of some of the most compact, lightweight camping trailers we've seen in our decades of covering new RV launches – a veritable forest of vehicle-based fast and light backpacking options. In fact, we set out to put together a list of the smallest, most innovative RVs in general, both motorized and towable, and quickly found it filled with smart, tiny trailers.
Mercedes EQT Marco Polo electric RV previews multi micro-camper future
Mercedes-Benz is pushing further into the motorhome market with a new "micro-camper" lineup. Next month, it will reveal the all-electric Concept EQT Marco Polo camper, sliding the Marco Polo nameplate down to its smallest van series and creating the first electric Marco Polo to boot. The concept will be a near-production preview of a factory EQT camper van slated to officially join the Marco Polo family in 2023 alongside a soon-to-be-available micro-Marco camper-in-a-box kit.
Starlink in-motion RV broadband puts more digital into nomadism
SpaceX gifted a boon (albeit an expensive one) to digital nomads earlier this year when it launched its Starlink RV service, enabling internet connection in the types of remote, primitive spaces where it was definitely lacking. One of the shortcomings of the service has been that it can only be used while stationary, but now SpaceX has solved that issue with the new Flat High Performance Starlink option.
$1-mil RV overlands like voracious wildcat, camps like purring kitty
The latest off-road RV build from the mad engineers at Action Mobil is one of the company's fiercest yet, emphasized by the angry leopard tattooed on its shoulders. The new Global XRS 7400 doesn't even need those artistic feline teeth to be ferocious, though, battling dirt, rock, mud, snow and other unrefined earthen crust with the might of its 630-hp 6WD diesel MAN truck platform.
Hobby Maxia adds RV hygge to forever raise the bar on VW camper vans
Volkswagen and Hobby may be well-known German brands, but it's Scandinavia that provides the clearest inspiration for the new VW Crafter-based Hobby Maxia Van. The camper van channels the warm, cozy feeling of Scandinavian "hygge" into an interior that feels more like a modern tiny home than a cold-walled van. From here on out, it's going to take VW camper van builders more than a mere pop-up roof and folding bench/bed to impress camper van shoppers.
Reimo shrinks VW pop-up camper down to Caddy size, still adds toilet
Two years ago, Volkswagen added the new Caddy to its California camper van portfolio, launching its most impressive Caddy mini-camper to date. But the folks at Volks still lag behind third-party conversion specialists when it comes to fully functional Caddy campers. Reimo is one such example, and it proves that it can do nice things to VW's smallest ICE van, as well as its latest.
Forma Campers reshapes the teardrop trailer into spacious origami Original
As the teardrop trailer continues to ride a wave of reinvigorated popularity 'round the world, we continue to see new, unusual alternatives to the original form, from rugged, aerospace-grade squaredrops to curvy cubes. The latest spin comes from Latvian startup Forma campers, which strays away from the original arch-back design while maintaining a size, layout and base weight comparable to more traditional tears.
"Unsinkable" amphibious caravan flips wheels into hulls to float-camp
Normally we'd be quite satisfied to see one all-new multi-hull camper boat at any given event, but this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon had two, each demonstrating a unique take on the idea of buoyant RVing. The soon-to-launch Scoter wasn't as large or pretty as the Caracat that stared it down from across the outdoor courtyard between exhibition halls, but it boasted a slick feature the Caracat did not.
Pop-up VW T7 Multivan camper might be ultimate PHEV RV & daily driver
After seeing the first Volkswagen T7 camper kit earlier this summer, we were expecting to see a few Multivan campers debut at the 2022 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon. As it turned out, however, we only saw exactly one at the entire show – but it was a particularly sleek, versatile package. The all-new T7 "Freevan" gets a fully removable kitchen and prototype pop-up roof from RV supply giant Reimo, becoming a fast-adapting multi-RV for work, play and everything in between.
Light, skeletal Urban X RV is an ultra-flexible Mercedes V-camper
A new interpretation of Mercedes-Benz V-Class camper van, the Urban X debuts as a lighter, more flexible member of VanTourer's Urban family. With slim, skeletal camper equipment, lightweight storage bags in place of cabinetry, and a series of floor rails, the Urban X's ultra-versatile build readily carries bikes, boards, skis, climbing equipment and more before turning in for a comfortable night of sleep.
VW adventure RV rides like panel van, lives like off-grid micro-lodge
German startup NEXSD is looking to improve the quality of motorhomes with an all-aluminum construction it hopes will catch on with RV brands. Its motorhome build was one of the most impressive of the countless Volkswagen-based RVs at the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, designed to ride lighter than an actual panel van while offering the space of a semi-integrated motorhome.
One of world's most versatile mini campers becomes a fully electric RV
Just three years ago, Pössl introduced the Vanster as a lighter, simpler, more affordable multipurpose camper van sibling to its Campster. With the ability to quickly transform from an eight-person passenger van, to a four-person camper, to an empty cargo van, to everything in between, the 195-in-long (495-cm) Vanster is easily one of the most versatile vans in the world.
World's first VW ID. Buzz electric mini campers premiere in Düsseldorf Original
Since its debut as a concept way back in 2017, Volkswagen's ID. Buzz has been begging to break out of the exhibition halls and prototype tests and take off on a camping weekend, maybe a full-time extended road trip. VW even incorporated some camping-friendly features in the original concept and confirmed a camper version before the van's actual production debut. It'll still be a few years before Volkswagen comes through with its official camper, but now that ID.
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