A quartet of sleek new travel trailers accelerate the caravan’s cultural rehabilitation

Is the humble caravan due for a comeback? At the turn of the century, towing a trailer home of any size or description was considered a niche, eccentric affair, but a combination of accelerating house prices, the lure of the van life aesthetic, the rise of remote working and a new-found sense of aesthetic freedom and expression in RV design has invigorated the market.

Here are four new examples of travel trailer and RV design.

Honda Basecamp Concept

Honda has revealed a conceptual design for an ultralight travel trailer, the Basecamp Concept. Designed and developed at Honda’s American R&D studios in Ohio and LA, the Basecamp points to a future product intended to be towed behind the company’s mid-sized SUVs (the CR-V, for example, which has consistently been one the best-selling SUVs in the States).

The Basecamp Concept strips everything back to basics, with an outdoor kitchenette and shower. This effectively makes the interior one large sleeping area, with a convertible couch for adults and optional bunks for children. Power comes from an onboard lithium-ion battery and roof-mounted solar panels.

The small scale and rugged aesthetic tie into other leisure vehicles built by the brand, including the recent Motocompacto folding scooter (which would slot nicely into the Basecamp’s storage area) and even Honda-brand generators. Other features include an extendable roof and a rear tailgate that doubles up as a shelter for cooking.

According to Jane Nakagawa, VP of Honda’s American R&D Business Unit, the ‘Base Station is the product of fresh and innovative thinking. We designed it to make camping more accessible and enjoyable for families across America.’ It’s also small enough and light enough to be towed by the new breed of electric SUVs, including Honda’s upcoming 0 series.

Honda Basecamp, concept only, Automobiles.Honda.com, @Honda

Evotrex PG5

For rugged, off-grid experiences, Evotrex have created the PG5, an RV stuffed with power generating and storage options to enable owners to roam far and wide, even if they’re using an EV to haul it. In addition to an onboard 43kWh battery, the PG5 also has its own generator and solar array. Power from the battery also drives the RV’s own twin axle set-up when being towed to minimise the load on the towing vehicle.

The rugged exterior houses a living set-up that is both high spec and spacious, as befits a mobile space that could easily be an off-grid home from home for over a week. Endurance is assisted by the 60-gallon water tank and a combined power capacity of 270kWh.

Tapping into the RV’s more luxurious amenities might shorten the trip – air conditioning or heating, for example – but there’s still a full kitchen, shower room and dinette, with an extending, covered terrace area at the rear for soaking up views of your ever-changing location.

Evotrex PG, from $119,990 (Pioneer model) to $159,990 (Atlas model), Evotrex.com, @Evotrexnow

AC Future AI-THt Transformer Home Trailer

We’ve covered Pininfarina’s mobile living collaboration before but the American manufacturer and Italian design house revealed more refinements at this year’s CES. The AC Future AI Transformer Home Trailer, or AI-THt for short, is described as an expandable ‘smart home travel trailer’.

An interactive version of the AI-THt was demonstrated alongside the self-driven AI-THd model, which includes a driver’s cabin. In contrast, the THt is designed to be towed, with a fully expandable body that effectively doubles the trailer’s floor area when parked up.

Pininfarina’s well-honed aesthetic is on display in seamless, curvaceous interior forms, with design and detailing that are more reminiscent of high-end domestic spaces rather than traditional trailer living.

Although the smart element of AC Future’s approach appears prominently in the name, the application of ‘intelligence’ is focused on the digital systems that drive the AI-THt, from the carefully rationed use of power through to the lighting schemes.

Pininfarina has also ensured the exterior forms are as aerodynamically efficient as possible – improving towing range – while helping to shape the cleverly interlocking interior components that go into AC Future’s patented expansion system.

The first pre-production prototypes of the range are due to be revealed in 2027.

ACFuture.com, @ACFuturereal

Pininfarina.it, @PininfarinaofAmerica

Airstream World Traveler 22RB

Finally, a new model from a very established name. Airstream can point to nearly a century of experience in the market, with a familiar style that still represents the benchmark of travel trailer design. If anything, the American company’s new World Traveler 22RB doubles down on that heritage, with the signature curved aluminium outer skin.

Created to be as lightweight and compact as possible, the new model is just 7 feet 6 inches wide and has a base weight of 3,700 pounds (around 1,680kg), greatly opening up the field of suitable towing vehicles. The interior is airy and light, with a double bed at one end and a dinette at the other, with the bathroom and galley kitchen in the centre of the plan.

The dinette can be converted into a secondary sleeping area, while the simple white finishes are offset by light-coloured wood laminate cabinets and aluminium detailing, harking back to the Airstream’s instantly recognisable post-war aesthetic, inside and out.

Airstream World Traveler 22RB, from $68,300, Airstream.com, @Airstream_inc