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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Is there any better feeling than heading out on the open road? Seeing the world through your windshield is one of the few opportunities to experience true freedom; authors and adventurers across time and generations have espoused the act of loading up your belongings, filling up the gas tank and hitting the road (and maybe bringing your dog).
Today, the freedom is the same, but the on-road digs are a lot different. We’re seeing our favorite rides get electrified; plenty of teardrops are vying for space in our garages and imaginations; and the wide selection of camper vans, trailers and more means there’s something for everyone.
In a year of change, ingenuity and progress, here are the camper vans and trailers that stood out at the proverbial campsite.
Airstream 2023 REI Co-op Special Edition Basecamp
REI
The special edition, REI-ified Airstream Basecamp is an ergonomic, comfortable compact camping trailer with plenty of useful features and classic Airstream style … just with an outdoors-y twist. In the mind of our tester, the subtle touches from the giant outdoor retailer don’t justify the additional dollar signs — but for anyone who loves the outdoors, loves Airstream and has the extra cash, this thing is pretty badass. If you’re used to tent camping or sleeping in your rooftop tent, spending a couple of nights in this cozy little trailer feels like the Ritz.
Electrification is already coming to the camping trailer world, and the Pebble Flow proves it. This new camper not only uses its 45-kWh battery pack to run all its on-board amenities, it also uses it to power the wheels, reducing rolling resistance at speed (and thus easing the burden on the tow vehicles, which is very helpful for any electric truck that’s pulling a trailer) but also enabling low-speed autonomous maneuvering via an app for easier parking and camping.
Like many a fascinating pint-sized vehicle or living space, the X-Cabin 300 hails from Japan. And it is pint-sized: the company claims a gross vehicle weight of just 1,650 pounds, making it light enough be towed by just about any car, truck or SUV with a tow rating sold in the United States. At 15 feet long, seven feet wide and around seven feet tall, it’s tidy enough to fit into an average American parking space with ease.
Early this year, Airstream and the design firm Studio F. A. Porsche, a subsidiary of Porsche AG, revealed a “what if” collaboration, the Airstream Studio F. A. Porsche Concept Travel Trailer. Think of it this way: It’s essentially what would happen if Porsche used its sports-car sensibilities to design and build an Airstream.
Winnebago unveiled the Solis Pocket back in 2021. It was a new, entry-level camper van for Winnebago that — back in 2021 — dropped the price point below $100,000. Winnebago announced a new 36B floor plan for the Solis Pocket, including several key enhancements. The most significant difference between the Solis and the Solis Pocket has been the latter foregoing a wet bath for a stowable cassette toilet. Opting for the 36B floorplan adds a wet bath at the vehicle’s rear.
Living Vehicle’s camping trailers may be priced like houses, but they’re nice enough to warrant the spend. Fully insulated and packing advanced climate control, equipped with 72 kWh of battery power to run its many luxury features, able to generate its own power from the sun and pull water from the air, it’s basically a high-end apartment that can be self-sufficient almost anywhere.
The 4XD is made from riveted aluminum — great for keeping out the elements, or the odd bear. It weighs just 1,000–1,500 pounds, depending on the configuration. That’s light enough to be towed by a base Jeep Wrangler, Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness or pretty much any other vehicle equipped with a tow bar. It comes with a hard-sided insulated rooftop dwelling that Antishanty says can sleep two adults plus a child or a dog.
HC1 Studio is meant to let you stay anywhere longer, thanks to its full suite of features. Built for long-term travel, this 1,500 pound camper packs in all the essentials you’d find at home: a bathroom equipped with a dry-flush toilet, a full kitchenette with dual-burner stove, battery-powered fridge and sink, and Happier Camper’s Adaptiv system, a partially modular layout that allows for unique configurations of furniture.
Looking for a teardrop trailer that’s not too much, and not too little? Infusion Design’s CampinAwe trailer, first spotted by the folks at New Atlas, could be a great Goldilocks option. The CampinAwe sleeps two on a full-size queen mattress. You can add a Rhino Rack and a rooftop tent to accommodate additional sleepers. Insulated body panels with an operating range between -40º and 250º Fahrenheit should cover any climate change-related extremes. The cabin has 58.3 cubic feet of available storage in various compartments.
Ford originally unveiled the Transit Trail, a more off-road-oriented version of the Transit van, a couple of years ago. Patent filings suggested Ford was considering bringing it to America — and in November 2023, Ford finally did. Adding the Transit Trail is an obvious nod to the burgeoning camper van market, which Ford already targeted with things like the Adventure Prep package. “A turnkey canvas direct from the factory” would make the Transit an even more compelling base vehicle for custom camper van builders.
Camper vans aren’t fuel-efficient — but Mercedes-Benz is thinking about changing that. The brand has teased a tiny electric camper van concept, the Concept EQT Marco Polo, which the brand revealed on December 2nd of this year. The Concept EQT Marco Polo will be based on the production T-Class. Mercedes did not get into specifics about the Concept EQT Marco Polo’s electric powertrain, but one cool feature that Mercedes does mention is that the bed and kitchen unit will be a “flexible module” that can be easily removed to allow the EQT to serve as a conventional van during the weekdays.Learn more about the Mercedes-Benz Concept EQT Marco Polo here.
Bowlus is one of our favorite camping trailer manufacturers, building what amount to luxury apartments on wheels. They launched a new entry-level Heritage model earlier this year. And Bowlus just announced some even bigger news — the brand is going all-electric. Last year, Bowlus launched its first all-electric trailer, the Volterra, which made our favorite adventure vehicles from 2022 list. Now, the Heritage Edition and the brand’s flagship Terra Firma model will also be going electric.
REI
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