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We live in a golden age of camper vans. Modern technology culled from both the motoring and home worlds has made turning a four-wheeled conveyance into a roaming residence a far nicer proposition than it once was — and as a result, the options have exploded. Modern campers come in all shapes, sizes and types, from mighty all-terrain EarthRoamers to compact vans practically as easy to park as a crossover.
Still, as wild as the camper van world is these days, perhaps the wildest example of the trend isn’t even a van at all. Meet the Haaks Opperland Camper — a two-story pop-up tiny house that commutes on the back of a flatbed truck.
And not even a big flatbed, mind you. At just 158 inches by 90 inches by 99 inches in compact mode, it’s small and light enough to fit onto the flatbed version of a Fiat Ducato — the European version of the Ram ProMaster van. Roll it off the bed and onto the ground, however, and it transforms in a way that’d make Optimus Prime proud; hydraulic legs pop out to level it, the roof pops up into a triangular shape, and the wall swings up to open the house to the world in nice weather.
That rising roofline enables the Opperland to offer a second story: a loft space with a double mattress and a window above it to let the sun shine in. A small staircase leads down to the main level, where you’ll pass the small wet bath in the corner before reaching the living room and kitchen — the latter boasting an induction cooktop and 2.9-cubic-foot fridge/freezer.
Power for the appliances and lights comes from a 360-ah lithium-ion battery, connected to a Victron inverter and solar panels for a bountiful supply of off-grid electricity. The fresh water tank is a little small, at just 11.9 gallons, but you should be fine so long as you keep your showers short.
Now, here’s the rub: this camper isn’t cheap, and it’ll likely be tough to get one here. Pricing starts at roughly $107,500 before taxes, though that includes the price of the diesel-powered, manual-transmission-equipped Fiat host vehicle. In case those specs don’t make it clear, that’s a baby truck that’s not sold here in the United States.
