Teal Camper for DIY fans

Ever thought of combining the flat-pack, easy-assemble convenience of Ikea furniture with the portability of a lightweight camper trailer?

Well, American inventor Lawrence Drake has, and the result is the Teal Camper; a life-sized, Lego-like contraption that you screw together with the aid of a Philips head screwdriver.

Drake came up with the idea after purchasing a 1.2 x 2.4m utility trailer that he wanted to use both for hauling tools and gear as well as for camping. The pop-top camper he had in mind also needed to be fairly light due to the limited 455kg towing capacity of his Chevrolet tow vehicle.

Utilising a modular design, the camper shell consists of foam-insulated polyethylene panels, and attaches to the trailer's or ute bed's plywood floor by way of straps and angle brackets.

The panels are also strapped together to create watertight sealing, and some are equipped with doors and windows. There’s also a pop-top roof kit that raises interior headroom to around 1.8 m.

The camper comes in different sizes and is also customisable. And you can increase the size of your existing camper with additional panels... kind of like building an extension onto a house.

The minimalist interior is designed to keep weight down as well as reduce set-up time. Bench seating, a table and double bed is included in the package, plus there are options like a canvas sink cabinet (lighter and more portable than timber). Instead of a fixed bathroom or kitchen, Drake recommends using a propane camping stove and portable toilet. 

On the negative side, it takes around 90 minutes to put together. And you’ve still got to find a place to store all the panels and fold-up furniture when disassembled.

Drake sees great potential for the system beyond the camping industry, as a multi-purpose lightweight shelter for a variety of purposes from hunting to emergency housing.

As the interior is largely removable the camper can also be easily converted to a mobile garage, or toy hauler.

“With quick and easy assembly, a towable camper could be transformed into a base camp site or other structure in a matter of minutes,” Drake says on the Teal Camper website.

With just a handful of prototypes to speak of, Drake is currently looking for a financial backer or established manufacturer to take his invention to the next level of production.

If it were to hit the market Drake estimates the price of the full camper would start at around US$5000.