World’s first caravan in a van?
Mechanical engineer invents motorhome that requires no modification to the donor vanIs it a caravan? Is it a motorhome? Or is it a slide-on camper?
It’s a combination of all three, or if you believe the marketing hype of the creators of the out-of-the-box ioCamper, it’s a “transportable folding apartment… that turns any van into a motorhome”.
The brainchild of Hungarian mechanical engineer Tamas Laczko, the ioCamper is a portable, hard-walled camper module unlike any other, that’s designed to be carried inside the cargo area of a mid-sized commercial van.
After pulling up to the campsite, the module slides out and then expands in multiple directions to form a three-part mini-apartment, incorporating a lounge area with large screen TV, a kitchen with fridge, cooktop and running sink, tiny bathroom with toilet and shower, and sleeping options for up to four people.
With a travel size of 2.5m long by 1.3m wide by 1.7m high, the ioCamper should slide into the back of a range of popular delivery vans, including the Fiat Ducato, Iveco Daily, Volkswagen Crafter and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Set up, which can be done manually or remotely via a smartphone app, is said to take around 10 minutes, and the whole unit is supported by fold-down stabilizer legs, some fitted with roller feet so it can be moved into position.
Other features include roof-mounted solar panels to charge up batteries that run the appliances including the lights, fridge and TV, water storage, and windows on most walls along to go with a main entry door.
According to the designers, the advantage of the ioCamper is that the donor van doesn’t need to be modified in any way. It can also be used for other purposes like a guest house, and for quick overnight stays while camping, the main module can remain in the van with only some of the ‘rooms’ opened out.
The plan is to offer buyers four different design styles (Modern, Vintage, Country, or Summer Style), as well as three different heights to suit different vans.
After building the first working model in early-2017, Laczko now hopes to raise enough money through crowd-funding website Indiegogo to put the ioCamper into production. There are also plans to sell the unique camper globally, so it could make its way to Australia one day.
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