How do you reconcile a compact layout with the ability to offer the maximum number of features and creature comforts? On the face of it, you can't because you're limited in the latter by the former. But trust an engineer to come up with a workaround.
That engineer is DI. Petr Visinka from the Austrian municipality of Saint Georgen im Attergau and the workaround is called KlappCaravan, literally "folding caravan." The KlappCaravan is an apparently standard travel trailer that explodes to three times its original dimension when at camp. It's the unicorn of travel trailers – Visinka even calls it "the first of its kind."
For the record, expandable travel trailers or campers are not a novel idea. They've been around for decades and have been particularly popular in this part of Europe. Over the years, we've seen them in all shapes and sizes and with all kinds of expanding mechanisms, some more ingenious than others and offering varying degrees of durability.
The idea that you can fold out walls and floors and then move around furniture to create a home-like space once you get to camp has been explored many times, it would seem. But even if KlappCaravan is not the first of its kind doesn't mean it's not worthy of a couple of minutes of our time. If only on a "what if" basis.
Photo: KlappCaravan.at
The "get" with this travel trailer is that it's compact and lightweight in road mode. It sits on a double-axle aluminum trailer with a total length of 5.80 meters (19 feet) and a usable length of 4.20 meters (13.7 feet). Width is 2.30 meters (7.5 feet), with a standing height inside the RV of 1.95 meters (6.4 feet). Empty weight is 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs).
Unlike with other expandable trailers, you can use the KlappCaravan without folding it out. In that case, though, you'd be short of sleeping berths and would have to make do with catching your Zs on the floor.
In camp mode, the trailer expands laterally, so those 2.30 meters in width become 6.06 meters (20 feet), while the living surface triples from 7.22 square meters to 23.2 square meters (77.7 to 250 square feet). The extra space adds three double beds, two on one side and one on the other, and a proper living and dining area with a table and seating for four people. Two of those who sleep inside will have to eat at the kitchen counter, we guess.
Jokes aside, the KlappCaravan is supposed to deploy into a fully-fledged family home in 15 minutes or less by simply folding up a section of the lateral wall, then bringing out the supporting walls, and then folding out the floor and that final wall. Each section that comes out gets leveling jacks for maximum stability and, we assume, a locking mechanism that would keep it in place in case of stronger winds – and keep the elements where they should be, on the outside of the home.
Photo: KlappCaravan.at
The KlappCaravan is made with GRP panels of 40 mm (1.6 inches) thickness, while the interior walls and the cabinets, many of which would have to be moved around in between the two modes, of 18-mm (0.7-inch) plywood. The windows and door come with insect nets and blackout curtains, while two skylights help with ventilation and allow natural light in.
Features include LED lights, a 14-liter (3.6-gallon) on-demand water heater, underfloor heating, shore power connection, and a freshwater tank of unspecified size. The kitchen has a large fridge, a stainless steel sink, a 2-burner gas cooktop, and hanging cabinets. The bathroom is equipped with a chemical toilet and a small plastic sink – no shower because that would complicate things too much.
If it's any consolation, there would be a satellite system and a 32" HD LCD TV with DVD player. You and five of your friends or family members would still stink, but at least you'd have entertainment.
"I have been visiting various caravan fairs for decades, but I have not yet found a caravan that would fulfill my dream. So, I invented and constructed one," Mr. Visinka says in the description of his concept, trying to answer the question of how you can be "small on the road, [but] big on camping."
Photo: KlappCaravan.at
Despite the claim from the engineer-designer that one such caravan has been built, we couldn't find any trace of it online. Neither could we verify at the time of press whether a prototype exists, or if it does, if there are any concrete plans to bring it into production. We did reach out to Mr. Visinka for more details and will update the story when and if we hear back.
The KlappCaravan first popped up online in 2020, but progress on it seems to have stalled to the renders in the gallery and the computerized demo in the video below. It's not much for the standards a real product would have to meet, but it could be a first step in the right direction. So let's consider it from this perspective for now.
Update, August 15, 2023: Mr. Visinka tells autoevolution that the KlappCaravan is sadly "just an idea" because, in the two years since finalizing the concept, he has not been able to secure a manufacturer to bring it into production.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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