The Aurora Shows How to Successfully Import RV Slide-Outs Into the Tiny House Movement

So just how tiny does a tiny have to be? The answer is that it can still be small enough to remain legal for towing without extra permits, thanks to an import from the RV business: slide-outs. Slide-outs are common with RVs and landyachts, expanding interior space considerably when parked. In residential projects, slide-outs are not that common, and they’re even less so in tiny houses.

Back in 2016, Canada’s ZeroSquared aimed to change that, with a system inspired by RV slide-outs but adapted to the tiny house movement. They called the project the Aurora tiny, and it served as a base for several custom tinies delivered since, including the Nordic Aurora showcased in the last video at the bottom of the page.

Aurora is an idea of how you can add to the living space without modifying the exterior measures of the towable. It seems like a paradox, but motorized or manual slide-outs can do just that. The maker says that their system has none of the disadvantages of RV slide-outs (quick wear and tear, propensity to leaks, and general durability issues) and all of the advantages.

Based on a 28- and 30-foot (8.5- and 9.1-meter) double-axle trailer, the Aurora offers a living space of 337 square feet (31 square meters) once the slide-outs at deployed. With the slide-outs, the Aurora goes from a width of 8.6 feet (2.6 meters) to 15.1 feet (4.6 meters), with over 120 square feet (11.1 square meters) of space appearing almost out of thin air. It still livable, if a bit cramped, when the slide-outs are not expanded.

Unlike most tinies, the Aurora doesn’t have a loft – at least, the basic model doesn’t, because the Nordic Aurora has a small loft used for storage, but it can easily hold a one-person bed. In the absence of an “upstairs,” all that real estate is used for storage instead, and sleeping is done on the ground level.

A partition wall in the middle of the trailer separates the bedroom area from the living / entertainment area. The former comes with a Murphy-style bed that lowers down for sleeping, while the latter houses a 4-person sofa for TV watching. The partition wall, as shown with the Nordic Aurora, can hold the TV and an electric fireplace, which can rotate to either side.

On each end of the trailer is the kitchen with a small dining room, and a full bathroom, respectively. Because most of the side slides out, and due to the smart layout, few things in the Aurora are downsized. In fact, the motto of the Canadian company is “downsize without downgrading,” and that is obvious in the fully-equipped kitchen with life-size appliances and dining for four, and the dry bathroom with shower room, toilet, sink and washing machine.

A mini-split air-conditioning system provides heating and cooling, and Aurora comes with a standard RV-style hookup for when at camp. It can be fitted with solar panels and energy management system for off-grid stays, or anything else that might render it more suitable for this type of adventure like a compost toilet, or water and storage tanks.

The Aurora is insulated throughout, including a triple layer on the slide-outs, which means no leaks, no wind and no critters. It can be optioned with an integrated deck for even more space or, for that matter, anything you would think would improve your experience on the road.

Pricing for an Aurora starts at $CAD 130,900, which is roughly $US 105,000, and goes all the way up to where you say “Stop.” It’s not the cheapest option out there, for sure, but it’s not the most expensive either – and it does offer the one thing all the other tinies can’t in this exact footprint: a comfortable space.