The Bike Cabin Is an Excellent DIY Way to Downsize, Go Farther Off the Beaten Path

Bike trailers and campers, designed specifically for towing by a motor-assisted bicycle, are gaining ground on the e-bike market. They're sold as a viable, more affordable alternative to full-size towables, but they're still priced like premium products.

Here's one that's the very definition of "affordable" since it's a full DIY (do it yourself) project made from recycled materials and cheap products. It's called the Bike Cabin because it's meant to replicate the feeling of a log cabin, but in a much more compact footprint and with fewer creature comforts.

This Bike Cabin is the work of Jack Stewart, a known TV presenter, popular online personality, and also a glamping units builder, experienced travel guide, and naturalist. His previous project is the Travel Cabin, a very small cabin he built mostly from scrap and which serves as a temporary home for himself, his wife, their dog, and, as of a few months ago, their newborn child.

The Travel Cabin offers a living footprint of just 32 square feet (3 square meters), so it's the tiniest of tiny homes out there. Jack knows a thing or two about downsizing in order to experience a more mobile lifestyle, immersed in nature, that's for certain.

This new build is designed to get him (and his dog Ellie) even farther and deeper into the woods than the Travel Cabin or even a tent. It's a towable he pulls by e-bike that looks more like a shed but is strong enough not to fall apart during transport on the trails and well-built to offer protection and comfort.

The Cabin is 3.5 feet by 8 feet (1 by 2.4 meters) and offers 28 square feet (2.6 square meters) of interior space, enough to accommodate a one-person bed with a memory foam mattress and room to spare for the dog. Three windows with plexiglass and mosquito screens offer cross-ventilation, aided by two small USB fans. There's also a small LED reading light, storage all around the bed for camping gear, and a pair of candle lanterns for exterior lights.

It seems to use the wheels and axle of a cargo trailer with a lightweight frame of plywood. In keeping with the name, it even has corrugated metal roofing.

It's a rudimentary setup, but it works, as Jack proves in the video below, shot on the maiden journey in Minnesota, U.S. Additional gear includes a single-burner propane stove, a small camp chair, a small camp table, and other necessary stuff like cups and bowls and at least one spork.

If you compare the Bike Cabin experience to what you might get in one of those off-road teardrop trailers, you'd probably turn up your nose at the former. But this Cabin, like all the other bike trailers out there, is meant as an upgrade to bikepacking – and it's definitely that. You're no longer sleeping on the ground, and you get protection against the elements, along with some home-like creature comforts.

For towing, Jack uses one of the new entries in the latest X Series from ENGWE, so the video doubles as promotion for this particular e-bike maker. The bike is triple-suspension X24, which uses a powerful motor with 1,200W peak power and 70 Nm (52 ft-lb) of torque to cross surfaces and inclines other bikes would probably struggle with.

Range is a solid 93 miles (150 km) thanks to dual batteries, while top speed is 31 mph (50 kph). The X24 rides on fat tires and features a folding frame, so it's ideal for transport in the back of a larger car. In other words, it was designed specifically for the kind of adventures Jack loves – and now enjoys with his Bike Cabin.

Like with his Travel Cabin, Jack plans to reveal the entire construction process of the Bike Cabin shortly, including a breakdown of materials and costs, as well as labor time. More than tutorials for wannabe travelers (though they can definitely work like that, too), his videos are meant to inspire travelers to think outside of the box so as to make the most of their outings.

That's why, on the maiden journey with Bike Cabin, he places quite a lot of emphasis on paying attention to your surroundings, respecting the places you visit, and making a conscious choice to focus on the positives in life instead of the negatives. That part is perhaps the most inspirational.

More importantly, the Bike Cabin shows that, when it comes to making the most of your outings, a DIY build will do just fine, if not actually better than the more expensive variant. The company of man's forever best friend is a much-welcome bonus.