The Caboose Is the Dream DIY Tiny Home for Today’s Digital Nomad

Of course, we all know that perfection doesn't exist except as an ideal only, but The Caboose tiny comes very close to that as the dream mobile home for today's digital nomad. It's a full DIY (do it yourself) build that combines art and functionality in equal measure, presented in a very compact and quirky package that sits on top of a double-axle trailer. The Caboose is here to be your inspiration if inspiration is what you were looking for.

The Caboose is named this way not because it's an actual caboose but because of its peculiar silhouette. In reality, it's a trailer-based tiny that could also be used as a very illustrative example of the most drastic type of downsizing, the one that doesn't even afford basic creature comforts like a shower, much less a full bathroom.

This is the biggest compromise you have to make when downsizing if you choose to transition to this lifestyle: the smaller your next home (preferably a towable), the less comfort you'll get and the more sacrifices you'll have to make. Whatever you gain in mobility and ease of movement, you lose in space and home-like features. Whichever way you tip the balance is entirely up to you and not a topic for debate for everyone else. After all, you're the one living in the space you chose, right?

For Mike and Ciera, who built The Caboose in early 2019 and lived in it for the next three years, the compromise was in favor of mobility. Their home ended up just 128 square feet (12 square meters), with a bedroom and a small kitchen, and plenty of space dedicated to their work, which just so happens to require specialized gear like a large printer and a laser machine, as well as art supplies, paints, and packaging supplies.

As shown in the video tour below, shot at the end of 2020, their workspace actually took up almost half of the interior of the tiny home. But that was ok since that workspace was what allowed them to travel extensively and make money on the road, selling their homemade wood signs online and creative tiny living-related content as a hobby. It also helped that The Caboose was actually an upgrade from living in a tent for three months.

At the opposite end of the tiny home is the bedroom, which is a queen-size mattress with space underneath for the two dogs and a garage accessible from the outside. The kitchen is basic as well, with just one block that contains a two-burner propane cooker and an electric fridge hidden in the larger drawers, a dual sink, and lots of magnetic surfaces above to attach spices and silverware.

Across the way from the kitchen is the "wardrobe," another single piece of furniture with handmade cubbies that hold the couple's essentials in terms of clothing and knick-knacks. The space is more than compact: it could be described as claustrophobic, but it stops short of becoming that thanks to the rear wall by the bed, which opens up completely. Surprisingly, there's also a shed on the other end of the house, which holds even more of the couple's tools and gear.

Mike and Ciera put several tens of thousands of miles on The Caboose, traveling with it across the U.S. in search of that "perfect” parking spot where they could work, explore, and live intentionally for the next couple of weeks.

Sometime in early 2021, they realized that their nomadic lifestyle was coming to a close. They bought a piece of land in early 2021 but continued living in The Caboose until the end of the year and kicked off 2022 by breaking ground on their forever home: the Straw House. They're still in the process of building it, having turned from digital nomads to DIY influencers to continue making money online.

But their original tiny home on wheels can still serve as inspiration for anyone considering or only toying with the idea of downsizing. Downsizing is about compromising and adjusting as you go, it's not just about perfectly curated Instagram photos and all the amenities you'd get in your big suburb home. The Caboose was a very compact and highly practical tiny house Mike and Ciera could tow with their Volvo XC60 T6, and which consequently saw a lot of traveling in its lifetime.

For a digital nomad with a penchant for artsy minimalism and not much consideration for comfort, The Caboose can be inspiration.