The Sportcaravan Cube 1 Is a Little Transformer, Takes Microcaravaning to the Max

We're not here to discuss literature, though, even if the world created by Orwell in 1984 hits closer to home today than it did back when the novel was put to paper. Instead, we're here to discuss how one German caravan maker is able to deliver what could very well be the essence of DoubleThink: a product that is the physical representation of two opposing notions co-existing at the same time.

This is the Sportcaravan Cube 1, the latest and smallest addition to the Sportcaravan lineup, yet one that holds the promise of being the ultimate mega microcaravan. Think back to the BigSmal 2006 ad campaign for the Toyota Yaris, but on the market of towables.

The Cube 1 is a small, teardrop-style trailer with the smallest footprint and the lightest weight but with the ability to sleep an entire family while offering some of the comforts of a larger RV. It's the holy grail of towables, promising home-like comfort at camp with minimal compromises, with a low price point and maximum convenience.

That's possible by "break[ing] with conventional ideas about microcaravans." The result is the creation of a towable that is compact enough to park in any standard or underground parking and lightweight enough so that it doesn't require a trailer license and could even be towed by a small car or electric vehicle, according to the German maker.

Sportcaravan has worked on several iterations of the Cube in recent years, but Cube 1 is their smallest to date, according to one media outlet. It made its debut at the 2023 Düsseldorf Caravan Salon and was on display at CMT 2024, but from what we can tell, it's yet to go into mass production.

But if you're on the market for a pint-sized towable, it could be the one to keep an eye out for.

The Cube 1 is 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) long and 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) high, tipping the scales at 320 kg (705 lbs) empty. Maximum payload is 1,250 kg (2,756 lbs), which includes the extra features that turn it into a mobile family home. That said, Sportcaravan specced it so that it can be used without these, so you can opt up or down the features list depending on your needs or your idea of what a perfect trailer is.

In its most complete form, the Cube 1 offers sleeping for four people, two in the double bed (205 x 130 cm/81 x 51 inches) inside the cabin of the trailer and two up top in the pop-up tent designed in collaboration with tent-maker Vickywood. The two spaces are connected by means of a pass-through hatch, which would make this habitat ideal for families with younger kids who, as many of us know, are in need of constant supervision.

The interior is as compact as a regular teardrop trailer but still cozy. Sportcaravan has made sure to include plenty of storage options of varying kinds, including hooks and rails, cabinets and shelves, and a space-saving fabric pocket on the headboard. It even packs a most welcome surprise into the overhead cabinets: a slide-out kitchen, accessible only from the outside.

Well, "kitchen" might be an overstatement. It's a long slide-out shelf that doubles as an outdoor galley, but it leaves the Sportcaravan facility holding only a power station.

According to the same media report cited above, the Cube 1's appearance at CMT 2024 confirmed the shelf is long and large enough to hold a cutting board worktop and a portable camping stove. It's not a "kitchen," even by the most basic definition, but it's still a decent halfway solution for a short family escapade.

In keeping with the promise of offering a mega microcaravan, meaning the smallest of the smallest caravans packed with the most functionality, Sportcaravan plans to include a long list of optionals with the Cube 1, for maximum functionality. They include stuff like a camping stove, a heater, a cooler, a 20-liter (5.2-gallon) water canister, a shower attachment by Vickywood, a choice of portable toilets, and several solutions for gear storage.

The Cube 1 is also rated for year-round use, with a body of fiberglass sandwich panels with polyurethane insulation and integrated ventilation.

The Cube 1 starts at €12,900, which is approximately $14,000 at the current exchange rate. The final tally depends on your specific needs or idea of a perfect trailer and, of course, your budget. No word on an estimated date for deliveries, but we reckon you still have some time to save up, if you liked what you saw so far.