Back in 2015, we took a look at one of the most awe-inspiring camping trailers we've ever seen, the Beauer 3X. This French-designed pod tows like any teardrop or small trailer, but at camp it automatically expands to three times its size. It aims to be the best of both worlds: small and easy to tow but roomy and comfy to live in. We saw the 3X in person for the first time at the recent CMT show and also learned that Beauer has built the first 3X Plus. Just a rendering the last time we checked, the Plus is now a large, fully constructed six-person camper with the same style of triple-expanding design as the smaller 3X.
With the 3X Plus, Beauer stretches its expanding camper design into a 262 in (665 cm), 4,080 lb (1,850 kg) towable living module with flat roofline, curved front and rear ends and contrast stripe wrapping the window line. The Plus isn't quite as immediately cute-as-a-button as the standard 3X, but it's still a sleek, modern design that catches the eye, even before it's expanded into livable form. It sits on an Alko chassis and features poly construction and insulation.
What sets any Beauer trailer apart is its expanding design. At the push of a button, the 3X Plus automatically expands out, roughly tripling its interior space in a flat minute. The result is a stylish tiny home with the type of 300 sq ft (28-sq m) floor space you might find in a small studio apartment.
The three modules of the expanded trailer lay the path for a fairly open floor plan with six distinct areas. As you walk inside, you will find the front module filled out by a simple dining area to the left of the doorway and a sofa lounge with entertainment center to the right. Farther in, an L-shaped kitchen block faces the dining nook and a dry bathroom compartment extends back from the other side of the entertainment center wall, filling out the central module.
The rear module is dedicated to the sleeping areas, a master bedroom with double-bed to the right and a second bedroom with two singles to the left. The convertible sofa in the front lounge offers sleeping space for two more, bringing things up to the six-person total.
Like the Beauer 3X, the furniture and joinery of the 3X Plus have to fold and nest together inside the outer shell when it's time to compact down for travel. The design differs from the 3X in that the dining room and lounge area furniture are not hard-mounted to the trailer, so they fold up by hand and store away. The rear beds fold up against the wall, so that the front and rear sections can retract in around the hard walls and structure in the center of the trailer.
With its extra size, the 3X Plus also brings some larger standard equipment than the 3X, including a 230 L 12 V refrigerator, three- or four-burner stove and plenty of wardrobe and cabinet space. The 3X Plus starts at €49,900 (approx.US$56,675) after tax, and buyers can fully customize their trailers with options like heat, hot water, air conditioning and a flat-panel television. Buyers can also choose between a 55 x 75 in or 63 x 79 in (140 x 190 cm or 160 x 200 cm) master bed, while the singles measure 32 x 75 in (80 x 190 cm).
The pricing sheet we picked up at CMT also lists a smaller €22,900 ($26,000) 2X two-person model, so we have a feeling we'll be covering another Beauer creation in the future. In the meantime, you can have a closer look at Beauer's 3X Plus photos and our 3X photos in the gallery.
Source: Beauer