No one wants to tow a huge, heavy mobile home from campground to campground, but many a camping enthusiast wouldn't mind having that kind of small-home space after arrival. The new Mini House Caravan from Turkish company Ortsan Outdoor does both things, rolling to camp as a compact caravan before blossoming open to nearly triple its living space. Clever features keep occupants connected to nature, from both inside and out.
If seeing the Mini House Caravan gives you the same feeling of déjà vu we had, it might be because a similar concept emerged earlier this year: the aptly named Wingcube, a mushroom like dual-fold expander still under development in Germany. Compared to the Mini House, the Wingcube is a skinnier trailer that blooms into more of a mushroom-shaped hut, but it, too, reminded us immediately of the classic De Markies caravan, a trailer concept from 1985 that used a pair of accordion-like folding expansion modules.
The Ortsan Mini House comes hot on the heels of the initial Wingcube renderings but shares more in common with the Markies, a design that looks as radical and fresh today as it did on its debut over 40 years ago. Like the original Dutch concept, the new Turkish mini dwelling expands its living space dramatically by way of two sidewalls that fold down 90 degrees to deliver extended floor space. The deck-like side floors are sheltered via fully enclosed fabric canopies supported by integrated rib-like frame members that fold up and down with ease.
Even the Mini House's dimensions appear inspired by the Markies project. It packs down into a compact, boxy caravan measuring just 13.1 feet (4 m) long by 6.9 feet (2.1 m) wide – a few inches wider than the 6.6-foot (2-m) Markies and 1.6 feet (50 cm) shorter. The side fold-outs are electrically actuated via remote control and grow the interior area from 90 to 215 sq ft (8.4 sq m to 20 sq m).
The Mini House lacks the fully transparent expanded bubble canopy the De Markies had on one side, but it does include two transparent sections on one side and one on the other, an asymmetrical layout that feels like a nod to the Markies' solid/transparent canopy split.
Another nod comes by way of the retractable nature of one of the canopies. Here, Ortsan draws on its experience building retractable half-moon car covers, like the one below. The right side canopy can lift up off the floor and fold part of the way back, creating an open-air deck perfect for fully immersing in the outdoors from a level, furnished space. Or, if you position the trailer close enough to the lake, you could even fish off the deck or leap into the water for a swim.
Beyond De Markies, the Mini House's retractable camping canopy also reminds us of the similarly structured Campo Escape tent we looked at years back.
The Ortsan Mini delivers open views even in bad weather that requires closing down every canopy and window. Its rear wall is nearly all glass, with left and right full-height framed windows surrounding the patio-style glass door in the center. So campers can simply move from the deck to the dining room and continue taking in the local scenery.
Next to the dining area, the Mini House has a full kitchen compatible with a 90-L fridge and inbuilt appliances. The bedroom is located inside the left-side canopy, and there's also a centrally located bathroom. The Mini comes climate controlled via a Webasto diesel heater and an air conditioner, carries a large 200-L fresh water tank, and has prewiring for a TV and multimedia equipment.
Ortsan has been busily showing the new Mini House Caravan at various camper fairs around Turkey. The unit starts at TL890,000 (approx. US$19,225).
We've seen more and more Turkish RV companies, including Crawler and Hunter Nature, offering their products in Western Europe and even the United States, so perhaps the Mini House Caravan will follow in traveling beyond Turkey's borders. It's definitely an intriguing mix of compact towing and expansive livability that could appeal to caravan buyers all over the map.
Source: Ortsan Outdoor via Autoevolution
