Expandable campers have really been pushing above and beyond simple pop-tops into more advanced forms, like transforming Cybertruck A-frames, stretchable off-road teardrops, and flip-open truck-top tents. Germany's ICC Offroad played a big role in the rotating Flip90 pickup camper, and it also has another expanding camper design in the pipeline. Its FlexCamp prototype is designed to start the journey as a basic trailer or pickup-top box, expanding up and out at camp to become a cozy micro-cabin for a family of four.
ICC Offroad is developing the FlexCamp to meet the demand for a compact, four-season, off-road-ready camping solution. With experience building everything from Mercedes G-Class mini-RVs to full-size 7.5-tonne+ expedition Unimogs, it knows a thing or two about making campers that hold up to all types of weather and terrain.
ICC Offroad is positioning the FlexCamp first as an off-road camper trailer, but it also shows a few sketches of it sliding in a pickup truck or mounting directly to the back of a truck chassis, meaning it could be a multipurpose, vehicle-independent camper pod, a design similar to the Tipoon but born from German practicality instead of French artistry. Whereas the Tipoon was created to be displayed neatly and proudly atop a utility trailer, the FlexCamp's boxy shape makes it equally at home inside a pickup bed.
The FlexCamp's bidirectional expansion system is also similar to the Tipoon. Once parked, the system lifts the roof up and pushes the sidewall out into a full-height expansion section. Overall height grows from 200 to 304 cm (79 to 120 in), and overall width stretches from 204 to 334 cm (80 to 131 in). Length remains steady at 319 cm (126 in) for the camper body and 445 cm (175 in) for the entire trailer.
Inside, the FlexCamp's expansion pulls the main 200 x 140-cm (79 x 55-in) raised double bed out to the side, clearing out a multipurpose floor space used for access to the indoor kitchen and for pulling various drawers and slide-outs out from the bed frame, another similarity with the Tipoon design. A tabletop and benches pull out during mealtimes to create a dining area, and several cushioned platforms pull out at night to create a spare 200 x 120-cm (79 x 47-in) bed to sleep one or two additional campers.
The kitchen can be used indoors or removed and affixed to the outside of the FlexCamp for open-air cooking. It includes a Dometic dual-burner gas stove, sink and 50-L fridge/freezer.
Just next to the frontmost part of the kitchen block, an integrated floor drain catches water for the shower, which includes hot water courtesy of the Truma Combi furnace/water heater. A pull-out dry toilet in the bed frame drawer stack completes the deconstructed bathroom space, which relies on the kitchen sink for hand washing.
The FlexCamp's double floor houses not only critical plumbing and electrical components but also 250 liters (8.8 cu ft) worth of storage space. Other equipment and capacities include a 160-Ah LiFePO4 battery, 75-L fresh and waste water tanks, LED interior and exterior lighting, and an optional air conditioner. Interestingly, the drawers below the bed can be accessed from both inside and outside.
ICC Offroad first presented the FlexCamp concept publicly in mid 2019 and, after some delays, will be continuing development of the final version in 2022. We'll take a closer look at the final specs, features and pricing once ICC debuts the production-ready model.
Source: ICC Offroad
