Happier Camper has been slowly building its way toward modern RV icon status since launching a decade ago. Its eye-grabbing trailers pair retro-inspired color and quirk with unprecedented levels of modular living flexibility. But those two puzzle pieces don't always fit neatly together, at least not for every buyer.
Those shopping for a simple, permanent RV floor plan might not be won over by the idea of building and rearranging things like Legos. Happier has responded by mixing more permanent fixtures into its otherwise modular floor plans, and the new Traveler Summit trailer is the next step forward in that direction.
Happier dropped its debut HC1 camper back in 2015 as something of a rolling dichotomy. It caught attention from the outside with a two-tone exterior inspired by vintage icons like the original VW camper bus and towable classics like the Scamp and Boler. What was notable inside, on the other hand, was what wasn't there – as little as an empty white chamber.
That's because the HC1's bare tile-like floor was built to work with Happier's Adaptiv functional modules. Each little building block could be secured in place to create beds, benches and even kitchen areas. Some had functions, such as a toilet or sink, and some were simple structural blocks with interior storage.
It was a cool, little system, particularly if you wanted a trailer that could be rearranged from cozy micro-home to open toy hauler. At a base price just under $14,000, mixing and matching modules into your own floor plan seemed fun, feasible and extra-functional.
Once Happier pushed upmarket to a larger trailer model, it added a couple of fixed amenities. It's not as fun or whimsical to have a portable toilet box stuck to your living room floor when dropping $40,000 on a new camping trailer with plenty of interior space. Give it a proper private bathroom, and a kitchen while you're at it.
Happier did just that when it launched the 17-foot (5.2-m) Traveler in 2020, and it's been slowly exploring additional ways of mixing and matching its signature Adaptiv modularity with higher-end permanent amenities ever since, including adding an available wet bathroom and kitchen to the smaller 13-foot (4-m) HC1.
The new Traveler Summit floor plan pushes the bar a little higher with new features above and beyond previous Happier launches. It becomes Happier's de facto flagship camper in the process. borrowing its full kitchenette and bathroom from the mid-level Traveler Adventure and adding in a console with tall door fridge/freezer and microwave for a more complete kitchen space. On the side of the console unit, a closet with rounded door offers space for clothes, towels, games, supplies, and whatever else you want to stuff in.
The Summit sleeps up to four people on beds that piece together from Adaptiv blocks topped with cushions. The front bed is a twin, the rear bed a full-size. An upper front bunk bed is available optionally to complete the sleeping arrangements.
At this point, it seems like Happier might just need to create a model with a regular floor plan and no Adaptiv modular components at all. Or maybe it could just shuffle the furnishings around a bit. The Summit's 50/50 modular/fixed split feels quite cramped and a little awkward.
You have a nice wet bathroom and aisle-spanning kitchen but two small beds made out of cushioned blocks and a dinette bench pushed up against the closet wall, with a door that opens right over top the seat. That might be okay on a $20K-something trailer, but for $70K, count us out. We prefer what Happier did with the HC1, pushing the permanent rooms and fixtures to the front while using the rear exclusively for the modular dining lounge/bedding – appears more natural and less cluttered.
But we guess stackable modularity has been a cornerstone of all Happier's designs, and the company is clearly loath to leave it behind all together, even if just on one trailer model.
Other onboard Summit features include a new wireless charging dock, a furnace/water heater, a dry-flush toilet, an electrical system with solar panel and inverter, choice of dual-burner gas stove or induction cooktop, and a 64-L fresh water tank. The new trailer weighs in at 2,800 lb (1,270 kg) dry.
The Traveler Summit starts at $69,950 and Happier Camper is taking orders now for Fall 2025 (Northern Hemisphere). Options include air conditioning and the aforementioned bunk bed.
Source: Happier Camper