Outdoors

Tiny Cube camper uses trap door to get "mega" with micro-caravanning

Tiny Cube camper uses trap door to get "mega" with micro-caravanning
The new Sportcaravan Cube 1 is a small, lightweight trailer meant for all-season adventure
The new Sportcaravan Cube 1 is a small, lightweight trailer meant for all-season adventure
View 7 Images
A truly tiny family camper, the Sportcaravan Cube 1 lets families of three or four sleep in a single space in a way other tent-topped trailers don't
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A truly tiny family camper, the Sportcaravan Cube 1 lets families of three or four sleep in a single space in a way other tent-topped trailers don't
A look inside the teardrop-like cabin of the Sportcaravan Cube 1; also note the slide-out in the upper outdoor cabinet next to the window
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A look inside the teardrop-like cabin of the Sportcaravan Cube 1; also note the slide-out in the upper outdoor cabinet next to the window
Sportcaravan makes its Cube a home with plenty of shelves, tie-down track and storage organizers
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Sportcaravan makes its Cube a home with plenty of shelves, tie-down track and storage organizers
The most unique element of the Cube 1, the available roof hatch creates a direct connection between main cabin and rooftop tent
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The most unique element of the Cube 1, the available roof hatch creates a direct connection between main cabin and rooftop tent
Families can more easily talk and spend time together with Sportcaravan's trailer-to-tent hatch
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Families can more easily talk and spend time together with Sportcaravan's trailer-to-tent hatch
Sportcaravan gave its Cube 1 a showing at this month's CMT camper and tourism show in Stuttgart
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Sportcaravan gave its Cube 1 a showing at this month's CMT camper and tourism show in Stuttgart
The new Sportcaravan Cube 1 is a small, lightweight trailer meant for all-season adventure
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The new Sportcaravan Cube 1 is a small, lightweight trailer meant for all-season adventure
View gallery - 7 images

Sportcaravan launched its Cube trailer series a few years ago with a pair of dual-room toy hauler camping trailers it calls the Cube 4 and 5. Since then, it's rolled downmarket, filling out the lineup with smaller, lower-numbered multipurpose camper cubes. The newest to arrive, the Cube 1 is also the smallest, an innovative teardrop-size box trailer that weighs just over 700 lb (318 kg) to start and fits easily into any garage or parking deck. It still accommodates a family of four by expanding into an impressive base camp with an outdoor kitchen, a winter-ready design, and even a camper-van-like hatch between the main cabin and rooftop tent (RTT).

If the concept of a "mega" micro-caravan (Sportcaravan's term, not ours) seems off to you, Sportcaravan says of the Cube 1 that getting a more micro a caravan is impossible. In other words, the tiny trailer takes "micro" to the max, getting as micro as possible without completely losing the ability to work as a "caravan," i.e. mega micro. Now we know that isn't strictly true, given the number of bicycle caravans we've seen popping up (or down) in recent years, but it definitely makes a good tagline.

A truly tiny family camper, the Sportcaravan Cube 1 lets families of three or four sleep in a single space in a way other tent-topped trailers don't
A truly tiny family camper, the Sportcaravan Cube 1 lets families of three or four sleep in a single space in a way other tent-topped trailers don't

As for just how "micro" Sportcaravan goes, the Cube 1 measures a mere 10.5 feet (3.2 m) in total length and stands at a garage-friendly 5.4 feet (1.7 m) high. At just 705 lb (320 kg) empty, it's also one of the lightest motor-vehicle-towed trailers we've seen out of Germany.

The Cube 1's diminutive sizing prevents it from offering the kind of motorcycle-hauling for which its larger stablemates, including the next-size-up Cube 2, have become known. Instead, Sportcaravan configures the Cube 1 like a typical tiny trailer, filling out the floor with an 81 x 51-in (205 x 130-cm) double bed.

A look inside the teardrop-like cabin of the Sportcaravan Cube 1; also note the slide-out in the upper outdoor cabinet next to the window
A look inside the teardrop-like cabin of the Sportcaravan Cube 1; also note the slide-out in the upper outdoor cabinet next to the window

Like a typical teardrop or tiny trailer, the Cube 1 includes upper cabinets over the foot of the bed. Unlike the typical small trailer, the Cube 1 uses the rectangular tunnel of that cabinetry to store an exterior-access slide-out shelf shown above holding a power station. The shelf is cut off in the picture but slides out quite far, allowing it to hold an available cutting board worktop and portable camping stove as a simple outdoor kitchen.

At the lower front edge of the interior cabinetry, Sportcaravan adds on a full-width shelf, which accompanies side shelves in creating a more organized, homey interior space. Adding to that organizational space are a series of airline rails and hook strips good for hanging coffee mugs, keys and other small campsite provisions, along with a storage pocket on the matte black headboard.

Sportcaravan makes its Cube a home with plenty of shelves, tie-down track and storage organizers
Sportcaravan makes its Cube a home with plenty of shelves, tie-down track and storage organizers

The most interesting part of the Cube 1 build sits overhead, where Sportcaravan brings together the two-person rooftop tent and interior in a way not usually seen on tent-topped small trailers. Sportcaravan partnered with tent-maker Vickywood on the available interior pass-through hatch, creating a more unified space comparable to a trailer or camper van with integrated pop-up sleeper roof. Those sleeping in the roof tent can climb down into the cabin and talk directly to those in the trailer, an advantage that will be particularly valuable to families with young children.

Families can more easily talk and spend time together with Sportcaravan's trailer-to-tent hatch
Families can more easily talk and spend time together with Sportcaravan's trailer-to-tent hatch

Sportcaravan advertises the Cube 1 as a winter-ready all-season trailer, building it out of fiberglass sandwich panels with polyurethane insulation. The trailer comes with integrated ventilation, and Sportcaravan offers an Ecomat 2000 ceramic heater as an option.

A very simple base spec level keeps Cube 1 pricing down to €12,900 (approx. US$14,000) to start, but Sportcaravan offers plenty of options for those looking to drive off with a more fully outfitted trailer. In addition to aforementioned options like the rooftop tent, stove and heater, it offers a list that includes a Vickywood shower room, portable toilet options, a Qool Box vacuum-insulated cooler, a 20-L water canister, and various gear carrier solutions.

Sportcaravan held the Cube 1's world premiere at last year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon and showed it again at CMT 2024, which wrapped up on Sunday.

Source: Sportcaravan

View gallery - 7 images
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