Outdoors

Often the campers that leave the biggest impressions are the smallest vehicles of the pack. This year's CMT show had an intriguing collection of mini-campervans, tiny trailers, and conversion kits for smaller vehicles.

This month, La Strada premiered the new flagship of its Sprinter fleet, the Nova EB. Above and beyond a simple van conversion, the Nova is a Class B+ motorhome with a single hunk of weatherproof fiberglass opening up spacious living accommodations.

On a mission to create a lighter, more versatile family camper van, Rocket Camper launched one of the buzziest vans at the CMT show. Solutions like a pulley-lift bed and deconstructed indoor/outdoor bathroom kept the crowds swarming.

Queensize debuted with one of the weirdest camper vans ever, but now it's coming back down to Earth. Its new Inside Two VW van supports everyone from rootless adventurers to road-bound coworkers with a smart transforming kitchen and toilet room.

Pop-up tent campers are an age-old way of enjoying a light tow and roomy base camp, but they're not always as quick or easy to set up as the term "pop-up" suggests. The Easy Caravanning TakeOff follows through on the pop-up's promise of quickness.

The van life trend showed no signs of pulling back this year. In fact, 2019 was a pivotal year that saw camper vans growing smarter, more practical and more efficient with some impressive technological breakthroughs and design innovations.

Teardrop trailers typically feature a wood body, but manufacturers have been moving away from the wood. The latest to roll into our view is the High Altitude XT50, a foam-core composite shell with cozy sleeper interior and tailgate galley.

The new ERV from Retreat Caravans brings the race to go electric to non-motorized vehicles. Its lithium battery and solar roof are tasked with running all-season climate control, indoor/outdoor entertainment, electrified kitchen gear and much more.

After hitting the scene with an innovative expanding roof-top tent, iKamper reworked it, set Kickstarter on fire with a $2 million campaign, and became a brand name in the camping scene. Now it's reaching out to small car owners with a Mini version.

The VW California continues to capture imaginations, but it's other camper vans with origins in Westphalia now pushing the envelope. The Mercedes Marco Polo becomes the smartest small camper van on autobahns, gaining new smart home-style control.

The US may not have Europe's market of affordable, mass-produced camper vans, but it holds its own in off-grid vans custom-built around adventure sports. Many are focused on summer, but Titan offers a Sprinter year-rounder built for ski/surf bums.

Last time we looked at the SLRV Commander 8x8 two-story motorhome, it was still in the build, but it has since been completed. An engineering marvel, the wheeled explorer yacht brings together a military-grade shell with a duplex interior.