Micro gypsy caravan pulled by bike

[xeperu]

Who wants to build something like this?
::cat::

http://tinyhousetalk.com/modern-bicycle-micro-gypsy-wagon/

Micro Gypsy Wagon That You Can Tow by Bicycle
on JULY 6, 2013

Guest Post by Barry Howard Studio

Three things have always been part of my life: art, travel and designing and building small living spaces that move.

I have converted school busses into two-story homes that featured wood cookstoves, lofts and stained glass windows.

I built a home in vans, VW busses, mini-vans, a VW bug, and a 24′ trimaran, and I have built several micro houses on flat bed utility trailers and a couple of them on the ground.

My current project is one I have had in my head for several years… It’s a gypsy caravan that can be pulled by a bicycle.

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I decided to make it fold down for cruising as a bicycle trailer is pretty narrow and anything much above the level of the seat gets to be a bit too top heavy.

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It’s about 12 square feet of floor space which is actually a bed. I wanted something I could carry art supplies in as well as a fair amount of finished paintings.

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All storage is under the bed. Three removable panels under the sleeping pad, which folds, provide access to the art supplies, my clothes, and the galley.

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The bed can also be converted to a sitting space with a small table which can be used for dining or computer work.

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A table mounts on the side, as does the small sink, and the one burner camp stove sits on the table, which doubles as counter space for preparing meals.

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About 80% of the materials I used are recycled and repurposed. The aluminum that makes up the chassis and framing for the port-side wall came from an old broken pop-up craft fair booth, as did most of the screws and bolts.

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The hitch came off a church organ that I dismantled, the wheels from my folding bicycle, the rear stabilizing legs came from a camera tripod I cannibalized, and the fabrics and much of the wood came from my recently deceased mini van camper.

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My next project will be a full size gypsy caravan which will be my permanent home. I will probably build it on a flat bed trailer around 10 or 12 feet long.

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With the bicycle version I was very restricted by the weight factor and I would be able to include a lot of goodies on my next one that would be too heavy for this caravan.

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I am available for hire if anyone needs a gypsy caravan of their own. I do all of the design, building, decorative painting and stained glass myself. Anyone interested can call me at 530-355-1319 or email me at [email protected]. To see more of my work check out my Facebook page here.

Even more photos are available here. You can connect with Barry on Facebook here.

 

[Haystack]

It looks pretty cool, but towing it around would get old real fast. I didn't catch how much it weighs in the article, but it sure does look HEAVY.

 

[Crazy Squirrel]

Hmmm...yeah, the weight would definitely be a big factor, but I'm an artist too, and if I were going to stay in a small area rather then wanting to go all over the US and Canada, I could totally see myself getting one of these. Well, maybe I'll change my mind someday, so I bookmarked it. Thanks for the cool link!

 

[Matt Derrick]

edited the OP to include the contents of the article. thanks for sharing!

if you wanted to do a super-cheap, lightweight version of this, take a look at this thread here:

https://squattheplanet.com/threads/150-bike-camper-diy-micro-mobile-home.27567/