Foldable Solar light weight bicycle camper (19kg - pop-up)
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Check out tests in strong winds, steep hills, hot sun and rain.
Takes 10 secs to open, sleep anywhere.
This trailer is built with a sandwich floor which forms a strong platform that easily supports the weight of a person without flexing. The aluminium frame attached to the floor only needs to be strong enough for pulling.
nomadic.pt
Speed is not a main concern when touring.
Comfort definitely is.
So is setting up camp quickly, especially in the wet.
It's less fatiguing when the Bike is unloaded even if the total weight is more with the trailer.
Well done.
Amzing demostration (y) congratulation
Hi Antonio. Very clever design :-). Did you cover the outside of the polycarbonate panels with white car-wrap foils ?
@@kjeldholm7370 I covered the inside, not outside, so as not to deteorate with the sun, with stick-on plastic foil. It comes in rolls, I think it's used to cover tables. It considerably cools the trailer but adds over 1 kg.
this is pretty awesome. i love that it was tested.
It's good to see more people building lightweight cycle campers.
Paul Elkins Nomad Bicycle Camper inspired many people, and it's nice to see that you've chosen a different type (pop top) for your interpretation of this type of lightweight camper.
Other than the opening roof panel, is there any other means of ventilation if using the camper in torrential rain with the entrance flap closed?
Bicycle trailers of all shapes have been around practically as long as bicycles. It doesn't take much imagination to come up with a trailer where a person can lay inside. I am sure that as far back as the invention of the wheel people have built similar things using light materials such as bamboo and mats to be pulled by horses. I am also quite certain that no one alive today can claim to have invented the bicycle trailer camper.
Personally I don't see myself as a genius but even I can design and build one, just out of pure imagination. The reason I built one is basically because I became tired of pitching camp every day, paying for campgrounds, stealth camping and not being able to take a nap wherever I wanted.
Having cycled much of France, Spain and Portugal where a flat piece of road is a rare sight, where, in the case of the latter two, the north trade winds blow for half the year for up to 35knots on the coast, where secondary roads wind up and down every small or big hill up to 10% gradient and 3000 meter altitude, where the summer sun is brutal with little shade at times and finally with rainy winters I knew that I would have to build something that should take into account all of these aspects.
So I basically took a child carrying trailer, took it apart and started from there. My idea was to build something light enough to compensate for the elimination of panniers, racks and tent. Since I had been up the Pyrenees and the Alps with my regular bike with panniers, up to 2850 meters elevation, I wanted to be able to do the same with a trailer. Well, I never quite managed to build one so light but I am sure that with a little more ingenuity I will be able to cut a few kg's.
As I skimmed through the internet I found only very unrealistic bike camper, either too heavy, too complicated to setup, too prone to the wind and I imagine too stuffy under the sun. I guess that most were designed by people living in flat parts of the world, with little wind and mild summers.
So you see, that's how my ideas came up, no need to copy anyone else.
Now, to answer your question about the air flow inside the camper I can summarise by saying that neither the front flap nor the main door have to close completely when it is rainning hard but it is a good idea to install side vents. First, regarding the front flat or hatch as I like to call it, like on a sailboat, where once kept open it funnels the wind through the cabin creating a freshning feeling. The hatch is quite much wider than the sides of the trailer so if kept 3 cm open it will still be inclined forward so no water will get in. I have marine type strings attached to both the bottom and top of the hatch so I can lock it open from the inside avoiding flapping in the wind. Second, the main door (which by the way I can now keep fully open and extended using the pole not vertically but horizontaly, not hindering the entrance or running the risk of it closing with the wind). So, the door can be kept open to just about any degree of opening so in heavy rain, if needed, it can be left just slightly open with the open area being protected by the overlapping side walls. The total opened area is probably larger than a single vent. Anyways, it is true that side vents could be installed for added ventilation, even though I haven't needed them so far but I admit that in the case of heavy wind with rain it is best to shut everything even though pointing the trailer into the wind helos to protect to the main door. If the wind turns during the night though it is best to close everything. I will definitely take your idea and install side vents. By the way, the main door can be locked closed or slightly open from the inside through 3 quick release strings. Also, I installed mosquito nets in the door and the hatch.
I would like to point out that this camper is not intended for full time living, which I find absurd. It is just for the yearly one month vacation or, if retired, the summer months. Not to say someone could not use it to cross continents but in the end there is nothing like the comfort of home.
Finally, bike campers are not the perfect substitute to the pannier/tent setup. Maybe one day I will make a video on the advantages and disadvantages of both setups (including ebike with solar panels) and let each one decide.
@@antoniocruz8083 I hear what you are saying. At 19kg, this unit is way heavier than even a 4 season alpine quality tent and almost the same cost and, of course, way bigger to transport and store. That being said, the many advantages, for my personal use, outweigh the disadvantages since I spend zero hours climbing mountains on a bicycle!
@@Tom_Bee_ Hello Tom.
In reality you save more than just the weight of a tent. Since you take all the luggage in the trailer there is no need for front and rear racks and 4 panniers which together weight empty 4-6kg. Additionally a carbon fiber bike can now be used since there is no need for rack screw holes and also the bike carries no luggage so it does not need to be as sturdy. Even so all that does not add up to 19kg but be sure, someday someone will make a trailer camper half the weight of mine.
@@antoniocruz8083 I'm sure they will, but it will cost three times more lol
I'm interested in buying one of yours. Do you ship to the UK?
@@Tom_Bee_ check out nomadic.pt and contact there
Good design I like it
WOW !!! Very COOL !!!
Beautiful place
good job, cheers
Echt Cool !
muto bom parabens
Amazing!
Nice and smart design! What solar panels do you use?
The name of the company is Jingyang Solar Energy. Two flexible panels of 100W each. Each weighs about 2kg.
Muito bom! ☆.☆.☆.☆.☆
Acabao de subscrever o canal.
Parabéns e um abraço desde Setúbal.
What mil thickness is the Coroplast that you used ?
Sir Antonio's I I'm pinoy I live in the Philippines my I ask what material you used for the wall of your micro camper
It is made with polycarbonate honeycomb sandwich panels. They are used normally as transparent roofs in verandas or pergolas
How did you order it I like to to about getting one
Www.nomadic.pt
Hello I sent am email to you but did not receive any response also having trouble contacting you via whatsapp or your phone
My email is to.cruz2.f@gmail.com
My WhatsApp is
+351965581839
I have answered back this time but because there is no phone number associated with message I received my answer did not go through.
@@antoniocruz8083 thank you, i sent you a message on whatsapp
how much is 6% in metric
The measurement of gradient in %, is neither metric nor imperial, it fits all. As an example, 6% means that if you move 100 units forward (meters, feet or whatever) then you would rise 6 of the same units.
just messin with ya good vide
@@paulscott1091 yeah, I was wondering, some people really skipped school or what.