Homegrown Trailers makes camping comfortable, eco-friendly
Camping is mankind's way to get back to nature, to simulate (at least in a controlled and limited way) what life was like before we civilized ourselves and came in from the cold, so to speak. Certainly, there are limits to what each individual is willing to endure out in the wild. While one person might enjoy fashioning their own lean-to and living off of whatever food they could manage to gather or kill, another person would rather park their motorhome near the mini-golf course at Jellystone Park, deploy the satellite dish, and say they were roughing it. For most others, the ideal camping trip falls somewhere in between.
For those who like to hit the open road with some of the comforts of home, towing a camping trailer is the way to go. In that spirit of getting back to nature, a sustainable camper from Homegrown Trailers fits the bill nicely.
Based in Woodinville, Washington, Homegrown Trailers handcrafts travel trailers from sustainable materials. The trailer, paneled in sustainably harvested wood, has a dry weight of just 2,000 pounds, which means it doesn't need a heavy duty truck to pull it around. The low weight also helps save fuel. It features a solar system with a battery that stores two days worth of energy. An off-grid package upgrades the solar panels from 400 to 800 watts, and includes a 7,000-watt-hour battery good for five days of energy.
The 94-square-foot interior is accommodating, with a couch that pulls out into a queen-sized bed, as well as a set of bunk beds. It store 12 gallons of fresh water, and includes a kitchen with an induction cooktop and a mini fridge. A pop-top provides more headroom as well as ventilation. When nature calls, a more eco-friendly composting toilet takes the place of the usual holding tank system.
Homegrown Trailers currently has a working prototype, a workspace and staff to build the trailers. It is currently running an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, through which supporters can secure a trailer rental or buy one for as low as $25,995. The trailers will retail for $28,995, and the off-grid package adds another $7,500. If you're not looking to buy, and just want to get away from it all for a few days, Homegrown intends to provide trailer rentals out of their Woodinville facility.
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