Travel trailers
Lodge-On-Wheels: shed heaven
It’s not the sort of vehicle you want to tow down a German autobahn at 120mph behind your Porsche Cayenne. But for meandering around the Rockies, or visiting friends in the Hamptons, a Martin House-To-Go is perfect.
These Mississippi-built travel trailers may look rustic, but Martin House-To-Go knows its market inside out. Its products are mostly geared towards the huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’ crowd, and a lot of thought has gone into them.
They’re crafted from pine, cedar and cypress, and free of Volatile Organic Compounds. (“Real men prefer our masculine, all-wood bath facilities.”) Fittings are all-electric, down to the composting toilet. And you can specify propane if you want to go boondocking—an option you won’t get if you order the new Shasta Airflyte.
Customisation is easy. You can select any width from 8 to 14 feet. The roof can be shingles or metal. The size and number of windows is up to you. You can choose how you want your trailer staining or painting. And you can even request “NASA-approved insulation for extreme weather.”
We like the cosy built-in loft with its own ladder, and more room downstairs can be allocated to sleeping if you need it. You can add a gun rack, an outside shower, even a freezer for your game kills.
The idea comes from Julie Martin, a specialist in restoring historic houses who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Her company offers two models: the $33,900 Fresh Start and the $37,900 Lodge-On-Wheels.
Her trailers are inspired by the Tiny House ‘movement’, which is gathering pace by the day. It’s all about downsizing, shedding unwanted possessions, and living in a comfortable yet frugal manner.
In these uncertain times, we can see the merit in that. As Julie says: “Are the deer calling to you? Is there a lake you like to visit? Take your buddies hunting. Take your son fishing. Take to the woods for no reason at all.”
How could we resist?
See also:
Check out the Dutch Tonke Campers for a more luxurious, European take on the trend back to wood.
That’s actually cute! A little house on the road.
The example model shown is actually a pretty horrible use of space, though I do love the idea. Hopefully they’ll invest some time into more useable floor plans. Tumbleweed @ http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com would be my suggestion for the short term (at least for floor plans), though I don’t know about any comparisons between build quality, etc.
The Lodge-on-Wheels is apparently 10 ft wide, which makes it illegal to tow, without special permits and licenses, in most states, like Florida.
The other trouble with these trailers is that with the weight these trailers are composed with, you would almost certainly have to use a diesel powered truck to pull one. If you pull it with a gas powered truck you’d be lucky to get 4 miles per gallon on the highway….not to mention in any kind of traffic. Also, what about low bridges, power lines, etc…? As a former truck driver you could never EVER get me to pull one of these trailers with a small truck. These trailers would best be pulled with something like a small International heavy duty truck or with something like a Ford F650…terrible things to say, yes, but they are true.