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Polar Glacier: Swede Dreams

The usual rule for caravans is that the bigger they get, the uglier they become. But nobody told Scandinavian maker Polar. Their triple-axle Glacier is huge by European standards, at 40 feet long, and pure class.

The one-million-Kronor ($125,000) Glacier is reportedly Europe’s largest caravan. So you won’t be able to pull it with an old Saab 99, even with Stig Blomqvist at the wheel.

In reality, the Glacier is less a caravan and more a mini-lodge aimed at an exclusive market. It’s an alternative to a holiday cabin or large boat. Inside, there are four permanent beds and three rooms. You get 320 square feet of living space, which includes a small sauna, an open fireplace, and a large open-plan kitchen—complete with dishwasher and side-by-side refrigerator and freezer.

You can choose the interior materials and the kind of kitchen you want, and Polar will go out of its way to customize its flagship RV to your tastes.

The Glacier is built in the small town of Dorotea (pop. 1,600) in Lapland, northern Sweden. Nothing exciting has happened here since the local church burnt down in 1932, but Polar ain’t a hillbilly venture: it delivers around 2,000 luxury caravans a year.

Its Finnish parent company, Solifer Group, builds its caravans to withstand the toughest climatic conditions. So all Polar models have under-floor heating and almost two inches of insulation. They’ve been designed on CAD/CAM systems since 1984, and independent German tests have shown them to have the most rigid bodies on the market.

All this makes Polar one of the most highly-sought after brands amongst European caravanners, even those who live in temperate climates. And Solifer now has Kabe, Sweden’s #1 manufacturer, in its sights. Given that Kabe makes Europe’s ugliest caravan, the Royal Tower, we’re rooting for Polar and its good-looking Laplander.

We’ll have our Glacier delivered with some pickled herrings in the fridge, a bottle of good Akvavit to chase ’em down, and a couple of frisky supermodells in the sauna. Okej?

See also:
German maker Tabbert offers more affordable (and towable) luxury with its avant garde, bad-ass Paganini. It’s around ten feet shorter than the Polar Glacier, and half the price. Even smaller is the cute Hymer Forever Young, a luxurious little model that still manages to sleep four.