This Well-Insulated $150 DIY Bicycle Camper Is Perfect For Year-Round Solo Trips

Paul Elkins

RV stands for recreational vehicle. Traditionally this includes rigs like Class As, Class Bs, truck campers, teardrop trailers, and other vintage campers.

Usually you don’t think of bicycle campers being recreational vehicles. But why not?

Paul Elkins is no stranger to camping and the outdoors. Besides his many other unusual (and brilliant) projects, Paul made a camper birdhouse based off of a friend’s 1953 Bell trailer.

Paul became a fan of micro camping over a decade ago. He even made a mobile home out of a pickup truck that he used to “tool around the country”.

After experimenting with making another micro camper for the Burning Man festival, Paul set out to create a more practical rig. He wanted to make a vehicle that was:

• cheap
• well-insulated
• lightweight

Using Coroplast scavenged from old political signs and zip ties to hold everything together, Paul ended up with a one-of-a-kind vehicle that suited his needs.

Video about Paul Elkin’s DIY Bicycle Camper.

Original video by Paul Elkins

This camper is so cool! I laughed out loud when he started to install the Coroplast cabinet inside the camper. Paul sure loves his Coroplast. If you can believe it, he’s also made a boat out of Coroplast!