Bicycle trailers might be few and far between on British roads, but designer Daniel Durnin plans to put them on our waterways. The Water Bed is a tiny wooden canal boat designed to be towed behind a bicycle.
RCA graduate Daniel Durnin built the amphibious vessel as way of taking a sustainable micro break without venturing too far afield. “an escape from the stresses of city life, the Water Bed encourages users to find temporary respite in and reconnect with the city’s existing waterways and wildlife.”
The Water Bed is constructed from marine plywood and a lightweight aluminum frame, which supports two bicycle wheels for towing.
Bicycle trailers we love
There is an increasing number of weird and wonderful trailer-based dwellings designed to be moved by pedal power. A French boat building company has unveiled the Foldavan – a lightweight bicycle caravan that collapses for easy storage and towing.
Wooden Widget already produces a range of collapsible boats and sailing dinghies that can be towed behind a bicycle and the Foldavan shares many of the same design principles.
Built from wood, carbon fibre and reinforced PVC cloth, the teardrop-shaped Foldavan has three modes. When being stored, or transported on a car roof rack, it collapses flat. While being towed by a bicycle, it opens to 60 cm – about the same as the width as most handlebars. Once at its destination, it takes less than five minutes to transform the Foldavan into camping mode. Fully-extended, the caravan measures 1.2 m wide and offers over one metre of headroom.
The Foldavan weighs only 30 kg and has a low centre of gravity, which means it can negotiate even quite rough terrain – in high winds, the sides can be unzipped to let the wind pass through.
The Foldavan trailer is available for £30 as a set of plans. It takes about 50 hours to build a Foldavan. The materials needed are easy to find in varying qualities to suit any budget – A Foldavan can be built for next to nothing using reclaimed timber and secondhand parts.
The carbon footprint of the Foldavan is small because all the materials can be found locally or salvaged. Furthermore, the company plants five trees every time it sells a set of plans.
QTvan bicycle trailer
It’s not as practical a proposition as the Foldavan, but the QTvan may be the ideal accessory for cyclists who demand luxury on their camping trips. We commissioned the QTvan to demonstrate the versatility of the bicycle, the single-berth caravan boasts a full-sized single bed, 19” television, drinks cabinet and tea-making facilities.
The ethical choice
The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.
The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.
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