By Derkek Markham, Source: Treehugger

widepathcamper

This prototype bicycle camper seems like a great idea, but unless you live in a very flat region without high winds, the Wide Path Camper might be better suited to using as a backyard microcabin. Or to advertise your business.

When I first saw mention of this cool little micro bicycle camper, I got a little weak in my knees. Because bicycles! Because tiny houses! Because pedal-powered nomadic lifestyle!

But after taking a few deep breaths, I’m over it. I do love the idea itself, but I think the product itself has a long, long, way to go to be a feasible option for most people (even most of us bike-loving treehugging types).

I think we’re all prone to making the mistake of thinking that because something looks like it ought to work really well, that it actually does. I’m definitely guilty of it, perhaps in part because I work in media and am constantly being pitched on products and innovations that look awesome in print (well, pixels, actually), but which only part of the time pan out into a viable real-world success.

The other influence that skews my thinking is confirmation bias, which is in essence helping me to see what I want to see, based on what I’m interested in and supportive of. Such as tiny houses and bicycles.

Surely tiny campers that can be towed by bike are awesome and worthy of being coveted as a great green way to travel, right? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

This quote from designer Joshua Brewer makes a great point about the disconnect between beauty and utility:

“Just because something looks good doesn’t mean its useful. And just because something is useful does not make it beautiful.” – Joshua Brewer

A micro-sized travel trailer that allows cyclists to pull their own home behind them is one of those things that fits into the category of “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

The Wide Path Camper, from Mads Johansen of Sønderborg, Denmark, is described as “a small and light weight foldable camper designed for bicycles,” which is an admirable goal. However, to my way of thinking, it really requires an electric bike to be able to use it as intended, because it weighs in at 40kg (88lb) before any gear is loaded onto it.

While it certainly is possible to pull a trailer that heavy with your bike, you’re probably not going up any big hills with it, especially if you wanted to carry any other stuff in there, like your clothes or sleeping gear or food. At one point in my life, I used to haul about half that amount of weight regularly on a bike trailer, so I know it’s doable, but I have to wonder if it’s worth the effort to pull, when you can carry a tent with you instead, which weighs so much less.

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