Bicycle trailers: Tow. Float. Sleep.

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.

Environmentally friendly cycle insurance

On the face of it, one cycle insurance policy is much like another, but the devil is the detail. How much excess you will be charged is just one of the things that varies wildly between providers. Another is so called ‘new-for-old’ replacement – many insurers use this term, but if your bicycle is more than a few years old, devalue it severely. This means you are left out of pocket when you come to replace it. Read our insider guide to cycle insurance.

We cover the theft of bicycle parts (including quick release wheels and saddles) as standard and with a low standard excess of 5% (minimum £25). We offer a new-for-old for life – however old the bike, if it’s stolen you get enough to buy a new model. Furthermore, every cycle insurance policy you buy from us helps support the work of the ETA Trust, our charity campaigning for a cleaner, safer transport future.

For 25 years we have been providing straightforward, affordable bicycle insurance. Whether you use your bike to commute, shop, race or amble in the park, ETA Cycle Insurance has you covered. We never devalue bikes no matter their age, allow you to buy your replacement bike wherever you like, replace stolen quick release components and handle claims in-house.