Build your own caravan

If you’re a fan of self-sufficient holidays and DIY, have you ever considered building your own caravan?

The Slidavan is a lightweight 2-berth telescopic DIY caravan designed to fit on a small un-braked trailer with a gross capacity of 500 kilos.

No special materials or skills are needed to build a Slidavan, but you will need to dedicate around 200 hours to the project. If you buy all new parts to build your Slidavan, it may cost around £3000 which is a fraction of the cost of other small caravans available to buy today. However, using second-hand parts and reclaimed material can reduce this cost considerably. For example, there are many second-hand trailers available to buy on eBay.

Most interestingly to those with a smaller car, will be the weight of the little DIY caravan. With an unladen weight of 300 kg, the Slidavan can be towed by a city car. For example, the Fiat Panda 1.2 has a towing capacity of 400 kg, which gives the caravan a payload of 100 kg.

Slidavan DIY caravan key features

• Six-foot headroom with roof raised
• Choose between two wide single berths or one large double
• The roof can be raised in less than a minute
• Can easily be built in a space no larger than a one-car garage
• Two settee bunks
• Enough room for a small hob and sink
• Fuel consumption of tow car barely affected

The designers of the Slidavan will plant 5 trees on your behalf if you buy the plans to build your own Slidavan. The plans cost £50 at Woodenwidget.com

Driving to France this summer?

For short-term driving trips in Europe, Euro breakdown cover from the ETA offers the best value for money on the market. With English-speaking helplines and assistance available 24/7 you can rest assured that help is at hand should you break down abroad.