Micro-shelter designer Paul Elkins (his bike campers have inspired a movement in Germany: Fahrradwohnwagen) has created a pedal RV (a velomobile in which you can live in) that converts from bike to bedroom to kitchen to bathroom to lounge in a space little larger than his own body, and using the cheapest of materials.

Elkins used old bicycles and fluted plastic (which he often recycles from campaign signs) to create a bicycle camper that doesn’t tow the camper, but instead brings it inside the bicycle for a hyper-efficient ride.

The final bike/camper weighs less than 100 pounds, including kitchen supplies and a sleeping bag. The home converts using plywood panels that can be reconfigured to expose the pedals/handlebars or covered up for sleeping, lounging, or cooking. The shower/bathroom is created using a shower curtain that snaps to the wing door to create a private area for showering (with a solar shower) that can also be used as a sheltered guest room.

Paul’s sketchbooks on human-powered vehicles.
To buy Paul’s plans.
Paul Elkins’ videos.

Watch the German camper meetup on Velomobile Campervans (Fahrradwohnwagen). Credit: AlexTEK.