Over the years, we have seen many versions of the in-vehicle camper box from around Europe. From Switzerland’s three-D puzzle-like transformer to France’s multi-piece %-up the caravan, and from Germany’s pickup mattress Oktoberfest celebration to Great Britain’s mini-campervan in a container. And who can overlook the hitch-in-a-position porta-potty? So now we have some other layout from Germany, the unofficial chief of the distance. The ElloBox is one of the slimmest camper container structures visible. However, it still packs its sun-fed strength gadget, pressurized water delivery, electrically powered refrigeration, and gasoline cooking, giving small vehicles the food-prep electricity of a complete-blown RV.
Before founding Ello Camping, Pascal Schalapski became just a lifelong camper who was hopelessly trapped in the middle ground between van camping and vehicle camping. After understanding all the money and maintenance going into his VW, the Bulli camper van became most effective, translating into about a month. A 1/2 of tenting a laugh every 12 months, he bought the van. Then, he converted to less complicated vehicle camping – I., E. Packing up a tent, cooler, and other necessary equipment in his normal motive force and taking off the wasteland.
While car tenting became inexpensive and came with less than 12 months-spherical problems, Schilawski missed some of the conveniences of van camping, especially having crucial equipment stocked and geared up to go and having a devoted electricity supply at camp. So he set approximately storing a checklist of his “should haves” right into a plug-and-play camper field compact sufficient to match in return for an expansion of vehicles.
Following his aim of organizing a better center floor wherein to reside, Schilawski has created one of the most compact camper-in-a-field structures out there, even giving it skills many competitors lack. For example, unlike other structures that handiest paintings with vehicles and absorb the whole width of the trunk, the ElloBox works in small motors properly down to subcompacts, and the most convenient takes up part of the width. It combines not unusual capabilities, like dual-burner cooking and water garage, with the much less common characteristic of a sun-charged battery system for powering the water pump, compressor refrigerator field, and other gadgets.
Ello manages this feat of tiny design by counting on some easy, mild solutions. Instead of an in-built slide-out stove or portable dual-burner camping stove, Ello is going lighter with a pair of foldable fuel cartridge stoves, every of which draws three two hundred watts (10,900 BTU) of cooking energy out of 320 g (11.2 ounces) of range weight. That’s now not pretty ultralight backpacking range territory, but at well below a kilogram (2.2 lb) for the pair, this answer is lighter than the standard twin-burner stove. Perhaps more importantly, it’s also much more collapsible, the burners folding down and sliding into the primary storage drawer with the gasoline cartridges and cookware.
The important garage drawer at the lowest of the three-piece top stack is the only one of the 3. It’s honestly a drawer. The two different garage cubicles cast off and mounted on the edges of the drawer, one wearing utensils and the opposite sporting the collapsible sink and spice canisters. The worktop plays atop the front, offering space for meal prep and standing the burners for cooking. Below the higher compartment stack, a 24-L Bluefin compressor fridge keeps foods and drinks bloodless. To the viewer’s proper, the tall, slim water canister maintains sixteen L of sparkling water geared up, feeding the sprayer with help from an electric-powered water pump. Put the meals and burners away, pop the collapsible sink up, and place it on the worktop. It’s a practical little dishwashing station.
The rear compartments of the ElloBox house the 90-Ah Victron Energy deep-cycle gel battery, inverter, wiring, and other electrical hardware. The battery supplies power simultaneously to the refrigerator, water pump, and 12V and USB ports for outside connection and charging, even as the inverter adds 230V AC electricity for plugging in laptops, TVs, and other devices. A standalone light for after-dark cooking draws power from its rechargeable battery.
Ello Substances three one-of-a-kind methods of charging the gel battery, beginning with a folding one hundred twenty-W sun panel package set up out of doors. The five-m (sixteen-feet) cable gives flexibility in positioning and adjusting the panels. The battery also plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter/12V outlet and the cost of the walking engine. Finally, a shore electricity connection provides for on-grid charging. One motive for the ElloBox being slimmer than other camper-in-a-box structures is its lack of a fold-out bed or other slumbering inns. To flip the automobile right into a full-functioning camper, proprietors will want to mount a roof-pinnacle tent up top or discover another manner of camping in or on the car. Or they might keep cash by packing a floored tent, hammock, or different answer and using the Ello-ready vehicle solely for cooking, at-camp electricity, and water/washing.
