Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
…and Some Other Nice Work
Daphne at Daphne’s Caravans has been busy this summer and appears to have another beautiful wagon nearly ready to sell. Her description is “all cedar, with a roof like a cedar strip canoe. 7′ long, 6′ wide at the ledge, and 6′ high in the centre.” I presume the roof will be epoxied over glass or there will be a covering over the entire thing. If you’ve wanted your very own mini caravan but don’t have the time, tools, or inclination, this might be one for you.
Below is another creation of hers from earlier this summer. Click the photo to see more at her website.
First of all, a beautiful Bristol bowtop shown on Handmade Charlotte.
Tonke Campers make some amazing caravans in the Netherlands. The most remarkable part of this design is that the whole living compartment easily removes and can be left as an autonomous dwelling. Handy indeed.
A restored “showman’s” wagon found at shootfactory.co.uk.
And a really great Art-Noveau style caravan. I want more pics of this one. I found this one here.
Finally, I don’t generally like the pop-up campers but when this one is “deployed” it’s pretty amazing. Designed by Axel Enthoven, it is appropriately called the Opera.
More information about this cunning design here.
Old time shepherd’s huts aren’t really in the same class as vardos or showmen’s wagons as they aren’t really for long distance travel. These great little portable homes are dragged around to new pastures and are ideal for guest houses, studios, and weekend homes. These are generally simple affairs consisting of a room and a few built-ins. The old models often included a lamb cage under the bed platform and little else. As they don’t travel far they are often furnished with regular home furniture.
Several makers are still professionally building these. Have a look at…
OR
to see some contemporary work.
There is a lot of good history of the design at Historic Shepherd Huts.
One appealing part of the design is the practicality. Many classic huts are covered in corrugated iron and painted making for easy upkeep against the changing weather. A far cry from high maintenance varnished wood.
A good feature I have noticed is the nearly ubiquitous transom vent in the peak. I have considered this myself as a matter of security on warm nights and am not surprised it was thought up long before me.
Above is a classic hut with lamb cage intact. Apparently these were used for all sorts of storage when lambs weren’t penned inside. The top of the rack held a mattress for the shepherd and the hut was generally fitted with a wood stove.
By far, the best examples I have found on the web are at Plankbridge Hutmakers. Above is a typical exterior and below, an exquisite modern interior.
Have a gander at their site for a load of great images and information.
Deryk Macleod sent me a few more links for boat heaters.
The above Shipmate stove is a real beauty and looks very practical for heat and cooking.
Salamander makes some great looking glass front stoves for small spaces. The above is the “Hobbit” model. Below is the tiny “Pipsqueak”.
I’m happy to find more and more alternatives available for heating small spaces without needing electricity or a propane source. The boating community has kept this technology alive and available. Used with care these are a great alternative to grid-tied heaters.
A few mosaic panoramas to give a “feel” of the Vardo interior. Click the images for larger a version.
The bed and table retracted for maximum space.
The Bay Area Maker Faire was bigger and more interesting than I thought possible. I have rarely been so busy in my life as the eighteen or so hours I stood and talked about the Vardo. There were many interesting and interested people who thoroughly examined every aspect of the wagon. As it was built on a whim and shoestring budget, I’m not proud of every inch of my workmanship. I never thought it would be displayed for public scrutiny but it was received with great enthusiasm. When I dove into this project I thought it likely that it would be looked at as some crazy art project but it seems there is a core of like minds who long for a micro traveling home with a certain amount of style and aesthetic.
Knowing that loads of people would be poking around in the wagon meant a bit of cleaning and spiffing up was in order. Most of the interior received a fresh coat of varnish and most personal things were stowed away. It was sad that I couldn’t actually stay in the wagon as it was on display but the grant helped cover the cost of a nearby hotel.
Location, location, location. The obvious place for a low tech micro home is between the underwater robotics and the universal charging station. The Faire is so chaotic, I don’t think it really mattered but I think our setup would have been more at home in the Homegrown Village area. As it was, the Vardo was an interesting Low Tech display amidst all the electronics. There was generally a line of five to ten people all day, both days to file in and around the Vardo, hear my explanation and ask loads of questions.
The nifty sign created for the display. They said it, it must be true.
Closed up, ready to hitch to the truck I noticed all the eclipse shadows filtered through the leaves onto the Vardo. What timing.
I have loads of photos I’ll put up shortly when I make some sense of them. All in all, if you are a MAKER OF THINGS or even just a dreamer, the Maker Faire is worth a visit.
Early in the planning stage while designing my ‘van, I encountered this painting by Vincent van Gogh. Painted in the late 19th Century, it is, to me, a great image of what is now a bygone era in Europe. Who knows, if the economy collapses, and the disparity between the rich and poor increases, maybe this will become a common sight again.
I have seen photos from this book around the web for a while now. A fair number of “hippie” Brits are living mobile, a difficult thing to do in the U.S. Iain McKell has done a wonderful job of photo-documenting the unique, beautiful, sometime spartan accommodations used by these folks on the move. If I get back to Britain I will try to track these people down.
I have to admit, I’m mainly in it for the wagons. None of these look like high-speed movers, but who really needs that when it is home?
Most of these clearly appear to be restored (more or less) original horse-drawn wagons. Bow Tops, Open Lots, a Showman or two, but others look to be a bit more home-grown.
A close examination of the photos show some interesting clues to life on the road. I particularly like the “tip out” on the above wagon. I suspect it is for sleeping more people but I can imagine an outside space protected like this for cooking or storage. Hmmm, next project?
In my opinion, wagons like this are a great alternative for the modern nomad, as long as one can find a safe place to settle for the night or week or month. As with the Romani gypsies, modern travelers, living outside the norm of the greater social group are likely always to face fear and suspicion from the mainstream culture. Unfortunately, this will probably always be the way of the world.
I think there will always be some of us who are okay existing outside the “normal”, expected behaviors of our peers. In a case such as this, or other fringe social groups (e.g., the Society of Primitive Technology) we can find kindred spirits who may understand our outlook in ways not found in more mainstream lifestyles.
Please have a look at the art of Iain McKell and be sure to scroll down the left side of links to see more of his photos, including some fine shots of traveler’s wagons.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 