Tag: vardo

Ice Cream Cart

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

Looking for an attention-getting color scheme for your vardo or caravan?  Look no further than this fine little burro-powered wagon from Pakistan.

Ice Cream Cart
Kulfi Wala (Ice Cream Man) – Photo by Ane Malik.

A most cherished traditional dessert from Lahore, Pakistan, known as Kulfi, which is made with condensed milk, almonds, cardamom, and sugar is served from these little hand-built carts. The ice cream is then poured into the cone shaped moulds then and placed into traditional-styled ice containers.

The cart is decorated and painted in vibrant colors and with traditional motifs and with names of Allah and the Sufi Saints.  The emergency brake is engaged in this photo (see rock under left tire) while the motor idles.

If you would like to make this delicious treat for yourself, look for it here:

Click for a delicious Mulai Kulfi Recipe.

A View from the Vardo

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment

Working away on a weekend day a little while back.  Enjoying time on the prairie in my little rolling home; coffee, a banjo, and connection to a HotSpot so I can get some work done.  The best of all worlds.

A reminder to myself as to how the vardo is in constant change. Little updates happen all the time and I often forget them until looking back on a photo like this one.

I don’t remember for sure but I suspect there is a dog or two laying on the floor or, more likely, under the wagon keeping an eye out for wildlife.  I’m itching to get back out on the road.

Wyoming Sheepherders

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment

Today, it’s sheep camps from Wyoming from the Wyoming Tales and Trails webpage.  Great photos and some good information about Western history.

Note the important things; wood stove, wash pan hanging on the door, the big tub sitting outside, and a fiddle for company.  I could spend a good chunk of my life like this!

Another sheep camp, dog included.

This camp is downright crowded with two wagons.

Although the site is a bit difficult to navigate, there is a lot of information about western history to be found there.  Have a look around.

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/

A Fine Old Sheepherder Wagon

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment

I love these the old sheepherder camps.  I’ve seen quite a few parked on ranches from Colorado to Idaho and even a few in Arizona.  I know they aren’t highway capable but it seems they could provide a real housing alternative for low-income minimalists who have access to land.  Far better than a housing complex or apartment for sure if you can deal with a small footprint.

Originally designed on a narrow wagon box, the builders took advantage of every square inch of space.  Since weight wasn’t really an issue, many have large stoves like the one above for heating and cooking.  As most of these wagons were homes for ranch workers in the western U.S., they needed to be prepared for extreme cold and windy environments.  When I was building my vardo, I took a fair amount of design inspiration from these wagons, adding their vibe to the more European designs I was ingesting.  My stove is small and I envy this one above; at least the cook top.

Off-the-shelf or build it yourself?  It’s the details of hand-built structures that make them stand out and this chimney cap is no exception.  This looks far more interesting to me than the local hardware store option.

The photos are from Ken Griswold’s Tiny House Blog.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve been a fan of his site for a long time now and recommend it for anyone with an interest in Tiny Homes.  Here’s a link to the full article about Lorna’s wagon.

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Novel Camping Trailer from 1929

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

From the ingenuity of the Roaring 20s.  Pack up with your favorite Flapper and head to the wide-open spaces!

camping_trailer

Novel Camping Trailer Opens Into Comfortable Quarters
A NOVEL camping trailer has been produced in London which is hailed with delight by lovers of the outdoors because of the comfort it provides. The trailer, compact when closed, is attached to the rear of the automobile by a device which makes it ride easily with a minimum of side sway. But when camp is made the sides of the trailer let down to increase the available space and a door at the end provides access to the interior where there is ample headroom.

From Modern Mechanics and Inventions, December 1929.

House Trucks from the Early 1970s

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

Rolling homes go back almost as far as rolling vehicles and the modern era of motor driven cars is not an exception.  If you have followed this blog at all you may have seen some great contraptions, especially from the 1920s and 30s.  The counter-culture of the 1960s lead to a generation of rolling home builders and dwellers ready to hit the road.

Luckily…

Photographer Paul Herzoff took a series of photos of some of the interesting, home-built, house trucks between 1971 and 1973 on the American West Coast. Many of these images are now housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Since I save a LOT of reference images, I sometimes forget what is even there.  I picked a few from my files to share here since they gave me many ideas since I first encountered them many years ago.

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Paul Byrd’s Old West-themed truck is among my favorites and has a lot of charm in the details. I hope it survives somewhere today.
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This thing looks like a mid-century sheep wagon mated with and early Airstream (its descendant) and gave birth to a little COE camper. The giant drop down porch looks like a precursor of a modern day Toy Hauler camper.
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The interior of Bob’s Bus. It appears to have a lot of great storage space and utilizes a loft for added room.  You have to love the plants as well.
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This one is called “Cab, Craftsman’s Van.” Again, I just love the homeyness of the plants on board.
David
Not much information about this other than the title “David.” It is a very utilitarian door that appears to be made from a recycled packing crate and a re-purposed window. I wouldn’t put a hasp on the outside unless it could be locked in the open position. I think there would be too much chance of mischief.
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Here’s another pragmatic interior with a guy named George. Small bed, maybe it folded out?
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Here’s another bus interior decorated with recycled cloth. Very Bohemian.
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Craig’s house truck really speaks to me. It has a great form with the compound curve of the roof and a mollycroft. You’ll notice the water barrel on top and the ever important stove pipe poking up.
Craig Inside
Another view of Craig’s home. Not only does it have a mollycroft, but it has a sunroof as well.
Housetruck
Here’s a pragmatic plywood beauty. Maybe not very aerodynamic but it sure looks spacious.
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And finally, probably my favorite from the set. I suspect it is ridiculously heavy but I think this truck can handle it. There are a lot fine details to note with this one.

If you are preparing to build a rolling home, there has never been a better time to find pertinent examples to learn from on the web.  Enjoy the views.

Exploring Old Caravan Images

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

There are quite a few images from the Golden Age of the Gypsy Caravan* floating around the web, many without appellation.  Still, they have much to offer the potential traveler or yearning nomad today.

Vardos

I quite like seeing the nearly universal items one needs for living on the move such as the folding tables, water coolers, wash basins, buckets, and lanterns.  If I were to guess, I’d say this one was taken in some muddy side-alley in southern England around the beginning of the 20th century.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/03/bd/64/03bd64a272dcfe524ea4320d22f825fe--gypsy-wagon-gypsy-caravan.jpg

And let’s not forget that a large market for the high-end and custom wagons was for professional showmen, another group living on the road.  I have kept the above image in my stock because I really like the awning over the door.

Appleby caravans
Click for a larger image.

I think one of the appealing aspects of these wagons is their almost timeless flavor.  An image from the 1950s at the Appleby Fair looks much the same as one from 1985 or 1895 with the addition of an occasional automobile.  The Open-Lot design above is out of favor with the modern American crowd due to the lack of security but I can see the advantages on a warm summer day.

*”Gypsy” has fallen out of use due to the pejorative overtones when applied to the people known as the Roma or other Travellers (sic).  In terms of describing the living accommodations it is kept here for historical purposes, for the time being, for lack of a better universal term.

Back in Business

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

DSC_0119 (7)Greetings from the great middle west of the United States, where I currently reside.  The vardo is in the outbuilding awaiting some much anticipated upgrades and paint.  I have projects and side-projects and unfinished work to complete in every direction I turn; not to mention the fun little things set aside to try on a rainy day.  There’s a new energy happening here and I hope to share the good stuff when I can.

I have back-orders I let slide and half-finished items to put out for sale; three upcoming talks to write, an article collaboration, and more.  I’ll catch up or die trying.

DSC_0045 (1)
All dressed up and no place to go.

Be back soon…

A Slow Moving Beauty

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment
Reported from Burning Man 2016.

I don’t really know anything about this beautiful rig but I like what I see.  A converted mower in front as a tow vehicle and it’s pulling a little trailer of it’s own behind.  If anyone knows any more about this one please let me know!  I found it on Tumblr but was able to image search it back to this source:

http://www.archipanic.com/burning-man-exploring-black-rock-city/

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Kevin’s Vardo

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

I always enjoy hearing from others who have built their own caravans, especially when accompanied by photos and descriptions.  If you follow this blog you probably saw Kevin’s original photos here recently with a short post about his build.  If not, you can read about it HERE.

Classic vardo layout with underbed storage, box bench seats, and slide out bed.
The perfect classic profile combining an arched roof and a beautiful dutch door.
The actual living space of a vardo is the great outdoors with the camper itself serving as a secure sleeping and foul weather quarters.

The promised follow-up is finally here as I have posted the images and text he sent.  Honestly, this is my favorite kind of living wagon where old and new technologies are melded into a practical, yet affordable dwelling whether for long-term living or just overnight luxury travel.  As shown here, there is a great use of fine woodworking and joinery combined with modern materials and hardware to create a rugged and practical living space that is road (and off-road) worthy.

Here is the rest of Kevin’s mighty fine vardo project (his original text in italics).

This shot offers a view of the short bench with built-in AC/Heat ducts, one for cooled/heated air (right), and one for return air (left). As well as accommodating air circulation, the bench provides handy storage. Also shown is a 110 volt outlet that provides power to the interior when the Vardo is attached to the generator or some other power supply. There are three interior outlets (the other two are hid pretty well), and three exterior outlets on the camper. There are also 12 volt power plugs inside the camper that are tied to the vardo’s battery. These are great for charging phones and running fans at night. It gets pretty hot along the Texas/Mexican border.

You can see a top view of the access doors to the under-bench storage provided in the long bench. You can also see the flip up section that turns this bench into a single bed. On the side of the door, if you look hard, you can see the hinged corbel that provides some of the support for the flip-up section. At the top of the photo you can catch a glimpse of the bungee net that provides overhead gear storage. This works very nice for carrying fishing poles and a broom.This is how the “chuck box” (cooking box) is stowed when traveling, or when not in use. The small counter top is very handy when brushing your teeth and emptying your pockets at bed time. Underneath, as can be seen, typically is stored a pickers stool, a larger folding camp table, and a folding chair.This wagon can haul a whole mess of Hunting gear. A trip to the desert requires a lot of ice and water. Everything is packed for travel, keeping the weight forward and the trailer stable on the road.A photo of our south Texas hunting camp, with the Vardo set-up. We always get a bunch of comments and compliments along the way. The wagon provides comfortable accommodations for 1-3 hunters.The chuck box gets unloaded and set up for use in camp.

This vardo looks very familiar to me and I think I’d be right at home in it.  Thanks so much for sharing this with us and the community.

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