Vw bug 5th wheel camper for sale

Whether you're a bike-riding backpacker or a truck-loving overlander, there's something about connecting with nature that makes everyone love a good camping trip. Now, you can bridge those two kinds of camping experiences by treating yourself to a staycation in this Volkswagen Bettle camper currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Now, hear me out. We know that a 2003 Volkswagen New Beetle typically isn't an automobile commonly described as roomy or outdoorsy, but that's because the original engineers didn't think to cut it in half and weld it to a travel trailer for outdoor adventures like fishing, hunting, and obviously camping. Duh.

These two unlikely matches were welded together by owner Dylan Huff and a group of friends, who shared the common goal of making something...unique. Huff explained to The Drive that the camper was the result of an off-the-wall idea to build something that acted as a social-gathering mechanism that could also haul people around while fishing or hanging out.

"We don’t wanna be normal!" said Huff. "We wanted to stand out, and if the fish weren’t biting we wanted to be able to drive to the next fishing hole."

According to the Huff, this mashup is completely drivable from the inside, and not from where you might think. At first glance, you'll immediately notice the diamond plate metal windshield. Unless you have X-Ray vision, you probably won't be seeing through that. Instead, the steering wheel and pedals were moved into the trailer.

Poking out of the floor is the Beetle's dashboard, which we assume was left over to hide the nest of factory wires and electronics from the donor car. The steering wheel is then offset into an upright position, and the driver is located sideways to reach two wooden pedals for the brake and gas. The sideways orientation was chosen so that the driver would face the small picnic table, meaning they won't have to turn their body away from guests when moving the camper.

Although not explicitly stated, something tells us that this camper isn't road legal. The sideways driving position, lack of safety features, and questionable visibility are just three of virtually limitless indicators that this build isn't up to snuff on the Maine motor vehicle code, not that we'd want to pilot a wooden box down the road Top Gear style anyway.

The owner currently has the project listed for sale for a mere $600—a steal to some who are skilled enough to replace the Beetle's lifeless 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and desire the world's most unique wannabe-RV.

A while back I feel like I was being sent one particular internet-found video far more often than any other. And, it was easy to understand why, as the video was remarkable, especially for a Volkswagen Beetle geek like myself. It was that video that I’ve bet you’ve seen before, of a Beetle towing a camper via a roof-mounted gooseneck hitch, allowing it all kinds of bonkers maneuverability. We’d written about it long ago, but more recently one of these has been found and restored, likely the only one in the world.

Here’s that original video, a segment from a deep-Malaise-era car TV show called, imaginatively, Car and Track. I guess Road & Driver was taken:

Okay, while, sure it would have been slow and a nightmare in crosswinds, you have to admit that setup is pretty cool. No need to attempt the painful cerebro-physical gymnastics of backing up a trailer when you can just turn around and shove it wherever it needs to go! It almost looks fun!

The trailer was built by a company called International Travel Trailer, and the model was the El Chico, and was intended for use with a number of small cars of the era; I suspect they tested it with Beetles and Pintos and probably Civics and maybe some Datsuns, too.

The son of the man driving in the famous video, Joe Bostian, wrote about it earlier this year, marveling at the continuing popularity of the video, knowing that his dad would have been delighted were he still alive.

He also suggests that very few seem to have actually been built, but actual numbers are still unknown. In the actual world, they seem all but extinct.

In 2014 one was found, the first time one had actually been even seen in the wild:

Incredibly, a few years after this one was found, another was discovered in Colorado, and this one was fully restored and paired with a lovely matching yellow 1971 Super Beetle. A full video of that one, with never before seen interior shots, came out last March on the Volkswear YouTube channel:

It’s pretty incredible to see this in all its restored glory. I’m impressed it has a bathroom with a toilet, though I think the position of the kitchen and stove right under the bedroom area is an invitation to put your foot into a pan of cooking bacon or something equally miserable.

Screenshot: Jason Torchinsky

Campers aren’t as common a target for full restorations as cars are, for a number of reasons including the presence of toilets and old bedding, but when it’s something as rare and striking as this, I’m delighted there’s people around with the time, resources, and will to make it happen.