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Cabin on Wheels as a Family Weekender?


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Most of us dream of a tiny house for ourselves.

I’ve always seen really little homes as a quick way to achieve more freedom.

But that’s certainly not everybody. And that may or may not be you.

Maybe you have a family and you’d like a cabin on wheels so you can go weekending in it.

weekend-house1

I encourage you to get a tour of the rest of this little cabin below:

It also makes for a pretty awesome mobile bug out shelter in case of any sort of emergency you can just tow and go with all of your most important items.

So that’s why I’m showing you this weekender tiny house today that was originally featured on Tiny House Swoon.

Interior of this Weekender Cabin on Wheels

weekend-house-interior4

I get most excited when people use tiny houses as their full time home. But I still enjoy seeing them being used as inexpensive guest houses, vacation homes and things like that, too. How about you?

Kitchen, Bathroom and Ladder

weekend-house-interior

The Weekender Tiny House Being Towed

weekend-house-road

What are your thoughts on tiny houses being purchased for uses other than full-time living? In what ways would you use one other than to live in it full time? Let’s hear it in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this vacation/weekender/camper tiny house on a trailer you’ll love our free daily tiny house newsletter!

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 16 comments… add one }
  • jerryd
    August 17, 2013, 1:58 pm

    If you do the math it costs about $.80/mile for fuel to move something as badly shaped and heavy as this and others made like it.

    Now if you are moving it once/season not far it could be ok but more than that just too costly to move.

    Plus building one the same size at 1/3 the weight and aerodynamics cost 50% less and needs a much smaller tow vehicle getting 15-20mpg instead of 6 mpg.

    So while nice sitting still, it’s not for moving.

    • Alex
      August 17, 2013, 6:32 pm

      I wouldn’t want to get something that heavy to move constantly either. The actual owners of this one I believe use it as a weekender but they leave it in a separate location. So that makes sense.

    • Cahow
      August 18, 2013, 2:04 pm

      jerryd: I appreciate your cost analysis break down. Good figures to have. THANKS!

    • Paul
      May 23, 2014, 9:34 pm

      jerryd… just where do you get the math from?

      1 You can only estimate how much the house weighs… so your estimate of how much fuel is used to tow the house is just that, an estimate.

      2 Badly shaped? Compared to many others who have overhanging roofs at the front, thereby creating a parachute effect, this house is pretty streamlined. The only thing that would make it more streamlined would be for the front wall to be V shaped or bullet shaped. But, at what cost to construct that? I’d figure doing that would cost far in excess of the fuel used for, say, 4 shifts a year doing maybe 300 miles for 5 years.

      You mention building one at 1/3 weight. That would therefore make the structure far less sturdy… especially in high wind zones. As for material costs, well I’m no expert on cost in the US but, if a lot of this was salvaged or seconds material, and some of it looks like it is to me, then that blows your argument a little off course.

      • jerryd
        May 24, 2014, 7:15 am

        Paul, I get it from 45 yrs of building such.

        Where did you learn basic physics? First the weight comment was more about costs. It can be built far more strong, 1/3 the weight, aero enough to clean up the towing vehicle’s aero meaning little power, fuel or tow vehicle is needed The mileage is mostly aero losses at speed which from your post you don’t have a clue about either.

        As for weight, it’s not how much they weigh that gives strength, but how it’s put together. And more weight makes it harder to tow, more fuel consumption. Had you actual experience that would be obvious.

        Wouldn’t it been smarter to ask instead of showing how wrong you are stating such dumb things telling people who actually know they are wrong??

        • Paul
          May 25, 2014, 2:00 am

          Gosh jerrd, tetchy much? First question to you then… 45 years of building such… such what? Can’t be Tiny Homes as they are a relatively new phenomenon in their current incarnation. So, please enlighten me, and possibly others, what this “such” is that you are referring to.

          Where did I learn basic physics? Why, at high school probably just like you.

          OK, I’ll concede I read it wrong on the cost side of things… was read by me as using cheaper i.e. thinner/smaller dimensioned timber for framing. But, if that is what you do, and you use comparable construction methods, then the smaller dimensioned frame will not be as strong. Confirmed to me by 3 builders I spoke to today. They laughed at your comment that it could be built far more strong using dimensionally smaller timber in the framing. And that is what I am reading that you are saying. To get the house to 1/3 of it’s weight would take drastic dimensional downsizing of its framing structure and cladding, no?

          Actually having towed quite a number of trailers, and more than a couple of caravans over the last 40 odd years I fully understand that the heavier a vehicle being towed the more drag it has at higher speeds and in certain winds becomes unstable. In fact that is true of any vehicle, towed or not. It is why fuel consumption drops dramatically when you go over about 55 mph.

          More weight makes it harder to tow etc… well yeah, that’s pretty obvious.

          And finally, didn’t I ask? Gosh, could’ve sworn that I asked you where you got the math from, and I went to give my take on things. Your response certainly didn’t give any maths but seemed to just attack the commenter, to wit, me.

          But that’s ok, I’m pretty thick skinned. While your response irked me, you haven’t damaged me emotionally… : )

          And finally, finally… Your last sentence/paragraph essentially says that I am stating dumb things to people wh actually know they are wrong. I know you didn’t mean it like that but by golly… made me smile. But lets not get into a flame war over this, everybody to their own opinion. Makes the world interesting.

        • jerryd
          May 25, 2014, 3:54 pm

          Wow you think tiny homes are recent!! Where I grew up in Fla they are the norm and many still exist. Big homes is only a recent thing for common people.

          Why do you assume so much instead of asking? And I bet your ‘experts’ build stick built don’t they? So you can’t think of any better ways than stick built?

          First some of my tiny homes go 20mph over, into 10′ waves under sail or power might be a might higher loading that road loads, no?

          Yet I build a 34′, 6′ wide TH in just 1,000lbs that can handle this. Can yours?

          It’s so strong you can just attach an axle and put a hitch on the bow and have a trailer.

          I build in stressed skin monococque technics like the fast sail, powerboats I built at a fraction of your example’s weight, cost. Or one can use SIP’s with thin facings all glued together would be far strong, lighter and better insulating.

          I can go one about the many other better ways to build TH’s, 18th century tech of stick built is 18th century tech. Try to keep up.

          Things have changed and wasting so much materials, labor these take is why the costs are so high and so few buy them.

          If you want to waste material, labor, pay more feel free but many of the rest of us have no desire to do that and know how not to..

    • liz
      August 3, 2014, 11:48 pm

      I would love to make a tiny house the same size yet only 1/3 the weight….but how is it possible to lose 2/3 of the weight?

  • Carrie
    August 18, 2013, 8:48 pm

    I am going to build a tiny home I like this one a lot. I am not doing it for environmental reasons. I am doing it for financial reasons I will use solar panels not for environmental reasons. From what i have read the homes are sturdy enough to take along withe you where every you feel like going. I am tired of paying rent that i can not afford and worrying that I will get hurt or loose my job and loose the roof over my kids heads. I am tired of worrying the rent will be raised. So the tiny home for me is a bit of security.

    • Cahow
      August 19, 2013, 11:12 am

      Carrie: I really like your very honest response. When we bought our 800 sq.ft cottage from the 20’s, over 15 years ago, it sure wasn’t because of environmental concerns or knowledge of a tiny house movement (was there one in 1998?). It was pure pragmatism: our kids were all gone and there was zero need to own a 2,800 sq.ft. home any longer. So, the kids took everything we gave them from the old house and we dropped 2,000 square feet from our lifestyle. THAT house had it’s purpose, THIS house now serves a different purpose. BEST of luck to you in achieving your dreams; I’m pulling for you to have a stress-free home for you and your family. 🙂

    • Patty
      August 26, 2013, 4:16 pm

      Hi Carrie,
      My husband and I feel the same way, the only problem I see is where to put one of these tiny house’s. They can’t go anywhere because of each states city & town’s zoning laws. We really would love to have one, just can’t figure the ligistics of it 🙁
      Patty

  • LaMar
    August 19, 2013, 10:12 pm

    Interesting design on the steps and ladder to get them out of the way and serve double purpose!

    The cabin is a basic design side door and a appears to be an 8×16. I would organize the interior different with less windows for more wall storage space. Turn that couch into a couch bed and put it against that end wall would give you room for a dining nook and small office on the side wall.

    LaMar

    • April
      August 26, 2013, 2:38 pm

      I agree with LaMar. The couch and chair arrangement is way too cramped. A loveseat sofabed against the far wall would give you room for a drop-down table and some chairs for extra seating. Would have liked to see pictures of the loft, as it looks like there would be room for two beds up there! The camp is absolutely beautiful! I could live there year round if it has wi-fi (for work.) Nice job, overall!

  • Rebecca
    June 9, 2014, 12:44 pm

    I had a 4 thousand sf dream home once upon a time ago… but we were 3 generations under the same roof. Lost the sandwich generations and keep sizing down. I love these tiny homes but will never want one for lack of a garden. I am going for small plus greenhouse… but son pushing for me to live in MIL apt in his house and back to 3 generations. I am negotiating for at least half acre. Life is awesome and smaller homes make it more financially secure and frees up time to enjoy.

  • Martha
    June 9, 2014, 1:10 pm

    If I planned on moving locations even once in a while, I’d rather have an RV. I lived very comfortably for about 2-1/2 yrs in a 34′ fifth-wheel trailer. It wasn’t nearly as large and roomy as some, but I could have done with less.

    Now I would prefer a cabin in a forest somewhere and stay put!

  • Andrij Klymkiw
    January 1, 2016, 1:30 pm

    where can I get the tiny house magazine subcription

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