Looking to Escape?

Just you, a Bike and the open road? We are working hard to make this dream possible for many bike enthusiests, campers, cyclists and even motocycle riders who love the outdoors but would love a little more creature comfort. our concept is simple. A self contained eco friendly with solar electricity mini camper that can be towed by a bicycle anywhere! no set up just park it and use it! Add adventure to your bike trips by easily extending your trips with this easy to tow portable shelter, just pack and go!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Coffee at the Mondragon

Coffee at the Mondragon cafe this weekend with our team chatting about our project and discussing the blue prints of the mark II mini camper design. One of the things we were talking about is just how lucky we are to have an awesome team like this working on this project, we have saved so much money just being able to do so much of the work ourselves. Kel is an amazing Drafts person who without which we would be paying someone a good $65.00 per hour for their Drafting services. And don't let those videos fool you into thinking we spent loads on those because I do those for us at my own expense of many hours at the 3d rendering and then video editing. So we've been very lucky in that aspect as well. Mike V. has been spending exhaustive hours gathering information to add into our business plan as well. So a lot of progress is happening. We are getting all of our ducks lined up and ready so that when we finally have our funding we can get them rolling on producing our prototype of the Mark II mini camper.

We had a great time also this week attending the Chesterfield Magazine's issues 8 launch party which I had one of my artworks published in the latest issue. We showed our mini camper project to many of the attendees and they loved it. Many had questions about it such as weight which we are estimating around 130 to 150 lbs. give or take a little based on our current research. Next issue we are planning to run a full page ad in the Chesterfield magazine to hopefully draw some more exposure to our project and see if we can get more people on board with helping out to donate funds for our project. We've a long way to go and we are looking at ways to fund outside of our indieGoGo campaign since that does not seem to be working very well for us. After christmas we are looking at doing a fund raiser social so we are looking into what we need to do to get that ball rolling.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Like us on Facebook

If you are one Facebook and would like to follow us there too please feel free to like us on Facebook and get even more connected to updates and events with our Bicycle Mini Camper Project and also shared posts from the cycling community, YouTube videos and more!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Is the World Ready For This?

The question may have been raised before, or maybe not? But here it is again, the idea of a mini camper that can be towed by a bicycle. It's not particularly a new idea. The idea has been done before only quite often ending up as being not very practical and being more of a novelty item. But in all seriousness what if such a product existed? What if such a product was practical in every way? Would the world be ready for such a product.

I can't speak for the world when it comes to my own opinion on the issue, I only know that there are a lot of people who have stepped up to the plate and built their own home made bicycle campers, built them because they wanted such a product so badly that they were driven to build it themselves. They had no choice since there is nothing like it on the market outside of the motorcycle industry. There are some small trailers made for bikes but a lot of these are along the lines of a "tent in a box." When we first started toying with the idea of a bicycle mini camper a "tent in a box" is the farthest thing away from what we wanted as cyclists who had had our experiences with tents. We wanted something that would keep you off of the damp ground, high and dry, survive the heaviest of downpours, offer many of the simple creature comforts of home and be easy and light weight enough to tow. We came up with our first camper concept and then tweaked it based on feedback from the cycling community. We feel it meets or exceeds many of the requirements that we wanted in a mini camper as cyclists. But is the world ready? I know that if I personally knew that such a product existed that I could buy commercially I would be all over this! My partners also agree, many of the people we have shown our camper concept to have also said and I quote: "This is the Coolest thing I have ever seen!" But would they buy it? Yes! is the definitive answer we have gotten back in response to that question time, and time again during our long endeavor into this project. We even have some dealerships very interested in carrying our product once it is developed and I think that alone speaks volumes because those people know their customers. I think also that if a lot of people knew that such a product existed they too would more than likely be very interested in such a thing.

We also know that commuter cycling in our fair city alone is up quite a higher percentage from previous years. This trend seems to be the same for the U.S. as well and also appears to be happening in the U.K. We know also that our research has indicated that bike camping statistics are also on a similar upwards trend as well. All of which would indicate a certain sort of "ripeness" for a product like our Bicycle Mini Camper.

On another more darker note though, what would happen if suddenly your life took an unexpected change for the worse and you were forced to live on the street. Would something like our mini camper be so much better that a cardboard box in some alley somewhere? You would be mobile, able to travel in freedom and comfort, sure a more "Nomadic" lifestyle would be in order. But given your alternative? I know that I would do it, in a heartbeat, hands down! One only has to go to google image results and type in "bicycle camper" to see the results of just how ready the world could very well be for such a product. I know I want one, my partners want one, many of the people we have presented our concept to would like one and I'll just bet there are many, many more unenlightened souls out there who would also love to own one ;)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012


A marketing poster concept we came up with to help promote our Bicycle Mini Camper project. We can have a lot of fun with these types of marketing campaigns given the name of our mini camper trailer but right now our toughest challenge is in trying to get people to dig into their pocketbooks and help us out. We can't get our prototype built without help from the community which is sadly lacking right now. We are not sure what we have to do to get people on board with this idea. So far we have bucket loads of people who love our idea and think it's nothing short of brilliant, and even dealerships interested in our product. But when it comes to trying to get those people to support our project we are finding that very tough. If we could get even one percent of the community out there to chip in we could get this done and get our prototype out there for people to see in the real world, from that point on it will practically sell itself once people see this thing being towed around.

We REALLY need people to go to our IndieGoGo Campaign page and chip in whatever they can to help us out! We need to build it so you will eventually be able to actually purchase one of our bicycle mini campers commercially at your local dealerships or online through our website.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

"Urban Freedom Outlander Mark II 11" by mdkgraphics | Redbubble

"Urban Freedom Outlander Mark II 11" by mdkgraphics | Redbubble:


If you could take your home with you on a bike, how far would you go?

Be sure to check out the blog to learn more at:
http://www.urbanfreedomoutlander.blogspot.ca

Web site:
http://www.ufocamper.ca


Help support our project:
http://igg.me/p/232699?a=1300437

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Monday, October 8, 2012

Urban Freedom Outlander Mark II Design Completed

I have completed the new design for our 2nd version of our Bicycle Mini Camper. As you can see in these new 3D renderings our Mini Camper has a different shape making it less resistant to wind with the curved front and back. Our size is pretty much the same although this one I believe does have a little more head room while sitting up inside. I have also made a slightly larger fold out table.




Our rear stabilizer jacks are a little different to accommodate the position of the rear compartment hatch, they are of the "Swing Down" telescopic type of jack. This version of our Mini Camper has vents on the sides as well as the one on the roof, the side vents work very similar to those found in most automobiles where you can open or close the vents with a small switch or lever.





The same curtains and privacy blinds from our first version also fit the windows of our 2nd design as the windows are pretty much the same size and shape. The Solar panel is positioned a little more towards the back just behind the transparent skylight dome. The rear lights plaque is positioned a little higher off of the ground in this version because of it's unique almost "Egg" shape.





The external AC power cord hatch is also positioned more towards the back just behind the wheel well, we also placed the Solar battery compartment on the opposite side also just behind the wheel well.








Because of our Mini Campers new shape our trailer base is a little smaller which we believe should further cut down on the overall weight.










The interior design is also changed in that we now have the shelving unit along the door side wall, this makes for a shorter shelving unit. Foot space in front of the bed when folded up and used as a seat is also much smaller but still very efficient. We still have a very adequate amount of under the bed storage accessible from a removable panel located at the foot of the bed right next to the door.



You can see clearly how our new more aerodynamic design should make traveling much easier, even with a fairly strong wind blowing. All this plus ultra light weight construction should make this a very appealing choice for any avid bicycle camper. When given the problems with tents in rainy or damp conditions you are sure to love being high and dry and with many of the creature comforts of home with our newly designed Bicycle Mini Camper.

We are working very hard to make this dream a reality but we can't do it alone. We need your help to help make this new and innovative product a reality. We are trying to raise funds on our IndieGoGo campaign page so that we can have a Prototype built for spring 2012 in time for MEC's Bikefest and to also have it ready for other cycling and outdoor events throughout the summer like Cyclovia and many more. Please go to our IndieGoGo Campaign Page and be sure to check out the perks we are offering to show our appreciation of your support. With your help we can make this dream possible. So if this is a product that you would like to see one day available on the market please help support us in this goal.

Team UFO thanks you :D

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Urban Freedom Outlander Mark II

Presenting the Urban Freedom Outlander Mark II. I have the basic design done and I'm just working out some of the finer details like the rear compartment access hatch, interior floor plan and things like where to place the solar panel and exterior power cord hatch and battery placement. This version sacrifices a little floor space but we still have under the bed storage compartments, a shelving unit alongside the wall next to the door this time. I think I have a good idea for where and how to make a fold out table, this time it will be right up against the front of the camper's front wall, I believe I can make a much bigger table top area by utilizing this space more effectively.

If this version should prove to be more popular it very well may be our first prototype built, we'll have to wait and see what kind of response it gets from a lot of the cycling community.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

I was doing a little doodling for secondary concept designs for future design considerations. This is a design based on what one of our Team UFO Kel had envisioned. Similar to the first only more oval shaped with a dome / skylight on top. As you can see from the design we still make excellent usage of under the bed storage with a hatch that folds down to gain access to a spare tire and possible any tools that one would wish to carry on an extended trip. This design also still has a bed that converts into a seat so campers can sit upright inside of the mini camper. This design also features side vents for added ventilation along with the standard top exhaust vent. This design features an even smaller trailer base thus trimming weight even more.

Bicycle Mini Camper Promo Video 03



Our latest video promo featuring our Mini Bicycle Camper alongside of a bike so you have a much better visual representation of the scale of our Mini Camper concept design. When we say "Mini" we sure mean it. ;)

Monday, October 1, 2012

New Promo Pics

I have been working hard all week on some new promo pictures that show our Bicycle Mini Camper alongside a bike so people will have a better visual understanding of our campers scale.









When we say mini camper we mean "Mini Camper." You can see clearly the comparison in size compared to this rendering of our camper next to my mountain bike.









Our Mini Camper sleeps one person comfortably, and probably two if they were small enough and very cozy ;)










Practical design and outstanding use of space will make our Mini Camper a premium choice for the cyclist who loves to camp but hates the hassle of setting up a tent.

With our Mini Camper's ultra light weight construction "how far will you travel?"

Blue Prints

I met with our other Team UFO partner Kel on Sunday who showed me the blue prints (floor plans) of our trailer design. They look fantastic! Kel is doing an AMAZING job. This is a very important step in our project development as these floor plans are what the various manufacturers will use to create our prototype.

I was saying to Mike V. this morning about how lucky we have been that we have saved so much by having the right people on our team, the design was done by yours truly and even the video presentations ;) and with Kel being an experience professional Draftsman we are no doubt saving a bundle there too!! I've been saying all along it is like this project was just meant to be ;)

We just need to get the ball rolling more on our indieGoGo campaign. We'll be contacting as many green friendly technology companies locally this week to see if we can get them on board with funding so we'll see how that goes but every little drop in our bucket helps bring us closer to our goal.