Outdoors

Japanese X-Cabin camper is like an industrial Airstream you tow via Jimny

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X-Cabin shows its trailer with a side ladder and rooftop cargo basket
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At just 1,650 lb, the X-Cabin trailer is designed to be towed by a large variety of vehicles, including the always adorable Suzuki Jimny (dressed up here as a classic Land Rover Defender)
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The X-Cabin shares its shape with basic commercial and horse trailers but gets upgraded into a stylish trailer trailer with its polished aluminum skin, windows, baby moon wheels and accessories
X-Cabin
Located near the X-Cabin Lab production facility, X-Cabin's Free and Easy Resort is a glamping retreat designed for trailers, motorhomes and tents
X-Cabin
The X-Cabin hitches up with a Jeep Wrangler
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The X-Cabin 300 Glamp is the most versatile in the series thanks to its convertible dinette/bed
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X-Cabin 300 Glamp converted into double bed form
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Simple X-Cabin 300 Glamp kitchen with sink and single-burner portable stove
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X-Cabin 300 base model with forward-facing rear sofa-bed
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X-Cabin trailer at the marina – a few ways for leisurely traveling land and sea
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Commercial X-Cabin trailer getting towed by our favorite Japanese minivan: the Mitsubishi Delica
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Loads of cabinet space below the front counter of the X-Cabin 300 Glamp
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X-Cabin shows its trailer with a side ladder and rooftop cargo basket
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Suzuki Jimny with DAMD Little D Land Rover-style body kit and X-Cabin in tow
X-Cabin
X-Cabin offers both dual rear doors and a lift-up tailgate
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At just 15 feet long and 1,650 lb in weight, the X-Cabin is designed to comfortably maneuver through the city on the way to and from camp
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X-Cabin 300 Solo floor plan
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The Solo floor plan includes a fixed bed, front kitchen and rear storage console, pictured here with available microwave
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The X-Cabin doesn't allow for through-loading owing to the furniture that stretches across the lower part of the double rear doors
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The X-Cabin is an all-aluminum trailer atop a galvanized steel chassis from AL-KO
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X-Cabin with rear tailgate
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The X-Cabin looks perfectly matched to luxury SUVs
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On the way to greener pastures
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Ready to make camp
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Young Japanese brand X-Cabin has introduced its own rendition of the lightweight all-aluminum camping trailer. Like a classic Airstream, it features shiny riveted aluminum and rounded corners. But in a nod to its parent company's industrial roots, which cover everything from clockmaking to LED lighting, the X-Cabin 300 caravan has the plainer, boxier shape of a commercial cargo trailer. The high-efficiency floor plan includes a convertible dinette, galley and plenty of storage space.

Unlike the many tiny trailer startups birthed through the vision of one or two disgruntled RVers or tent campers, X-Cabin is the offspring of a much larger corporation with a history that dates back over a century. Located in the heart of Japanese industrial hub Nagoya, LED lighting specialist Effect Meiji Corporation introduced the X-Cabin trailer and brand in 2020, inspired in part by the same lockdown-driven cabin fever that's spurred on a new generation of RV products in many other parts of the world.

We mention X-Cabin's roots because we think the design of its 15-foot (4.6-m) X-Cabin 300 exudes them. The company has taken a very simple commercial trailer shape, quite similar to the U-Haul rental trailers ubiquitous on US highways and local roads, and polished it up into a stylish and cozy miniature vacation getaway.

The X-Cabin shares its shape with basic commercial and horse trailers but gets upgraded into a stylish trailer trailer with its polished aluminum skin, windows, baby moon wheels and accessories
X-Cabin

X-Cabin starts outside, carefully riveting shiny polished aluminum corners around the edges of slightly less shiny sidewall panels. The windows make clear that the trailer accommodates more than just cargo, and the front storage boxes match the polished aluminum look to perfection.

When combined with the AL-KO galvanized steel chassis below, X-Cabin's all-aluminum construction keeps base weight down to a small-vehicle-friendly 1,650 lb (750 kg) while providing a clean, classic look reminiscent of the American Airstream, or even more so, the Dutch Lume Traveler. The baby moon rims add to the vintage look, and buyers can opt for either double doors or a tailgate at the rear.

On the way to greener pastures
X-Cabin

Camping trailers aren't usually shown with tow vehicles striking enough to steal the show, but X-Cabin highlights its aluminum-driven lightness by hitching the 300 up to a Suzuki Jimny. And instead of just a regular Jimny, it goes for a model decked out in the Land Rover Defender-mimicking "Little D" body kit from Japanese brand DAMD. That looks like a fun combo for touring the islands, if ever we've seen one.

X-Cabin offers three different floor plans, alongside an empty commercial trailer. The most versatile of the three looks to be the X-Cabin 300 "Glamp" layout, which pairs a front galley with a classic convertible dual-bench dinette that becomes the double bed. The simple galley includes a sink and available fridge box and is designed to work with a basic portable gas camping stove.

The X-Cabin 300 Glamp is the most versatile in the series thanks to its convertible dinette/bed
X-Cabin

Both the base X-Cabin 300 and top-tier X-Cabin 300 Solo also include front dinettes but feature different styles of sofa-bed.

We're not sure that any one of the three X-Cabin 300 trims really rises to the level of "glamping," but X-Cabin gives them a big assist with a glamping resort it launched a year ago. Located in Komono, near X-Cabin's manufacturing facility, the Free and Easy Camp Resort offers trailer sites with porches, as well as motorhome and tent sites, and also hosts central amenities like a spa, sauna and restaurant. Back the X-Cabin 300 next into one of the campsites, take a quick spin in the spa or sauna before returning to the trailer to sit out on the porch and enjoy nature, and we'd say you've stepped the trip up to a full glamping experience.

Located near the X-Cabin Lab production facility, X-Cabin's Free and Easy Resort is a glamping retreat designed for trailers, motorhomes and tents
X-Cabin

We spotted X-Cabin via the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, where the company was exhibiting and looking to find a partner for expansion into the European market. In Japan, prices range between ¥5.8 million and 7.2 million (approx. US$39,550 and $49,000), depending on floor plan – looks like Airstream-like pricing for an Airstream-like trailer.

If you'd like to see X-Cabin's full company description and pitch, you can take a look at their English-dubbed introductory video. Below is a quicker promo for the trailer itself.

Source: X-Cabin

View gallery - 23 images
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4 comments
RLevy
Why isn’t this unit being promoted as an alternative to trendy ‘small houses’ that cost a minimum of 10-25 times as much. A campground of these units would be a cost effective solution to address the homeless situation. Portable, rugged and cost effective.
jayedwin98020
Realy? I'm quite under-impressed with this mini-trailer, especially for what their asking price is!

Ask yourself, are you really going to spend somewhere near $40,000+ for camping trailer which will
most likely sit parked next to your house 95% of the time, during the year.

If you decided to use it as a rental, you would have to rent it out for approximately 160 week-ends,
at $250.00 a throw, to even get it paid off. Forget about any additional expenses like insurance,
or normal ongoing maintenance the would be required to take care of your investment.

If you decided to invest the necessary money, you better really, really love it! Or, have a large sum
of mad money you're just wanting to burn!
TomLeeM
I think that is really cool looking. It seems really nice on the inside. Like the Suzuki Jimney, it might never get to the USA. I think it could do well in the USA.
DavidB
@RKevy, without a bathroom or even toilet, they’re useless as an alternative to “small houses” or as a solution to homelessness.

Also, what “small house” is selling for $400,000, never mind $1,000,000?