Bowlus Rolls Out Lightest Camper

Trailer towing is one of the hardest tests for an EV. Not because they pull poorly, but because doing so saps their battery pack. Luxury camper manufacturer Bowlus has a solution with its Heritage Edition trailer that, at 2,900 lbs. empty, is the lightest full-size travel trailer in the industry.

Additionally, the camper comes standard with its own 2-kilowatt-hour battery pack to power camping loads and there are optional 4- and 6-kWh packs available for even more electric power while off the grid without draining the towing EV’s battery.

The Bowlus Heritage Edition, which starts at $159,000, achieves its light weight through the use of aluminum monocoque chassis and riveted aluminum skin, like expensive sports cars used before they switched to even costlier (and lighter) carbon fiber. This price represents a more affordable opportunity for buyers than the original Bowlus Terra Firma camper, which starts at $285,000, and the 17-kWh battery Volterra, which starts at $310,000.

“The Heritage Edition maintains the ultra-high quality of all Bowlus models, but with the enhanced flexibility of a more streamlined starting point,” said Geneva Long, Founder and CEO of Bowlus. “This offering will give aspiring Bowlus owners who prefer a scalable assortment of premium options, such as extra battery power, the ability to own a Bowlus that better suits their vision of luxury land travel.”

Related:The $310,000 Bowlus Volterra Camper Promises Off-the-Grid Luxury

The Heritage also weighs 300-350 lbs. less than those models, making it easier for an EV to tow. Some of that weight savings comes from the use of aluminum for the camper’s interior walls in place of the warm wooden walls and composite countertops instead of stainless steel in the pricier trailers. There are also fewer kitchen cabinets built in.

A detail that contributes the Heritage Edition’s lower price is that Bowlus leaves the camper’s exterior skin unpolished, while the other models’ sheet metal is polished to a mirror finish. If the prospect of dull aluminum sounds unappealing, the company is offering satin gray and matte black vinyl wraps for the Heritage Edition.

Amenities from the higher-end models that are deleted in the Heritage Edition include heated floors and a freshwater filtration system that clears bacteria, sediment, and chorine from the camper’s water supply.