Outdoors

Dub box introduces retro-styled trailers for campers and foodies

Dub box introduces retro-styled trailers for campers and foodies
The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
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The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
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The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
You don't have to be a hippy to recognize the iconic Microbus styling
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You don't have to be a hippy to recognize the iconic Microbus styling
The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
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The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
No conversion kit needed
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No conversion kit needed
The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
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The Dub box shares its styling with the Volkswagen Type 2
No conversion kit needed
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No conversion kit needed
Rectangular body, square windows
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Rectangular body, square windows
Storage space in back
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Storage space in back
The dining area seats four
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The dining area seats four
A two-ring stove offers cooking space
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A two-ring stove offers cooking space
Sink with pump action faucet
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Sink with pump action faucet
Sound system for in-cabin music listening
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Sound system for in-cabin music listening
The Dub box features a small, retro-styled fridge
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The Dub box features a small, retro-styled fridge
The Dub box sleeps two but seats four
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The Dub box sleeps two but seats four
The Dub box sleeps two but seats four
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The Dub box sleeps two but seats four
One large interior space functions as kitchen, dining/living room and bedroom
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One large interior space functions as kitchen, dining/living room and bedroom
It's not exactly spacious, but it has a functional amount of room
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It's not exactly spacious, but it has a functional amount of room
The dining area doubles as the bedroom
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The dining area doubles as the bedroom
The double bed
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The double bed
A countertop works as food prep space or a small breakfast nook
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A countertop works as food prep space or a small breakfast nook
Dub box pairs classic styling with modern conveniences
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Dub box pairs classic styling with modern conveniences
Breakfast with view
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Breakfast with view
Open up the window to let air and views in
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Open up the window to let air and views in
Buyers have many choices including blinds
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Buyers have many choices including blinds
Open up the window to let air and views in
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Open up the window to let air and views in
Open up the window to let air and views in
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Open up the window to let air and views in
The Dub box is light enough to be towed by a variety of vehicles
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The Dub box is light enough to be towed by a variety of vehicles
The Dub box pop-up will be available later this year
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The Dub box pop-up will be available later this year
The pop-top version will have two bunks in addition to the double bed
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The pop-top version will have two bunks in addition to the double bed
The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
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The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
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The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
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The VW Type 2 may be more classic, but the Dub box should prove easier to own and maintain
Pull the table out and the bench seats double as couches
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Pull the table out and the bench seats double as couches
Small (not necessarily large) dogs welcome
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Small (not necessarily large) dogs welcome
The double bed appears too cozy for anything but a couple
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The double bed appears too cozy for anything but a couple
Dub box offers customers full customization options
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Dub box offers customers full customization options
Choose interior and exterior colors, flooring, upholstery and more
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Choose interior and exterior colors, flooring, upholstery and more
Customers can also select from a variety of countertop materials
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Customers can also select from a variety of countertop materials
Dub box offers customers full customization options
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Dub box offers customers full customization options
Make the Dub box your own
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Make the Dub box your own
View gallery - 40 images

Dub box USA offers a new solution for nostalgic folks yearning for a camper as cool as the Volkswagen Type 2 of the 1950s and 60s. Its line of camping trailers is inspired by the classic VW buses, and is offered without the expense and headaches of restoring an old Type 2. You get out-of-the-box convenience with timeless, retro looks.

It may not be the largest, most useful camper, but the converted Volkswagen Type 2 van - or Bulli, Transporter, Microbus, etc. - is definitely among the most iconic. Everything about the van just screams "open road freedom" ... except perhaps for the fact that the first two generations of the Type 2 - the generations that made the model an icon - are now more than 30 (and even up to 62) years old. That type of age in a vehicle means all kinds of maintenance and restoration work, money and headaches.

VW may eventually create a reinvented Bulli cool enough to command the love and admiration of the original, but so far it's been noncommittal. You could always go to Brazil where true-to-origin Type 2 vans are still built today, but in the United States and Europe, the options are largely to find and restore a classic Type 2 or buy a newer (not nearly as awesome) Type 2 camper.

Now there's a new option that lets you get a brand new camper while enjoying timeless, decades-old looks. UK-based Dub box makes exactly zero effort to hide the fact that its line of campers was inspired by the VW Type 2. It even shows them being towed by same-colored Type 2s in its marketing photos, and the name "Dub box" (as in boxy V-Dub) pays homage. The camping trailers feature the same rounded-rectangle shape and square windows as the original Transporters. They also get two-toned exterior paint jobs. The only thing that might be missing for some nostalgic Type 2 fans is the split windshield of the first-generation vans.

Open up the window to let air and views in
Open up the window to let air and views in

Much the way the original Transporters were a symbol of freedom and individual spirit, the Dub box is designed to be completely customized by its owner. The company offers it in do-it-yourself models and completed campers, both of which offer the buyer plenty of say in colors, materials and equipment. Buyers can individualize their trailers with exterior and interior colors, flooring, blinds, upholstery and countertop materials.

The Dub box sleeps two with a double bed and offers a dining area large enough for four. It has kitchenette with two-ring gas burner, stainless steel sink, pump-action tap and retro fridge.

Dub box USA announced US availability this week and a rep said that the first models will arrive in May. The standard Dub box retails for US$17,990 and the DIY version, which requires you to assemble and paint it, costs $8,990. Dub box also offers the trailers in retail and food vendor configurations ranging between $14,990 and $22,990. A larger pop-top version with two bunk beds and a queen will launch in the future.

View gallery - 40 images
6 comments
6 comments
Marcus Carr
It looks cute, but what does it weigh? Is a VW van really going to be capable of towing it at an acceptable highway speed? If you use it with anything else (like the Audi in one picture) it looks whimsical but slightly impractical - neither fish nor fowl...
Rt1583
This could become as iconic in its simplicity (much the same as its spiritual ancestor) as the Airstream has become in its luxury and attention to detail. Maybe bring the top price down to the high teens but other than that, a simple, no frills camper fits the bill for many people who are otherwise put off by the thought of having to deal with gray water and black water tanks let alone the other maintenance aspects of larger, more complicated/comprehensive campers.
Nantha
This VW like trailer is sooo cool. Most anybody would relate it to the woodstock era and a searching of the soul. I would love to go touring in this when i retire..
Which brings me to the suggestion, why not market another version which is made of Aluminium? It would last forever and would be totally timeless. Never having to worry about rust?
Of course, i would go a step further and replica the Volkswagen type 2, in Aluminium, too and make both amphibious. Wouldn't that sell? The engine being the same Air cooled boxer, or an American option with an old porsche engine and 4 wheel drive? It might not be "pure" but it would be "freedom of spirit"?
VoiceofReason
Yes the Type 2 could pull the trailer with a few simple mods. A slightly larger type 1 engine would produce quite enough horsepower to move both. Not a huge fan of the Porsche engine version. Had the camper and blew two motors. Swapped in a nice warmed over Type 1 (beetle) motor and never had another problem.
If someone wanted to go overboard, the Subaru engine has be used on the newer Wasserboxer vans with great results. Just need to find a place for the radiator.
Greg-The Guy-Wilson
I miss my old VW :(
Gregg Eshelman
Does this have a fiberglass body or is it metal?