Designer Dan George Discusses Using Cutting Edge Engineering To Create New Possibilities In RV Living
Dan George has always been about innovation. Starting with building unique structures at the Canoe Bay Resort in Wisconsin, his design thoughts have always been about pushing the edge. With the “tiny house” boom coming in to full view with RV options, George sat down with The Buzz to discuss the cutting edge engineering and forward thinking to create new intentions in RV living with the Traveler XL.
The Buzz: Can you speak about creating these new types of RVs from a structural, architectural and practical standpoint?
Dan George: First off, all of our units are architecturally designed and built to an extremely high standard. We come from the high end construction field and so we’re used to building buildings that are of a very high quality nature. What we did was simply adapt the design using our really terrific architect into a smaller package. Now it just depends on which package people want. We start at 20 feet and go to 30 feet…30 feet being the XL unit. That unit has a private back bedroom and it has large living/dining area and then a large bathroom. But everything in the unit feels, looks and was designed to be “full size”. So rather than making everything tiny, we think that even if you are in a really small space, you can still feel like you’re living in a large space. And that really is the key to our architecture.
The Buzz: Can you discuss your inspiration specifically in making the XL Moduler in terms of the Tub Shower as well as the Washer & Dryer?
DG: Obviously when you’re building something that is on wheels that is an RV, there are design considerations that have to be taken into account for the entire unit. You are also very limited as far as width goes, simply by DOT regulations. You can’t make the building 17 feet wide. And when you’re limited like that, what you have to look at is what is going to be the best use of space. And it turns out for instance, with the bathroom, in order to get a bathroom that feels like a “normal bathroom”, it works best if it is on the end of the building. In our case, the bathroom is on the front end of the building. This also puts it in the perfect spot as far as utilities go so that it functions “the best”. The washer/dryer, the shower…obviously all of that is engineered into the unit…so that sits perfectly [as well]. Obviously people are moving these things around so they have to travel in a very specific way. And then the other consideration of course is weight. You have to have proper weight distribution throughout the unit. All those factors, along with many others, go into it. And it turns out, with the bathroom in the front, with the design we use, you not only get the bathroom big but you get the attic or sleeping area above the bathroom. So you get both of those in one location. As far as the XL goes you also get the bedroom in the back and you can add the option for another bedroom on top of that. So in effect you can have three complete sleeping areas, not including the fold down couch. Adding all of those together, you have a fairly good sized unit in terms of being able to sleep people besides the fact that you have a full sized kitchen.
The Buzz: Can you speak about the loft design integrated with a sloping roof since that also has to do with weight dispersal?
DG: Roof design is critical in RVs. Of course, most typical RVs have a flat roof. In our case, we wanted something that was more architectural as well as useful. If you go to a typical gable roof, which is very popular with some people, the problem is that you lose a tremendous amount of space on each side, just from the pitch of the roof. So the space above becomes problematic. In our case, we have what you commonly call a “shelf type” roof. In other words, it’s a pitched roof but it is high so you have plenty of space…sleeping space…storage space, etc. It is also architecturally more interesting to look at. On the one side, with that type of roof, you have clear storied windows so the one thing people notice instantly when they walk into our buildings is that they feel very very open…and they feel very very spacious. Instead of feeling closed in, a lot of gable buildings have this kind of Hansel & Gretel quality to them whereby it feels very closed. Our building is directly opposite and it was designed that way. It feels very open. And that is the first comment people have usually when they walk into our buildings is that they feel so big. That is just proper use of space. It is allowing plenty of room. I’m a fairly large person and when I go into a “normal” RV, it feels cramped to me. Even with slide outs, it feels small to me. Everything feels small. In our case, everything feels big.
The Buzz: Can you talk about the windows and the engineering challenges of keeping them so open in a movable structure?
DG: First of all, we’ve gone over 30000 miles with it. So far we have had zero problems. We have not had any windows crack. We have not had any window problems whatsoever. But, as you alluded to, there was a lot of engineering that went into that. And the way that the unit is put together framed…and the way the unit actually moves, is critical to that being the case. So there are many many engineering ideas. And the way the windows are installed, is critical also so that, in effect, when the building is moving, to some degree [the windows] are floating. So the building was put together, front to back, and every detail, with that in mind. Without the windows, you end up with that closed-in space. And we are not a “closed-in space” kind of people. The critical thing too that you have to remember, is that the window side of the building is the dead side of the building when it’s traveling. It’s away from traffic. It is traveling on the outside so to speak. People ask all the time “Is it safe to travel” [or] “Do the windows break?” No…the windows don’t have any problem whatsoever. We’ve gone way past that now. Now, we are looking at other innovative ways to use windows.
Tim Wassberg
A graduate of New York University's Tisch School Of The Arts with degrees in Film/TV Production & Film Criticism, Tim has written for magazines such as Moviemaker, Moving Pictures, Conde Nast Traveler UK and Casino Player. He enjoys traveling and distinct craft beers among other things.
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Escape Traveler's Traveler XL is hand-crafted in our own RVIA Certified plant and designed for extreme climates including heavy snow, brutal cold and searing heat. The design magically blends the best of Tiny Homes into an RV providing you a small, energy-efficient space.