Pavlo Volkov from Kyiv, a big fan of nature and traveling, has turned his twin loves into a successful business. About a year ago, he decided to build his own camper, a trailer that is a home on wheels, for his future travel adventures.
The result was a shiny silver trainer that includes beds, a TV, and a kitchenette that can be towed by the car of anyone who has a category B license. He displayed his creation at a retro car exhibition in September, where it got lots of attention.
At a subsequent exhibition, Volkov got his first orders for similar trailers, and realized that his product had big business potential.
So together with Andrii Pyliavskyi, Volkov’s childhood friend, he founded Lifestyle Camper, a company that since December has designed and manufactured 12 trailers to order.
According to Volkov, Europeans start planning their spring and summer holidays in winter, while in Ukraine people decide they want to buy a trailer two days before a vacation. Volkov’s customers have to think a bit further ahead than that, however — Lifestyle Camper is a young company that works only to order, and it takes around two months to produce each trailer.
The company’s customers are racing drivers, who use it as accommodation at race tracks, fishermen, hunters, people visiting festivals around Europe, and families who love nature and like to travel around the country.
Volkov says that sometimes clients stop off at the company on their way back home from a trip to tell about their holiday and thank the Lifestyle Camper’s owners for their work.
“We’re very glad that our products give people so much pleasure,” he says.
Thoughtful design
The design of the trailers was inspired by the teardrop trailers that first appeared in the United States in the 1930s — from the side, the trailers have a teardrop shape.
In fact, Lifestyle Camper now produces two trailer models — the Teardrop ($5,900) and the LINE-X ($7,900). The LINE-X is a bit bigger, has a more angular shape and is supplied with more equipment.
However, both models are very compact, each containing a bedroom and a kitchenette. Although the camper van looks small, it comfortably sleeps two adults and one child. The bedroom includes a mattress, small cabinets and shelves, a stereo system with external and internal speakers, an LED TV and lighting. The kitchenette, access from the outside at the back of the trailer, has a fridge, a stove, a sink, and storage cabinets.
Besides the basic equipment, customers can order additional features such as a heater, a fan, a freezer, a tent, a table, an external shower and more. Volkov says that some clients spend up to an extra $8,000 on add-ons.
Covered in stainless steel or polyurea, the trailers are resistant to even the worst weather conditions. Because of its shape and size, the camper is maneuverable and can be driven over any terrain a regular car can go. The trailer weighs around 500 kilograms and can be towed by any kind of car. And unlike big camper vans or mobile homes, these trailers don’t require a special driving category.
The on-board water tank has a capacity is 50 liters. The camper’s battery bank can provide power for four days without recharging. There is also an option to install built-in solar panels so as to be completely independent of camping areas and mains electricity.
Both models are stylish and neat — as is the workshop where they are made, a garage with gray walls, well-maintained machines and tidy boxes of tools.
Volkov says he believes beautiful things should be made in beautiful places.
“We have always kept the workshop clean,” he told the Kyiv Post.
Competitors
Apart from Lifestyle Camper, several companies that produce camper trailers in Ukraine. Most make big camper vans with lots of space and comfort for traveling, such as Kozak, a trailer model produced by Ukrainian company Camper Group.
But because of their size and weight, such campers can’t get to all terrains, which limits adventure possibilities. On top of that, driving them requires a special license category.
Ukrainians also buy abroad a large range of secondhand trailers for resale here, which are cheaper because of their old age. However, Volkov says these might look good, but are mostly worn out and won’t last long.
Stanislav Krupa, an entrepreneur who bought a trailer made by Lifestyle Camper for fishing and holidaying says he looked for a suitable camper for a while, and settled on Volkov’s due to its high quality.
Apart from on the Ukrainian market, Lifestyle Camper sells its products through dealers in Germany and the Netherlands, where the trailers have undergone tests and been awarded certificates that allow their use.
Lifestyle Camper now plans to hire more employees to speed up production. They are also getting ready to register their trademark.
Volkov says they don’t plan to design any new trailer models until the end of the year, but that they are already thinking about new projects, including mobile shops and cafes for selling street food.
