Sneaky telescoping capsule camper triples into 8-person vacation cabin

French innovator Beauer has blown up the internet a couple times over the years with clever telescopic campers that condense to within the width of the tow vehicle before expanding nearly double or triple the size at camp. Previously, its largest expandable camper slept up to six people inside a 300-sq ft floor plan. This year, it reshuffles its lineup with a new model that offers even more capacity, sleeping a total of eight people. The new X8 is a towable retreat for large families, offering a kingly dining table, two sofa lounges, two bedrooms and sleeping berths for all eight occupants.

The X8 appears to be based on the same bones as the 3X Plus Beauer introduced back in 2019 but with two new reworked floor plans designed to accommodate up to eight people instead of six. It measures the same 262 in (665 cm) in total length, supported by two axles. Beauer advertises 323 square feet (30 sq m) of floor space, slightly up from the 300-sq ft (28-sq m) figure it floated for the 3X Plus.

When all hitched up and rolling down the highway, the Beauer looks like a simple travel trailer that could house a family of four comfortably. But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.

Beauer's design expands the trailer interior from a single space that needs to fit the entirety of the floor plan to three individual sections that each house a different space. The biggest change separating the X8 from the 3X Plus is found just inside and left of the entry door. Instead of the corner dining room with folding table and chair set Beauer used in the 3X Plus, the X8 features an L-shaped sofa set around the table. Not only is this a cleaner construction for a camper, it can now convert into a 55 x 79-in (140 x 200-cm) double bed, adding the extra two berths that put the "8" into X8.

Beauer mirrors that corner sofa to create a living area to the right of the entry, another divergence from the 3X Plus, which had a smaller rear-facing sofa. A tall closet directly in front of the entry serves to divide the two spaces, and the right-side living area includes an entertainment center and available wall-mounted TV. This sofa, too, converts in a 55 x 79-in double bed.

The center segment of the X8 carries over the basic layout from the 3X Plus, with an L-shaped kitchen directly behind the dining area and a wet bathroom on the other side. The kitchen comes equipped with a triple-burner gas stove, sink and 190-L fridge/freezer. The dry bathroom houses the usual combination of hot/cold shower with door, cassette toilet, sink and mirror.

The rearmost of the X8's three segments houses the main sleeping quarters. Mirroring the rest of the floor plan, it's divided into two separate rooms. The layout of these rooms is what separates Beauer's two individual X8 floor plans: the eight-person layout sees each one serving as a full-time bedroom with double bed, while the alternative six-sleeper floor plan turns one bedroom into an office with built-in desk.

The dual-bedroom floor plan has the L-shaped kitchen flipped around with its counter against the rear wall, creating an open space in conjunction with the dining area. The office floor plan has the kitchen counter next to the dining room, with the dining table extending off of it.

The X8 comes wired with a 150-Ah lithium battery and multifunctional control screen. Buyers can upgrade to a 200-Ah battery and add up to four 100-W solar panels. Both the fresh and gray water tanks carry 55 liters. A Clesana X1 dry-wrapping toilet is available in place of the cassette toilet, complementing Beauer's horizontal telescopic design with a vertical telescopic action designed to optimize seat height.

The X8 trailer rides on an AL-KO chassis and weighs 5,732 lb (2,600 kg). The 220-lb (100-kg) payload seems modest for this large of a trailer, but a size-tripling trailer doesn't come without a weight penalty.

Beauer introduced the X8 at this year's Düsseldorf Caravan Salon, where the company's multiple expanded trailer exhibit proved one of the more bustling corners of the show. The trailer starts at €109,990 (approx. US$122,900), and the lengthy options list includes air conditioning and heating, a Thule awning, an oven, microwave and mini-dishwasher for the kitchen, a TV, and a washing machine.

Source: Beauer