Can’t Decide Between a Boat or RV? This $130K Travel Trailer Promises to Do Both

Labor Day weekend and the summer travel season may be in the rearview mirror, but one new concept isn’t ready to wave goodbye to warm-weather fun. The Caracat, an RV idea from the Heidelberg, Germany-based company of the same name in partnership with Schneider Caravaning, is a travel trailer–catamaran hybrid meant to take you from country roads to lakeside campsites—and directly onto the water.

The design’s primary innovation is its deployable pontoons. With them tucked under, in theory, the Caracat’s slender profile would make it easy to be tow down backcountry roads. With the pontoons extended, the craft would become a vessel with double hulls like a catamaran, increasing its stability threefold when compared to a design without, says the manufacturer, since it would both raise the vessel off the water and widen its footprint. Apparently it’s why double hulls are favored by everyone from America’s Cup racers to Lake Tahoe leisure-boaters.

The best version of the transforming RV, if built, will be when it’s on the water. When deployed, the pontoons are designed to become decking that meet more deck at the bow and stern to create a wrap-around patio. A portion of the roof would be able to open to expand the ceilings, while the other side of the roof would offer additional covered seating space.