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Happier Camper HC1 Studio
(Photo: Graham Averill)

Tested: Happier Camper HC1 Studio Review

The Happier Camper HC1 Studio isn't just pretty

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(Photo: Graham Averill)

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I knew the small camper I鈥檓 towing behind my truck was adorable because everyone鈥攆rom soccer moms outside of the grocery store to bikers at the gas station鈥攌ept telling me it was.

The Happier Camper definitely has a unique mid-century modern vibe鈥攑icture what the Jetsons would sleep in if they went camping. It is cute as hell and seems to be designed specifically for making your Insta page pop. But just because a piece of gear looks wonderful in a photo doesn鈥檛 mean it performs well in the field. And, starting at $39,950, it better be good. So, I spent three nights living in the HC1 Studio in and around Joshua Tree National Park in California to see if it was more than just a pretty picture.

hit the scene in 2015 with their first trailer, the , which quickly established their distinctly retro exteriors. On the inside, a modular system of cubes can be rearranged as benches, seats, a bed, sink, stove, and even a toilet. Each cube clicks into place, fitting tightly into grooves molded into the trailer鈥檚 fiberglass floor, or can be removed from the HC1, so you can set up a comfortable camp outside. Alternatively, you can leave the cubes at home and use the HC1 as a gear trailer thanks to the floor鈥檚 four burly D-rings that let you secure unwieldy gear. The trailer itself is light as hell: the dry weight of the HC1 is 1,800 pounds. The shell is made from two layers of fiberglass with insulation in the middle, like a bathtub, which means it鈥檚 light enough to be towed with a Subaru or small SUV, and is warm enough for winter camping.

In November, the company released the HC1 Studio, which keeps the modular bed and table system but adds a stationary kitchen with a two-burner stove, sink, and Dometic drawer refrigerator, as well as a bathroom with a shower and toilet. It also comes standard with propane and hot water heaters and a lithium ion battery that powers the fridge, interior lights, and the USB ports. You can also upgrade to a package that includes solar (from $49,950), which doubles the stored battery capacity, adds an air conditioner, and gives you the potential to stay off the grid longer.

Happier Camper HC1 Studio
One of many possible interior configurations of the HC1 Studio. (Photo: Graham Averill)

The addition of the kitchen and bathroom do eat into the interior space and limit your ability to use the Studio as a gear hauler. But it should go without saying that having a kitchen and bathroom in the camper is incredibly useful and turns camping into a more civilized affair. I like cooking outside, so I would probably prefer the modular kitchen that you can use inside or outside, but having the bathroom was clutch. I asked the founder of Happier Camper, Derek Michael May, why he added the HC1 Studio to their quiver and he was blunt: 鈥淏ecause some people want four walls around them when they poop.鈥

It’s true. It鈥檚 hard to overstate how great it is to have a bathroom in the trailer. I particularly like it when I was camping on BLM land without pit toilets. The 聽Happier Camper uses is great, since it eliminates the need to deal with waste water. Basically, a battery-operated flush system sucks your waste into a bag that you dispose of in a dumpster. To save space, the toilet is located inside the shower, which is pretty common for RVs. Is it weird to sit on the toilet when you take a shower? Yes. But is it worth it to be able to shower when you鈥檙e deep in the desert miles from the nearest running water? Absolutely. (The Studio has 17-gallon fresh and gray water tanks.)

A big part of the appeal of Happier Camper鈥檚 trailers is that they鈥檙e small, which makes them easier to tow and maneuver. The Studio is small enough to fit into a single parking space, which is great when you鈥檙e on the road. It鈥檚 also not much taller than a teardrop-style trailer, so it doesn鈥檛 act like a sail the way some taller campers do. I drove through the windmill fields of Southern California during high-wind warnings and barely felt a wiggle behind me.

The flip side is that the interior can feel a little claustrophobic. It has 73 inches of headroom in front of the kitchen, which is plenty of height for most people to stand upright, and roughly the same amount of width as the queen bed, so most people can sleep in there with no problem. But I鈥檓 six foot, three inches tall, so I had to hunch and sleep at an angle. Even if you鈥檙e under six foot, you鈥檙e going to want to be really enamored with the person you鈥檙e sharing the camper with, because space is tight.

Still, the interior is very well designed and I was perfectly comfortable during my tenure in the Studio. There are lights where you need them, charging ports everywhere, and enough space for two people to occupy the bench seats and table when I transformed the bed into the living room configuration. And there鈥檚 plenty of storage for gear. Each cube pulls triple duty as a seat, bed support, and organizational bin. There鈥檚 no wasted space in this thing at all鈥攅very angle within the shell seems to hide a drawer or cubby. Being able to pack all of your gear away (one cube for kitchen tools, another for clothes, etcetera) allows you to declutter the interior and maximize the living space. And because the interior footprint is compact, you can be standing outside of the camper and simply reach in through the door to access the fridge for a beer. I found that particularly handy.

Happier Camper HC1 Studio rear hatch
The modular design of the HC1 Studio lets you set up camp however you’d like鈥攊nside or out. (Photo: Graham Averill )

Personally, if I didn’t have a budget, I’d get the upgraded version. You get amenities like an awning and a sound system, plus solar panels and two lithium Ion batteries with a power inverter for AC. The model I tested had AC outlets in addition to the USB ports, but those outlets could only be used when plugged into shore power, like at an RV resort. I spent my whole weekend worrying that I was draining the battery life by keeping my beer cold in the Dometic fridge, and in fact, ran out of power on my third night in the desert. I woke up to warm beer and no power for lights or my phone.

Because it鈥檚 so damn cute, I was worried how the Studio would handle rough roads. It doesn鈥檛 look like a burly overlander, and it isn鈥檛, but it has 14 inches of clearance and you can upgrade to larger all-terrain tires if you know you鈥檒l be exploring questionable roads. I had the stock tires, and the Studio handled the washboard backroads of Joshua Tree with no problem. I wouldn鈥檛 take the thing rock crawling, but I have no doubt it鈥檚 tough enough to survive the majority of Forest Service and BLM roads out there.

The coolest feature on the Studio is the large rear hatch, which opens and forms an awning. After a hike or trail run, I could pop it, sit on the bed with my legs hanging out, and enjoy the breeze and some shade while drinking a beer. I woke up early each morning, opened the back and watched the sun rise over the mountains while sitting there drinking coffee. Maybe more importantly, the ability to basically remove a wall creates the illusion of more space when you鈥檙e sitting inside the camper.

My wife and I have an ongoing argument about whether we need a camper or small RV. I鈥檝e been dead set against them because if you鈥檙e going camping, I believe you should be outside. I don鈥檛 want to drive an RV to a campground and sit in it, eating microwave popcorn, and watching TV while sitting on a couch. My wife counters with the very simple and logical statement, 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK to be comfortable, even when you鈥檙e camping.鈥

Happier Camper might just be the middle ground that couples like us are looking for. I鈥檓 not opposed to sleeping on a comfortable bed when I鈥檓 camping and there鈥檚 nothing wrong with being able to shower and poop in private. The HC1 Studio gives you those amenities without enticing you to ignore what鈥檚 outside its fiberglass walls. And yes, it will look great in your social media feed.

Lead Photo: Graham Averill

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