If there's not a nomadic revolution going on today, there's certainly a nomadic movement.
In the last few years, either for reasons of practicality (high costs of rent or mortgages), change in lifestyle, or the search for adventure, people are customising all sorts of vehicles for travel.
If you search for 'van' on Instagram, you find scores of accounts such as #projectvanlife, with 1.2 million followers; #vanlifecamper; 472,000 followers, or #fosterhunting, 930,000 followers.
This book focuses on DIY vehicles, with most of the 80 or so shown here fitted out for the road by their owners, similar to the way that the homes in all of Shelter's building books were built by hand, by the owners. There are vans, sedans, trucks, buses, and trailers with a wide array of designs and styles. A number of the units are 4-wheel drive for off-road travel.
The book is not only fun to browse through, but is full of practical information (such as stoves, heaters, battery charging, solar power, refrigerators, and kitchens designed for the road) - for anyone wanting to create their own movable home. These owner builders describe their homes, provide photos and share their secrets. There are dozens of floor plans, all sorts of sleeping arrangements, and some unique 'stealth vehicles' - designed to be under the radar, so that passers-by have no idea that someone is sleeping in a parked vehicle.
There is a European minivan outfitted by a young German woman who just graduated from architectural school and took a sabbatical to go surfing. There are a number of camper truck shells, all completely different. There's a converted school bus that is used in both cold weather for skiing, and in warm climates (such as Baja California) for surfing. A $200,000 Land Rover and a $300 pickup truck camper shell. There's a converted horse trailer furnished with Victorian antiques that is used at Burning Man. A tiny Geo Metro (3-cylinder sedan) that is ingeniously designed for sleeping, cooking, and eating in the stealth mode.
This is the the latest addition to The Shelter Library of Building Books, which started with Shelter in 1973 and includes Home Work, Builders of the Pacific Coast, Tiny Homes, and more.
This book couldn't be more timely.
'Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me...' - Jack Kerouac, On the Road
About the Author :
Lloyd Kahn started covering builders and buildings when he was the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog in 1968. In 1973, he produced the by-now legendary book Shelter, documenting building methods around the world, and covering the '60s countercultural movement in building. Since then he has published 12 books on building, including Tiny Homes, Home Work, Tiny Homes on the Move, Small Homes, and The Half-Acre Homestead: 46 Years of Building and Gardening. He and his wife, Lesley, reside in Bolinas, California
Review :
“I was reading Lloyd Kahn's excellent Gimme Shelter newsletter in which he announced his newest book Rolling Homes — Shelter on Wheels. It’s 272 pages and loaded with photos of people who have converted vehicles into houses that they can drive.”
–Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing
“87 years old and still publishing, Lloyd Kahn is an icon in housing ideas of the most extraordinaire kinds, organic from before I was born. As with his other books, pictures jam-packed on every page, his trademark, and just enough words to let you know the coolest things about the people who created and live in their ‘Rolling Homes’.”
–Brad Kittel, Texas Tiny Houses
“Lloyd Kahn's Rolling Homes: Shelter on Wheels [is a] richly illustrated volume on nomadic lifestyles. The Californian pioneer of alternative living and building documents vehicle/homes from all over the world.”
–Andrew Mink, Tachles Magazine, Zurich, Switzerland
“FREAKING AMAZING…!!!…”
–Paul Jensen, Hollowsurfboards.com
“People who have enjoyed Shelter, Home Work, or Tiny Homes will love this book.”
–Bokus Books, Stockholm, Sweden
“…flat out spectacular! Lloyd’s graphic layout skills are over the top. Insane photography, what a feast for the eyes.”
–Jeff Chamberlain, writer, photographer, The Surfer’s Journal
“No one else but Lloyd and the team at Shelter could have made this wonderful book. Shelter is a master of publishing about creative, fascinating subcultures and this book looks like a gem. So much to look at, Lloyd's enthusiasm seems to have consumed all the white space.”
–Buz Teacher, Co-founder of Running Press
“Cram-packed with gorgeous full-color photos of wheeled wonders, Rolling Homes is a jump-start! Now I'm dreaming of that Bulgarian Vardo, a desert-to-forest-to-beach-to-backyard escape capsule.”
–C.M. Mayo
"The book is full of unique handmade and homemade rolling homes.… Lloyd Kahn’s large and colorful books are a must-have as books you keep on your shelf and hold in your hands. Thanks, Lloyd for another great book."
–Kent Griswold, tinyhouseblog.com
“Lloyd Kahn and Shelter Publications has just published
another spectacular book featuring hundreds of color photographs of
various forms of shelter on wheels. …if you are looking for inspiration
to begin your own rolling shelter adventure, or just love immersing
yourself in the amazing world of tiny homes on wheels, this book is for
you.”
–Kelly Hart, naturalbuildingblog.com
