In this world, there are Hondas everywhere for those with the eyes to see. Passenger cars? Honda has those. Trucks? Those too. Motorcycles? Yep. Dirt bikes? Also yes. ATVs? Mhm. Generators? Sure. Cute little scooters? Yeah. Business jets? Somehow, yes.
And now, there’s a new type of Honda: the Base Station prototype, previewing a new travel trailer designed to be towed by the small SUVs that dominate American streets.
Honda had a private media reveal of the Base Station at its offices in Torrance, California about a month ago, telling attendees like me that we were there for an unnamed product reveal. I had no idea what the reveal would be — adventure vehicles? more scooters? — until I saw a sheet draped over something shaped suspiciously like a small camper.
Even then, I tried to imagine what it was like underneath. Would it be bright and silver, like an Airstream? Or blocky with small windows, like a traditional camper?
When the sheet came off, my eyes went wide. The Base Station’s rounded structural frame encased dark windows with rings of light around them, which Honda says can be programmed to different colors and brightness settings for ambiance or to help illuminate a campsite at night.
The giant windows take the place of the stuffy, opaque walls I see on most campers rolling down the road, and if Honda had told us at the reveal that the Base Station was designed in collaboration with Apple, I would’ve nodded and said: “Yep. That tracks. It looks like an Apple Watch.”
What Do We Know About the Honda Base Station?
Honda hasn’t released many specific details on the Base Station, so we currently don’t know things like pricing, release dates, weights, or other numerical specs. But the Base Station is small, and the idea is for it to be a lightweight, compact travel trailer that can be towed behind popular crossovers and SUVs like the Honda CR-V.
Honda says the camper will fit in “a standard residential garage or parking space,” and that it will be “competitively priced in the lightweight travel trailer segment.” The camper competitors Honda listed ranged from $20,000 to more than $50,000.
When we saw the Base Station recently, Honda popped the roof and rear tailgate but didn’t let us touch or enter the camper because it was still a prototype. But the company did tell us that the Base Station will come standard with a lithium battery, inverter, and integrated solar panels if people want to power their campsite without emissions. In addition to that, the idea for the Base Station is to offer a bunch of camper accessories — air conditioners, external showers and kitchens, induction cooktops, and more as upcharges — allowing people to choose what they want to include on their build.
Honda also says popping the Base Station’s roof can create seven feet of stand-up space, and that the Base Station can “sleep a family of four comfortably with a large futon-style couch that folds out to provide a queen-sized sleeping area and an optional kids’ bunk bed.”
No one was in the camper while it was on display in California, so I couldn’t eyeball the human space, but “a family of four” seems optimistic. In spite of the Base Station’s airiness and modular nature, it’s still so small that the queen-sized sleeping area is about all the ground space the camper has before things get cramped. If you like your family, I’m sure the cramping would be fine.
The Base Station prototype is from the Honda U.S. teams in California and Ohio, and to me, it underscores the Americanization of non-American brands like Honda and Toyota. The company’s Americanization runs so deep that Honda can function as a lifestyle brand here, selling everything — cars, dirt bikes, campers — to buyers with Honda-heavy garages.
The Democratization Of Adventure … For A Price
At the reveal, Honda staged the Base Station prototype behind the new Passport Trailsport — a light off-road SUV that, every time I review it, makes me discuss a concept I call “the democratization of off-roading.” It’s like the democratization of speed; as cars get more capable, even the cheaper and more utility-oriented ones have power figures people wished their sports cars had decades ago.
The same is true for off-roading. For a long time, we’ve looked at off-roading as an activity for big, hardcore trucks and SUVs, whose body-on-frame architecture is flexible for adventuring but makes driving on the road rougher, less efficient, and less enjoyable.
We’re now seeing more and more light-core off-roaders like the Passport Trailsport, which have unibody architectures (where the body and frame are together, like on a car). They blend decent off-road capability with the comfort and efficiency of a road car, so you don’t drive off the trails and onto an uncomfortable highway ride back home.
Honda says the Base Station is meant to “democratize camping,” and after driving light-duty off-roaders like the Passport Trailsport, that resonates with me. The concept of the Base Station, like the Trailsport, allows someone to feel and be adventurous without having to swallow the sacrifices that come with going all-in on that adventure, such as needing mass amounts of space for full-size trailers and diesel trucks to tow them with.
[Mercedes Note: The RV market already has quite a few of these small-ish empty boxes that you’re supposed to fill up with your own gear. The huge question will be cost, and Honda says its competition costs anywhere from $20,000 to over $50,000.
I have written about campers of this size and scope that cost well less than $20,000 that already come fully equipped, like the Sunset Park Sunray 109, or the Coleman Rubicon 1200RK. A legendary fiberglass rig like a Scamp 13 Standard is only $25,000, can be towed by a Honda, and also has way more standard features than Honda has teased with its own camper. A Bean Stock 2.0 looks funky like this Honda, is similarly minimalist, and is made out of fiberglass, and has a price of $20,000.
Hopefully, Honda will get much clearer about pricing soon, because that’s going to be a big deal. – MS]
I’m all about this democratization of adventure, even if “democratization” is relative when the average price of a new vehicle in America is $50,000. But like any vehicle or big accessory, to have light-duty off-roaders and campers on the new market — and eventually the used market — is good for us all.
It also doesn’t hurt when they look as good as this one.
Top image: Honda
Door/Hatch too big. Large interior air exchange with every open/close cycle. Attractive looks though.
My prediction: This will be an absurdly overpriced, under-spec’d popup camper. It doesn’t even appear to come with _any_ provisions for cooking. A basic teardrop provides more than this, albeit at the cost of being able to stand up inside. But then, what good is standing up inside when all you have there is a bed?
Family of 4 sleeping: Willy Wonka style!
When we went camping in our slide-in camper we had us (the three kids) up in the overcab space, mom and dad in the dinet-turned bed, with Gram and the dog on the floor under the dinet-bed. So, cramping was normal back then.
That sounds miserable.
Being miserable was normal back then.
It looks more like a Portable Power Station to me.
I like it!
Same question as from airstream article. With that hatch door thing, can you load a motorcycle? Will there be tie downs in the trailer for said motorcycle? Could you load 4 trail 125s in there for your family of 4? Asking for a friend.
That friend is me.
This friend does not have a family of 4.
This friend still wants 4 motorcycles in one trailer.
Glad to see Alanis Back. You can get a fully loaded coleman 13ft camper that has actual amenities inside for basically half this.
Ugh, I read the whole article, and it does seem pretty cool, but…
Holy crap I cannot express how much I hate the ring lit windows. I do not want more manufacturers encouraging light being blasted off into other campgrounds, to be left on all night. Generator noise is bad enough these days, but the 5-6 horizontally-aimed flood lights on every trailer is making it all so much worse, especially since people seem terrified that people are gonna steal their kid’s $50 walmart bike and so have upgraded those lights for ‘security’ and proceed to never turn them off.
I was always a car camping person growing up more than a backpacker, but wow have state parks and other campsites have gotten to be miserable places in some ways. Noise and light pollution is already awful basically everywhere, and it would be nice if car camping/trailers could help be a break from that. It’s getting to a point where I think campgrounds really need to start banning generator usage during quiet times if it’s over a certain volume and enforcing strict light spillage rules. I mean, I get people should be able to camp however they want, but I shouldn’t be squinting to see my friend sitting next to me because of a burning sun of a floodlamp 6 campsites away.
At least the rest seems quite reasonable, and I’d trust Honda to make something with build quality worth $20k.
Most of them do, but it’s not enforced. Honestly, I’d like to see loud generators banned, period. You can get reasonably priced, quiet, inverter generators these days, and if you want to run one in a campground that’s the only thing you should be using.
Growing up we used to car camp a lot when traveling to visit family…usually pretty rustic places. It was nice, no generators, radios, video games…Once the sun went down it was firelight and maybe a couple dim D-cell flashlight to find your way to the vault toilet. In the morning, you would wake up to the sound of birds and pans on the fire cooking breakfast. People were pretty quiet and respectful to each other back then. Truth is you don’t need much of anything to camp and less is more if you’re doing it right.
This sounds pretty damn inviting. I did not grow up camping as none of my family or friends ever did, so just wasn’t a thing for me. I went with extended family several years back and did some tent camping while they had their camper and it was a blast.
Looking to get more into it and probably have some hammock camping coming up but the unplug and actually enjoy outside is what makes it something I want to pursue more of
I’m glad the state parks in MN ban generator usage during quiet hours, from ten pm to eight am. Unsure what the lights policy is.
Squircles are back!!!
I wouldn’t mind the suspected price if it had Honda reliability instead of your normal camper reliability and the camper has excellent insulation. No leaks or water damage and keeping you warm on a freezing night goes a long way.
Triggers memories of when Honda introduced the Motocompacto. For about a week, there was a buying frenzy and some people were willing to pay markups over the $999 MSRP.
Then everybody realized that you can buy a folding electric scooter with a seat for $299 from Ali Express.
Is it bad that I still want a Motocompacto? And would trust it far more than anything from Ali to not catch fire?
I’d bet there’s a huge secondary market from people who bought them and then rode them 3 times.
Last time I checked eBay for one, they were virtually nonexistent.
Edit: now there’s a lot more of them. Mostly sold as NIB, for less than retail.
I think they mean Capitalization of Adventure. You know, wealthy people get some sweet stuff and the rest of us are left with used stuff or new crap with 30 year loans.
“The Democratization of Adventure…for a price”
I’m calling out this title and whole paragraph because it’s world salad parroting Honda’s marketing line for them. Democratization? It’s a $50,000 vehicle with a $20,000 box trailer. That’s 70 grand. How is that democratizing adventure? How is it even new? We’ve always been able to get a 4×4 SUV more capable than a Passport for 50,000 2025 dollars. We’ve long been able to buy Subarus with somewhat similar offroad capabilities as the Passport for less than $50,000. The trailer here is an expensive niche product with minimal features. It’s democratizing nothing.
Apologies for the crankiness, but this piece reads as if written to keep Honda happy enough to continue inviting the author to press reveals.
I can buy a new Grand Cherokee Laredo for $30k. Nothing could make this Honda worth $20k extra if you’re just looking for a 4×4 that can tow your small camper.
When I was a kid, we had a smaller, cheaper pop-up that could be towed by a ’90s Caravan, and pretty much had the same amenities, less lighting, which for us was alkalines and a Mag Lite. I think this is aimed at west-coast, progressive, white-collar middle-class couples looking to get out of the city for a few days without having to pitch a tent and having solar for extra green points.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are pitching our discount tents…
This thing had better be dirt cheap. The scamp has a kitchen and is fully hardsided. I see a lot of wasted money posing as “adventure gear” out here in the Intermountain West, but if Honda is trying to sell a flappy-topped box that can barely fit a queen mattress for $20,000+ I think it will be a hard sell even to these people. But hey, it will charge your cell phone so you can keep getting pics and vids for your social media posts.
Remember when Evel Knievel towed a coffin camper behind his Lagonda? This is the family version as built by Honda.
There’s no ramp or load floor to make it a toy hauler like the Intechs and no basic amenities like heat, AC, sink, stove or toilet. Giant doors are a nightmare for places with bugs, for people with dogs, or when you’re trying not to wake up your partner to go to the bathroom. There are no places to stow clothes, gear or dirty boots. Soft sides are cool for expansion, but it means you can’t take this thing anywhere with bears (Tahoe, Banff, Jasper).
This thing feels like it was designed by people who have never been camping, but follow some van life instagram accounts. It exists for a world where there are no bugs, no bears, no dirty clothes, where dogs are perfectly behaved and where campers don’t need desperate late night poops from living on sausage and whiskey for three days.
I was willing to cut it slack on all of that stuff because it’s a “prototype,” and I have a strong suspicion the production version won’t actually look like this. But yeah, if it reaches production like this, I expect Honda to sell a bunch to fans and then everyone else will stop caring… sort of like the Motocompacto.
Thinking about this trailer again, if Honda created a light, durable toy hauler that also had a really pleasant place to sleep four people, a good table and a place to store tools they could really be onto something. All they really need to do is flip the giant door to hinge from the bottom and become a ramp.
wow Alanis is back. She must have left Millbridge and she’s taking Mercedes’ beat
$20K for what amounts to an empty box??
Then you gotta park it someplace where you have bathroom facilities, kitchen facilities, etc in order to still be uncomfortable?
Might as well rent a fully equipped cabin for $2000/week over the next 10+ years.
Then you’ll have no need to tow (store, insure & maintain) anything at all.
Someone tell me again what “sick” means : |
Deranged.
That’s what you meant, right Alanis? You couldn’t possibly be trying to gaslight us by using the word as a compliment for this half-baked product?
It looks like a hearse on a trailer . . .
Two things. I don’t know what the cold weather capabilities are of this, but it has way too many windows to be adequately insulated. I see this in camper van conversations. Which leads to my second issue. Privacy. I don’t want anyone walking by to be able to easily gaze into it while I’m in there. Oh, and I do enjoy sleeping a little late when camping too. Excess light streaming in from 500 sq ft of window surface prevents that. Curtains don’t work unless they’re lead-lined and can prevent the flash from a nuclear detonation penetrating my eyeballs.
I was very underwhelmed when I saw the inside. I was also very confused that Mercedes didn’t write this. Hi Alanis!
That being said, assuming the price isn’t in the stratosphere, I see them selling these as a package deal with a Passport or Ridgeline. Or any of their SUVs, really.
I like Honda and I like small campers, so I was hoping this had some cool features. But no, it really does just look like a box. Does it even have a smaller door for easier access? It would be a bummer to open the whole hatch just to get out to pee on a cold night.
Although I like the idea of a small camper like this, with a family of four I don’t think there’s anything on the market that offers me a better experience than my little utility trailer to carry the gear and a good-sized tent.
I know there are details we do not see. However, they missed a great chance to be truly innovative instead of showing just a glorified over-priced tent.
The under the outer side edge of the top could have revealed an awning attached to the main body. The storage doors on the left side should reveal a grill and food storage area. The other could have a privacy pop out shower. In other words, hide everything that is a bolt-on accessory on current trailers.
It needs four stabilizing jacks instead of two and the tongue.
If they could make it weather proof when the top is popped, that would be nice. Camping always involves some crappy weather when your gear is not ready for it. Mother Nature giggles at us when we are not prepared.
Was there anything besides the bed in there? Twenty grand for a box on wheels, even a cool looking box, is a LOT.
And as I read it, 20k is the minimum price…
I agree, but it doesn’t look like this has any wood in it.
If it’s built to automotive standards it could last for a very very long time.
Who would want it for that long?
I don’t know, but it could be a factor.
“Hey honey, this thing will last a long time!”
It will mostly likely be a barn find time capsule 20-25 years from now.
It’s a somewhat secure, very waterproof box to sleep it, with a solar/battery system to power a bunch of accessories…all extra priced. That’s how they make the $$.
Don’t forget the subscriptions for brakes, inverter, window shades, lighting, etc.
Yeah for that amount of money, it should include a kitchenette with a small stove and a small fridge.