Ebicos Happy Dreamer Module: The Little Box that Turns Your Van Into a Cozy Camper

For several years now, vanlife has been a trending topic both on social media and in real life. Propelled into the spotlight by the 2020 international health crisis and the societal changes brought by it, this seemingly new type of lifestyle came along with a flood of van, bus, and ambulance conversions, as well as a long series of other types of mobile homes.

Today, vanlife is more than just about living in a van, and has expanded to mean living permanently in any mobile home, as long as it's not a tiny house. It's a term that references the nomadic existence of people of all ages and professions, who ditch their "sad" 9-to-5s and small city apartments with high rent in favor of a home on wheels where they can work from and travel with. It makes for engaging online content and the perfect IG feed.

But as you must know, vanlife isn't exclusive to all those willing to uproot their entire life. In-between solutions do exist, with add-on sliding modules being very popular, especially in Europe.

The Happy Dreamer camping module is one such example. However, it differs from the rest in that it aims to offer an all-weather and even all-season approach to this halfway-style approach to vanlife.

The Happy Dreamer is the brainchild of Marcel Graf, founder of Ebicos. Graf had the idea for such a module for years but was only able to get started on it during the 2020 wave of lockdowns. This makes Ebicos a new arrival to the market.

Ebicos stands for "Easy build innovative caravan of Saxony" and obviously holds the key to what the Happy Dreamer module does: it turns an empty work van into a camper in a few minutes, without the need for any tool, and most importantly, without any modifications to the base vehicle.

That's the same kind of promise other add-on modules make, but Happy Dreamer adds the bonus of being weather and water-proof thanks to special sealing sections that Graf designed, which you add manually to the box. Made from boating supplies, these fill out the spaces between the box and the van, creating a habitat that's protected against cold, water, and the elements in general.

The Happy Dreamer is essentially a box that collapses to its most compact form (130 x 120 x 30 cm/51 x 47 x 12 inches) for storage. For camping, it's large enough to fit inside the back of most vans, where you have to slide it in and out manually. Compatibility ranges from VW T5, T6, Caddy, ID Buzz Cargo, and Toyota Proace and Proace City, to Peugeot Expert and the Citroen Berlingo.

More importantly, adding the module doesn't entail modifications to the vehicle, which can still be used for work as usual when you're not out camping.

Once you reach camp, you slide the module out manually, put in and adjust a pair of supporting legs, and then proceed to slide it out all the way. You secure the slides and close up all the gaps between the box and the van, and then move in to set up the interior.

There isn't much work to be done inside, but it's still more than with similar products. There's a bed frame that goes at the foot of the bed and fiberglass slats that go into dedicated slots, to create the bed extension. Once you're done arranging the cushions, you get a double bed that's both spacious enough for two grown adults and, according to customer reviews, impressively comfortable.

The module comes with a small window at one end with integrated bug screen, and storage under the mattress for a couple of boxes of stuff. Once the module is deployed, the back of the van offers space for whatever you might want to do at camp, from setting up a restroom to a dining area protected from the elements.

To further meet the demands of the occasional camper, Ebicos is also offering a Happy Cook module. It's an elongated box that integrates a small sink with a water tank and electric pump, a one-burner cooker, and even some storage for all your foodstuff. It can be used propped up against the van or completely outside.

The Happy Dreamer module is designed to be not just very compact but also particularly lightweight, and the combination of both is meant to make it an irresistible solution for those who won't or can't splurge on an RV but don't like traditional camping. The base is made of an aluminum honeycomb panel, while the walls are polypropylene honeycomb panels.

Keeping the module deployment an entirely manual job was also motivated by the need to not add any extra weight with motors. Happy Dreamer weighs just 55 kg (121 lbs) with everything you need for a comfortable, good night's sleep. Graf says setting it up takes only a few minutes, as he demonstrates in the video below.

The Happy Dreamer module is "minimalism with maximum comfort and 50% more space," designed for "maximum freedom and flexibility" and ideal for spontaneous trips, occasional camping, festivals and concerts, and weekend getaways. It's also designed to enhance the functionality of an existing van without taking away any of its practicality.

That last part is non-negotiable and highlights the target customer for this module. It also explains pricing. The Happy Dreamer costs €5,950 (approximately $6,500 at the current exchange rate), while the Happy Cook module is €1,195 ($1,300), including taxes. Production and delivery times are 4 to 8 weeks.