Design

Vöhringer's fully removable interior takes camper modularity to another level

We have some questions about the toilet.

A removable toilet seat can be seen in white color. It is compact and surrounded by what appears to ...
Vohringer

Vöhringer, one of Germany's top recreational vehicle specialists and manufacturers, wants you to get really comfy with your camper. The company has released information about its ConceptCamper for 2021, a quintessentially European ride that boasts next-level convertibility. Depending on your mood and needs, it can become a cargo van or passenger shuttle or tiny little diner.

Vöhringer

Motorhomes have a huge following on social media thanks to travelers-turned-influencers who let the world look inside their on-the-go lives, where midsize and smaller vans pack a whole bunch of amenities, beauty, and in the case of the Vöhringer, a full removable bathroom.

Now, a removable toilet and shower sound incredible. A quasi-bathroom that can be removed and reinstalled whenever you want makes driving a lot easier. But we have some questions about its design, water system, and tank to start.

How does it work? — A compact bathroom would make traveling a lot less hellish for the average camper. But while Vöhringer gets into detail about its front (tiny) kitchen, passenger seats, a dinette and more, it doesn't exactly explain how the removable toilet works. In its project flyer, the company states, "The entire wet cell is movable, removable and waterproof. [...] The laminate guarantees a robust surface and leaves room for designers." And that's about it.

It's possible that the removable toilet and shower come with their separate and portable water systems. When done, the user then likely has to manually remove the tank and flush out the waste into a standard toilet bowl or recreational vehicle station. Still, this is us just openly hypothesizing.

Let us know — The beauty of modular design lies in its utility. By subdividing a full system into smaller parts that can be removed at will and need, the owner of that kind of architecture is able to apply solutions to common problems without too much hassle and waste. Functional partitioning also lends to reusable modules that are smaller in size. It's flexible and of course, say, more affordable than having to redo a whole room with permanent interior features and fixtures.

That said, modular design can be tricky as is evident when you look at the Vöhringer removable bathroom. It can lead to low-quality designs that cause messes for the vehicle owner. It's not an entirely unreasonable question either; consumers will likely want to know where their surprises go. A brief but clear answer to that question that explains the water system, tank model, and other details would help us all. Maybe add it to your project flyer, people.