Living in a tiny home comes with a lot of perks – it’s eco-friendly, cheaper, and encourages minimalism. In today’s world, people want to cut costs wherever possible. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to eliminate mortgage payments and downsize your home. Enter the tiny house movement.
Living in a tiny home gives you a unique opportunity to reflect on what’s really important. We actually don’t need very much to survive – just food, water, shelter, clothing, and positive relationships. When you reduce your expenses and “unnecessary necessities,” you start to appreciate simplicity much more.
Many people in the tiny home movement also enjoy a closer relationship with nature. Many of these homes are built in forests or secluded places so that the owners can reconnect to the natural world. Not to mention, some of them are mobile as well, giving people the opportunity to explore different areas. You can start living in a mobile home, and Home Nation will build a custom home for you based on your preferences.
How Zeltini Got the Idea for This Tiny Home
That’s the idea behind Zeltini, which builds electric tiny homes that can traverse both land and water. Aigars, the founder and CEO of Zeltini shared more with us about his company and how it’s changing the face of the tiny home industry.
“When I was in Amsterdam, I stayed in an eight-meter longboat, and I just fell in love with the whole concept of living in a boat,” Aigars said. “But, I kind of like land as well, so I thought, “Okay, that’s it! I’m going to build amphibious homes.”
“So, Z-Triton is a houseboat trike; it’s a small, little amphibious electric camper. It’s both a tiny boat, a tricycle, and a little house for two people,” he explains.
The bike can switch to boat mode in about five minutes by simply lifting the tires and inflating small rafts on each side for stability. The company hopes to ship worldwide eventually, though they’ll start with Europe first as they’re based in Latvia.
More about the tiny home that can travel the land and seas
A few specs about the unique e-tricycle camper:
- 100% electric recreational vehicle
- sleeps or rides two people
- electric boat motor with cabin steering
- electric bike assistance/motor
- integrated solar roof panels with Li-ion battery pack
- range = 2 days (50km land + 20km water)
- includes a pot on the roof for your favorite plant! (coolest feature, in our opinion)
- fold up kitchen table
- cooling/heating
- USB charging, GPS, sound system, etc
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These unique tiny homes have everything you could ever want in a recreational vehicle. While you probably wouldn’t want to live in them full-time, they’re perfect for a weekend getaway into nature. They have all the comforts of home along with modern technology, so it’s the best of both worlds. Whether you’re driving or boating, you can take your tiny home with you for the adventure!
“The mission really is to shift the way people travel. It’s also what Z-Triton really aims to be – the most fun, sustainable and unique way to travel,” Aigars says. He also enjoys bringing happiness and smiles to people’s faces and giving them an opportunity to reconnect with nature.
The company began in 2018, intending to create meaningful projects that contribute positively to the planet. The unique tiny home does just that, making life better for humans and the Earth they inhabit. Nowadays, Zeltini focuses mostly on the manufacturing aspect of the company. They’re building a team and creating prototypes to have Z-Triton market-ready by summer 2021.
Currently, you can reserve a tiny home on the website, but they’re only delivering in Europe for now. However, once they run initial tests on product quality and gain customer feedback, they will start shipping overseas. Zeltini also plans on doing test rentals and public demos as soon as this summer.
The story behind the revolutionary tiny home company
Taken from the website, “There is a rather unique back story of Z-Triton. Aigars, the Founder, cycled from London to Tokyo and came up with the idea of amphibious e-camper while staying for a few months in Shanghai. Z-Triton is his take on a cycle-touring upgrade.”
From 2013-2017, Aigars embarked on a solo cycling adventure across Europe and Asia. In total, he biked a whopping 30,000km, stopping four times along the way. He worked as a designer in Istanbul, Dubai, Singapore, and Shangai. While taking a break from traveling in Shanghai for a few months, he got the idea of how to upgrade cycle touring.
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The tiny home boat bicycle was born, and he got to work creating sketches and the first model of the product. After creating a mock-up, he began testing at a local park near his apartment. Upon returning to his native Latvia in 2017-18, Aigars began setting up his design and prototyping studio, Zeltini.
In 2018, Aigars and his team started the grueling work of early prototyping. They employed 3D modeling, CNC milling, woodworking (Kārlis Zemītis), metalworking (Gatis Kreicbergs), 3D printing, and lots of creativity to create the alpha prototype Z-Triton. Last year, all their hard work finally paid off. The final prototype was complete, and the fun part began. They took the tiny home out for trial runs on the water, busy city streets, and nature trails.
After posting the product to social media, it gained traction quickly. Customers can now pre-order their very own floating tiny home on wheels, though shipping will only take place in Europe for now. The company expects to ship worldwide once further trials and testing are complete.
Final thoughts on the tiny home that can travel on both land and water
The Z-Triton tiny home/boat/bike will change the face of the industry forever. Now, people don’t have to stay in one place in their tiny dwelling. They can also take it out for a spin or a boat ride! There’s truly nothing else like it out there, and hopefully, it will catch on worldwide.
Would you buy one of these tiny homes? Let us know in the comments!
