The 5 Most Iconic Campervans In TV & Film

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There are few more diverse symbols of Americana than the campervan. From static trailers filled with gin-soaked dreams to pimped-out, king-of-the-hill RVs larger than most flats in London. From the technicolor paintjobs of smoke-filled hippie wagons to drunk jock-filled, spring break destined party wagons, they bring together two of cinema’s greatest ingredients: The open road, and a cramped environment.

Here’s a rundown of the most memorable RVs of the big and small screen:

1. Breaking Bad’s RV Meth Lab

Breaking Bad reached some dizzying heights in its 5 season run. Along the way, its twisting, dramatic storylines touch on multi-conglomerate conspiracies, Mexican cartels, and remote New Hampshire cabins, so you’d be forgiven for forgetting that the first season was almost entirely focused on Walt and Jesse’s adventures in their mobile meth lab.

It was in the desolate confines of their desert-bound RV that Walt’s pedantic talent for perfection and Jesse’s erratic nature fermented into the relationship that drove Breaking Bad towards becoming one of the biggest cable shows ever.

2. Little Miss Sunshine’s Road Tripper

With its bug-eyed looks and simple toughness, the VW campervan has become a bit of a shorthand for plucky spirit on the big screen. Essentially a road movie with a dysfunctional family at its heart, Little Miss Sunshine turned the cramped interior of the yellow vehicle into a catalyst for comedy, drama, and sentimentality.

3. About Schmidt‘s OAP Wagon

What do you do when you’ve just retired, are estranged from your family, and have a daughter who is about to be married to an unlikeable water bed salesman? Simple – buy a winnebago and travel cross-country to convince her not to! Alexander Payne’s 2002 black comedy About Schmidt featured, amongst other things, a frazzled old Jack Nicholson stacking a life of broken dreams and promises into yet another iconic caravan.

4. Rick And Dale’s Crisis Carriers

As well as holiday homes and road trippers, caravan’s make excellent vehicles in the event of zombie apocalypses; as depicted in AMC’s The Walking Dead, with not one, but two campervans of desperate stragglers making their way through the swathes of undead. Although unreliably breaking down at least a couple of times a season, the ability to keep moving, hold as many people as you can trust (usually more), and keep the brain-eaters out has made them a central part of The Walking Dead’s plot and set-pieces.

5. Excalibur Cottage, Steed Manor, Lord House, Forry Foot…

Not so much Americana as Americ-AHA!-na (forgive me, please), the second series of I’m Alan Partridge had the DJ upgrading from a room in a travel tavern to a static RV situated outside the construction of his new home. Kept company by his ill-fitting Ukrainian girlfriend Sonja, the tired, small, immobile trailer was a perfect allegory for Alan himself.

RVs, caravans, motor homes and trailers are the great, unsung features of many films, and there are plenty more that use them to great effect. Paul, Meet The Fockers, We’re The Millers, Lost In America, and of course, who could forget this guy. Let’s just hope the Top Gear lads don’t blow them all up eventually.

Johnny Peters would have been one of the greatest film critics of his day had he not thought Scarface the best film of the 80s, and The Godfather vastly overrated. He is currently trying to preserve his childhood memories by sabotaging the Bladerunner sequel. Find him on Twitter or Google+.