A camper should be small enough to take places and spacious enough to enjoy once you get there. Those demands pull in opposite directions, particularly when six people need somewhere to sleep. French designer and manufacturer Beauer tackles that problem with the X6, an expandable travel trailer with two sleeping areas and a living room that opens onto a small porch. I like that it treats arriving as an opportunity to change the floor plan.

At about 23.6 feet long, the X6 isn’t pretending to be a miniature camper. Its space-saving trick happens sideways: a single telescoping section extends electrically, bringing the expanded width to approximately 11.8 feet. Beauer also gives it a squared-off body with softened corners, departing from its earlier, rounder trailers. That shape makes sense here. Straightening the ends leaves more useful space for the domestic puzzle inside, without adding another expanding section.

Designer: Beauer

The porch is the detail that gives the X6 its personality. A large hatch drops down into a small outdoor platform, with a tinted canopy overhead. Opening that much of the wall changes the relationship between the dining area and whatever you’ve parked beside. To me, that’s a more appealing use of a moving panel than adding another screen. It gives the living room a reason to face outside.

The kitchen’s sharply angled countertop is another useful decision. It places the sink and two-burner gas cooktop on different faces while making room for a bathroom in the corner. That’s the kind of slightly awkward-looking geometry I’m happy to defend when it earns its place. A 157-liter refrigerator, roughly 5.5 cubic feet, rounds out the kitchen, while the bathroom fits a shower, sink, and cassette toilet. Dinner and a shower remain part of the plan.

Sleeping arrangements are flexible, although “sleeps six” deserves a little unpacking. One bedroom has a roughly 63-by-79-inch double bed. The second can be ordered with another double, two bunks, or a desk, and the living-room sofa converts into an additional double. Choose the office and you’re choosing workspace over two sleeping spots. A curtain separates the rear sleeping areas, so I’d think of them as distinct zones rather than expect the privacy of two rooms at home.

I appreciate the choices offered for the interior, too. Beauer lists white, wood-tone, gray, and black furniture, with gray or beige cushions available in fabric or faux leather. I’d lean toward fabric and the lighter flooring option. With this much furniture sharing a relatively small footprint, I’d want the finishes to recede a little and let the changing layout be the interesting part.

One number makes me pause more than any upholstery decision. Beauer lists an equipped weight of approximately 3,748 pounds and a maximum loaded weight of about 3,968 pounds, leaving just 220 pounds of payload, depending on options. That’s a tight allowance for a trailer intended to accommodate six. Before getting attached to the porch, I’d want a clear accounting of what the quoted weight includes and how much capacity remains for the actual trip. Floor space and carrying capacity are very different kinds of room.

The X6 is listed from €74,990, with air conditioning and solar panels among the extra-cost options. Beauer’s FAQ says shipping to the United States is possible and directs interested buyers to contact the company. That makes delivery and the appropriate specifications part of the buying conversation, rather than something to assume from the European listing.

For me, the appeal is the possibility of sitting beside that open wall with breakfast, while the bed stays a bed and the kitchen stays usable. The expanding body makes that arrangement possible, but the porch makes it desirable. I’d still put the payload question ahead of the color chart. A clever floor plan should leave enough room in the weight budget for the things you actually bring camping.

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One of the most iconic sci-fi movies of the 21st century is Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. Fans of the movie probably recognize the Ranger ship on sight, whether it’s in artwork or on fan-made merch, as it’s one of the things most associated with the time-bending film. So it’s not really a surprise that creative fans would come up with a LEGO build for it. Now Minibrick41587’s Ranger is set to become an official LEGO model.

Interstellar’s Ranger is becoming an actual LEGO set after fans supported the LEGO Ideas version and LEGO approved it for development on November 9, 2026. The approved proposal captures the recognizable utilitarian spacecraft through its silhouette and restrained detailing while still making space for interactions that could turn this brick replica into a toy fans can enjoy playing with. Those details describe the fan submission, though, rather than a finalized retail design.

Designer: Minibrick41587 with LEGO

The submitted build uses 561 pieces and includes Cooper and Dr. Brand minifigures, along with brick-built versions of TARS and CASE. It’s a focused selection: one spacecraft and the characters that help establish its scale. The figures give the Ranger a purpose beyond looking familiar on a shelf. They’re also a useful way to judge the proportions, showing how much cabin the designer has managed to fit beneath that low roof.

The exterior gets much of its identity from the contrast between white upper panels and a dark lower body. Sloped sections form the wedge-shaped hull, while black window shapes interrupt the roof and sides. In the submission images, relatively smooth surfaces keep the silhouette readable without hiding every trace of the bricks underneath. That balance suits the subject: the Ranger looks like a working vehicle, with its visual interest coming from its shape rather than colorful decoration.

The removable roof is where the design becomes particularly interesting. A closed hull preserves the spacecraft’s profile, but lifting away the roof exposes the seating and controls inside. The proposed cabin accommodates both astronauts alongside either TARS or CASE. This addresses a practical problem with enclosed vehicle models: getting characters into position without taking apart the surrounding structure. The interior image shows the astronauts reclining beside each other, with a robot lying flat in the remaining cabin space.

There’s also an opening rear hatch, giving the crew another way into the ship. The submission image shows the hatch lowered outward, with a minifigure standing in the doorway. It’s a small feature, but one that supports the vehicle’s role as a landing craft. Opening the roof provides access from above; opening the hatch creates an entrance the characters can actually use during an imagined expedition.

TARS and CASE deserve some attention of their own. Their gray, rectangular bodies translate naturally into LEGO’s construction system, contrasting with the angled surfaces needed for the Ranger. Small colored display details distinguish their otherwise restrained forms. Beside the astronauts, they make an unusual little lineup: two familiar human figures and two upright slabs. The proposal retains that oddness instead of making the robots look more conventionally humanoid.

It’s worth separating fan support from LEGO’s approval. Under the LEGO Ideas process, reaching 10,000 supporters makes a submission eligible for consideration; it doesn’t automatically secure a place on store shelves. The Ranger has now cleared that additional hurdle. However, the approved submission remains a starting point for development, so its piece count, detailing, and character selection shouldn’t be treated as guaranteed retail specifications.

Pricing, final dimensions, and a release date haven’t been established in the sources reviewed, so there’s no shopping deadline to mark yet. What makes this proposal worth following is the way it accommodates an interior without giving up the Ranger’s low, angular profile. When LEGO reveals its production version, the most interesting comparison will be how it handles that same challenge: keeping the ship recognizable while leaving room for its crew and a builder’s hands.

The post Interstellar’s Ranger Is Actually Becoming an Official LEGO Set first appeared on Yanko Design.

When I travel internationally, keeping my passport safe and secure is always a major concern. I have to make sure that the pouch where it’s kept won’t leave scratches or marks on it, so most of the time, it’s placed alone in a small pouch and brought out when needed.

If you’re a bit more paranoid than I am, housing it in a sturdy case is probably worth considering. And if you’re a fan of the Rimowa brand and the iconic look of its grooved aluminum, you’ll be glad to know that it offers an Aluminum Passport Holder that matches the look of its easily recognizable luggage. It comes with features designed to keep your passport in place while you’re on the move.

Designer: Rimowa

Basically, since this is Rimowa, it’s a luxury accessory whose main purpose is to keep your passport contained and protected between document checks at the airport or wherever you’re going. It’s a sleeve that you slide your passport into, with a concealed clamp designed to keep it from slipping out unintentionally. The idea is to balance holding it securely with letting you remove it when needed.

The stainless steel clamp is inside the aluminum body of the sleeve. Rimowa says it accommodates both standard and thicker frequent-flyer passports. The side opening is designed to make it easier for you to slip the passport out, rather than opening the conventional folding cover found on many passport holders. That’s the detail I’d be most interested in trying. A holder needs to keep the booklet in place without turning every document check into a struggle to get it out.

Compared with a fabric or leather sleeve, this one has a rigid metal enclosure in keeping with Rimowa’s style and material choices. But it also adds 85 grams, or about 3 ounces, to what you’re carrying. It’s still compact, but it’s not flexible. If you prefer slipping your passport into a pocket, think about whether you’d want a rigid case there, too.

The holder comes in silver and black, and the grooved exterior makes the connection to Rimowa’s luggage clear. That’s probably a big part of the appeal for fans of the brand. You don’t have to be coordinating an entire travel setup to appreciate the consistency, but matching your passport holder to your suitcase is certainly an option.

Rimowa also says the aluminum sleeve provides a heightened barrier against RFID and NFC technologies. That’s a manufacturer claim, not something we’ve independently tested, so I wouldn’t treat it as a guarantee against unauthorized reading. The same caution applies to my original concern about marks: we’d need to try the holder with a passport to know whether repeated insertion and removal leaves any wear on the cover.

At $285 on Rimowa’s US website, this is definitely a luxury purchase. It comes with a two-year warranty. For that price, I’d want the everyday handling to feel as considered as the exterior looks. A recognizable design might get my attention, but I’d still want to know how comfortably the case fits into my usual bag.

For now, my small pouch still does the job. But I can see the appeal of having a dedicated metal sleeve if you prefer a firmer enclosure. The deciding factor would be how easily it lets me take my passport out and put it away, because that’s something the grooves alone can’t tell me.

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I like observing people when I’m traveling, even when I’m at the airport. You encounter different kinds of people, from solo travelers to rowdy groups to families of all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, I see the struggle of parents who are balancing their luggage, strollers, and their young children. Aside from thinking I’m glad I’m not in their position, I also think someone should invent things for them that would make their lives easier.

The TernX Carry On is one solution to the constant struggle of folding strollers and managing luggage when boarding planes. The suitcase-and-stroller hybrid has a “loaded folding” mechanism designed to ease the transition from pushing your child through the airport to getting them and everything else you’re carrying onto the plane.

Designers: Tack Lee and Hoe Ping Lo

The strongest aspect of this stroller is that you don’t need to remove everything that’s in the enclosed luggage compartment just to fold it when getting on the plane. This could remove one stressful step that a lot of parents experience when traveling. The mechanism preserves the suitcase compartment while allowing the stroller to fold into a compact package, rather than requiring you to unpack and repack your child’s things.

The hard-shell compartment is incorporated behind the stroller seat, and there’s even a separate open basket below. When folded, it takes on a luggage silhouette, so it looks more like an actual piece of luggage rather than the exposed bundle of tubes that we often see in folded strollers. It has a restrained black finish that connects the shell, frame, and textiles.

Of course, being a stroller is a main part of the TernX’s function, so your child has an actual stroller seat. According to TernX, it has an adjustable five-point harness, a fixed footrest, two recline positions at 99° and 126°, and a backrest that extends from approximately 15 to 20 inches (38 to 50 cm). It’s intended for children from six months old up to 48.5 pounds, depending on their size and fit, rather than newborns.

In suitcase mode, you get a two-wheel pull-along bag that you need to tilt and pull rather than roll upright like a four-wheel spinner. TernX says this arrangement allows the wheels to be recessed for a better overhead-bin fit. That’s a trade-off worth considering if you’re used to pushing your luggage alongside you.

The enclosed compartment offers 18 liters of storage, while the under-seat basket can carry up to about 4.4 pounds. That gives parents room for items such as diapers, snacks, and a change of clothes without necessarily needing another bag for those essentials. TernX also says the enclosed compartment remains accessible in both configurations, so you don’t have to unfold the stroller just to reach something you’ve packed inside.

There is an important distinction between being designed as a carry-on and being accepted on every flight. Folded, the TernX measures approximately 21.7 × 14 × 9.1 inches (55 × 35.5 × 23 cm). Airline size and weight limits vary, and limited cabin space can still mean a gate check. Parents should check their airline’s stroller and carry-on policies before traveling rather than assume the suitcase shape guarantees a place in the overhead bin.

The weight also deserves some thought. TernX lists the empty product at about 17.2 pounds, excluding the canopy. Add your belongings, and you’ll still have to lift the whole thing into an overhead bin if it’s accepted onboard. Combining two items doesn’t remove that part of the job.

I can see the appeal for parents who want fewer separate things to manage, especially when traveling with one young child. The part that makes the most sense to me is keeping the packed compartment intact during the switch. Parents would still have plenty to handle at boarding, but at least rearranging all those diapers and spare clothes wouldn’t have to be another task.

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