There's a reason why Garrett Finney in Houston, Texas, tends to say "habitation module" when talking about his compact, eco-friendly camping caravans. It's because Finney, a former NASA engineer, has taken some of the design principles he once applied to the International Space Station living quarters and now delivers tiny trailers to a market that's using them for travel, business and tiny-house living.

Finney, the founder of TAXA Outdoors, is the creator of space-age camping trailers like the Cricket, the Firefly, and the TigerMoth, all of which reflect lessons learned at the Habitability Design Center – and use aluminium in different ways to put the adventure in an experience that keeps its carbon footprint low.

Of the three, it is the Firefly that really looks like a lunar landing module. This second-generation unit, created after the Cricket, uses laser-cut sheets of bent aluminium for its framing, with high-quality insulation wrapped in a thin aluminium skin. The Firefly weighs just 600 pounds, can fit in the bed of a pickup truck, and the 2013 iteration captures the essence of the new camping caravan.

The Cricket, and the small but mighty TigerMoth, both use aluminium composite panels for the sides, door and roof. The choice of materials is where any comparison with vintage aluminium trailers of the 20^th century comes to a full stop, though. The Cricket fits in the garage, and with a 15-foot exterior length is still light enough to tow for drivers of most 4-cylinder vehicles. The unit sleeps two adults and two children while making the most of every inch for bed, kitchen workspace, storage, and state-of-the-art systems. With an optional solar kit, the Cricket's electrical system can go off grid for three days or more, while the chassis, wheels, and axle systems are designed for off-road vibration and rugged terrain.

The TigerMoth, designed for two, is an impressive feat of engineering. The entire set-up weighs less than 1000 pounds, while fitting a queen-sized bed length into a unit with a 12-foot exterior dimension. There is no wasted space: the bed converts to a couch, the kitchen slides out as a 4-foot drawer and doubles as storage for long items, and the rooftop is a cargo rack. Campers can go off grid for a week or more, without losing any style points. "It looks as if Taxa aspired to find the polar opposite of the common teardrop and its rounded edges and dropping roofline," writes one TigerMoth reviewer for Gizmag.com.

Yet those teardrop units are sporting their own innovations, and not just for weekend getaways. The Tiny Drop combines the best features of a teardrop trailer with the more permanent look and protective advantages of a shed structure. Created by Tend Building specifically for sustainability-minded consumers, the name is a reminder that each personal decision, taken collectively, is what will keep the planet healthy.

To that end, Tend designed the Tiny Drop with 150 square feet of living space on a wooden frame that's wrapped in aluminium cladding and built with as much recyclable material as possible. All electricity is provided by solar, with other environmentally friendly features including a water filtration system and a composting toilet. Tiny Drop, as with other next-generation models, is ready to go fully off grid – and demonstrates the power of small in a marketplace where a small carbon footprint is the biggest of goals.