Developed by Adam Morris—cruiser, writer, and obsessive optimizer.
A journey that started with running out of clean underwear turned into a mission to develop the best mini clothes washing machine for small spaces
Adam Morris aboard SV Confianza, where years of hands-on systems design shaped the philosophy behind Clever Mini.
For years I’ve been writing about marine systems, electrical upgrades, and practical problem-solving aboard cruising boats. Much of that work grew out of designing and modifying systems aboard SV Confianza. Living with your own systems inevitably changes how you evaluate and design equipment.
The Problem
Practical design starts when you have to live with the consequences.
My co-captain, Angie, and I were sailing South from Maine in our second year of full-time travel, and we had both run out of underwear. The seas were rough and choppy—not the kind of passage that you can do laundry in a bucket nor the sink. As we discussed our predicament, me bracing against the helm seat and Angie against the cockpit table, she turned to me and said, “Are we really going to keep doing this?”
“Are we really going to keep doing this?”
— Angie
Co-captain, SV Confianza
When we finally made our semi-protected anchorage, it was already well past dark. Angie turned in for the night in short order to get some well-deserved sleep. And I, wanting to give her a better morning, grabbed up all of her undergarments, washed them in the sink. I finished hanging everything to dry after midnight.
That night, I decided to start the 5-year process of trying to find a washing machine that would fit our space, as well as our power and water budget.
I quickly learned that many of us off-grid folks had the same problem. Spaces are often too small to fit, and the existing options were bleak. So-called marine or RV washers were really just standard European household units, relabeled for a new market in the US.
Did you know that household washing machines need about 100 pounds of concrete weights to keep them stable? That’s not meant for life where weight and size matter.
On the flip side were cheap products peddled on Amazon Marketplace—poor designs that were extremely inefficient with power and water.
Development
The design had to respect space, power, water, and repairability all at once.
It took roughly two and a half years to finalize the design and our manufacturing partner. SV Confianza became a floating laundromat as we sailed the Bahamas, interrogating cruisers about their mounting options. We camped in Pennsylvania with RV owners to understand their power and water budgets. Angie’s dad even pitched in, bolting a prototype on a sideways wooden table in their backyard.
We finally landed on a design that checked every single box: ultra-compact size, smart features, and absolute respect for your resources. We made sure you have the flexibility to customize your wash settings based on what your solar array or water tanks are doing that day.
Beyond just the specs, I had one massive rule: it had to be repairable. I do not like throwaway culture, and I want people to be able to take their adventures further and be able to repair things out in the wild.
With the Clever Mini ready to join the world, we sent it on to rigorous lab testing, simulating extended usage and verifying power and water specifications.
Early prototype — Angie's dad pitches in for testing prototype units in their backyard.
Why "Clever"
What's in a Name?
People often ask where the name "Clever" comes from. It’s actually a nod to a certain classic British sci-fi show. You might know the one—the eccentric time traveler in the blue box that’s famously "bigger on the inside," whimsically concocting the right solution to a problem at exactly the right time.
We think it fits us well.
Bringing a specialized product like the Clever Mini to market takes more than a good idea; it takes a reliable supply chain and customer service.
Clever fits into our portfolio of Marine and RV focused premium products, along with brands like Techimpex America and Gebo USA. We understand the logistics of getting parts across oceans, the absolute necessity of quality control, and what it takes to support a piece of kit out in the wild.
As always, I’ll see you out there.
-Adam & the Clever team