The North Face and BMW Collaboration That Almost Changed Off-Grid Living Forever

Back in 2019, the CES tradeshow showed what appeared to be a camper like few others before it. Futurelight camper it was called, and beyond that CES show, nothing else seems to have been heard about it.

The minds behind Futurelight camper? None other than BMW and The North Face, yes, the one that makes clothing and apparel for extreme weather. So how did these two teams come to work together?

Well, back in 2008, BMW unveiled a "Dream Car" known simply as GINA, a project meant to challenge the automotive world's conventional design and manufacturing methods. But what seemed to set GINA apart was the outer skin made of fabric that stretched over the car's skeleton. What's even wilder is that this fabric skin was meant to shape-shift in regards to specific needs.

This machine ultimately inspired BMW and The North Face to try and bring a similar technology and application of fabrics beyond classic use. In particular, The North Face wished to express that their fabrics could reach beyond typical clothing and other outdoor gear.

Now, you've kept hearing me mention "Futurelight," so what is it? Futurelight is just a name The North Face has for a specific type of material that they've developed. And while fabrics are nothing new to The North Face, this waterproof but breathable material is. Just to give you an idea of how costly this stuff is, you can find one of the lower-priced jackets for around 700 USD.

As for the camper itself, there isn't much mentioned on either BMW's or The North Face's websites; most of the attention is given to the fabric. However, that doesn't stop anyone from taking a closer look at this concept.

First off, it shows that both teams tried to design something different from what was found on the market at that time, and still is, if you ask me. It's not every day that you see a geodesic dome as an off-grid living habitat. Considering the space yielded by this sort of shape, the two teams did put some thinking into this project.

The dome structure is where the Futurelight fabric comes in. The frame used to create the dome is created by nothing more than a few struts that form the base to which the material is attached via hooks, much like your classic tent.

Unlike a classic tent, the interior of this mobile home looks to be marketed as suitable for freezing weather and snow-capped mountains. At least that's what the renderings reveal. Inside, I can only make out that there may be room for two, maybe three people. Nothing about a galley or bathroom.

The final feature I want to draw your attention to is the chassis. We can clearly see that keeping this camper light was the essence of the project, as a primarily hollow chassis is in place, very similar to the sort of construction found in airplane wings.

While the front of the camper features a stabilizer leg, the rear includes two wheels that express airless design, meaning there's no tire and will never get a flat, much like the Michelin UPTIS. Ride over anything with no problems.

Anything beyond this, you'll have to call up BMW to try and squeeze some info out of them. Not sure there's anything to get out of them, though. For now, this project stands as nothing more than a concept. But one upon which some crafty reader can build his own in the comfort of a warm garage.