The North Face is aiming to make Gore-Tex obsolete with a new fabric called “Futurelight” that is waterproof, but still breathable. In order to show off the capabilities of such a product, co-developed with BMW’s Designworks team, TNF arrived at CES with an ultra lightweight two-wheeled camping trailer with a carbon skeleton frame and an outer shell crafted of this Futurelight fabric. More importantly, the trailer has airless tires similar to Michelin’s totally rad Tweel design.
Old style fabrics are great at keeping water out, but they are also quite adept at keeping moisture in as well, meaning a sweaty hike turns to a wet one in short order. Futurelight is said to be made with a technique they’re calling “nanospinning” to create holes in the fabric small enough that air will escape, but water can’t come in.
Being an avid camper I know how important that breathability is to comfort. You breathe out a lot of moisture in your sleep, and it can turn a tent into a moist mess by morning if there is nowhere for that moisture to escape to. This concept allegedly will alleviate all of that worry, as the bunk bed allows for two humans to sleep in relative comfort.
While the camper likely won’t ever be actually produced, it’s a pretty neat design that deserves to be. BMW Designworks did a great job producing a futuristic yet semi-realistic design to show off the potential future of camping. Something this lightweight would be able to be towed behind any compact car, even, allowing a weekend of camping to be a much less fuel-intensive proposal. It’s like the lightweight cousin of a teardrop and pop-up all at once. A lovely practical design that I’d personally love to own. Don’t just tease me, The North Face. Make it!