One of the buzziest highlights of this year's CMT camper and travel show, the new Freescape camper van combines a flexible floor plan like nothing we recall seeing before with a unique patented pop-up roof system we definitely haven't seen before. The all-wheel-drive Ford Adventure camper van is as ready to live off-grid as it is to run errands on it.
One doesn't need to wander deep into the halls of CMT 2026 to find some eye-opening innovations. The Freescape camper van is one of the most conspicuously fresh new designs of the show, and it's right in the hallway, mere steps from the badge-scanning turnstiles of the main entry.
What's captivating enough about Freescape's van that show goer after show goer can't help but to stop and stare, at least momentarily, is the unique pop-up roof system, a patented design that's being called the first of its kind. It's certainly the first we've seen on a production van and not a concept camper.
Freescape combines the idea of a side-expanding pop-up roof tent with an inflatable construction more commonly used in roof-mounted tents, not integrated pop-tops. The design sees the van roof tilt out of the way toward the driver's side and the inner tent inflate at the push of a button. Inflation works via an air compressor stored away in the van cabin, and tent setup takes roughly seven minutes.
The tent breaks down and stows away even more quickly, as several its multiple valves allow for fast deflation while also helping to prevent total failure in the case of a leak in one of the air frame segments. Once the tent is deflated, the owner folds the floor back inside and closes the roof. An attachable fabric headliner keeps the tent out of sight inside the van.
The advantage of inflating a tent off the side of the vehicle in this way is multifold. To start, it creates a 79 x 55-in (200 x 140-cm) longitudinal double bed, comfortably wider than the 81 x 49-in (205 x 125-cm) bed Ford supplies in its own Nugget pop-top. A pair of support poles helps to stabilize the extended bed.
Width tends to be at a premium in camper beds, so that's a plus on its own, but the bigger advantage of the side-extended design is the fact that the bed is located on the overhang, leaving the full amount of headroom open at all times inside the van itself, with no need to lift the bed out of the way. This makes it easier to access the bed and convenient for one person to take an upstairs while others remain in the cab without losing out on standing room.
By extending over the side of the van, the tent also works as its own awning, providing some shade and weather protection without the need for a separate awning.
Freescape did not expend all its creativity designing the patented inflatable roof, saving plenty for the flexible lower floor plan. Like many other camper van builders, it starts with the common floor rails running lengthwise for mounting and removing the rear seats and other hardware. The two standard seats fold flat to create a lower double bed, this one well narrower at 79 x 39 in (200 x 100 cm).
Unlike other camper van builders, Freescape also adds a set of traverse tracks toward the front of the cabin. These serve to hold the kitchen block slides so that the sink, induction cooktop and drawer stack can glide clean across the floor, from a stowed position behind the driver's seat and straight through the sliding door for outside cooking. Campers can then cook below the extended roof tent. The sliding unit also includes a worktop extension that can be secured at several heights at the end of the block.
In addition to extreme left and right positions, the sliding kitchen is also designed to stop in the middle of the van, where its extended countertop can serve as a desk for use from the swivel passenger's seat. Combined with the swiveling dining table, the setup allows several digital nomads to comfortably clack away on their keyboards at the same time – no banging elbows or rubbing knees.
Moving back from that sliding flex block, the remainder of the kitchen area and sidewall console is simple and straightforward, incorporating a worktop/side shelf just inside the window and additional storage below.
As in many small camper vans, the side kitchen extends back into a full height cabinet at the rear of the van. Here, Freescape stores in a heavy-duty electrical system built for off-grid autonomy with a combination of 300-Ah lithium battery, 3,000-W inverter and 340 watts of solar panels.
Also included in the build is a 25-liter fresh water tank. An outdoor shower is integrated neatly into a cubby at the back of the wall console, making for easy showers and gear/dog cleanups.
As for the remainder of the tailgate area, Freescape further expands flexibility by offering shelf-like modules that buyers can stack into different arrangements or remove as needed. Its CMT exhibition van includes a stack of these shelves on one side and a top-loading Dometic fridge on the other.
For our money, we'd just as soon leave those boxes at the shop because we'd rather have more free space to store other camping and sports equipment. But others' mileage will vary, and the modular storage system might prove an ideal means of organizing and accessing things for some campers and road lifers.
Beyond the removable rear storage modules and slide-around kitchen, the interior can be rearranged for different purposes using the floor rails. Van owners can add seats for more everyday passenger capability, rearrange them around different cargo and camping needs, or remove them completely for more cargo capacity. They can also use the rails to secure cargo, mount bikes and more.
Freescape plans to build its camper on several different Ford Tourneo Custom trims. The four-sleeper debut model featured in all our photos is built atop a 199-in (505-cm) Ford Tourneo Custom with 168-hp diesel engine, eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. It includes the full interior build-out, electrical system, inflatable pop-up roof and fresh water tank, along with a diesel camp heater and portable dry separating toilet. It prices in at 79,990, but note, the Dometic fridge is not listed on the pricing spec sheet.
Freescape also plans to build packages on the new Volkswagen Transporter/Caravelle, which shares a platform with the Ford Transit/Tourneo Custom.
Source: Freescape
