Outdoors

Forma Campers reshapes the teardrop trailer into spacious origami

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Forma trailer making home out of the wild
Forma Campers
The new Forma Campers trailer has a unique multi-crease shape and a large gullwing door
Forma Campers
We're not sure the tailgate is the best place for the solar panel — great at camp, not so great on the ride to or from
Forma Campers
The Forma camping trailer has an origami-like aluminum skin, full-height rear tailgate and large gullwing side entry
Forma Campers
The Forma camper costs roughly 20K euros, with VAT included
Forma Campers
The interior is designed as a comfortable day/night cabin
Forma Campers
The top 3/4 view shows a small skylight to complement the long side windows
Forma Campers
A distinctive view out the side mirror
Forma Campers
The Forma camper isn't built for serious off-roading like many small camper trailers, but with a galvanized steel chassis, torsion suspension and 12-in ground clearance, it's ready to tackle some lighter trails and forest roads
Forma Campers
A look inside the Forma camping trailer
Forma Campers
The standard Forma kitchen comes very basically equipped, but options like a stove and fridge/freezer are available
CC Weiss/New Atlas
The standard kitchen includes a stainless steel countertop, stainless steel sink, pass-through to cabin, LED lighting, electrical outlets and storage
CC Weiss/New Atlas
The fridge is optional, but the Forma trailer comes with a dedicated drawer for it
CC Weiss/New Atlas
The wide pass-through makes it easier to serve dinner or drinks to someone inside the trailer
CC Weiss/New Atlas
Forma holds the world premiere of its trailer at the 2022 Caravan Salon
CC Weiss/New Atlas
The fold-down pass-through hatch doubles as a table/desk
CC Weiss/New Atlas
Forma Campers at the 2022 Caravan Salon
CC Weiss/New Atlas
Forma trailer making home out of the wild
Forma Campers
Forma trailer making home out of the wild
Forma Campers
View gallery - 18 images

As the teardrop trailer continues to ride a wave of reinvigorated popularity 'round the world, we continue to see new, unusual alternatives to the original form, from rugged, aerospace-grade squaredrops to curvy cubes. The latest spin comes from Latvian startup Forma campers, which strays away from the original arch-back design while maintaining a size, layout and base weight comparable to more traditional tears. We can only think to call it an origami-drop, wearing a suit of faceted aluminum over top a two-person mattress-lined interior and rear hatch galley. Its spacious interior and large gullwing door combine to create a hard-walled base camp that's ideal for sleeping, dining, working remotely on the road, and simply sitting back and taking in the view.

The 13-foot-long (4-m) Forma doesn't exactly look like any other camping trailer we recall seeing in the past, but it does remind us of a combination of a few. The general shape reminds us most of the FIM Migrator. The faceted flanks bring to mind the Polydrops EV trailer. And the odd angles running every which way look like something the cosmic minds behind Taxa Outdoors might have conceived. We especially like the juxtaposition of outward-angled front and inward-angled rear facet alignments.

Forma holds the world premiere of its trailer at the 2022 Caravan Salon
CC Weiss/New Atlas

Forma applies a lightweight construction to make its trailers a viable option for drivers of compact and/or electric vehicles. The sandwich panels feature a 1-mm aluminum exterior skin covering over 28-mm insulation. Forma skips the aluminum chassis in favor of the tried-and-true strength of galvanized steel, partnering up with chassis specialist AL-KO. Powder-coated steel fenders top the 16-in wheels. The listed base weight is 1,212 lb (550 kg), while the GVWR is 1,650 lb (750 kg).

The unique Forma look gets some help from the oversized gullwing entry in attracting attention. It was this combination that stopped us dead in our tracks and pulled us in to Forma's booth at the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon a few weeks ago.

Forma Campers at the 2022 Caravan Salon
CC Weiss/New Atlas

Rather than the narrower gullwings used on a few other teardrop-size trailers, including the previously linked Polydrops P17A and FIM Migrator, Forma's gullwing door stretches from just behind the front edge of the trailer to over top the single axle. This makes for a particularly wide, comfortable entryway and an indoor/outdoor seat for one or two people to use while enjoying the natural scenery, perhaps with a cup of morning coffee.

The fold-down pass-through hatch doubles as a table/desk
CC Weiss/New Atlas

The Forma sleeper cabin is cozy and functional, and the highlight is the drop-down tabletop in the center of the overhead cabinetry at the rear. It serves as a small dining table and a laptop desk and simultaneously accesses a pass-through to the kitchen to make serving food and beverages easier. The mattress measures 55 x 79 in (140 x 200 cm) when laid flat and also folds up via its multi-panel design. Blinds, 12-V/230-V/USB outlets, a roof vent and white/red LED lighting are also standard.

The galley follows Forma's lightweight design mantra, packing only a sink, stainless steel worktop, Baltic birch cabinetry, white/red LED lighting and electrical outlets as standard equipment. It also includes a dedicated space for a cooler or fridge/freezer; buyers can add a fridge and stove from Forma's option sheet or bring their own. An 80-Ah 12-V battery and 230-V shore power hookup supply electrical power, and an upgrade to 165-Ah battery, solar charging and inverter is available optionally.

The fridge is optional, but the Forma trailer comes with a dedicated drawer for it
CC Weiss/New Atlas

The Forma camping trailer made its official debut at the Caravan Salon at a special starting price of €16,900 (approx. US$16,950) before VAT. Options include a diesel heater, Bluetooth audio system, front utility box, roof rack and GPS tracking security system.

Source: Forma Campers

View gallery - 18 images
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1 comment
jerryd
Why in this day of high gas prices don't they make aero trailers? Do they want to lose 20-40% of their gas/diesel just because they couldn't shape it right?
And using bent flat panels is could be aero in aluminum though in composites is better in so many ways, lighter, doesn't pit, oxidize and easier to repair than alum.
Nor is this that light at 1212lbs.
Designed right, aero in composites, no reason to be above 600lbs. As lighter, more aero, mileage or EV range would barely change.