The Karoo Adventure is a rugged but lightweight camping solution for the EV era

This Finnish caravan concept is a small, design-led camper pitched at EV owners who’d rather not sleep under canvas. Karoo is a Finnish start-up that believes it can take camping to an even lower level of emissions, with this lightweight, flexible design for a camping trailer. 

Karoo has opened up deposits for its forthcoming Adventure camper, even though the company admits that deliveries won’t begin until 2026. Even so, the small caravan has already garnered a lot of attention, not least from EV owners who are mindful of the serious range penalty imposed by towing.

The Karoo Adventure is certainly light – Airstream’s smallest model, the Bambi, comes in at just under twice the Karoo’s 750kg base weight. It’s also extremely streamlined, which helps preserve range (or lower fuel consumption) and means you don’t necessarily have to invest in a massive SUV to haul it along.

Electric power also comes into play with the Adventure Camper’s onboard systems, which are topped up by roof-mounted solar panels and an integral 6kWh lithium-ion battery. That should be enough to charge e-bikes and e-scooters when out and about.

The Adventure’s ace is its extreme flexibility, thanks to a modular interior and exterior design that goes above and beyond the usual Swiss Army knife-style gymnastics of most compact caravans. A small galley kitchen sits ahead of the bathroom, which makes good use of the ‘sharp’ end of the aerodynamically-styled body.

The main living area offers up multiple configurations, with seating and a table that, naturally, can be converted into a bed, or even folded up and away completely to transform the space into a cargo area for longer journeys. Another option is for a drop down child’s bunk above the main bed.

Large side windows flood this with light and views, and one flank of the Karoo Adventure can be opened up completely to expand into the multiple awning options. These range from a simple cover to a wraparound tent that massively expands the available living space.

Pyry Huhtala, Karoo’s CEO, describes the Adventure camper as a solution for consumers who ‘increasingly value simplicity and flexibility in their leisure purchasing decisions,’ pointing out that that rapid evolution of the EV market hasn’t seen similar developments in trailer and caravan design.

Designed for the rugged Finnish wilderness, the Karoo Adventure should be good for all-year-round camping, whether it’s for short sojourns in nature or longer treks and trails. 

Karoo Adventure Camper, c€30,000, more information and pre-orders at KarooCamper.com, @KarooCamper