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Campers parked along Pacific Coast Highway during Memorial Day weekend in 2015 near Santa Barbara, California

Carapate’s $16,000 Retro Campers Have a Dreamy Design and Environmentally Friendly Features

The French retro camper manufacturer Carapate has quickly gained popularity overseas. Its base campers are highly affordable and come with plenty of optional features. What options do these teardrop campers offer, and how can you get one?

Camping is an excellent way to experience the great outdoors, but some people don’t like to rough it. With teardrop campers, you can get a healthy dose of nature from the comfort of a nicely equipped RV. Even better, some campers are made with environmentally friendly materials.

That’s where Carapate comes in. This French retro camper manufacturer has quickly gained popularity overseas. Its base campers are highly affordable and come with plenty of optional features. What options do Carapate RVs offer, and how can you get one?

Carapate teardrop campers

Campers parked along Pacific Coast Highway during Memorial Day weekend in 2015 near Santa Barbara, California
Campers | George Rose/Getty Images

The Carapate teardrop camper measures 65 square feet, which can house two average-sized adults and one child passenger. This model weighs only 992 pounds, so even some compact cars could tow this camper without issue, Business Insider reports.

Its lightweight construction comes from sustainable materials, especially the main body’s recyclable marine plywood. Wood finishing adorns the exterior, giving the Carapate retro camper a nautical vibe.

The main body also houses a modular foam mattress, which can be split into three parts and folded into a sofa. Passengers can enjoy natural light from three wide sliding windows. And a skylight on the roof comes with a mosquito net and blackout blinds to ensure a peaceful rest.

To make up for the limited space inside this teardrop camper, riders can make use of multiple interior and exterior sliding drawers. The kitchen, available as an upgrade, is located inside one of these exterior drawers. Carapate also thoughtfully included detectors for carbon monoxide and smoke as safety precautions.

The Carapate camper’s extra amenities

Optional features for the Carapate retro teardrop camper can be purchased through various so-called backpacks. Tech-savvy riders will probably enjoy the Lightning backpack, with USB ports and outlets to charge electronics or plugin TV sets. Similarly, the Sparkle backpack provides eco-friendly LED lights, with additional sockets and a 90-amp battery. And the Sun backpack includes solar panels for greener energy.

The kitchen comes in the Marmiton backpack, including a stovetop and a 12-gallon foldable sink. And the Corkscrew backpack comes with an electric fridge and a fold-out cutting board. This bundle also includes cookware and table cutlery, plus storage containers for leftovers.

For the exterior, another backpack adds window tinting for additional privacy. You can also get insulation and blackout curtains like the ones on the skylight. The Shield backpack is great for protecting your Caparate camper against the elements with weather-and-UV-resistant fabric. The outer shell can also have a waterproof covering.

Though the interior already makes great use of its available space, you can get additional solutions with the Pelote backpack. This gives you four leather storage compartments located on the ceiling. More canvas storage nets are also included — a large one for the wall and three smaller ones under the leather cubbies.

You can also customize the tires, license plate holder, and rims to match your favorite backpack. Plus, you can choose from 20 colors for the exterior.

A bare-bones version of the Carapate camper — the Carriole — is also available for purchase. It has a lower starting price and doesn’t offer any of the optional backpacks.

Where can you buy one of these retro trailers?

The lighter Carriole costs only around $12,500, and the base Carapate retails for $16,522. All of the backpacks run $20,328, meaning you’d pay $36,850 for a fully loaded Carapate teardrop camper.

According to Curbed, these teardrop campers are available only in Europe. However, the article speculates that demand for greener RVs stateside might bring Carapate models across the pond. The company has also expressed interest in selling its stylish campers to American consumers.

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