[N8 v2.0]

Cool idea...

Pumped And Ready
Inventor: Cam Brensinger
Availability: Now, $395 for two-person Hypno tent
To Learn More: nemoequipment.com

Tired of fumbling with tent poles as the sun goes down at some campsite in the woods? Nemo Equipment's inflatable tent has two supporting beams that are virtually pop-proof and are inflated with a foot pump to give the tent a rigid structure without aluminum poles. Designed by Cam Brensinger, a consultant for a NASA project designing spacesuits for Mars, the Nemo tents bring aerospace technology to the great outdoors. The company says the tents can be erected in less than a minute—in our test it took 48 seconds!

http://nemoequipment.com/products_tech_inflatable.asp

 

[MMike]

I prefer inflatable pants

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

Looks flexy

 

[Tenchiro]

I didn't realize that dealing with a couple of tent poles was that difficult. Seems like it would be easier to carry the poles than a pump also.

Looks cool though as long as it doesn't pop.

 

[golgiaparatus]

Very cool... wonder how it'd do in the wind?

 

[binary visions]

Cool. Wonder what kind of air volume it takes? If you could do some highly reinforced "poles" that took super high pressure but low volume air, you could do it with a CO2 cartridge or two. Pump would be better for long term trips where you were moving the tent a lot, but the convenience factor for the CO2 cartridges for short camping trips or trips where you stay in one place would be awesome.

Tench, you could do a pretty high volume/high pressure pump for the size of a couple big tent poles. For a single person tent, the poles are less bulky of course, but when you get into a 3-4 person tent, those poles are 2-3x the size of a good mountain bike pump.

Given how flexible most tent poles are, I'd imagine this wouldn't do too much worse in the wind than other tents. Gotta figure you're running a pretty high pressure... but it sure wouldn't be fun to have a big gust of wind put the roof of your tent down on your face in the middle of the night

 

[N8 v2.0]

I didn't realize that dealing with a couple of tent poles was that difficult. Seems like it would be easier to carry the poles than a pump also.

Looks cool though as long as it doesn't pop.

NEMOID™ is a foot pump made for serious adventure. It weighs an astonishing 4 oz but has plenty of internal volume for fast tent inflation. A patent-pending valve system allows the pump to be stored flat as a pancake and protects the check valve when it isn’t in use. Tough, abrasion resistant fabrics protect NEMOID™ for use on rugged terrain.

Vids: http://nemoequipment.com/products_video.asp

 

[LordOpie]

...inflated with a foot pump...

Just bring an ex-girlfriend and ditch the footpump for faster inflation :devil:

 

[stinkyboy]

Can you Slime it?

 

[H8R]

I asked my tent designer friend about those. His response was "So you want to hold your tent under water to find the leak while you're in a snow storm?"

Alum poles are very easy to deal with. I can setup a three-pole tent in a couple minutes, even less time in a downpour. A correctly designed alum poled tent can take any wind that the inflatable one can take PLUS snow loads.

This is a solution looking for a problem.

 

[stinkyboy]

I asked my tent designer friend about those. His response was "So you want to hold your tent under water to find the leak while you're in a snow storm?"

Alum poles are very easy to deal with. I can setup a three-pole tent in a couple minutes, even less time in a downpour. A correctly designed alum poled tent can take any wind that the inflatable one can take PLUS snow loads.

This is a solution looking for a problem.

 

[Smelly]

I met the guys who make these at the Deerfield River festival this summer. I asked them about the probability of popping it, they said it's no more likely than snapping a pole.

 

[pnj]

cool idea. tent poles suck. not everyone goes camping in the rain/snow.

 

[binary visions]

I asked my tent designer friend about those. His response was "So you want to hold your tent under water to find the leak while you're in a snow storm?"

I don't think they're targeting die-hard campers who are going to be camping in the middle of a snow storm

First of all, if it's properly designed, there's very little chance of it losing air. They can make the lining for the air chambers pretty thick in this kind of application, and have it covered with heavy duty nylon or some other kind of fabric.

Second of all, I'd say this is pretty clearly targeted at your occasional camper who might go out with a couple buddies once every couple months or the parent looking to take their kids out once in a while, or other campers who typically camp under good, civilized circumstances. An experienced camper who takes their tent into the woods twice a week is not exactly going to be lured from what has become a pretty easy procedure for them.

I don't camp a whole lot anymore, so I can dig this: easy, clean setup, and nothing rigid to store or worry about bending/breaking.

Not for $400, of course, but just from a theoretical standpoint.

Kinda like complaining about air shocks - "so, you wanna find out there's a leak halfway down the trail?" Of course not, but if it's properly designed, the chances of that are small, and for a specific purpose it's going to work fine.

 

[LordOpie]

when they combine an air pump with a water filter system, then I'll consider it.

 

[H8R]

I met the guys who make these at the Deerfield River festival this summer. I asked them about the probability of popping it, they said it's no more likely than snapping a pole.

Then why spend all that extra money? A tent with poles is cheaper and the same weight if not lighter.

It's a cool idea, but not for $400 for a single person shelter.

 

[H8R]

Second of all, I'd say this is pretty clearly targeted at your occasional camper who might go out with a couple buddies once every couple months or the parent looking to take their kids out once in a while, or other campers who typically camp under good, civilized circumstances....

...Not for $400, of course, but just from a theoretical standpoint.

RIGHT.

To me it's like the bladed matched paired spoked wheels. Sure you can rock it, but they're heavy and have little benefit on a mountain bike over traditional 3X.

 

[binary visions]

RIGHT.

To me it's like the bladed matched paired spoked wheels. Sure you can rock it, but they're heavy and have little benefit on a mountain bike over traditional 3X.

...execept those wheels offer no advantage over normal wheels to an average consumer with some bucks - only a "bling" factor. This offers a real, tangible advantage to those who are looking to make their "wilderness experience" a little easier. The dad who wants to take Little Timmy camping on the weekends, but just isn't 'core enough to want to deal with tent poles in the rain. The single guy with disposable income who likes to camp with his buddies but doesn't care much for the "setup" part of it.

I see the appeal, I just don't make the kind of income that a $400 tent makes a whole lot of sense.

 

[H8R]

...execept those wheels offer no advantage over normal wheels to an average consumer with some bucks - only a "bling" factor. This offers a real, tangible advantage to those who are looking to make their "wilderness experience" a little easier. The dad who wants to take Little Timmy camping on the weekends, but just isn't 'core enough to want to deal with tent poles in the rain. The single guy with disposable income who likes to camp with his buddies but doesn't care much for the "setup" part of it.

I see the appeal, I just don't make the kind of income that a $400 tent makes a whole lot of sense.

The father in the above scenario is doing his son a great injustice if he can't show him something as basic as setting up a tent on a camping trip. They should just sleep in the H2 after watching a portable DVD.

 

[binary visions]

The father in the above scenario is doing his son a great injustice if he can't show him something as basic as setting up a tent on a camping trip. They should just sleep in the H2 after watching a portable DVD.

You're nitpicking, either come up with a substantial argument, or shut up

 

[OGRipper]

Does it come in UST or do I have to buy a Stan's kit? Or can I go ghetto style?

Seriously, with poles and the newer style clip on tents, setting up a tent is so easy that I agree this is a solution in search of a problem.

I dunno, it really seems kinda playskool to me. But it would be kind of neat if it includes a built in air mattress in the floor.

 

[H8R]

You're nitpicking, either come up with a substantial argument, or shut up

True.

Yeah, I need to knit pick because I know almost nothing about tents.

You don't learn much working for the company that produced the first tent to spend the night on the summit of Everest.

 

[binary visions]

You don't learn much working for the company that produced the first tent to spend the night on the summit of Everest.

I'm not questioning your knowledge of tents, only your estimation of what is useful to an average consumer - I'm sure you know far more about tents than I ever have

 

[H8R]

I'm not questioning your knowledge of tents, only your estimation of what is useful to an average consumer - I'm sure you know far more about tents than I ever have

Annnd the average consumer will not find a single walled $400 one-person tent very usefull.

To put it in geeko speak for you my friend, It's like selling a water-cooling system to someone running a Sempron 2800 at stock speeds. Too much bling, little or no benefit.

 

[binary visions]

Annnd the average consumer will not find a single walled $400 one-person tent very usefull.

To put it in geeko speak for you my friend, It's like selling a water-cooling system to someone running a Sempron 2800 at stock speeds. Too much bling, little or no benefit.

Again your analogy is incorrect. The fact is, there is a perfectly evident improvement over standard tents - that is, no poles. This will be, as I said before, an immediate and tangible benefit to your average guy. You think everyone who buys a tent even knows what a "single walled" tent is?

A more apt analogy would be that this tent is like selling the latest $4,000 Alienware setup to someone who wants to word process and browse the internet. They will receive immediate gratification - their word processing and internet browsing will be much faster than on their Sempron 2800, and their new 24" widescreen LCD will display it very nicely. Worth the money? Probably not, but hey, if you've got the bucks, blow it on something that'll make you happy. It's better than spending it on nose candy.

 

[Westy]

When I'm out in the backcountry I just wouldn't trust it. It may be just as reliable as a tent pole but a pole can be quickly diagnosed and fixed with a little duct tape or even replaced with some green sticks. I guess you could stuff the bladders full of grass like a you can a tire but that seems a little tough.

 

[H8R]

The fact is, there is a perfectly evident improvement over standard tents - that is, no poles.

How are no poles an improvement? Is an air tent really better? Does it really setup faster? Sure it's "neato", but so is a jumping castle that you can rent for your kid's birthday. I would'nt trust one on a camping trip. I don't see the benefit here. On a car camping trip or a backcountry expedition. I'm confident I could have a poled tent set up and be lounging in it WAY before the poor sap with the foot pump was done.


BTW - The $4000.00 equivalent of your above example would be THIS:

 

[binary visions]

How are no poles an improvement?

Convenience.

Is an air tent really better?

No, it's just more convenient.

Does it really setup faster? <snip> I'm confident I could have a poled tent set up and be lounging in it WAY before the poor sap with the foot pump was done.

YOU might be able to have a poled tent set up faster than some random guy can set this one up but you're not comparing apples to apples. I guarantee that if that foot pump gives ANY kind of volume whatsoever, that I could have that tent set up faster than you could get your tent set up. Look at the article.

The trust issue is a personal problem. You have no reason to believe it would fail. No, I wouldn't take it five hundred miles out into the wilderness either, but on a normal camping trip with friends and/or transportation within reach, I'd have no problem with it.

I have the same problem with air shocks - I just can't get over the fact that if it fails, I'm walking home. But I do recognize this as a personal problem and a mental failing of mine, not anything that's really rational

 

[H8R]

Look at the article.

I did.

Let me know how it works out for you on your next outing.

 

[OGRipper]

Well you could always carry poles with you just in case the air system fails. :nuts:

What's funny is that they used a regular two pole-style tent design. Seems the air thing would let you come up with some more spacious shapes to offer some real advantage in head room or something else. The kind of person who would buy this would probably appreciate a mini-castle with air-supported turrets and a little moat.

Wait, I know why I'm having a hard time taking it seriously: It reminds of one of those balloon sculpture things the clowns make at kiddie parties!!

Whatever, if you go into any camp store you'll find aisles of useless crap destined for the farest corners of someone's basement or garage. They will probably sell tons.

 

[H8R]

Wait, I know why I'm having a hard time taking it seriously: It reminds of one of those balloon sculpture things the clowns make at kiddie parties!!

Squeek - squeek - squeek - squeek - squeek - squeek - squeek -.....

"F*CK - I meant to make a weiner dog. Well I guess we can throw a tarp over this and use it as a shelter..."