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Self-Erecting Tent
One of the biggest hassles of camping is setting up that tricky tent--especially after a long day of backpacking and it happens to be windy or raining. Adding to the frustration are complicated set-ups that are time consuming and, frankly, difficult to understand. Sometimes I wish I could throw the whole contraption in the air and it would magical set up on its own. Well, now it's possible.
The 2Second Tent, by Quechua does just that. Throw it in the air and it assembles itself before hitting the ground. The tent just won a Gold Medal at the 2006 Industrial Design Excellence Awards, so I'm not the only one impressed with it. This baby is an engineering marvel. Or, as a buddy so eloquently put it, the tent is "the Viagra of camping gear . . . it erects itself and stays up all night." Remind me never to go camping with him again...
The only downside of the tent appears to be its inability to fold down small enough to be practical for a backpacking trip. In addition, the manufacture claims that folding it back up is a 15 second task. I'll bet it's far more complicated than that. Probably more like folding up a road map in the wind.
Nonetheless, very, very cool. The cost is only £50 for a two-man tent (about $100) and £65 for three-man tent (which takes an additional one second to unfold). Shipping to the United States is a £55-£65.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rob Brooks-Bilson Jul 10th 2006 1:04PM
This design isn't actually new. When I was in college, I worked in the sporting goods section of a large department store (around 1992). We sold these tents one summer (different manufacturer, I think). They did setup as advertised. They were also very easy to fold back up - you just had to practice the technique a few times.
The major problem with them, though, is that they are really only good for 2-3 seasons, max, and they aren't constructed nearly as well as many other tents on the market. I guess if you are a big car camper, though, and like to go places where the weather is relatively mild, it might be just the thing.
JimR Jul 11th 2006 4:12AM
Hi - I actually have one of these babies and it is a breeze to use, and in fact, when they say 15s to pack it up, it really is about 15s (after you've practiced a couple of times). The joy in arriving at a campsite and being pitched in a couple of seconds whilst your friends are busy unpacking poles, pegs, ropes, and then struggling to put them all in the right places is only bettered by the fact that you can break camp in a matter of seconds whilst they then struggle to stuff everything back into the packs they came in! A joy to use. But, as you say, wholly impractical for hiking - it folds into a circular package, which handily comes with rucksack style straps. However, this means you can't carry anything else, and if there is more than a stiff breeze you're also likely to end up flying to the campsite! All in all though, a very versatile tent (oh, and very spacious for a 2 man aswell!).
Jim
frodo Jul 11th 2006 6:42PM
These need to make the Transformers noise while in the air.
Brian C Aug 10th 2006 9:13AM
I have two of these tents that I purchased in the early 90's. Why they just won an award last year is beyond me. The brand manufactured under in 1991 was called Quickdraw.I can fold up in under 15 secs{bet}and mine have sustained 50 mph winds in Wyoming{windy all the time}. Smaller version can pop and bloody your lip if not paying attention.
Christy Hoberecht Aug 20th 2006 4:47PM
We saw one of these tents in action in Mali last year - one of the guides loaned us one - it was pretty large (about 2.5 ft. in diameter) folded up, but it worked great to open a tent in the dark, which we did frequently on our river trip on the Niger. But it was always a problem for anyone to fold up in the morning - we had to search through about 6 people who couldn't figure it out ( including two university students and our muscular guide just about ripped it to pieces one morning out of frustration. It takes someone with visual motor skills to repack (unfortunately I was the only one in the group who could figure it out - the directions were on the tent, and no one could figure it out, but me, and I didn't get to sleep in it)