Calling all campers obsessed with Buckminster Fuller The prosaic tent has received a makeover in recent years, transforming from four metal pools and some durable fabric into high-design showpieces that hang from trees, pop onto the top of cars, and look darn good on California cliffs.
Now, the German outdoors company Heimplanet is pushing the camping boundaries once more with a three-season inflatable tent. With room for 2-3 people, The Cave tent is a geodesic dome?a lattice-shell design originally popularized by American architect Buckminster Fuller.
Measuring 54 square feet, the geodesic structure takes only 60 seconds to set up and uses an inflatable grid rather than traditional tent poles. According to Heimplanet, you simply roll it out, pump it up, and it?s ready to go. The airframe is made of recyclable material while the outside layer uses a stiff and resistant polyester. A star-shaped roof lets rain run off of all sides, and the dome design has five closable ventilation points and a separate entrance.
Several sewn-in mesh bags offer storage for your camping supplies, and a multi-chamber safety system means that even if you pop a small hole, the entire tent won?t deflate.
While you gain easy set up with the Cave, you sacrifice some weight. At almost 11 pounds, this isn?t a good choice for backpackers. But the sturdy weight and the geodesic design also means the Cave can withstand high winds, like 45-mile-per-hour gusts near oceans or on the desert.
The C...