{"id":17454,"date":"2017-07-02T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T14:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=17454"},"modified":"2018-11-11T21:38:12","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T05:38:12","slug":"camp-tent-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/camp-tent-trends","title":{"rendered":"The Rise of the Suspension Tent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Above-the-ground tents\u2014treehouse tents, rooftop tents and tricked-out hammocks\u2014may be camping\u2019s latest trend, but they\u2019re also more practical than you think. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

My daughter, Nora, spotted the treehouse from across the field. We were camping on California\u2019s Sonoma Coast and the treehouse, a weathered wooden platform about the size of a two-person tent, sat perched in a giant oak not far from our campsite. \u201cTreehouse!\u201d she exclaimed, as she sprinted toward it. Within minutes, my rambunctious almost-3-year-old was climbing the rickety wooden ladder as I watched nervously from below. From the top of her new tree-dwelling castle, she announced, \u201cI want a treehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So, a week later, my husband strung a rope between two pine trees in our backyard, then attached a bright orange, kid-sized tent that hovered a couple of feet off the ground. Instant treehouse. No hammer and nails. No splintering wood. No shaky ladders. Nora loved it, and she now spends a good stretch of each day bouncing, reading, snacking and lounging in her new fortress. Once, I thought she might even take a nap in there.<\/p>\n

What is this mysterious treehouse that pops up in minutes? It\u2019s called a TreePod, a small, teardrop-shaped tent made from sturdy, water-resistant nylon that hangs from a strong tree branch. It has a zip-up doorway to create a cocoon-like effect and two mesh-lined windows for peeking out at the world. It costs $300 and can be assembled in less than 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

The TreePod is just one example of a new and growing market of so-called suspension tents\u2014hanging, above-the-ground shelters like hammocks, car-rooftop-tents and tree tents. The coolest part? Campers around the country are discovering that these airborne tents aren\u2019t just for novelty or fun. They also have a genuine purpose and surprising benefits over standard, down-in-the-dirt tents.<\/p>\n

These creative, pop-up tents are more than just fun-looking\u2014they also solve common\u00a0camping dilemmas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The TreePod is the invention of a guy named Ricardo Bottome, who has four daughters and wanted to find an easier to way to give his kids a backyard treehouse. He launched TreePod<\/a> via Kickstarter in late 2015. The idea has taken off: His company has doubled its sales in the last year and a half.<\/p>\n

Bottome\u2019s initial idea was to create a play structure, not so much a camping tent, but as soon as TreePod launched he started getting feedback from customers who asked, \u201cWhen are you going to make a hanging tent big enough for adults to sleep in?\u201d<\/p>\n

So in spring 2018, TreePod will debut its first TreePod Camper, which will sleep two adults in a tent that hangs from a tree or attaches to a car hitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis elevates your camping,\u201d Bottome said. \u201cIt gives you a level surface to sleep on, so you don\u2019t have to worry about water, rocks, bugs or uneven surfaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TENTSILE<\/p>\n

These creative, pop-up tents are more than just fun-looking\u2014they also solve more than one camping dilemma. Take Tentsile\u2019s Stingray<\/a>, a spider-web-like treehouse tent that was designed by a British architect. You may want this tent on your next camping trip if you\u2019re going to a place known for decent-sized trees and terrain that\u2019s marshy or good snake or tick habitat. That way, you don\u2019t have to worry about finding the perfect place to pitch your tent\u2014just pick three sturdy well-spaced trees and you\u2019re set for the night.<\/p>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

Or there\u2019s the REI Co-op Quarter Dome Air Hammock<\/a>, a durable one-person hammock with built-in insect mesh and a rainfly that strings between two trees. It\u2019s light enough for backpacking and ideal for camping in a place that\u2019s damp, rocky or critter-infested.<\/p>\n

\"Yakima<\/p>\n

Heading to the desert or someplace without giant trees? No problem. Check out the expanding market of innovative rooftop tents that snap open on top of your truck or car. The Yakima SkyRise 3 rooftop tent<\/a> is a spacious, easy-to-assemble three-person tent that you access via a ladder. With this, you only need a simple\u00a0parking space to set up a well-appointed campsite. If you need more room, the Tepui Autana XL Sky 4 tent<\/a> has a car-rooftop sleeping area plus an on-the-ground living area\u2014perfect for families.<\/p>\n

These tents are gaining in popularity and redefining the way people camp because they\u2019re quick to pop up, have less cumbersome tent poles and avoid the pest factor. \u201cA lot of people like to be away from the critters,\u201d Bottome added.<\/p>\n

As for my daughter, she loves bugs. But she also loves having her own private space\u2014whether we\u2019re camping or just playing in the backyard\u2014and an elevated view of the world.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Above-the-ground tents\u2014treehouse tents, rooftop tents and tricked-out hammocks\u2014may be camping\u2019s latest trend, but they\u2019re also more practical than you think. \u00a0 My daughter, Nora, spotted the treehouse from across the field. We were camping on California\u2019s Sonoma Coast and the treehouse, a weathered wooden platform about the size of a two-person tent, sat perched in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":17485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[437,727],"internal-tag":[1672],"class_list":["post-17454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-camping-tents","tag-latest-posts","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camp"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/camp-tent-trends","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Rise of the Suspension Tent","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/camp-tent-trends","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/camp-tent-trends"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/06\/Vagnini_022417_4765_New.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/06\/Vagnini_022417_4765_New.jpg?fit=6720%2C4480"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["camping tents","latest posts"],"dateCreated":"2017-07-02T14:00:57Z","datePublished":"2017-07-02T14:00:57Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T05:38:12Z"},"rendered":"