Sigh. The "iTent," it had to happen sometime

READERS COMMENTS

I agree with the earlymusicus. It does suspiciously similar to the Sydney Opera House. As to the charges of minimalizing everything, you have me wrong. If it fits the purpose, use it. But I missed the price tag on this beauty. But, it would work under FEMA program of "selling" shelters to victims as implied about using these structures for disaster and hurricane victims. It might even work for foreclosure victims too. If anyone is headed up to the Poconos in PA and wants to test this unit, contact me and bring it along. Nyrefugee2000@yahoo.com


Posted: Aug 04, 2009 NYrefugee

My first thought, when I looked at the picture, was "It looks kind of like the Sydney Opera House!" haha I think it's a very very cool idea especially for people who lose their homes in hurricanes, etc., It would be a very good shelter for them. Good thing to keep in a disaster emergency kit.
Posted: Jul 28, 2009 earlymusicus@yahoo.com

My first thought, when I looked at the picture, was "It looks kind of like the Sydney Opera House!" haha I think it's a very very cool idea especially for people who lose their homes in hurricanes, etc., It would be a very good shelter for them. Good thing to keep in a disaster emergency kit.
Posted: Jul 28, 2009 earlymusicus@yahoo.com

this is TOTALLY the answer for journalists and photographers on travel assignments away from plug points!! definitely will get one if it's affordable..
Posted: Jul 20, 2009 suzanne Lee

Posted: Jul 20, 2009 suzanne Lee

Just when you thought that everything had been thought of! Full points for originality and space age design and what a chuckle I got from the article and everyones comments. In the words of Baden Powell - WELL DONE!
Posted: Jul 17, 2009 Vic

Gee, the comments for this thing are full of people more concerned with vague ideological purity and 'roughing it' street cred than whether they (or someone else - unless we all believe Our Way™ is the only way) might actually find an enjoyable use for this thing.

What a surprise.
Posted: Jul 04, 2009 musubk

Despite the unneccesary verbal overkill in the article, I agree it is interesting and controversial. Anyone who wants to test it can come to N.E. PA on my campsite in a "camping/RV" community which recently required larger units as they were upgrading thier electrical system to 50 from 30 amps and then fines people for using too much electric. Go Lake Adventure dot org.

I would like to see how green this is. Do the materials last long enough to justify the cost? Are the materials "green" or just temporarily so such as the batteries in hybrid vehicles?

I like the idea of power in the woods but would that promote people to set up sites and then spelunking. Ric
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 NYrefugee

It's a great concept for emergency shelters, military or civilian, or for extended situations where comfort takes precedence over communing with nature. For the last 7 years, I've taken a GPS with me, but have not gotten to the point that I would rely on it over my map/compass. This tent is clearly not for my kind of recreation.

But the point is to see the potential. As noted above, field-expedient hospitals or emergency shelters, bases of operation, and other mobile requirements would be well-served. And what about the individual elements? I can imagine a pack made from photovoltaic cloth for charging small electronics (steri-pen or emergency transponder anyone?), or the text-to-ID feature being useful for some SAR operations. There are certainly more mundane uses for such technologies, too. Being able to make things light and resilient enough for camping implies they are more than useful for less rigorous applications in urban settings.

And I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a heating element in the bottom of my 0-degree bag when that sudden ice storm kicks by.
Posted: Jul 02, 2009 Scott

It sorta hurts me to bring it up, but would one really want their technology, increasingly filled with personal information these days, unattended while charging during the day at one of the aforementioned large group camping experiences? Most folks at these events, of course, are honest and there for the comraderie, but there's ALWAYS someone out there who will take what's not theirs if given the opportunity.
Overall, I do not see much use in this design exercise.
Posted: Jun 30, 2009 Needlenose

Kharmic not karmic
Posted: Jun 29, 2009 Kharma

With all this techno, electronic, gaming, texting society we have lost the adventure and skills of “roughing it”. I can remember when my parents would strap us kids with backpacks and head out for a 14 day adventure. No cell phones (wasn’t any back then), no GPS (had to use maps and compass), you had to rely on skills passed on from generation to generation. I think we have lost that sense of tradition. I’m a third generation Eagle Scout and my son is following my foot steps in that, but even now they have lost some of the skills that were taught there too. We need to realize that electronics fail, batteries go dead, you have areas that have “No Signal”, what do we do then? We go back to what we have learned, at least some of us do. I hope that the outdoor-adventurous people still left out there will help the ones that aren’t and show them that there is life without the electronics.
Posted: Jun 27, 2009 Old School

My step son does bring big gaming systems as well as smaller variations when camping with his mother and there RV. He hates that his father and I don’t allow it and we have *GASP!* a tent and still make him come with us. But he may like this tent.
Posted: Jun 27, 2009 A real Camper

It would be great for running computers and communications stuff in a situation such as, say, a coordinated rescue. The thing is, this is the first incarnation of something that we might not even be able to foresee right now. Imagine a group of people stranded somewhere where extraction is not possible for a longer-than-desired period of time. This tent, or a future improved version of it, could be air-lifted with cameras and electronics and such and an emergency medical operation could be performed. Nobody seeks the feeling of "roughing it" more than I, but let's face it, we aren't the only ones out there.
Posted: Jun 26, 2009 Rick Putnam

My mother is disabled. She says RVing just isn't the same as a tent, but since there isn't a tent that has electricity, she can't go camping. I would totally purchase this for her in a heart beat if it could handle her electric needs.
Posted: Jun 26, 2009 Krista Ball

While I think something like this could be useful for a refugee, as Reece pointed out, so would a season pass to a ski resort and a personal chef, but I think your average refugee has other, more immediate concerns. Like, instead of glowing when you text your address, how about running a water purifier. Or! Even better, how about providing adequate shelter? I'm not saying this doesn't, all I'm saying is that there's no way anyone could afford to house more than one or two average refugees like this. Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, people in dire straights don't actually need to be able to, say, update their Twitter. And for civilian use, I'm certain that I don't need to from the backcountry.
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 Mother Nature's Son

I'm guessing a minimum weight of at least 20lbs. That weighs more than the base weight of my summer pack. I want one.
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 Sneeze

Wow! now that's a creative design for a tent. It's definitely the future in camping with solar concepts and convenient accessories. I wonder what is the cost?
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 Tommie Hebert

This would actually be great for events where you're staying in a tent for several days not for the purpose of enjoying the wilderness but for events like the purpose it was built for where "tent cities" are erected. 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree anyone? I'd love to have something like this where I could have my camera batteries charging while I'm out and about. It would certainly be useless for backpacking trips or others where you are setting up camp just before dark and then heading back out in the morning.
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 Ian Lee

eventually kids will bring there xboxs camping, with smaller games and cell phones and all that crap, i doubt kids will be able to enjoy the outdoors as much. but i do like the point about refugees. well c what happens
Posted: Jun 25, 2009 Anonymous

ADD A COMMENT