High-end Tent Company SlingFin Enters the Market
A master designer attempts to build the last mountain shelter you'll ever need.
If anyone else called his creation “The One,” it might sound a wee bit pretentious. But when Martin Zemitis, who in the last 33 years has made some of the most popular tents on the market, does it, and says The One is his favorite model in a new line of expedition tents, it sounds momentous. Zemitis, a co-founder of Mountain Hardwear, has helped launch a new company called SlingFin, and tents, naturally, are first out of the gate. The most intriguing innovation is WebTruss Technology, which incorporates poles and webbed sleeves to create a freestanding geodesic skeleton that’s remarkably strong for the weight.
“My focus was to design a method whereby the tent poles could be set up in high winds (75 mph-plus) without the tent body attached,” says Zemitis. That minimizes stress on the structure, making it possible to increase strength without adding pole weight. SlingFin is also using titanium dioxide-coated fabric, which Zemitis says should last about 10 times longer than the standard stuff in prolonged UV exposure. Tents (starting at about $1,000) will be available in January. slingfin.com