Cool Tents for Chic Camping Vacations
Spending time in the great outdoors is one of our favorite things, if you couldn't tell from the articles we've written on glamping, tents, and ultra-chic campers. A quick look around the web shows that we're far from the only ones who've fallen in love with all aspects of camping, especially when it comes to tent design. The humble tent has gotten a designer upgrade and now comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Here are some of our favorites.
This may resemble some sort of hovering alien spacecraft or high-end treehouse, but it's really a tent.
As you see here, the Tentsile Stingray tent only gives the illusion of floating above the ground. It's is suspended from adjacent trees with heavy duty rope, almost like a hammock but with all the privacy and security of a tent. A rope ladder is included so you can, you know, get into your tent at night.
Want something super luxe? Upgrade from tent to dome as at Ecocamp in the heart of Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia.
A stay at these deluxe glamping acommodations–no kidding, some of the domes have bathrooms and terraces, and the hotel itself offers a restaurant and bar—includes a number of cool outdoor excursions such as hiking, cycling, and safaris.
We profile The Cave below, the precursor to this inflatable tent. Called "The Wedge", the tent keeps the sturdy inflatable frame but upgrades to a sleeker design for increased wind stability.
A perfect tent for bookworms.
Riddle us this: how many clowns fit into the big top tent?
A cheeky message for peeping toms.
This tent reminds us of the blanket forts we used to make when we were very young.
All of these above tents are the work of FieldCandy. Check out their website for even more cool, creative tent designs.
Here's a classic: the iconic VW Camper Van as a tent. What's not to love?
Recognize this beautiful camper? It's Opera, the incredible camper-trailer we wrote about in 2011. This is hands down the most luxurious camper we've come across.
This chic igloo is another classic from our archives. BubbleTree, a French company, delivers and inflates these totally transparent igloos to the camping site of your choice. Learn more here.
Is a plastic igloo a little too flimsy for you? Check out I-gloobox designed by Georgi Djongarski. This super sturdy tent is made of waterproof materials and has thick padding to keep you warm through even the harshest winter.
Not a winter person? Here's a tent that will keep you cool in the heat of the Mojave Desert. Strawn.Sierralta is a mobile structure modeled on the Joshua Tree plant. It's made out of recycled PVC pipes.
Meet the Cave Tent. The frame for this tent is made up of "air beams" that inflate in under a minute.
Tent design has been tending towards the eco-friendly in recent years. Orange's Solar Concept Tent certainly fits the bill. It was designed with the Glastonbury Festival in mind, so it's equipped with WiFi connectivity, photovoltaic fabric panels, and a light-up function should inebriated festival-goers forget how to get back to their tent (it happens!)
This isn't a traditional tent, but a very chic gazebo/canopy by design firm Pircher. This one's called "Fall in Love" and is meant to accomodate 2-people.
A sporty and portable reef tent designed specifically for surfers.
We're not quite sure of the story behind these tents, but we love the design all the same. Leave a comment below if you've got the scoop! We hope you've enjoyed this short guide to cool tent design. If camping's not your bag, don't forget to check out our collection of modern vacation rentals and small hotels. We're always open. MT
41 REVIEWS
May 9, 2013
Awesome!! but we have a saying here in my place! Aakashave hodike, bhumiye hasige, elli malagidarenu, nidireyondadare saaku! (sky is the coversheet, earth is the bed, wherever you sleep, finally get the sleep)
Ganesh
Bangalore, India
May 2, 2013
If you like the hanging tents make sure you are not camping in a an area known for big cats. They love to climb. They are very curious.
Re: The igloo from BubbleTree, does it come with a nightshade? (Slaughterhouse Five)
mickihaifa
Haifa, Israel
May 1, 2013
Buying a tent is a bit like buying a car and most consider the following: price, purpose, quality and looks. What work for us from a practical point of view i can recommend an Oz tent made in Australia. We have tried many different designs and makes over the years and like these best sofar. We use them during outreaches in some of the most remote areas in Africa while traveling. The erect very quickly and are tall enough to stand in when getting dressed. They have a unaerodynamic look but have withstood ( when anchored) rough storms and rain (waterproof). Their disadvantage is only size and price. But we don’t regret getting them. A note to tent manufacturers: One thing almost ALL tents give problems with after a while is their zips. Perhaps they should invest in sorting this problem out once and for all! Why not design a new type of “zip” that doesnt like like the conventional one but that has a lifetime guarantee. .
Johan
Kranskop, South Africa
April 26, 2013
Hiya! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the great data you’ve got
right here on this post. I will probably be coming back to your blog for extra soon.
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Bourbonnais, United States
April 17, 2013
Love da animal print
nineteen
Bandung, Indonesia
March 27, 2013
great tents, have a look at brazilian hammocks
artehammocks
March 9, 2013
I had a bit of a laugh looking at the article. That’s the idea, right? Any tent, or any designed object, that manages to brighten someone’s day and expand their perceptions is a good thing. And for all you poor fools that missed the point and wish doom on anyone that uses these tents – lighten the hell (not my first choice of word) up. If you want to pitch a tent and camp on a cliff face then go buy another tent and I hope you hammer the pegs in well….or not. :-0
Glenn
Melbourne, Australia
March 8, 2013
Hi, after reading this awesome paragraph i am too delighted to share my knowledge here with mates.
www.vegas-chips.com
Vacaville, United States
February 27, 2013
I think this article and the designs are very pretentious.
Russell Travers
cape town, SA
February 14, 2013
This is great! Are any of these being used in emergency situations and for medics surgeries where just about anything could be done?
karen vaughan
George, South Africa
February 3, 2013
muy buen repertorio de tiendas de campaña.
j.a.peña
zaragoza, spain
February 1, 2013
http://hennessyhammock.com/ is missing
verne
earl grey, canada
January 30, 2013
I’ve been a couple of times to http://www.featherdown.com. What a great way to stay at a farm with your family.
Daniel
Mountain View, USA
January 22, 2013
Those are some of the great tents I’ve seen. Great for the outdoors.
RVs in Florida
Stuart, USA
December 16, 2012
How much does this cost
Amanda
Spencer, America
November 7, 2012
Very nice gallery.
Daniel
October 26, 2012
and I have the last one because…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQV-bECkbk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8QQn_LHU3c&feature=related
nuff said…
Cris
Vigo, Spain
October 19, 2012
Originally when I saw the first few, I thought these are just ridiculous hipster designs on tents, and I was ready to just leave the page. However then I thought, is that a bad thing? A bunch of hipsters in a pressed brown trowsers, pinstriped shirt, suspenders, bowtie, and their thick rimmed glasses with no lenses in, get a bunch of these tents and go out hiking, and seeing as the concept of survival is so alien to these town centre pansies, they’ll all die.
Awesome idea whoever came up with this.
Andy Frogman
October 19, 2012
A couple of these are interesting, like the hanging one at the beginning, or the surfer tent with weights to resist beach-winds. But generally speaking, if you don’t carry it out, set it up yourself, then carry it back, it’s not camping. And worse yet, if you hire someone else to set it up before you get there, you should be ashamed.
Charles
BALTIMORE, United States
September 5, 2012
The transparent bubble tent, what a load. Pointless and where is the ventilation? Bad design.
The other tents, nice, different, some well designed and others do need a bit of work.
Yes I am a well seasoned camper of all types of terrain and weather, mountains to camp sites. Earliest memory was camping on the side of a welsh mountain hill side in a force four storm. Good intro in to camping that was at the tender age of 6.
MG
August 21, 2012
Hay, these are indeed some very cool tents. I have a hiking friend who lives in her VW van who would love that tent.
Amanda Silvestri
August 18, 2012
…But we are not in Scotland. =) Its 91 sunny and the water temp is 73 in the pacific ocean, Be great to light up a fat doobie in the bubble!
James
August 8, 2012
Great looking tents, are they available with shipping to other countries?
Gabyyy
July 29, 2012
I’m not sure I know the story on the design of the bottom most tent, but it is a seconds tent from http://tente.quechua.com/en/tent/r-2,en-tentes-instantanees.html
I have one of the bigger ones and it is a fantastic tent… It has been to the high desert and deep forest, never let me down. Great festival tent
Dan
July 16, 2012
Quechua.
http://tente.quechua.com/en/tent/r-2,en-tentes-instantanees.html
Steve
July 15, 2012
Oil be a little Irish & answer a question with a question. Is that right you ask? So here goes, how big is the tent?
Bazza
June 6, 2012
very very nice!!!!
amir
May 17, 2012
Reed and C.Lee,
Hanging tents, or ‘portaledges’ in action
http://www.funver.com/Other/portaledge.html
Daniel
May 16, 2012
VW!!! That would be so cool next to my lovely California : )
Sarah
April 27, 2012
The last 3 look the most practical but the VW Kombi tent will really wow most dudes.
neil
April 21, 2012
Good luck with trying to pack any of those in a rucksack and carrying/pitching it up a mountain in Scotland in horizontal sleet… Fine for faux campers in 4x4s who probably never get much further than their own back gardens. Chic camping is an oxymoron – if you’re able to remain chic while doing it you are missing the point.
Neil
April 19, 2012
me want the VW ! and the book tent too, hummm…
on the same site, i saw this tipi camping tent : let’s play, kids !! http://www.triganostore.com/camping/tentes/abris-camping/tipi-trigano-cherokee/prod-3536.html
maumau
March 15, 2012
Awesome tents! VW Camper is my favourite
Korki
March 14, 2012
How do you get in and out of the hanging tent? and where can I get info, price, ect. on all of them?
Reed
March 13, 2012
I’m most interested in the tent pod suspended in air at the top of the article. To my mind, the best part of camping [in good weather] is the night sky. Any skinny on the tent with mosquito netting?
C. Lee
March 7, 2012
Very nice gallery, I love it.
sergiu23
February 24, 2012
May be 4 clowns? All depends….
Ai Suan Tan
February 10, 2012
Where can i find the vw camper? That thing is awesome!!!
victor cifuentes jr
February 8, 2012
Adam: Look at this link, it appears to be that make/model.
http://www.triganostore.com/camping/tentes/tentes-familiales/tente-camping-familiale-louxor-trigano/prod-3537.html
There is one other that is similar at that same website.
Jim
February 8, 2012
I need to know what brand the green and white tent with the backwards “R” is? 3rd from the bottom. I love that tent and want it bad!!
Adam
February 2, 2012
About the last one, the one with the “2″ on it, it´s a Decathlon tent, which is an all-sports european sports shop.
The main feature of this tent is that it extends by itself,thanks to its flexible sticks structure.Thanks to this, they are very easy to transport and light-weight too!
For more info, http://www.decathlon.co.uk/en/category/~category_id=DUP10746/~pcategory=MAN_10741/~CURRENT_CATALOG_ID=ORPHELAN_CATEGORY
Werine