tentsile - a hammock style tent suspended from trees by alex shirley-smith
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'tentsile 2' by alex shirley-smith
designer and architect alex shirley-smith has initiated crowd-funding to see the development and realization of the most recent iteration
of his suspended tent concept 'tensile'. shirley-smith has been developing the range since 2011 and is now seeking resources to realize 'tentsile 2' -
a temporary, portable dwelling able to be affixed to surrounding tree trunks, mimicking a spider's web.
the hammock-style lodging is made from 3 weights of rip-stop nylon sheet fabrics, where 'tentsile' employs the material’s
innate strengths for various sections of the body, however is also able to maintain light-weight qualities for ease of transport.
the creator sees the concept as not only appropriate for regular globe trotters, but also habitation for biological research groups who
traverse through nature and need to travel light.
'tentsile' comes in a range of sizes to suit different locations or environmental conditions. each unit is bespoke and tailored to the
specific needs of the user, the floor of 'tentsile' can also be replaced with trampoline mesh to forge an enclosed play space.
you can visit the site to support the design here.
the new concept seeking crowd-funding
the 8 person variation of 'tentsile'
'prototype'
concept 'tentsile' example location
concept 'tentsile' example location
2 person iteration
video of 'tentsile' set up
tentsile 2 product specifications:
material: silicon coated nylon rip-stop fly sheet, PU coated texturised nylon hammocks, mesh bed flooring, 35mm webbing strap skeleton, 30mm aluminium central pole, 6 x aluminium battens
maximum load capacity: 400 kg
set up time: about 20-30 mins
C’mon… in stone and sand atop a central pivot?! More photoshop, wishful thinking.
Too heavy to pack.. too much space required for useable return. Cute idea that you’d need a mule to carry.
Great concept,very imaginative,and practical.
As stars on the beach.
Sconsigliata ai sonnambuli…
the people on the outside will be laying head downwards , not well thought out , impractical.
but it looks nice
I see a beautiful tent, just beautiful!
I also see a maximum load capacity of 400 kg …
And lastly I see 8 people drawn in the tent.
Those are SOME SLIM people
Heavy, little ventilation, uncomfortable, topheavy, impractical space what is to like about this?
You can fluff up the duff on the forrest ground after taking down a normal tent, and make it look like you where never there. How are you suppose to fix the damage done to trees after you take this monstrosity down? I guess you guys don’t care about “Leave no Trace”
Hmm, well, it looks futuristic and ‘designed’ which is why it is getting any interest at all, but is clearly just a gimmick. Compared to a tent, it is surely excessively heavy. A comfortable tent will be 4kg for 2 people but can be as low as 2kg. This must weigh at least 2 or 3 times when compared with a similar size.
Getting in and out of the thing when it’s raining will mean water runs off the top and right into your sleeping area making a nice puddle in the bottom. Oh god, and getting up to go for a piss in the night will be a fun challenge. You’d wake up the rest of your tent mates by swinging the whole thing around.
Ok, and what about wind? Those large flat panels are going to be a joy when the wind picks up. I just love wet nylon pressed against my face when I’m trying to sleep. And your idea to have it suspended from 3 poles for use out of the forest is plain stupid. Maybe if you sent a building crew up to the spot you wanted to camp with a JCB and a concrete mixer to give you a firm foundation to bolt it into, it might work. Ha ha, that’d be great for use in a flood.
However designed this must not have ever tried camping before or at least it can not be intended for camping in. Having at the bottom of the garden to show off to your mates and never use????