Inflatable tents are nothing new, with offerings such as the Wedge, the Cave and the Kelty Mach 6 built around inflatable frames to speed up pitching times. But Utah-based start-up Aescent is turning things upside down with its four-man domed tent that features an inflatable mattress built into the base to provide a comfortable place to rest your weary bones after a day's hiking.
Aescent claims its patent-pending tent is the first to feature an integrated inflatable base and can be set up in several minutes, with the base itself taking two minutes to inflate to a height of 6 in (15 cm). Aesent's focus was to create a tent that offered comfort above all else. With this goal in mind, and in an effort to avoid the flimsy, bouncy nature of common air mattresses, the company designed the base to have a series of intertwined chambers, compartmentalizing the air to provide a more supportive sleeping surface.
As you'd expect, the underside of the base is made from a vinyl that is significantly thicker than you'd find on a regular air mattress, which the company claims makes it durable and puncture resistant.
While comfort may be a priority for some, others might prefer to travel light. With such campers in mind, Aesent made the inflatable base detachable simply by unzipping it from the shelter, revealing a second set of pole anchors and enabling you to set it up as a regular lightweight tent.
Aesent is raising funds for its four-man dome on Kickstarter, where a pledge of US$160 will put you in line for the tent, aluminum tent poles and an attachable rain fly. Shipping is estimated for May 2014 if everything goes as planned.
You can hear from Dan Robertson, CEO of Aesent in the video pitch below.
Source: Aesent