Outdoors

Bajao Cabin tent uses your stand-up paddle board as a floating campsite

Bajao Cabin tent uses your stand-up paddle board as a floating campsite
The Bajao Cabin is presently on Indiegogo
The Bajao Cabin is presently on Indiegogo
View 4 Images
The tent can be pitched directly on the ground
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The tent can be pitched directly on the ground
The Bajao Cabin is presently on Indiegogo
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The Bajao Cabin is presently on Indiegogo
Car-topping the Bajao Cabin
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Car-topping the Bajao Cabin
The tent measures 118 inches long by 34 in wide by 38.4 in high (300 by 86 by 100 cm) when deployed
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The tent measures 118 inches long by 34 in wide by 38.4 in high (300 by 86 by 100 cm) when deployed
View gallery - 4 images

So think about it … your inflatable SUP is a big, flat, smooth thing that you take on outdoor trips, and it can be made cushy if you let a bit of air out. Why not pitch a tent on it? Well, that's exactly what the Bajao Cabin lets you do – even on the water.

Currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, the Bajao was invented by German paddler Christopher Mantz.

It's a one-person tent consisting of an inflatable fabric frame that gets covers with an inner polyester mesh lining and an outer waterproof flysheet (the latter is made of 40-denier silicone-coated ripstop polyamide).

The frame is placed over the user's existing stand-up paddle board, with two pontoon-like inflatable "sidepipes" lying along either side of the board – these widen the SUP's footprint, making it less tippy when placed in the water.

The tent measures 118 inches long by 34 in wide by 38.4 in high (300 by 86 by 100 cm) when deployed
The tent measures 118 inches long by 34 in wide by 38.4 in high (300 by 86 by 100 cm) when deployed

Needless to say, Mantz suggests that if the Bajao is being used on the water, it should be anchored in very shallow water close to the shore. It can also be set up on rocky, rooty, wet or otherwise camping-unfriendly ground, with the SUP serving as a waterproof cushion. Of course, because paddle boards are often carried on car tops, it can also go up there.

Additionally, the tent can be pitched directly on the ground, leaving the SUP out of the picture. And yes, it does have a 150-denier waterproof polyester floor, so users won't be sleeping on the dirt. The whole setup is claimed to tip the scales at 4.8 kg (10.6 lb).

Assuming the Bajao Cabin reaches production, a pledge of US$414 will get you one – the planned retail price is $654. It's demonstrated in the following video.

BAJAO Cabin - The Tent for you SUP Board

Sources: Indiegogo, Bajao

View gallery - 4 images
5 comments
5 comments
paleochocolate
Is that a reference to the Sea peoples of SE Asia?
paul314
Clearly for people who wake up with no initial foggy period. Otherwise that first step out of the tent is going to be a doozy.
Uncle Anonymous
There you are sitting in your tent on the SUP near the shore where it's shallow when a jet boat goes by… Your SUP is hit by waves, and you find yourself flipped into the water. 💦 🤣
yelorsv
Yay! A fresh, new way to die in your sleep.
ljaques
Let's see how a bean counter would line it up:
1 inflatable paddleboard, $119.99
1 strap-on tent, $414
Wholesale, that accessory tent costs 345% of the initial purchase.
Retail, that accessory tent costs 545% of the initial cost.
Gee, I wonder how many of them they'll sell.
I think I'd be happier with my old $20 2-person tent, $50 3/4" thick yoga mat, and old cotton sleeping bag.
Where do people get their grandiose pricing on things like this, anyway? Insurance markup?