Outdoors

Inflatable house delivers quick comfort to your camping adventures

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The Exod POD-01 is quick to set up but fairly hefty in terms of weight, so it's best for car camping
Exod
The Exod POD-01 is quick to set up but fairly hefty in terms of weight, so it's best for car camping
Exod
The POD-01 has two large panoramic windows
Exod
The large openings come with screens, while the side windows are sealed
Exod
The inflatable frame of the POD-01
Exod
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Inspired by the technology behind super-strong kite-surfing wings, French company Exod has developed the Air Station POD-01, a portable, inflatable housing solution. The capsule inflates in five minutes and has enough room for up to four people.

While tents have gotten quicker to put up over the years, they still typically involve some arcane origami involving poles and elastic. Exod is taking a different approach to housing in the great outdoors by using air to support its structures.

In 2020, the company ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for Ark, an inflatable hammock/tent that used inflatable beams to provide a support frame for a two-person camping solution that could be placed on the ground or suspended in the trees. A couple of years later, Exod paired things down with the release of Monolith, a one-person inflatable that was also equally comfortable on the forest floor or suspended in midair.

Now, the company is taking pre-orders for its Air Station POD-01, a super-sized version of both its previous efforts that promises to bring easy, spacious shelter to camping expeditions.

The inflatable frame of the POD-01
Exod

Just like Ark and Monolith, the POD employs a frame system based on inflatable tubes which, Exod says, "become incredibly hard and rigid at just 0.5 bar (7 PSI) of pressure." That pressure is provided via a hand pump which can inflate the entire structure in just five minutes, according to the makers. A hyperlapse video on the company's website also shows that the structure can be deflated and packed away in the same period of time.

Once the POD is inflated, it provides 4.2 square meters of floor space (about 45 sq ft) and features walls that raise up to 153 cm (about 5 ft). The walls include large screened openings and windows that allow for a panoramic view, and storage modules that fasten to the air beams keep the floor space clear. When folded down the POD fits into a carry bag that measures 25 x 35 x 64 cm (about 10 x 14 x 25 in). That bag weighs a fairly hefty 8.5 kg (18.7 lb) so this is definitely a tent made for car campers rather than back-country adventurers.

The POD-01 has two large panoramic windows
Exod

Exod is currently taking discounted pre-orders for the POD-01 in either a black or a white version. The first 10 units are priced at €1,699 (about US$1,843). The next 20 units will sell for €1,799 (about US$1,951). And the final batch will go for €1,899 (about US$2,060). After that the normal retail price will settle in at €2,499 (about US$2,710). The discounts are only available until August 15. Exod says units should begin shipping in late 2024.

Source: Exod

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4 comments
Uncle Anonymous
US$2,710 for a tent that takes five minutes to set up? Do yourself a favour and look at the Oztent RV-5 Tent that can be setup by one person in less than 30-seconds, costs US$1311 less, and can be used in any weather, any season.
KaiserPingo
Portable..., if you are a 25m tall giant.
panaphobic
This is crazy! I use the EZ-UP Cube. It works with any 10ft straight leg EZ-UP and turns it into a giant tent. I bought it a few years ago, and the total cost today for the Ambassador EZ-UP and the Cube would be $360 give or take. The EZ-UP is fairly large, so it wouldn't be great for backpacking. This inflatable one would be either though. So if you are overlanding or going to a campsite, it works great. I can't imagine spending nearly $2000 for this inflatable one that you couldn't even stand up in lol. The Cube you can easily stand up in unless you are really tall. I'm 5'8" and there's plenty of room above me.
dcris
Bunch of whimps that don't know how to put up a tent.... Open up some new pathways in yours brains and figure it out.....or pay an astronomical amount for convenience. Better yet, stay out of the 'outback' you are probably the one who is making massive ruts in all of the backroads as well.