Outdoors

New hybrid rooftop tent blows up into multi-story camping complex

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Thecatal merges the worlds of ground tent, vehicle tent and rooftop tent camping to create the Magic Fort
Thecatal
The big flagship of Thecatal's Boundary Series, the Megafort is like a home away from home, complete with multiple rooms, a "garage" and a home theater space
Thecatal
The various Magic Fort rooms are split by divider walls
Thecatal
Enjoying Thecatal Magic Fort base camp, complete with Tesla
Thecatal
The car rooftop loft offers a large window for nice views
Thecatal
The Magic Fort includes some serious guy straps for securing to the ground and a stove jack for using a stove inside during cold weather
Thecatal
A peek at the SUV rolled in and ready for loft setup
Thecatal
With the support ropes and poles, the loft inflatable floor mat can stay in place while campers drive the car out for day trips
Thecatal
The large inflatable rooftop mattress creates a second-story camping experience
Thecatal
Enjoying family time on the Magic Fort loft
Thecatal
Thecatal Magic Fort base camp
Thecatal
Backing the Tesla in for full Magic Fort two-story setup
Thecatal
Overhead of the rooms and spaces inside the Magic Fort
Thecatal
Thecatal merges the worlds of ground tent, vehicle tent and rooftop tent camping to create the Magic Fort
Thecatal
Staking out the smaller Smart Shell
Thecatal
Theocatal's Smart Shell is a smaller but still sizable inflatable tent that can be used on the back of a hatchback, on its own or inside the Magic Fort
Thecatal
The Smart Shell secures to many different vehicle models to create an indoor/outdoor camping space that can take advantage of the car's climate control, whether the setup is inside the Magic Fort or out on its own
Thecatal
The Smart Shell working as a freestanding tent and base camp
Thecatal
Theocatal has designed both the Magic Fort and Smart Shell with four-season use in mind
Thecatal
SUV-back camping with the Thecatal Smart Shell
Thecatal
The Smart Shell is designed to sleep between two and four people
Thecatal
A vehicle interior inside the Smart Shell inside the Magic Fort – rooftop tent camping meets base tent camping meets in-vehicle camping
Thecatal
The Magic Fort doesn't pack up small or light by any measure, but Thecatal says it can fit in a trunk with room to spare
Thecatal
Airflow system illustration
Thecatal
View gallery - 23 images

Many rooftop tents can expand into ground tents with add-on awnings and sidewalls, but the all-new Magic Fort from startup Thecatal reverses the process. This massive inflatable ground tent serves as both a camper and a garage, creating a glamping duplex by housing the car or SUV inside and turning it into the cozy second floor of an expansive base camp. Campers will enjoy several individual rooms for changing clothes, taking in entertainment and just relaxing in nature, along with the option of turning the vehicle interior into part of the living space.

Thecatal is running a Kickstarter campaign now in an effort to launch its unique Boundary tent series. The flagship of the series, the Magic Fort is a huge ground shelter that sleeps up to 12 people and is designed specifically to house an SUV, pickup truck or sedan. The tent sprawls out to cover 431 square feet (40 sq m) of ground space – a footprint more like a studio apartment than a typical camping tent.

With the support ropes and poles, the loft inflatable floor mat can stay in place while campers drive the car out for day trips
Thecatal

Most of the Magic Fort's rooms and spaces are spread out around the ground below the 11.5-foot-high (3.5-m) tent canopy, but the last room is located atop the vehicle. After inflating the main tent body into shape, campers can back their vehicle through the large center entrance and set the inflatable drop-stitch mattress up on the vehicle roof. Tent flaps then secure around the vehicle to better close off the interior space.

The inflated mattress serves as the floor of the second-story loft, which sits below the apex of the tent roof behind a large mesh window. Retention nets help to prevent both children and adults from rolling off the sides.

The large inflatable rooftop mattress creates a second-story camping experience
Thecatal

A series of straps and carbon fiber poles reinforce the inflatable mattress positioning, adjust setup to different sizes and styles of vehicle roof, and keep everything in place so that campers can drive the vehicle away during the day without having to break down the entire loft.

The Magic Fort is a canopy-style shelter without a complete floor, but the various interior rooms, split via a series of divider walls and mesh, do include floors to fully enclose occupants. Beyond serving as bedrooms, Thecatal has designed certain areas for use as a changing room, living room and movie screening room. While the black fabric won't do much to keep the heat of the summer sun at bay, it is designed to better black out the interior for sleep and movie viewing.

The Magic Fort includes some serious guy straps for securing to the ground and a stove jack for using a stove inside during cold weather
Thecatal

The Magic Fort can also be used without the vehicle as a large freestanding ground tent. Various doors and flaps can be flipped up and secured to work as awnings, providing a large canopy over 646 sq ft (60 sq m) of ground space.

Thecatal promises an insulated all-season design with special venting to increase airflow when desired. The silicone-finished 70D nylon body fabric offers 5,000-mm weatherproofing and is designed to block UV rays. Thecatal says the hybrid inflatable/hard-pole frame and guy straps will hold up to high winds. The roof includes a zippered stove jack that can be used to vent a tent heater or stove for winter camping.

Theocatal has designed both the Magic Fort and Smart Shell with four-season use in mind
Thecatal

The Magic Fort is a very big, multi-featured tent, but it's only half of Thecatal's Boundary Series. The other half is the Smart Shell, a tall, inflatable dome tent designed to sleep two to four people as a standalone ground tent or a hatchback camper-tent.

For the latter function, the Smart Shell works similarly to the Tentsla and other largely Tesla-based hatch tents that have flooded the market in recent years, attaching over top the lifted tailgate of an electric or gas vehicle to create a vehicle/tent camper that can be air conditioned and heated using the vehicle.

Theocatal's Smart Shell is a smaller but still sizable inflatable tent that can be used on the back of a hatchback, on its own or inside the Magic Fort
Thecatal

The connection port attaches directly around the tailgate load area, leaving the exhaust pipe of an ICE vehicle outside. That said, it looks like the traditional rear tailpipe will be firing exhaust directly at the tent, so using heat or AC will probably still be best left to an electric vehicle.

The Smart Shell can be used solely with the vehicle or inside the Magic Fort to turn the car or SUV into a two-story indoor/outdoor tent camper.

A vehicle interior inside the Smart Shell inside the Magic Fort – rooftop tent camping meets base tent camping meets in-vehicle camping
Thecatal

While Thecatal's design is quite unique, it feels a little oversized, complicated and expensive for our simple camping tastes. The Magic Fort splits into two separate bags for a total weight of 122 lb (55 kg), comparable to some rooftop tents (RTTs) with much easier campsite setup. It's available at an RTT-like super early bird Kickstarter pledge level of US$2,499, a significant discount off the planned $4,599 MSRP.

Those numbers do not include the Smart Shell, which weighs 26.4 lb (12 kg) and slides in at a $699 super early bird pledge level, with a planned $1,299 MSRP. Those who want both tents can get the full package starting at the $2,999 pledge level, nearly half off the planned $5,599 MSRP.

The Magic Fort doesn't pack up small or light by any measure, but Thecatal says it can fit in a trunk with room to spare
Thecatal

Those Kickstarter prices may or may not seem entirely out of line, but the MSRPs are pushing into expensive hardshell rooftop tent/entry-level minimalist camping trailer territory, which seems far too pricey for a fancy ground tent that looks like it could be a real pain to deal with on anything shorter than a weeklong single-location camping trip. It doesn't look quite fancy or heavy-duty enough for typical glamping or resort use, either.

That said, Thecatal's Kickstarter campaign is moving right along and has nearly quadrupled its $10,000 goal with over three weeks left to go ... so maybe tent compound camping is the next trend in outdoor living and adventure.

The 4-minute pitch video below further unpacks the Boundary Series' setup and usage.

Source: Thecatal

View gallery - 23 images
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6 comments
pbethel
That would be so much fun with a few thousand watt stereo in the car.
itsKeef
yep, had one of those back in 1986, they came free with the FIAT Panda Mk1. https://www.fiatpanda.co.uk/tent
Marco McClean
The first image reminds me of the comical umbrella-hood mating dance of a black bird I can't remember the name of. Maybe from a Ze Frank video.
jerryd
Other car, truck EVs have V2L/G supplying 120-240vac that Tesla doesn't. All it has is a small 12vdc outlet.
I really like at least the rear tent idea as packs to little inside space and you only need a room and the EV. Such a case on top of an aero EV is going to hurt range the faster you drive. So unless you really need the room, stick with a 1 room tent that fits in a small bag.
V2G will be big next yr so buying an EV it should be considered. I'm charging my EV now in case the hurricane kills the grid here in Tampa. During Ian it ran my 2 studio homes for 4 days.
ljaques
They made 4 times their goal when only 13 people bought BigBird and 7 people bought nuttin' but a shell. Yeah, old PT Barnum had it right.
And, dear God, they even had BeeGees MUZAK playing. Washing out my ears now.
BIGMAC-TODAY
This tent might be a bit pricey for some guys, but its design and features are still impressive.