Japanese outdoor gear staple Snow Peak has long dazzled the Western world with gear that's entirely different from that which we're accustomed, but loaded with function and style. In fact, it's one of the first names that comes to mind when thinking of "glamping." We've previously seen how the company can turn the simple concept of a tent into a multi-room six-person base camp complex for those willing to pitchfork over $3,000, and now it's launching a more affordable, consumer-friendly take on that concept for a smaller group.
Only Snow Peak would define a tent as a "beginner level shelter," and only Snow Peak would use it to categorize the all-new Land Nest Shelter, a 36-lber (16.3-kger) with a full "W" worth of poles shooting off in all directions.
Instead of the basic four-person dome or cabin tent layout, which would serve as a beginner, intermediate and expert family shelter in most companies' lineups, Snow Peak expands its tent out into a multi-room concept meant to furnish campers with both daytime living space and private nighttime sleeping space. It's essentially a functional camp canopy and four-person tent in one.
The Land Nest follows a similar formula to Snow Peak's Zekka but slims down from a six-person base camp commune to a simpler four-person family shelter. Instead of the two inner tents available for the Zekka, the Land Nest has a single inner tent that mounts inside the stretched waterproof canopy that stakes right down to the ground. The inner tent is sized to accommodate three to four adults, meaning it should comfortably sleep a family of four.
The inner/outer tent layout offers a very breezy, comfortable dual-wall construction. The inner tent includes a tub floor to keep water from leaking in off the ground and plenty of mesh for generous airflow. The larger waterproof outer tent ensures the utmost in weatherproofing while raising the peak height up to 5.8 feet (1.8 m).
The main reason for the outer tent far exceeding the inner tent in size is that it's designed to offer an entirely separate sheltered living space for daytime and pre-bedtime evening use. The floor-less but weatherproofed living area offers enough space to dine and lounge, and it can be further extended with the end door flap that doubles as an awning.
The outer tent also offers central doors on either side that enter directly into the back of the open living area, near the front of the inner tent.
Those who'd prefer a larger canopied living space can also remove the tent and use the entire space as a lounge, small party tent or open-floor sleeping shelter. Either way, the outer tent is optimized for three+ seasons' worth of weather, relying on special roof area pigment to block strong summer sun, plus various mesh panels and rollable doors for full ventilation. Ground skirts at the edges cut drafts to keep the interior warm in cooler weather.
While not inexpensive by any definition, the Land Nest Shelter's US$749.95 base price is a fraction of some of Snow Peak's other large multi-room tents.
Source: Snow Peak
