Outdoors

Hovering Tentsile cabin creates multi-story winter tree camp

View 14 Images
The Insulated Cabin is a new option for making tree tent camping warm enough for all four seasons
Tentsile
Adding the Insulated Cabin to a Tentsile Ground stack set up creates a warm camping cabin with a roof that's a tent itself
Tentsile
The entry door will be more useful in ground configuration
Tentsile
If it's truly cold, campers will want to stay inside the Insulated Cabin, but in warmer conditions, the stack can sleep up to three people up high and three more down low
Tentsile
Adding the double-bubble mesh and rain fly further improve insulation and weather protection (and add more time to the setup process)
Tentsile
The Insulated Cabin retails for $1,000 on its own
Tentsile
Keeping cozy inside the Insulated cabin
Tentsile
Add the double-bubble mesh, rain fly and tent walls to the Insulated Cabin Stack for the best weather and cold protection
Tentsile
We like how the tent on top makes the Insulated Cabin look like a proper little house
Tentsile
The Insulated Cabin is a new option for making tree tent camping warm enough for all four seasons
Tentsile
The yellow package on which the presenter's hand rests is the actual Stingray tree tent, while the huge gray one to the viewer's right is the Insulated Cabin
Tentsile
The Insulated Cabin comes with a (large) weatherproof carry sack
Tentsile
The suspended insulated cabin sets up between the upper tent and lower hammock of Tentsile's Classic Stack
Tentsile
Suspended Insulated Cabin stack with protective rain fly and tent walls installed
Tentsile
Three-story Tentsile tree camper with ground sheet, insulated cabin, hammock and tree tent
Tentsile
View gallery - 14 images

Spending the night in a Tentsile tree tent can be a truly inspiring way to camp, but hovering over the ground in a big mesh dome isn't so ideal once the frigid, wet, howling weather of winter hits. With the all-new Insulated Cabin, Tentsile supports the ambitions of four-season tree campers with a warm, cozy insulator optimized for camping between fall and spring. Just imagine waking to the white noise of snow falling on a frosted forest or the silence of a once-raging neighboring waterfall frozen to stillness.

The Insulated Cabin is essentially a fully enclosed camping cube made from a breathable 40D polyester fabric quilted and filled with 200-g/sq m hollow-fiber poly insulation. It has both a roof and floor in addition to four walls, and Tentsile lists R-value at 2.7.

The frameless, non-waterproof Insulated Cabin isn't a standalone shelter and relies entirely on existing Tentsile products for its structure. Specifically, it works hand-in-hand with Tenstile "Stacks," multi-story camping kits that combine a three-person Stingray tree tent with either a Trillium giant hammock or a ground sheet below, creating a two-story shelter.

The suspended insulated cabin sets up between the upper tent and lower hammock of Tentsile's Classic Stack
Tentsile

The Insulated Cabin secures to the upper tree tent, tent straps and lower hammock or ground sheet. Users can add the "double-bubble" mesh, waterproof rain fly and tent walls included in each stack to further improve insulation and weather protection. Particularly ambitious Tentsile campers can double up into an "Utlimate Stack" setup by building upward with a ground sheet, Insulated Cabin 1, Trillium hammock, Insulated Cabin 2 and Stingray tent, creating a three-story tree camp.

Three large and three small Cabin zippered windows complete with no-see-um mesh screens let campers cool down and crank ventilation without inviting in any problematic pests. The Cabin also includes a tall built-in door and floor and ceiling entry hatches. Interior pockets and loft loops offer storage space for lighting and gear.

Adding the Insulated Cabin to a Tentsile Ground stack set up creates a warm camping cabin with a roof that's a tent itself
Tentsile

The Insulated Cabin seems like a lot of extra material and setup for winter camping that could be accomplished more simply with a four-season ground tent or fully insulated hammock. It's also a lot of extra bulk and weight to add to a Tentsile tent that's already pretty bulky and heavy. The Cabin alone weighs 28.6 lb (13 kg) and is the largest package in the Insulated Stack setup at 29 x 27 x 12 inches (75 x 70 x 30 cm) packed – definitely not the solution for those who like to travel lightly in small vehicles.

The yellow package on which the presenter's hand rests is the actual Stingray tree tent, while the huge gray one to the viewer's right is the Insulated Cabin
Tentsile

And then there's the price. If you already have a Stack, you can add the Insulated Cabin for a cool US$999. If not, prepare to pay $2,319 for a complete Insulated Cabin Ground Stack or $2,679 for an Insulated Cabin Classic (Tree) Stack.

As much as we like the potential of cold-weather Tentsile camping, this particular solution seems to be unnecessarily large, expensive and time-consuming. It feels like a smaller, faster interior tent insulator and/or under quilt would be superior in every way – easier to pack and carry, simpler to set up and less expensive. As is, the Cabin is larger, heavier and more expensive than Tentsile's actual Stingray three-person tree tent.

For those who like the idea and are willing to spend the money, the Insulated Cabin and Insulated Cabin Stack launched this month and are available for order now. We'd just recommend first taking a quick look at the setup video below to get an idea of what's involved in pitching the various configurations.

Source: Tentsile

View gallery - 14 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
2 comments
ljaques
$2,700? Awfully pricy, wot? Glampers will like them, and probably pay someone to set them up and tear 'em down for them.
BlueOak
Wow. So clever, in the details - watch the setup video, especially the double stack, double insulated, weather protected install. However, non-engineer types will surely gag at the setup effort if not the fully configured price. Definitely not an over-nighter… or even weekend setup.

If longer term, cold weather camping is the goal, since this full set up is already a car-camping rig, seems like a traditional expedition tent, at the same or even dramatically less expensive, makes more sense. Likely faster (and certainly less acrobatic) to set up, more spacious, no need for strong trees arranged in a triangle, and even supports a wood stove for heating and cooking.

Still, a very cool setup for the gadget lover.