Last year, South African camping trailer manufacturer AlphaGo slid off wheeled chassis and launched the impressive Cube Air Tent, a larger-than-life inflatable built to sleep up to six people. But wilderness wanderers who really want to escape daily life for the warm embrace of wild serenity might be best-served by leaving those five others behind ... back in the city.
Now they have a better means of doing so with the Cube tent's smaller sibling: the Cube Solo. "Cube" is really just branding here, as this solo-sleeper smooths out the corners into a swag-like semicylinder that opens up large arching views of the land and sky. And it pitches in seconds.
We always love to see a cool product give way to an entire brand, and that's what's happened since we last looked at the original Cube tent. AlphaGo has spun it off into a standalone "Cube Air Tent" brand now stocking various kinds of inflatable ground camping and outdoor rec gear. The Solo is the most notable of those new intros, designed to serve as the brand's smallest tent. It's also one of the fastest and most convenient to pitch this side of the 2 Seconds Tent, with an estimated setup time of just 15 seconds using the integrated high-pressure pump.
"Simply press the pump and the tent rises into shape in approximately 15 seconds," assures Cube.
With a floor area of 87 x 35 in (220 x 90 cm), the Cube Solo does exactly what it says and sleeps one person. You might be able to squeeze two in there, but we wouldn't recommend buying one for such purposes unless you're very comfortable with the idea of sleeping in tight quarters with your future camp mate. We'd even go so far as to seek out a shop and test it out with said mate as a precaution.
For a solo camper, though, the tent looks quite comfy, offering huge side window mesh that creeps up into the roof, delivering views straight out to the horizon and up to the night sky. Windows at both front and rear ends provide loads of ventilation, sheltered from light weather by small awnings. When things get wetter and windier, all the windows and doors can zip closed with laminated weatherproof fabric. The interior is coated in blackout fabric for dark, comfortable sleeping well after sunrise.
The Cube Solo is far from ultralight, but it's designed to be used for fast, convenient overnights during activities like overlanding, motorcycle camping and festival-going. The company mentions backpacking, but with a listed weight of 18.7 lb (8.5 kg), we're not sure we'd use the Cube Solo for much more than a short jaunt from the car to a flat, scenic pitch close enough to the car as to not dissuade us from walking back for the rest of the base camp gear. All deflated and folded up, the tent makes a comfortably portable package of 31 x 18 in x 18 in (78 x 46 x 46 cm).
The Cube Solo is available for preorder now at an early-bird price of ZAR3,699 (approx. US$240), and deliveries will begin in late May. Suggested retail price is listed at ZAR3,999 ($260). Cube Air Tent is only offering shipping within South Africa and Namibia at launch.
Source: Cube
