If you're a regular camper, you probably know what it's like to pitch a tent on a warm evening and wake up the following morning feeling like you're lying in an oven. Cold weather camping can be even more grim, and tents aren't renowned for their sound insulation either. Derek O'Sullivan reckons he's solved these issues with Thermo Tent, which his firm bills as the world's first correctly insulated tent.
There are several versions of Thermo Tent, but the Thermo Tent 3 and Thermo Tent 6 are probably the most notable. As its name implies, the former is a three-person tent, weighing 11 kg (24 lb) and measuring 3 x 1.8 x 1.5 m (9.8 x 6 x 5 ft). The Thermo Tent 6, meanwhile, weighs roughly 50 kg (110 lb), measures 7 x 4 x 2.2 m (23 x 13 x 7.2 ft), and features two separate sleeping areas, 4 berth and 2 berth, both with their own doors.
Both tents come with a simple foot pump-based vacuum system that reduces their volume when packed. Still, given their weight, you're not going to be hiking around with one of these on your back.
Since the Thermo Tent is a lot like many other tents already on the market in all other regards, its success will likely depend on how well the insulation performs. We asked O'Sullivan for some more details on how it works.
"Essentially our tents consist of a semi-traditional outer tent (polyester or preferably polycotton) along with a sewn in Oxford Groundsheet," says O'Sullivan. "The Inner Tent, which hangs inside this outer tent is what is totally different to anything else in the world. We have insulated this using brand new insulation technology. We have developed an insulation that is dense enough to act as an acoustic insulator, and yet totally breathable, which is critical in addressing condensation in tents.
This makes for a much more comfortable sleeping environment as it delays the rise and drop of temperatures that occur in all other tents when there is an external change in temperature. The breathability of all the fabrics along with our specifically developed and tested ventilation design make the tent much more habitable than anything else out there."
Thermo Tent is also rated to reduce noise transfer by roughly 35 decibels, which should help reduce the racket made by a campsite full of snoring people.
Given the number of displaced people currently living in tents worldwide, there's a potential humanitarian angle with the Thermo Tent too. It's early days yet, but O'Sullivan told Gizmag that Thermo Tent has a contract to supply tents to two refugee camps and that he hopes that it will grow from there.
Thermo Tent is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. As of writing, you'll need to pledge €485 (roughly US$532), plus shipping, to get your hands on a Thermo Tent 3 (if all goes to plan). Delivery is estimated for July 2015.
The Kickstarter video below shows the Thermo Tent in further detail.
Sources: Thermo Tent, Kickstarter
