Tentsile tents are already known for being versatile tents that work anywhere with trees – suspended from trees instead of set up on the ground, sort of like a hammock-tent combo. But the new Universe tent is probably the coolest, as it can be setup virtually anywhere – in the air, on the ground, or even floating on water like a pontoon raft. Seriously. You won’t have to worry about finding an appropriate place to set up the tent, as it will work virtually anywhere, just like a regular tent.
A word of warning; it’s huge. The Universe Tent is designed to accommodate as many as five people, with a weight limit of 880 pounds and over 100 square feet of floor space. Tack on the rainfly and three “porches” (aka vestibules) and it offers a total of 195 square feet of shelter and is over 5 feet tall – a virtual party tent.
The floor is inflatable, which serves two purposes – enabling the tent to float and insulating the floor against cold ground, eliminating the need for additional blow-up sleeping pads. It needs to be inflated to 15 PSI before set on the water, but all you need to do to convert it to raft mode is pull back the vestibules and tie the rainfly up, leaving the sides of the tent open.
Now, you’re not supposed to actually sleep in the tent when it’s floating in raft mode; it would be too easy to simply roll right off into the water. But that shouldn’t stop you from having a little fun using it as a raft in the daytime and floating around the lake of your choice.
Oh, and not only is it huge, it’s also heavy. The Universe clocks in at a hefty 100 pounds, making it obviously more of a car-camping piece than something for backcountry excursions.
But when it’s this much fun, who cares?
