Tentsile unveils Stingray suspended tent

UK-based tent manufacturer Tentsile has unveiled an all-new suspended tent, dubbed “Stingray,” which the company bills as an ideal combination of hammock and tent. Employing three tree straps, two poles, and a polyester fly sheet, Stingray allows up to four campers to sleep suspended in the air, thus avoiding ground frost and errant rocks – not to mention all those creepy-crawlies which tend to live on the forest floor.Stingray's more streamlined and compact design is a departure from the large eponymous tent we previously reported on, and has been created in a bid to make a tent more suited to mass-market production.Stingray weighs 13 lbs (6 kg) and can reportedly be assembled or disassembled in just 5 minutes, so should be more suitable for campers who like to travel light. When suspended, access to the interior of the tent is afforded via its collapsible ladder to either a floor hatch or side door. Additional accessories are also available, including a shoe drying rack, luggage nets, and iPad pouches.

Tentsile boss Alex Shirley-Smith is keen to promote the flexibility of the Stingray, and name drops the United Nations and Australian military as two groups which have shown an interest in Tentsile. Indeed, the design could conceivably serve as a lightweight and relatively low-cost temporary shelter in areas which have been flooded (or where the ground is otherwise unsuitable), so a humanitarian use for the tent does seem feasible.

In order to help bring Stingray to market, Tentsile has turned to Kickstarter, with a minimum pledge of £899 (roughly US$1,400) required in order to secure a tent. Initial units are expected appear in March.

Comments

Recycled, solar-powered, boat-roofed wonder wins Shed of the Year

The crowning glory is a 14-ft boat which has been left whole and inverted to form the roof. A 20-W solar panel powers the creature comforts inside. To create the shed's frame, the boat was fixed atop four telegraph poles plonked judiciously on a hillside amid Wales' Cambrian Mountains. (The views aren't at all bad, either). Aluminum-framed windows were salvaged from a 1940s caravan, and others were "borrowed" from Holland's farmhouse. Walls are a mixture of corrugated metal and, for a taste of the Neolithic, wattle and daub. Inside things take a turn for the high tech. The shed's PV panel feeds a battery which provides power to LED lighting and a 12-V sound system – the only new item in the construction. The shed also boasts a plumbed Belfast sink (the generous, cuboid-shaped ones), and a 19th century wood burning stove for heat fitted with a chimney fashioned from the queen pole of an old circus big top.Where sheds end and (sometimes pretentious) ...

New type of silicone exhibits both viscous and elastic properties

Looking for a more effective solution to the all-too-common wobbly table dilemma than a folded up bit of cardboard or piece of rubber under the leg, University of Virginia physicist Lou Bloomfield created a new type of silicone rubber called Vistik – it's malleable enough to take on any shape when pressed, but is still resilient enough to offer support, as it gradually starts to return to its original shape as the pressure is released. The material could have many applications ... beyond just steadying up wobbly tables. Vistik is a viscoelastic material, meaning that it exhibits both viscous and elastic properties. As a result, when compared to something such as conventional silicone rubber, there’s a considerable time lag in its response to continuous pressure. “It seems elastic in response to sudden forces or impacts, denting in proportion to the sudden, brief stress and then returning almost instantly to its earlier shape when that stress is removed,” Prof. Bloomfield ex...

Roadless wheel concept adjusts to all terrains

Graduate student Ackeem Ngwenya has combined the 6000 year-old wheel with modern materials to develop a new type of all-terrain wheel assembly that switches from narrow to wide tread at the turn of a screw. His Roadless wheel system, while envisioned for rural applications in his native Malawi, has the potential to be as big a change to road (and off-road) transport as was the introduction of anti-lock braking. We've all done it. Before embarking on a long driving trip on smooth-surfaced interstate highways or other roads of national importance, we'll raise the tire pressure to boost the gas mileage a bit. Stuck in the snow, mud, or sand? Let some pressure out of the tires to increase the contact area, while at the same time increasing the chances that the now floppy tire will grab hold. However, the benefits of trying to change the aspect ratio of a tire by simply changing pressure are rather minor, and often associated with a significant loss in tire lifetime. The Road...

ANBARASUASOKAN

Search This Blog