Bang Bang solar powered tent offers civilized comforts in the outback

bang-bang-solar-powered-tentGoing out to the great outdoors and roughing it is not everyone’s cup of tea, and I do admit that more and more people would prefer to spend their holidays or free time at cities and theme parks rather than the peaceful environment outdoors. Others prefer to remain glued to the TV during the entire summer holidays, whether it is watching movies or playing with video games. When was the last time you actually saw the different constellations light up the night sky? Perhaps you and your kids can come to a compromise when camping with the £249.99 Bang Bang solar powered tent.

The Bang Bang is touted to be the first solar powered tent in the world, where it will be able to harvest the power of the sun’s rays throughout the day, storing up precious energy in its battery so that it can be used to charge up various devices even when the nearest building with a power outlet is a good hundred miles away. Made out of lightweight and highly durable materials, the Bang Bang solar powered tent would arrive in two striking printed patterns – “Fool on the Hill” or “Woodstock”. Each tent is large enough to sleep four people comfortably, so let its built-in 5W solar panel do the hard work of juicing your smatphone, laptop, digital camera battery and speakers among others.
[ Bang Bang solar powered tent offers civilized comforts in the outback copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Goal Zero’s Lighthouse250 Lantern, solar panel tent charge your gadgets alfresco

Goal Zero's Lighthouse250 Lantern, solarpowered tent charge your gadgets alfresco

Keeping your USB-powered gear powered up while camping in the woods or hiking the Appalachian Trail can prove quite a challenge. Solar chargers and backup batteries can help, sure, but when you’re already hauling dozens of pounds of gear, an integrated solution is where it’s at. Goal Zero has a pair of new products to help streamline things a bit. First up, the Lighthouse250 Lantern can provide 48 hours of 250-lumen LED output with a full charge, and it can charge up a gadget via a built-in USB port. If you don’t have a solar panel handy, you can use the hand crank to juice up the lantern in the field. The company’s also teaming up with Eddie Bauer on a solar panel-equipped tent, the 36-square-foot Katabatic 2 — you’ll need to add your own battery pack to store the energy collected from the 18-watt roof-mounted panel. Eddie Bauer has yet to announce pricing for the tent, which should ship next spring, but you can expect the lantern to retail for about 80 bucks in Q4.

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Luminair Tree Tent: The Architects’ Treehouse

It’s always been fun to climb trees, and I guess that it’s cool to have some sort of high perch in your garden or in the wilderness to look out from. While you won’t be dragging this unwieldy tent around anytime soon, it’s certainly an interesting way of setting up a treehouse for adults.

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The Luminair Tree Tent is a semi-permanent tree house. The curved hybrid aluminum and steam-bent ash frame provides stability, while the 16oz waterproof cotton canvas skin keeps the elements out.

luminair tree tent structure

It’s about 10 feet in diameter, which is big enough for two adults. The whole setup weighs about 264 lbs. and can handle another 550 lbs in occupants.

luminair tree tent inside

Unfortunately, the Luminair Tree Tent doesn’t come cheap. You’ll have to spend £6500 (~$10,095 USD) in order to get yours. Or you could just build a tree house the old-fashioned way.

[via Uncrate]

Dr. Who Tardis Tent

Ah, to be young again, and to have numerous types of stuff to look forward to under the Christmas tree each year. Well, the Yuletide season might still be months away, but this is no excuse not to think of the future. After all, you can already start planning for the year end purchases, no? Failing to plan is planning to fail just in case you were wondering, and so if you happen to know that your little ones love camping in the great outdoors, you might want to get them this $114.99 Dr. Who Tardis Tent to help ease them into the world of Dr. Who to boot.

It goes without saying that to lay your hands on an actual Tardis is just about impossible for everyone and anyone, as all of us cannot harness huon energy. There is nothing quite like the power of cold, hard cash though, as it would net you this amazing Tardis Tent, which is totally tangible and of course, definitely resembles the iconic blue police box from the sci-fi great, Dr. Who. The Dr. Who Tardis Tent basically is a replica of the 11th Doctor’s Tardis, and is made out of canvas, standing tall at 61” and measures 35” wide when closed.

[ Dr. Who Tardis Tent copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Doctor Who Tardis Play Tent

You know what they say as a man grows up – he might not be playing with little green army men made out of plastic any more, but would have moved on to big boys’ toys. Some of these could be rather expensive, while others are affordable, such as the $89.99 Doctor Who Tardis Play Tent. You can be sure that the little ones in your home too, would not be able to resist playing with this, but you can kindly ask them to move out so that you can check out the 11th Doctor’s control room all by yourself. Not only that, since it is made out of sturdy canvas construction and stand at nearly 6 feet in height, there is plenty of space in there to hook up with other Doctor Who fans should you erect this at your backyard the next time you host a party in your home.

If you do not want to place the Doctor Who Play Tent outside of your four walls, place it right in your living room, it would not mind such a position, either. Entering it, you are able to use your imagination as to what goes on within the four canvas walls. Once done, just fold it back and it can be easily stashed away in the storeroom without taking up too much space. Of course, you might want to have some heart for the little ones and let them play in it from time to time, right?

[ Doctor Who Tardis Play Tent copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Cocoon Tree Tent Looks Like a Ball

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that sleeping while hanging from the trees was a popular pastime. However, I guess that hanging tree tents not only give you a cool place to rest, but get you up off the ground and away from critters that can’t climb up and into your hovering outdoor domicile. The latest in the growing genre of tree tents is the Cocoon Tree.

cocoon tree tent 1

This 3-meter (~9.84 feet) diameter, orb-shaped luxury tent is built from 24 curved aluminum rods which form the sphere, and then are covered with cloth to keep you sheltered from the elements and the insects.

cocoon tree tent 2

The whole rig weighs about 132 pounds, plus the weight of its occupants. The tent is suspended from sturdy tree trunks using hefty polyester rope, designed to hold up to 1.6 tons each. Plus, there’s a security net that can be suspended beneath just in case anything happens to the tent. Inside the Cocoon is a large circular bed that’s got enough space to sleep two adults, or even a couple and two small children.

cocoon tree 4

Once securely inside, roll-up mosquito netting keeps the bugs out, but lets light in. In addition to “in the tree” mounting, the Cocoon can be intalled on the ground, with lunar lander-like feet, floated on a platform, or even attached to a floating inner tube that lets you bob around the water.

cocoon tree tent 3

Pricing and availability for the Cocoon Tree hasn’t been announced yet, but you can find out more about it over on the project’s website.

Also, if you get out the grey paint, you can make it look like a Death Star.

[via Likecool via HiConsumption]


TARDIS Tent Looks Perfect for Stand-up Sleepers

While I love the idea of all the space inside of an actual TARDIS tent, this one exists only in the real world, providing a space measuring just 61″(H) x 35″ (W) x 35″ (D). Clearly, this is not a tent for lying down in, but it’s just right for pretend time and space travelers – as long as they’re under 5-feet-tall.

tardis tent 1

Underground Toys TARDIS tent doesn’t just look like the Doctor’s craft from the outside. Open up the inside, and you’ll find a large print of the intricate insides of the TARDIS too. Sure, it’s totally non-functional, and not practical for sleeping at all, but it’s still pretty cool if you’re into Doctor Who.

tardis tent 2

You can pre-order the TARDIS tent over at Big Bad Toy Store for $119 (USD), and it ships this October. And I suppose you could always lie it on its side if you want to sleep in it.

[via Dad’s Big Plan]


Kids VW Camper Van Tent

Since those of us living in the northern hemisphere are in the full swing of summer at the moment, you might want to consider bringing your kids out to the great outdoors for some camping fun instead of being stuck at home, repeating the same old cycle of you asking them to get out and bask in the sun instead of remaining cooped up at home all day long in front of the video game console. Take the more proactive approach, and as part of your persuasive efforts, then the £54.99 Kids VW Camper Van Tent might just be able to do the trick.

It will be a whole lot more hygienic and comfortable sleeping in this instead of in an old, beat up Volkswagen, don’t you think so? Even better is, the Kids VW Camper Van Tent is considered to be an officially licensed product by Volkswagen that is modelled after the iconic T1 Camper Van. It is good enough for sleep or play, as it houses up to three of your progeny at any one time. You can use this indoors, outdoors, or even by the beach, the Kids VW Camper Van Tent will hold up since it is waterproof and boasts of UV protection. Each tent measures slightly more than a meter and a half long, so adults can snuggle up inside too if they want.

[ Kids VW Camper Van Tent copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]