2. Camping
  3. Reviews
  4. Camping
  5. Smartent
31/10/2012 Share this review   Share on Facebook icon Share on Twitter icon Share on Pinterest icon Share on Linked In icon
<< Back to search results
Smartent

Smartent

40aa9e3e-08b9-4880-8bfa-9804bc986cc5


OTHER INFO

Price £129.99
Wight limit 120kg
Waterproof 2000mm hydrostatic head
Dimensions
217 x 70 Height (floor to top
of tent)105cm

CONTACT

Smartent
01323 879028 or 07826 256011
www.smartent.com
 
One of the things that puts some people off camping is the thought of having to sleep on (or close to) the ground.

Smartent may be the answer – or at least it might with one significant design modification. This is basically a small, one-man tent with a built-in campbed. Or to put it another way, it’s a campbed with a cover. However you describe it, it can be pitched in a couple of minutes on pretty much any surface. As an experiment, we successfully put it up it on a monoblock patio. The legs of the bed sit on the ground, while the rest of the tent is off the floor.

Once pitched you have a tent for one that’s cosy but not claustrophobic. The large doors on each side have mesh backing, and there’s an alternative entrance at the end. While there’s very little room for storing gear, there is a useful pocket for stowing torches or other small items. And there are a couple of air vents to stop it getting too stuffy.

As we first reported back in March, the inventors came up with the idea after one too many nights sleeping on hard ground at music festivals and you can see that’s a market this could appeal to. In theory it is a tent that would be appealing to a wide range of campers. But, for me, there’s a major problem that needs to be addressed before the Smartent can make a major impact and that’s its size when packed away.

It’s simply too big and cumbersome. I struggled to fit it in the boot of my car, a vehicle that has comfortably carried a huge eight-berth tent and all the associated gear. It’s also quite heavy, though this wouldn’t be such an issue if it was less awkward to carry.

Unfortunately, I fear that for all the convenience of the pitching, it’s going to be difficult to persuade people to use a single person tent that is so difficult to store and transport. Hopefully it’s an issue that can be addresed as this is the sort of original thinking that I think deserves to succeed.

VERDICT

A great idea for a tent that is simple and quick to pitch on virtually any surface, even in the dark. But there needs to be a way of packing it down a bit smaller.