Cartop Tent
Personal project, summer 2020
An experimental ultralight and compact cartop tent turns any sports car into a weekend camper. This tent is designed for those looking for a quick escape from urban life with a new camping experience. Designed for 1 - 2 people.
Skills:
TIG welding, Rhino 6, Engineering, Sewing, Ideation, Design for assembly, Product testing
Opportunity
The majority of cartop tents on the market are too large to store in an apartment or small home when not in use.
Existing cartop tents have been designed like ground tents and feel cave-like inside. Instead, their interiors could create a new camping experience.
Solution
This cartop tent’s compact design enables it to be stored in a large closet, behind a couch, or under a bed in a small apartment.
Its sleek and well lit interior makes it feel clean and lightweight, like a spaceship floating off the ground.
“The Romans developed a philosophy and practice they called Otium: in order to enjoy beauty, one must restrain from work in the city and retreat to the beauty of nature.... a geographical and topological method of activating the task-negative part of our brain.... a part of our brain tissue associated with self-exploration, inward contemplation and contexualization.”
- Samir Bantal (AMO), Countryside?
This cartop tent was designed to make it easier for outdoor sports enthusiasts to escape the city. Users who fly-fish or rock climb often have to camp a few miles away from a river or rock wall. They need to pack up camp fast to get an early start in the morning and want to set up camp quickly in the evening when they get back.
Fast assembly
Air springs and a telescoping rear portion of the tent allow it to be quickly assembled and disassembled.
Compact storage
A compact design makes it small enough to be stored in a garage, in a large closet, behind a couch, or under a bed.
Ultralight design
A hybrid cot-plywood platform and lightweight ladder allows one person to carry the cartop tent out of the house and mount it on a car.
Indirect lighting
LED strips reflect soft light off of the tent’s white walls, providing excellent visibility inside the tent without having bright light in the user’s eyes.
Illumination
Lightweight packcloth fabric acts as a diffuser so the tent can function as an oversized lantern for the campsite.
Process
Fabrication
