Just when you thought you couldn’t upgrade your camping experience from roughing it around a campfire and squatting in the woods (vulgar pun fully intended), along comes a start-up that has the luxury aficionados in mind. The Autonomous Tent Company has imagined a way to go camping without abandoning those simple luxuries we can’t seem to live without back in the concrete jungle. What they’ve done is erected a fabric roofed shell with a wood facade in the California hills., and, in reality, it’s anything but a tent.
According to the company, it’s a permanent structure that can be “raised in a few days and leave without a trace.” It certainly is a new way to imagine the world of design and architecture, especially in a climate where varying crises demand sound, quick-to-erect structures to shelter refugees. And while the initial purpose of the autonomous tent is for going off the grid in style, it sets a fascinating blueprint for building shelters that have it all.
Autonomous Tents can be used for personal or commercial use. Photo courtesy of Autonomous Tent Co.
For its part the autonomous tent is purposed to be the first five star luxury hotel set up in remote locations. Fabric stretches across a skeleton of curved metal bars that form the shape and structure of the tent. And that very same fabric glows at night, providing both indoor and outdoor lighting.
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Users can personalize their living experience with any brand of luxury ranging from living suites complete with full bath, bedroom and kitchen to yoga studio with full workout space. While California is the latest locale to witness the Harvard grads’ startup company work its tent magic, Colorado also has played host to some of the startup’s structures.
Autonomous Tents have been used for galas and dinners. Photo courtesy of Autonomous Tent Co.
The tents can be multipurpose according to founder Phil Parr. They can have both personal and commercial uses. Imagine checking into a five star hotel…in the thick of the woods. Or imagine hosting a select gala in a structure of your own rendering, having picked both finishes and fabrics all of your own choosing. All of these things are possible inasmuch as the user experience is fully integrated into the rendering of the structure itself. You can choose the fabric, the material and the layout should your heart desire it.
As for brass tacks, two incarnations of the tent currently exist: the Cocoon and the Tipi. The Cocoon is about 700 square feet at 12 feet high, 24 feet wide and 36 feet deep.The Tipi is 1000 square feet at 26 feet high, 46 feet wide and 36 feet deep.
Autonomous Tent features a wood porch with a glow in the dark covering fabric. Photo courtesy of Autonomous Tent Co.
How much will such a structure set you back? Anywhere between $100,000 and $200,000.
