How would like to have a portable treehouse that also floats on water?
Tenstile is an innovative outdoor brand best-known for its line of tents that can be suspended from trees. While varying by size and structure, each product consists of a flat, triangular floor and a system of ratchets and straps that wrap around nearby tree trunks — picture a hammock with a covering, but better. The result is a unique and elevated (pun intended) camping experience.
Now, take that already sweet setup and add another element: water. Tentsile’s latest creation, dubbed the Tentsile Universe, is a tent capable for use in the air (aka the aforementioned suspension technique), on the ground (like a normal tent), and on water.
“Designed for family adventures, the Tentsile Universe is the only tent you will ever need. The fun can continue on the ground, in the trees, or on the water, no matter where you find yourself,” said Tentsile CEO and founder Alex Shirley-Smith in a release. “This world-first addresses the need to have an all-terrain, multi-use, fun-packed product that encourages both adventurous play and basic practical needs in any environment.”
Mind you, the Tensile Universe is recommended for use as an actual four-season tent only on the ground and in the air. There’s enough space for five adults and offers over six feet of headspace. Like Tentsile’s other models, a flexible set of poles holds a mesh barrier that provides ventilation while keeping bugs out, followed by an optional rainfly. If the weather is truly gorgeous, you can ditch both and simply enjoy your surroundings.
The water feature is for recreation. As Tentsile puts it, the Universe is an “incredibly stable SUP-style Huckleberry Finn day-raft” that you access by “rolling back the vestibule doors and securing the rain fly to the poles in each corner, and removing the insect mesh.” The PVC floor is what allows the Universe to float on water, preferably a quiet lake. All in all, the tent/SUP hybrid weighs about 100 lbs, so it’s ideal for car camping situations and not off-grid excursions.
All this versatility will cost you a pretty penny. Pricing for the Tentsile Universe starts at $1,999. The second most expensive Tenstile offering, the Safari Stingray, is priced at $950 and a reasonably priced, extra-large SUP board costs upwards of $1,100, so it may be the better deal if you’re considering both pieces of equipment.
We’ve had our eyes on the Tentsile Universe since we first saw it at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market — it won The Manual awards for innovation. However, we’re excited to share that the Universe is officially available for pre-order (pre-order was originally scheduled to open in August).
To sweeten the deal — and celebrate the brand’s sixth anniversary — between now and March 18, Tentsile will include a free UNA Tree Tent with every pre-order. The company will also raffle one free Universe via a Facebook Live event on March 18. Tickets will be available for purchase on the Tentsilve website between March 11 and March 18; for each $2 raffle ticket purchase, Tentsile promises to plant not one, not two, but 10 trees.
Article originally published July 26, 2018. Last updated February 28, 2019, to include information on availability.
