1.7 lb hammock tent sets up in seconds, withstands hurricane winds

Outdoor gear startup Thecatal has some unique ideas for camping. Last year, those ideas led to the design of an absolute fortress of a vehicle tent built to accommodate both man and machine. Now, the company has shrunk its camping conceptualizations to a much, much (much) smaller size, with an ultralight backpacking tent that sets up in as little as 10 seconds, stands strong against any wind that comes its way, and doubles as a hammock-supported tree tent.

A 10-second tent? Sounds good, if not quite as impressive as a 2-second tent. But unlike the fully integrated framing on Decathlon’s quick-fire range, the 10-second setup promise on the back of Thecatal’s new Wind Anchor tent range comes with a few bold asterisks. In fact, if the ultralight tent is used as intended – for backpacking – that 10-second window seems doomed to remain an unfulfilled marketing promise.

Thecatal lists both 60-second and 10-second setup times in different areas of its marketing materials, and the latter appears to rely on the Wind Anchor’s collapsible shock-cord tent pole being pre-installed. With the single pole pre-installed, the tent simply pops into shape once laid flat, requiring little more than two end stakes to complete a minimalist setup. There’s no fly to worry about, so you’re done and, assuming you’re in a hurry and aren’t held back by uneven, rocky ground, you’ll have it up and ready to go in perhaps 10 seconds.

Thecatal

Storing the Wind Anchor with the pole pre-assembled might work for car camping, but that’s not how you’re going to strap it to your back. And a single-wall tent weighing under 2 lbs (907 kg) is really optimized for backpacking, not car camping. In that case, you’ll spend a full minute or more setting up the Wind Anchor, removing the components from the carrying case, assembling and setting up the single pole, and staking the tent with two to six nails. It’s still a quick and easy process that will get you to other basic camping setup tasks in no time, but it’s not much faster than 10 seconds.

The basis for this quick setup, and the entire Wind Anchor design, is the tent’s semi-conical diamond-bottomed shape. It’s a shape Thecatal says hasn’t been used in tent design before. It’s a transformation of the established shape commonly called a cross-hoop frame, which is used on a number of ultralight backpacking tents, such as the Terra Nova Laser Pulse 1, Vango Apex Compact 100 and Tarptent Moment DW. However, these tents have more hexagonal footprints, leaving small round, triangular or rectangular fabric sections at the ends.

Thecatal

In contrast, the Wind Anchor’s contrasting cone form tapers to a single point at each end. This bullet-like structure not only simplifies installation by minimizing the number of corners requiring staking, but also aerodynamic wind performance.

In fact, Thecatal is so confident about its shape that it says the Wind Anchor will withstand Level 12 winds, the highest level on the Beaufort scale, which indicates hurricane-force winds in the 70 to 80 mph (113 to 129 km/h) range. We definitely don’t recommend putting these claims to the definitive test with backpacking hurricanes, but Thecatal at least categorizes the tent’s weatherproofing that way.

Helping to channel some of the wind into the tent for anti-condensation airflow, the Wind Anchor features a comprehensive ventilation system with a total of six vents integrated around its body. It features a single-wall design with a waterproof-breathable sil-nylon body and, although it lacks a separate rainfly, it does feature two large mesh doors with retractable storm flaps for additional airflow.

Thecatal

Single-wall construction keeps volume down at an impressively low minimum packed weight of 1.7 lb (782 g) for the Pro model tent body, poles, and two stakes. Add less than half an ounce (12 g) for the carrying bag, and the Wind Anchor Pro packs down neatly in an 11 x 4 x 4-inch (28 x 10 x 10 cm) package, and you’ll barely be weighing more than that 1.7 lb. Carry six stakes and four Dyneema guy ropes to better secure the tent, and you’ll pack on another 1.4 oz (40 g)… still only 1.8 lb (818 g) total.

In terms of capacity, Thecatal lists the Wind Anchor as a 1.5-person design. It says you can fit two people inside, but that will definitely depend on the size and comfort level of that backpacking duo. Considering how lightweight the tent is, it’s pretty usable as a one-person tent.

Thecatal

As for hammock capabilities, the Wind Anchor’s diamond-shaped floor design lends itself well to being mounted between a pair of trees. While it’s not made to be attached directly to trees, Thecatal says it’s designed to be set up over an existing hammock to elevate your campsite off the ground. It does require straps or guy ropes to secure the sides and provide a more stable night’s sleep, and we certainly don’t think you’ll get 10/60-second setup times or Level 12 wind performance in hammock form.

The Wind Anchor features integrated storage pockets along with a trunk at the end of the tent to keep shoes dry, ventilated and separate from the main living area.

Thecatal

We had some questions about the practicality of Thecatal’s massive ‘Magic Fort’ caravan tent, but the Wind Anchor looks to be very well thought out, has nice features and is one of the lightest semi- or fully self-contained tents money can buy.

Thecatal is currently running a Kickstarter to fund the Wind Anchor’s launch. The lightest Pro model is available for a 32% discount off the planned retail price with pledges of $249 and up. The standard Wind Anchor, which has a slightly higher minimum weight of 1.9 lbs (850 g), is available for pledges of $199 and up. The company is also offering optional add-ons like a reflective tarp, hammock, and footprint. The campaign has already doubled its $10,000 goal, and Thecatal hopes to start shipping in October.

Here is a closer look at the design and use of the Wind Anchor:

Source: Thecatal