The Nano 2 from Mollusc takes the familiar dome tent we know and love and turns it upside down. Unlike a typical dome tent with a side door entrance, the Mollusc Nano 2 tent opens and closes like the hood on a baby carriage. It is a one-of-a-kind shelter that is as suitable for a day at the beach as it is on the side of a mountain.
The Nano 2 is the world’s first tent to open and close like a clamshell. This design provides the user with the flexibility to adjust the shelter based on the current weather and location. You can leave the tent wide open for an afternoon at an outside concert and then close the cover when darkness falls and you want to go to sleep.
As the temperatures warm in the morning, owners can crack open the tent as much as they need to keep the interior temperature at a comfortable level. The design also has a low wind resistance allowing the tent to withstand the heavy winds of an exposed ridge. This design also uses a perimeter aluminium frame that conveniently sits on the ground. This frame can be physically weighted down using rocks when a rocky landscape prevents you from properly staking down the tent.
The idea for the Nano was conceived in 2011 after an overly warm stay in a yurt inspired the founders to rethink the way we sleep outside. The team used the next few years to sketch the design and explore the materials they could use in the tent. Starting in 2013, they began building their first prototype.
After a year of repeated failures, the team at Mollusc came up with a solid design and perfected this idea throughout 2015. By the end of 2015, they started a crowdfunding campaign to move beyond the development stage. They used Kickstarter to secure the funds to produce the first version of the Nano and started to work on the second version. What you see in the Nano 2 is the result of the feedback the team received from the original Nano owners.
The Nano 2 is available for pre-order via Kickstarter. Early bird prices start at 349 pounds ($432) plus shipping from China, which is estimated to cost approximately $40.
