Take your preconceived notions of what constitutes a water bed, and throw them out the window. This is not the water-filled mattress of your childhood — rather, the Shoal Tent is a floating home that lets you sleep on just about any surface, including water.
The wacky yet oh so sensible invention comes from SmithFly, the nearly decade-old company known within the fishing community for making fly fishing gear and accessories. The company is now helping fishermen sleep where they work. The inflatable tent and raft combination ensures that dedicated rivermen and women can stay on the river all the live long day and night.
With no tent poles to speak of, the Shoal Tent is instead a fully inflatable structure. When completely filled with air, it is said to stand up to high winds “without a problem.” The raft body features three air chambers, with two in the lower tube, and one in the structure of the tent itself. The floor is comprised of a six-inch thick drop-stitched high-pressure surface that also serves as an air mattress. According to the SmithFly team, the tent fabric itself is heavy duty, waterproof, and sealed with strong “No. 8” zippers.
Moreover, the sides of the tent apparently detach and attach using hooks and loops, which means that you can easily get into and out of the tent should an emergency arise.
The entire tent measures eight feet by eight feet, and its interior promises to allow for a person up to six feet three inches to both sleep and stand comfortably. The Shoal Tent packs into a burrito-roll-style pack, and weighs in at 75 pounds. If you decide to order one of these guys, you’ll also receive a storage bag, patch kit, and manual foot print.
Be warned, though — the Shoal Tent will cost you quite a pretty penny. After all, it’s a tent, a mattress, and a raft all in one. If you’re interested, you can go ahead and pre-order the outdoor junkie’s dream abode for just under $1,500 now, with the first production batch said to be ready for delivery either in late December or early January.
