Under The Weather: single person pop-up shelter for sitting

My older brother Rick Pescovitz has always come up with harebrained schemes to make money. His latest invention is a single-person pop-up shelter to sit inside. It's designed for spectator sports, fishing, and other outdoor events where it's raining but you are either obligated to watch or having so much fun you don't want to leave. It's called "Under The Weather." I got a kick out of the earnest "as seen on TV"-style video he made for the product. He's now entered the tent in Get On The Shelf, a contest where the winners might get their products sold by Wal-Mart. (Yeah, I know.) But I actually think the Under The Weather tent could be a big hit. If you agree, please vote for it here! You can also buy one directly from his site: Under The Weather

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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David Pescovitz

Hooray for nepotism!
- Preston Sturges
  
  Indeed! I have an invention I’m commercializing, how do I get a bump?
Martin Hooper

David – Great Idea surprised no one has thought of it before!
- Lobster
  
  They did. We call it “The Umbrella.”
  - Richard Dagenais
    
    Because umbrellas protect you from wind!
chgoliz

It’s such a good idea, others have come up with it too. Never seen one this tall though….I wonder what the people sitting in the row directly behind would think of this?
- David Pescovitz
  
  I don’t think there are multiple rows of spectators at the kinds of “bring-your-own-seat” events that he had in mind when designing it. ; )
- xzzy
  
  Security at any race track would tell you to take it down before you could get the thing unpacked. Blocking people’s views does not go over well at all.
MashTheStampede

Oh my god, I want one of these so much. I think it’s a brilliant idea. When can I get one?
- David Pescovitz
  
  Here! http://www.under-the-weather.com/
Palomino

It amazes me the sliding shacks people build for ice fishing. But sealed in one of these, especially if the blue parts were black, with the sun shining through, would be just fine.
EarthtoGeoff

Good stuff! Another target market: Selfish hippies who go to festivals and would like a mobile one-man hotbox/fishbowl.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

As we speak, a BB fan in Shenzen is putting in a call to his uncle, the cheap knock-off tycoon . . .

* * *
I could see buying one of these.
- David Pescovitz
  
  My brother is pretty creative and very entrepreneurial, but he’s no technical designer. I wish he’d post his original sketches for this thing on his Web site.
MonkeyBoy

How long to suffocation inside a fully zipped “personal tent”?
http://www.kerray.cz kerray

it’s like an inverted portable shower
macegr

If he really leverages his connections, perhaps this could be the new Tardis.
Brainspore

I actually have an almost identical tent in my living room—except the sides are all covered with cartoon characters and the openings are designed for toddlers to use as a play structure. It never would have occurred to me that the thing might serve a useful purpose for adults with a couple of minor design tweaks.
- David Pescovitz
  
  We have the same in my living room! Yeah, I think the novelty here is the ease in which it pops up combined with the clear sides.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-Vanasco/728395557 Jonathan Vanasco

he should invent an add-on that lets you link two or more tents together.
- Donald Petersen
  
  That should be easy, if side-zippers are phased like they are in the sort of sleeping bags that zip together to form one double-sized one.
  
  A small zippered glory hole would be even easier, if that’s closer to what you had in mind. I assume it wasn’t.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-Vanasco/728395557 Jonathan Vanasco
    
    I was more or less thinking about a family connecting 2-3 pods together to watch one of the kids’s games.
    
    The zippered glory hole might work well for another market though.
- Brainspore
  
  Try Toys ‘R Us.
  - David Pescovitz
    
    No clear panels, so kinda defeats the purpose. Or rather, this purpose.
    - Brainspore
      
      Well the connector doesn’t have to be clear. The tents in this photo are just for context.
      - David Pescovitz
        
        But if the connector isn’t clear, how would you see out as your crawled between them? (j/k)
- Lobster
  
  Sharing a tent environment is the ultimate sign of trust, done only with family and close friends!
Donald Petersen

This is a genuinely great idea, and well-executed to boot. If my kids were soccer age yet, I’d buy two of ‘em right now. As it is, I’m sorely tempted to get one anyway, though I don’t have an immediate use for it yet. (It’s been an awfully mild winter here in Pasadena so far.) But I certainly give it my vote!
chaopoiesis

Shiny, primary colors, over-logo’d…. it’s definitely geared for Walmart.

If David can persuade bro to commission Jony Ive for the 2.0, I’m in.
Richard Dagenais

I think that this is a great idea, simple and elegant solution. Good luck!
Scott Croom

I don’t seeing it selling on the Gulf Coast. That would get ridiculously hot quickly. Seems like it would get nasty humid very quickly.
robdobbs

Not for 70$ i won’t buy one.

I can’t help but imagine that the person inside would be subjected to the same abuse as those people in mascot costumes.

Actually, y’know who he should hand these out to? Occupy protesters! (But are they pepper spray proof?)
Hakuin

is it good for duck hunting? https://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=pop+up+hunting+blind&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15905468263936592410&sa=X&ei=PN9XT-DRDrPKiAKd5fnICw&ved=0CEYQ8wIwAA
grimc

The name is fantastic.
- http://twitter.com/fossilfuels Funk Daddy
  
  It is fantastic, has a mysticism or something about it
  1st google result
  http://www.under-the-weather.ca/about-utw/ Has it as an idiom referring to being stationed on the weather side of a navel vessel, where in weather you get the spray and wind from hell (I can attest to this effect). Sounds like from the days of sail.
  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/under+the+weather
  But no mention of it in the 2nd google result, they think it just means hungover or ill.
  
  And thus did my search for knowledge end. I like the boat related idiom explanation over this illness usage that I actually hear it used for. Boats are way more romantic than vomit, rain is too, clouds all that shit is better than sickness.
  
  Any idiom nerds know which usage predates the other?
Antinous / Moderator

It would make a good classroom butterfly shack.
davy hamburgers

I voted. Awesome idea, I would love one of these.
penguinchris

It’s neat, not something I would probably use myself but I can think of plenty of situations where it would be great.

I’m wondering what he did to put it into production; I assume he didn’t do a huge run because the price ($70) is 3-4x what I’d expect something like this to sell for at Wal-Mart. I’ve looked into contract manufacturers but haven’t found one that’s reasonably priced for a small run, unless you essentially give them the rights to your idea for a pittance in return. I know there are some startups working on improving this situation, but nothing really at a workable stage yet last I looked (a month or two ago).
- Donald Petersen
  
  not something I would probably use myself
  
  Well, you are, after all, a penguin.
  - penguinchris
    
    I don’t remember if you were at the BB meetup, but upon learning my identity Xeni exclaimed something like “you don’t look like a penguin”.
    
    (my human disguise is pretty good)
Comman Dax

I could definitely use something like this in a very fine mesh for black fly season in Maine.
Six2

Hey, it’s a tent! The packaging is somewhat novel, but I still don’t have any special need to have plastic sheeting between me and my companions.
Ipo

The camo version will be the bestseller. Needs bug screens.
Keith Tyler

The question is, can I use it in a public park? :)
http://www.tumbleweed.net/ tyger11

I want to sit in one of these while wearing a slanket.
http://twitter.com/fossilfuels Funk Daddy

I have 2 different outer shell outfits that with proper layers can do all but the far (far) north of Canada and still be comfortable even standing around. But, between them I spent somewhere between $600 – $700 dollars.

For what he’s pitching it as, sidelines and outdoor low capacity stuff (genius to pitch it to soccer parents or any outdoor sport parents) where you don’t move around much it’s gold.

CaveaT – Wal-Mart, too many plastic goods yadda yadda yadda. If you buy it USE IT.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592442811 Alberto Rodriguez

No mention of it’s use for activism? That was my first thought. When you said sitting I thought Sit In.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Now it’ll be tagged as a terrorist support tool.
- David Pescovitz
  
  That’s a great idea. Would be cool to emblazon them with the protest slogans, etc.
Calimecita

When my brothers were young, my parents and grandfather used to go to all their rugby games. They’d sit patiently during those long hours, sometimes in the cold of winter, even under the rain (it is my understanding that those games are never suspended except “if the water level in the field is higher than the ball”, that is, never). I would have loved to get them a couple of these, especially for grandpa when he got older. I can definitely see a market for this!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

I fly model rockets. Living in Oregon, you go to any scheduled launch you can, in any weather put relentless high wind.

If they were a bit cheaper, I’d get TWO of these. One for me, one for my models and supplies!
hengsure

“Sit” for my Buddhist friends is the code word for “meditate.” This gadget is so obviously ideal for any monk/nun/layperson on a bush pilgrimage. Add an insulated bottom that would prevent dampness from creeping into the bones after an hour of stillness and a way to pack it on your back and it could become standard “SI” (Sangha Issue.)
hadlockk

This reminds me of the “cooler with wheels”. i.e. the “I don’t have a friend to help me move the cooler” guy who then buys a single person mosquito net tent. They should sell a whole “depressing, lonely day at the park” kit.
macegr

It could also be a comfortable way to get the iPhone 5.
http://www.facebook.com/mike.morkes Mike Morkes

Stores like Bass Pro Shop already sell ground blinds very similar to this. I would say he’s simply improving on that concept with the waterproofing. However, I’d rather have the hunting blind with mesh vents when it’s hot out so I don’t roast in my portable shelter.