No matter how much you love camping, campfires, sleeping outdoors, or eating highly processed tubes of meat cooked over an open flame, there's an almost 100% chance you hate setting up a tent. Even under ideal conditions, it's a pain in the ass. I've been eyeing inflatable tents for some time, but the fear that a sharp rock or a tricky branch could deflate my shelter has kept me away, especially since inflatables are still steeply priced. But this new one from Heimplanet might be the blow-up capable of blowing my mind.
As you can see in this video, the Kirra is a little on the husky side to haul on a through-hike. But for car camping? Hell yeah. Unpack it and, with a shockingly small amount of effort, it inflates into a sturdy shelter in under a minute. What I dig about this thing is that its inflatable frame is broken into separate cells. So, if one section of the tent is punctured, the air isn't gasped out of your weekend in the woods. The rest of the tent's supports will still provide enough structure to keep a roof over your head and not on it.
I also like that the Kirra's frame is on the outside of the tent, giving a pair of happy campers as much space as possible. And, like any tent worth sleeping in, the Kirra comes packing plenty of ventilation points. Once inflated, you'll find plenty of storage on the outside, with places to stash gear at bedtime.
There's just one catch: holy crap, it's pricey. At around $900, the Kirra isn't for twice-a-year campers looking for something to recover from a long weekend bender in. But for those who can't get enough of the outdoors, loathe setting up camp, or need a lightweight, reliable shelter for frequent treks into the wilds, it could be an awesome buy.
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