Poles get the heave-ho from Nemo

No, this is not half a tyre from the extensive and eclectic Schwalbe range, it’s sort of an inner tube for tents. It’s the clever idea of Nemo Equipment. This US tent manufacturer was founded to market the AST concept (AirSupported Technology), although the company also produces tents with trad poles and with non-trad bamboo poles.

I came across them at the recent PressCamp in Sun Valley, Idaho. The of PressCamp involved a real camp. We took a bunch of Scott CR1 road bikes along a rough dirt track to our base for the night: and found our Nemo tents already erected.

The Nemo tents with AST beams are frisky little things, pert in just 45 seconds. The air beams are inflated with integral footpumps.

Nemo says:

Pressurized air is an integral part of structures from car tires to basketballs, from spacesuits to the massive Millennium Arches building in Stockholm. AirSupported Technology™ is NEMO’s unique interpretation of inflatable structure for application in lightweight backcountry shelters. The advantages of NEMO’s AST™ compared to traditional tent poles include faster and easier setup, greater strength and wind resistance, smaller packing, the ability to bend without breaking and easy repair in the field.

My mate Brian, a family doctor and youth leader, says his Scouts would love Nemo tents; they would have great fun running around deflating each others’ tents at night.

To that, Kate Ketschek, Nemo’s Director of Marketing and PR, says: “It would be easier and quicker to pump the airbeams back up afterwards versus trying to put all of your tent poles back in place. The set up is so fast and easy and less frustrating than traditional poles can be. I think it can be a great tool for introducing kids to camping.”





The stunning PressCamp pix above are by the brilliant action-sports photographer .