Japanese outdoor gear company Snow Peak has introduced a flexible new shelter that could mean backcountry fun for the whole family, or perhaps just high comfort for an intimate group of campers. The newly launched Living Lodge features a modular design, which enables it to be set up as either a spacious tent complete with patio, or an even more spacious shelter with clear air for entertaining.
Snow Peak describes the Living Lodge as a hybrid of a shelter and tent, and whichever way it is set up the inhabitants will be shaded by a 300D polyester oxford fabric canopy, good for repelling both water and UV. This stretches out to cover an area measuring 28.2 x 17.1 ft (8.6 x 5.2 m), while the total weight of 29.5 kg (65 lb) makes the Living Lodge strictly a car camping affair.
The interior space can be filled by an inner tent made from 75D polyester oxford fabric that sleeps five people and takes up around half of the shelter’s floorspace. This leaves the rest of the shelter free to work with the included ground sheet for use as a patio space, which owners might like to fill with their own pieces or perhaps Snow Peak’s Campfield Futon. We took a look at this innovative piece of camping furniture last year, impressed by its flexibility in working as a sofa, pair of chairs, table or even a triple shelf.
Alternatively, if you’ve arrived at camp with your sleeping quarters otherwise sorted, the Living Lodge can be set up as a communal gathering space for drinks, dinner or maybe an impromptu dance party. Its four mesh windows and walls can be rolled up and away for panoramic views or pegged down in place if the wind starts to pick up, with the ceiling height of six feet and nine inches (2.05 m) likely to accommodate most, assuming there are no NBA players in the midst.
The Living Lodge in this large variant has a capacity for five to seven people and is priced at US$2,000, though Snow Peak is offering a medium-sized version, which has a capacity of three to five people and is priced at $1,749. Both are available now.