If you leave a tent exposed direct sunlight for 4 to six hours per day you might not have a tent for very long. But a pile of shredded nylon, UV rays break down the chemical compostion quite quickly.

Really? I've been keeping my tent out in the sun for years and - aside from a couple of rips fixed with duct tape - it's fine. I wonder if you can get a kit to retrofit your tent with solar powered lighting?

Wow, an African-American family camping; what a rare sighting. And they're using solar power too! Only other time I've seen such is in the REI catalogs.

Jokes aside, this is a modest nod to the fact that 'sustainable living' has to be marketed to a variety of groups. Otherwise it's another form of cultural elitism. I'm impressed.

I don't understand this sustainable living crap. It's all supposed to be about personal responsibility isn't it? It's not about the energy industry anymore, or the waste of our military who keeps planes in the air 24/7, it's about being able to buy solar powered tents.

"Sustainable Living" is capitalist propaganda at its worst.

I for one can't afford a solar tent, or an electric car, nor can most people of the working class. And I think, and believe that most of the working class would agree with me, that this issue needs to be addressed "seriously". It will require nothing less than a vast restructuring of our society along socialist lines. Capitalism won't let the discussion go beyond personal responsbility. It refuses to even step on the toes of one factory owner to avert disaster. It follows then, in light of the fact that climate change is a serious issue, that the capitalist system must be done away with to address this issue.

The comment by Charles Jillian is a perfect example of why most people don't take a lot of "environmentalists" seriously. Now that "communist" is a sufficiently dirty word, the anti-capitalists and communists have gone green and are hijacking the movements of the people who truly care for the environment to further their own agenda of quashing capitalism and promoting socialism and communism. The best advice I could give to any environmental movement that really cares for the earth, and really wants to be heard and supported would be to seek out and purge yourselves of these people because they're killing your reputation and effectiveness.

Charles, if you live outside of the US, then I understand why you can't afford a $200 tent. The socialist governments of the EU and the very limited freedoms elsewhere would I'm sure keep you in one class or another by use of tyranny or excessive taxation. But if you are in the US, then you have only yourself to blame for your poverty. Perhaps if you spent less time posting about how communist you are and more looking for a better job, or taking a class, you might could get that cool tent. Just a thought.

you got dugg.. charles does have a point though which I occasionally try to make and thats the fact that "eco" a lot of times involves lots of money. But it doesn't really apply here.. the tent isn't to horribly priced in my opinion. Then there are comments like Enriques whos life is apparently falling apart before his eyes.

The tent is cool but sucks if its a cloudy day and how much light do the lights actually produce? Is it truly enough to see or is it one of those gimmick set-ups?

Wow, Charles and Paul, two extremes... I don't think one's much better than the other, actually.

As far as I know 'Sustainable Living' is creating a society that does not destroy the environment as much as it currently does.... meaning that the Earth will be more sustainable (will be able to last longer without being damaged).
Here is a dictionary definition of sustainable 'Capable of being continued with minimal long-term effect on the environment'.

I do not see how sustainable living is 'capitalist propaganda.'

An example of sustainable living is using more efficient appliances because they use less energy and therefor damage the earth less.

A $180 (canadian) tent is probably around $100 American dollars (not sure what the exact exchange rate is right now) .. maybe $140? That isn't extremely expensive, altought Im not sure how it creates much more of a sustainable soicety. Well, I guess it would save you from using batteries or other more 'damaging' energy forms while camping.

As far as how well it works, that is a very vaild question because if it works very poorly then it isn't of very much use.

Tent Care for clueless users, read your manual. Suggesting you pitch a nylon tent in direct sunlight to benefit from passive solar power is nonsense. If you want to preserve the integrity of your tent over its lifetime. Even the Boy Scouts know this,

http://www.bsatroop121.com/camping.htm

At high altitudes prolonged exposure to UV rays will damage a tent in a matter of weeks.

Instead, buy a good headlamp to direct light where it's needed.

well, it's still $200 for something that's not that innovative. if it's $200, it better do tons of shit and be really vital to life.

i'd love to see things on this website that are truly innovative and cheap and rely on humans actually doing something and being somewhat active in their own lives instead of stuff that requires people to dish out a bitch tit load of money to basically have another convenience for the lazy.

Lol thats the first thing I noticed to, an African American Family camping, something I can honestly say, Ive never seen. But Jokes aside, I didn't think this was actually created by actual "campers" , In the ARMY as well in all the outdoor-ists, I know, the only thing a tent is for, is to rest your head at night, since your "camping" all your activites are outdoors, and not sitting inside a tent playing around or whatever there doing.

Heh, yeah I have to say my eye was drawn to the fact that it was a black family as well. As black comedians are constantly saying that "black people don't camp" it immediately struck me as humurous. *shrug*

In regards to pricing, a decent tent without any solar gimmick tends to cost more than that so I'm not sure what the people complaining of price are talking about? So are they against camping because it can cost money? Or just against the topic focus of this website and using it as an excuse?

In regards to innovation, I don't see it. Now if the *tent* was made out of materials that collected solar energy.....

Cheers

This is a brilliant idea!!!

Looks to me like the picture is a bad photoshop job. Picture taken of black family in a studio using tent, and then background picture of senery added in. I dont think these guys are in front of a lake at all. Some nice airbrushing and send it to print.... lolz, black people camping?!? I'm not racist, it just never happens....

camping is for all races of life and as for solar this is a natural being, saving our planet from all the green house gases that we pollute our earth with in every day living,
wake up and save ourselves and our planet

"..if you live outside of the US, then I understand why you can't afford a $200 tent. The socialist governments of the EU and the very limited freedoms elsewhere would I'm sure keep you in one class or another by use of tyranny or excessive taxation."

Patriotism really messes the head up... I feel for you Paul.

Our high taxes gives everyone free (and good) healthcare, education and economic support when you need it. In Sweden you can loose your job without loosing everything else in your life. And everyone can "afford" an education; I get paid 340USD/moth for going to the university.

Cool tent :-)

Be ENLIGHTENED, African Americans camp. My family camps (tent) and so do our friends. We've also seen other black families at campgrounds. There are also MANY others.

THE REGIONAL RV CLUBS

James "Big Jim" Nelson in front of his Teton Homes Trailer.

From the District of Columbia came the US Club, the DC Ramblers and the DC Connection. There were the Merrimac Campers from Atlanta, The Columbus Camper Club from Columbus, Ohio, The Funseekers RV Club from Seattle, and the Sankofa Camping Club of Michigan, among a myriad of others.

Enlightened?

My hope is that you had a smile on your face and were seeking to truly 'enlighten' us to the fact that at least some black people you know do camp (you).

On the other hand, if you feel that generalization, even when fact, is somehow to be taken negatively then I'd suggest pulling your sensitivity feelers in a little closer.

It's not like I believed that *no* black people have ever camped.

I would also laugh at an advertisement offering hunting trips to jews. (My grandfather says that the need to hunt ended the day they opened the first steakhouse).

Actually, come to think of it, advertising camping for jews fits almost as well. I'd laugh my arse off at that as well.

Doesn't mean that those activities aren't enjoyed by those persons, but it's certainly enough of a general minority that I find humor in the absurdity of it. And search as I may I can't find anything negative about it for the life of me.

Sorry that a little thing like reality and humor can cause me to be so unenlightened.

For the record, I'm jewish. And an avid tent and wilderness camper, and owner of an RV which has seen 29 states. Also a past hunter, and obsessive fly fisherman. And trust me, my jewish friends (and family) look at me like I'm from mars.

It's *funny* precisely because it is *not* the 'norm'.

But like I said, my hope is that your post wasn't because of any offense you took...but instead given in the spirit of the discussion. It is the internet after all and it's all too easy to misread someones statements.

The guy in front of the tent locks much bigger than his family inside. Maybe he is a giant maried to a miniature woman.

If we are really trying to be green isn't the question really why you need electrical power in a tent at all? Read during the day and go to bed at night - not too restricting during your average northern hemisphere summer.

Just like with the wider problem perhaps we could all think about reducing our consumption instead of spending money on clever ways of producing ever increasing amounts of energy.

i lvoe that its made out of oil based products, my old tent wasent actully and it faded in 3 days. yes i boguht this tent and theres a suprising amount of room.

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