Cool Tents for Camping Vacations

Spending time in the great outdoors is one of our favorite things, if you couldn't tell from the articles we've written on glamping, tents, and ultra-chic campers. A quick look around the web shows that we're far from the only ones who've fallen in love with all aspects of camping, especially when it comes to tent design. The humble tent has gotten a designer upgrade and now comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Here are some of our favorites.

This may resemble some sort of hovering alien spacecraft or high-end treehouse, but it's really a tent.

As you see here, the Tentsile Stingray tent only gives the illusion of floating above the ground. It's is suspended from adjacent trees with heavy duty rope, almost like a hammock but with all the privacy and security of a tent. A rope ladder is included so you can, you know, get into your tent at night.

Want something super luxe? Upgrade from tent to dome as at Ecocamp in the heart of Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia.

A stay at these deluxe glamping acommodations–no kidding, some of the domes have bathrooms and terraces, and the hotel itself offers a restaurant and bar—includes a number of cool outdoor excursions such as hiking, cycling, and safaris.

We profile The Cave below, the precursor to this inflatable tent. Called "The Wedge", the tent keeps the sturdy inflatable frame but upgrades to a sleeker design for increased wind stability.

A perfect tent for bookworms.

Riddle us this: how many clowns fit into the big top tent?

A cheeky message for peeping toms.

This tent reminds us of the blanket forts we used to make when we were very young.

All of these above tents are the work of FieldCandy. Check out their website for even more cool, creative tent designs.

Here's a classic: the iconic VW Camper Van as a tent. What's not to love?

Recognize this beautiful camper? It's Opera, the incredible camper-trailer we wrote about in 2011. This is hands down the most luxurious camper we've come across.

This chic igloo is another classic from our archives. BubbleTree, a French company, delivers and inflates these totally transparent igloos to the camping site of your choice.Learn more here.

Is a plastic igloo a little too flimsy for you? Check out I-gloobox designed by Georgi Djongarski. This super sturdy tent is made of waterproof materials and has thick padding to keep you warm through even the harshest winter.

Not a winter person? Here's a tent that will keep you cool in the heat of the Mojave Desert. Strawn.Sierralta is a mobile structure modeled on the Joshua Tree plant. It's made out of recycled PVC pipes.

Meet the Cave Tent. The frame for this tent is made up of "air beams" that inflate in under a minute.

Tent design has been tending towards the eco-friendly in recent years. Orange's Solar Concept Tent certainly fits the bill. It was designed with the Glastonbury Festival in mind, so it's equipped with WiFi connectivity, photovoltaic fabric panels, and a light-up function should inebriated festival-goers forget how to get back to their tent (it happens!)

This isn't a traditional tent, but a very chic gazebo/canopy by design firm Pircher. This one's called "Fall in Love" and is meant to accomodate 2-people.

A sporty and portable reef tent designed specifically for surfers.

We're not quite sure of the story behind these tents, but we love the design all the same. Leave a comment below if you've got the scoop! We hope you've enjoyed this short guide to cool tent design. If camping's not your bag, don't forget to check out our collection ofmodern vacation rentals and small hotels. We're always open. MT

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