For all intents and purposes, there’s nothing elegant or refined about the Melina Tent. I mean, it looks shoddy. It does, however, accomplish the job of transforming from a pile that you can carry on your back to a tent that you can use as functional shelter for the night without any complicated setup.
Instead of being pitched like regular tents, it comes with an accordion-style frame that allows it to stretch and compress by simply pushing or pulling on either end of the frame. While the bulky and heavy frame isn’t likely to make it suitable for mountain use any time soon, it sure works as functional tent for urban settings, whether for homeless folks dwelling in the streets, revelers camping in music festivals, or people who just want an instant sleeping area in the backyard (hey, summer’s coming soon, so it’s fun to stay out).
Designed by David Shatz, the Melina can actually be used as a backpack when collapsed. Simply fold in the frame and use the tent opening to pile your things into the sack. We’re not entirely sure how to close that opening during backpack mode (seriously, we can’t figure it out), but you’re supposed to be able to (maybe the dual straps have something to do with that). Granted, it looks gigantic for a backpack and will likely be torturous to carry around all day (it’s like carrying multiple folded lawn chairs), although with a little refinement, we’re guessing this could be refined into something much more functional. Seriously, I’m looking forward to version 2.0.
Hit the link below to learn more about the Melina Tent.