If you camp all year round, it’s not unusual to have multiple tents rolled up in your gear stash. A small tent for solo camping, a larger tent when adventuring with a crew, and an insulated tent for braving the winter cold. The Crua Clan is a modular tent that can transform into each one of those.
Designed to be a tent that you can use for different needs, the rig can be used as lightweight shelter, combined with other modules to create a larger living space, and even outfitted for use during cold weather. Whether you’re hiking with a partner, a few friends, or an entire crew, this thing can be put together to serve as an appropriately-sized outdoor shelter.
The Crua Clan consists of three modules: the Duo, the Core, and the Cocoon. The Duo is a small tent designed for traveling light, with its weight of a mere five pounds making it ideal to bring along when you’re spending a good chunk of the time hiking. It comes with aluminum poles, a water-repellant shell, and a bug-proof mesh cover to keep critters out at night, with 48 square feet of floor space giving you enough room to sleep up to two people and an interior storage area for stashing your gear.
The Cocoon, on the other hand, is an insulated sleeping pod that’s sized to fit inside the Duo, making the tent suitable for sleeping in during cold weather. Since it’s designed for use inside a tent, it uses an inflatable pole structure to keep the weight down (it’s still substantial at 15 pounds), although it’s going to be a little bulky due to all the insulating materials. According to Crua, it’s not just designed to retain heat and block out cold, but also keep out both light and noise, making it perfect for catching sleep in the wild backcountry.
As the name implies, the Core is the heart and soul of the Crua Clan, as it’s the central element that allows you to transform it into a bigger shelter. On its own, the base dome tent consists of a large porch that’s tall enough for people to stand inside and an awning where you can stash a whole load of your gear (it looks big enough to fit bicycles and motorcycles), with both sections combining for a 192 square feet of floor space.
While you can use the Crua Core as a large family tent on its own, it can be expanded by connecting up to three Crua Duos. In this configuration, you can use the Core as a shared lobby, with each connected Duo serving as a separate bedroom. With a weight of 33 pounds, the Core is obviously relegated to car campers who will need an actual vehicle to bring this large rig to whichever campsite you’re calling home for the coming days.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Crua Clan. You can reserve a full set for pledges starting at $749.