Heimplanet Mavericks: Road Test
It looks like an alien spaceship - but it’s a tent that requires no poles or guy ropes, and can withstand 180km/h winds. How do they justify the $7600 price tag, though?
THE ALIENS HAVE LANDED! RUN FOR THE HILLS!!Relax, would you? This thing isn’t a spaceship, it’s a tent.
WHY DOES IT LOOK SO STRANGE? Its dome structure is supported by an external “airframe” of interlocking, inflatable tubes – which means there are no poles or guy ropes. Using the foot pump (a $68 extra), one person can erect this tent in about 10 minutes.
IS IT STRONG? It can handle winds up to 180km/h, the European firm says. And it’s big, with 13sqm of floor space and up to 2m of headroom inside. It can sleep 10 people (although you’d have to be very good friends).
I’VE SEEN THE PRICE. CRIKEY! Well, it’s a quality piece of kit, intended tobe used as a “basecamp” on expeditions (certainly, don’t get any ideas about carrying it in a backpack: it weighs 30kg).
WHAT TO SAY: “I don’t mean to sound smug, but we’re easily the richest and most stylish people in the campsite.”
DON’T SAY: “WHADDAYA MEAN, YOU FORGOT THE FOOT PUMP?”
$7630 plus shipping, heimplanet.com
‘Going this fast in an MG is like bungee jumping using old shoelaces’
This latest creation from the Chinese carmaker leaves me feeling like the cartoon character Wile E Coyote. I can picture myself taking off at great speed and the panels, doors and windows all flying off to leave me hugging an ACME rocket.
One of the best-kept secrets in Australian wine revealed
In an age when so much wine is rushed to market in order to quickly claw back costs, the Umamu offerings are a rare treat.