This Innovative New Tent Does Something Others Can’t

Whimsical, inflatable and user-friendly, Rise Outdoor’s AirNest could be the casual camper’s dream.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published October 30, 2024

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Updated October 30, 2024

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“I can’t go away with you on a rock climbing weekend / What if something’s on TV, and it’s never shown again?”

So sang the Aussie band Smudge on their wistful, wonderful early ’90s track “The Outdoor Type,” later covered by The Lemonheads and matched perfectly to a montage in the indie hit that made Donal Logue a star, 2000’s The Tao of Steve.

The AirNest features an integrated, removable wall-to-wall mattress — inflated simultaneously through a separate valve — meaning a cushy slumber surface is ready for use the moment the arch over your head is.

In the streaming era, that excuse for skipping a camping trip is dead and buried, but for those who prefer the great indoors, there are plenty of other good ones, not the least of which is apprehension about the essential act of setting up a tent.

Recognizing that hurdle, veteran outdoorsman Todd Lawson has spent the past five years developing a solution. The result? This week’s Kickstarter launch of the Rise Outdoor AirNest, an inflatable tent that looks equal parts fun, funky and functional all at once.

rise outdoor airnest beauty shot — Bathed in an almost heavenly glow, the AirNest looks rather inviting, no?

Airing it out

So what stands out about this structure, emerging as it does from the wilds of Whistler, British Columbia? The key selling point is ease of setup. Hook it up to the included AirBank pump and you can inflate the whole unit in under two minutes. But that’s not all that jumps out to us.

Another cool element addresses perhaps the second biggest camping gripe, which is that sleeping on the ground or a thin pad can be uncomfortable. The AirNest features an integrated, removable wall-to-wall mattress — inflated simultaneously through a separate valve — meaning a cushy slumber surface is ready for use the moment the arch over your head is.

rise outdoor airnest on the water — We wouldn’t say the AirNest doubles as a boat, but it certainly does float.

In addition to packing its own mattress, the AirNest boasts a rather unique capability: Because the whole package is inflatable, you can take it out on the water for a splashy bit of respite from the hot sun. While it’s not the only buoyant tent — the GP-tested Space Acacia is another notable floater — it does occupy some rather, ahem, rarefied air.

Editor’s note: The Kickstarter page takes pains to point out that any aquatic activity should be of the laidback variety on calm lake and pond waters, not rivers and oceans — and not overnight.

The AirNest also boasts a zip-on/off vestibule, internal gear storage pockets and a number of durability-oriented elements. Those include fully taped seams, waterproof 50D polyester construction, 210D Dacron-wrapped Airframes and, crucially, a 420D ripstop nylon underbelly to ensure your bed isn’t punctured by errant placement over, say, an inconvenient root.

In response to some doubts about its toughness, Todd recently posted the below video to Instagram. We appreciate his chutzpah and — general Canadian-ness, of course.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RISE Outdoor (@rise_outdoor)

Specs education

Intended to sleep three adults (or even two adults with two small kids), the AirNest has a total interior square footage of 42.5 feet, a figure that grows to 82.06 feet when you include the vestibule.

The queen-size mattress is just over 6 feet long by just over 5.58 feet wide. Heightwise, the tent is 5.32 feet tall at the front and 4.42 feet tall at the back.

It should come as no surprise that this tent is not for ultralight thru-hiking types. Aimed squarely at more casual car campers, road trippers and overlanders, the AirNest packs up into a backpack/duffel with compression straps that’s a bit hefty.

rise outdoor airnest lake and mountain view — This image provides a nice look at the vestibule, which nearly doubles the AirNest’s square footage.

The tent tips the scales at 16.2 pounds, the mattress weighs 5.66 pounds, the AirBank and associated power bank (which doubles as a light source and can be used to charge phones, headlamps and other devices) weighs 2.78 pounds and the pack itself weighs 1.02 pounds.

With a total of 25.66 pounds on your back (not including all your other camping gear), you’d better have a campsite near your car — or just really enjoy rucking.

So while this tent might not be for everyone, we can definitely see the appeal — as can the dozens of enthusiasts who have already pushed it well past its modest fundraising goal with nearly a month of Kickstarter campaigning left to go.