Nemo is an outdoor gear company located in Dover, NH that offers premium camping and backpacking solutions. They got their start in the industry as the first company to design an inflatable tent. Since then, they have been building out their product lines and expanding their production capabilities. Tool partnered up with Nemo to design and engineer a set of tent hardware that could reduce their sourcing limitations and cost structures. Believe it or not, most tent brands utilize rigging hardware that has already been developed by alternate vendors. So, cost of goods are somewhat driven by these components. Nemo wished to invest in their own custom hardware - thus teaming up with TOOL (me) to spin up some really unique solutions.
There are various hardware elements to this tent that required our attention - the “foot” having the most connection points and therefore being the most challenging component of the bunch. I arrived at a clever design that could be stamped out of metal and insert molded to create all 5 connection points. This piece was located at the base of the tent at all corners, so it needed to be robust and durable. The rain fly (water-proof cover; second image; orange fabric) connection is a simple 90 degree key turn lock which makes it super easy to take on and off depending on the weather.
The second most important hardware element is the pole hub. This piece needed to be lightweight, strong, and minimalistic. In addition, it had to be elegant since it was at the center of the tent and at eye level. With that in mind, I developed an ornate cast metal part through a series of design iterations and FDA analysis with a branded plastic cap that neatly conceals the inner shock cord tie offs.
I am still amazed at how complex all these little parts are and how much function is packed into them per volume of material. This was my first collaboration with the Nemo squad and not the last. Can’t wait to share some cool new gear that we are currently working on.
Work completed 2021/2022
Product released 2023