The Autonomous Tent (Kodiak Greenwood)
A Haute Cocoon for Fantasy Campers and Burners Alike
31 August 2016
As images from this year's Burning Man are already beginning to light up our feeds with such dramatically posh art statements as this disco-fied Boeing 747, it's too late for a change of plans when it comes to taking the ultimate tent. So while the Burners are kicking up dust in the desert, we'll just be here fantasizing about where to park for our new life as permanent glampers. If you need us, we'll be in The Autonomous Tent.
No, not really. But if we were, we'd be taking advantage of all the comforts of a 5-star hotel suite in the refined transportable space that resembles a cocoon—an insanely chic cocoon, which would be just perfect for a week in the desert since it is easy to both erect and deconstruct and requires no foundation or utilities. We'd be metamorphosing into butterflies as the dust storms swirled around outside—the Autonomous Tent is engineered to stand up to hurricane-strength winds.
Created by Denver-based serial entrepreneur Phil Par and visionary California architect Harry Gesner, whose 1957 Wave House in Malibu provided the inspiration for the famed Sydney Opera House, this tent to end all tents was imagined as the world's first portable boutique hotel that can be placed in natural locations.
It has everything a sophisticate might need to laze about in the lap of luxury in the great outdoors: Amenities include a king-size bed, bathroom with a foot shower and flushable composing toilet, a gas fireplace, and even a front deck where you might enjoy a nightcap as the wee hours settle in on the Playa. The tent is available in two sizes: for 700 square feet of glamping space, the cocoon will run you $100,000; the price shoots to $200,000 for 300 extra feet.
Of course, there's a lot of bang for this buck—so much so, that we're wondering if we really could live in it. The Autonomous Test is a solar-powered test of sustainability and energy-efficient architecture. Perhaps we should first go try it on for size: Big Sur's Treebones Resort is offering the tent as a deluxe accommodation ($545 a night), secluded at the luxury camping resort's edge and complete with a private deck and an outdoor fireplace. The tent is booked for the next six months—we'll race you to the reservation line. // The Autonomous Tent, autonomoustent.com; Treebones Resort, treebonesresort.com