Die-hard camper builds roof-top pop-up tents to keep bears at bay. And they are COOL!

A bear I photographed years ago on a remote highway in Yukon. Photo copyright: Erin Lawrence

Chad Kendrick and his fiancée woke in the middle of the night to grunting and snorting. A bear was outside, rustling through their campsite. They were in a tent, and they were trapped. Terrified, they stayed still, even as the bear rubbed against the flimsy nylon and bowed the wispy fabric in toward them.

“We were having a quiet freak out,” Kendrick says. He finally managed to frighten the bear away by hitting his car’s remote alarm. But the fear they felt, and his fiancée’s refusal to return to the great outdoors at night, became the inspiration to invent for Kendrick, a born and raised Calgarian, who now runs his fledgling business from Turner Valley.

While I’ve never feared for my safety on a camping trip, I must admit that sleeping high above the world does give an added feeling of security that makes it even easier to drift off. And never underestimate the fun of driving around with your very own tree house.

The pop-up tents are available from Treeline Outdoors’ website. Prices start at $1,699 and go to $2,399.

I’ll be posting a detailled review of this product shortly.  For now, check out the Treeline Outdoors Pop-Up Folding Roof Top Tents, as written by me,  Erin Lawrence, For the Calgary Herald.  Read the full article here.