Camping has never been my favorite. After hitting my first camping festival (Bonnaroo, in 2008) and waking up to 95 degree stuffy Tennessee heat, I swore there must be a better way to live through 3 (sometimes 4) days at a music festival. For years I’ve suffered through the sweltering heat at festivals in the morning, and shivered my way through the evenings while I attempted to sleep.
I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator, so the idea of renting an RV never really worked out. Instead, I suffered year after year after year. Last year for Burning Man, I was offered a spot on a yurt. It took some time to set up on the Playa, but boy was it the most incredible structure I had ever slept in. Sad news though, we basically had to toss the structure after its use (due to the incredibly stiff material we used to build it). There was just no convenient way to pack it up.
Fast forward to February, and I had stumbled across this amazing invention called the SHIFTPOD. SHIFTPODs basically look like the same yurt I had stayed in from Burning Man, just beamed straight to the U.S. by an alien mother ship (due to its super silvery reflective material). To my complete amazement, SHIFTPODs can be set up and packed up in LESS THAN TWO MINUTES. After much research and talking to the designer, Christian, I was able to get my hands on one of these bad boys. After two stays in my shiny spaceship-like tent, I am ready to provide you all with a full review of a SHIFTPOD.
PROS
Regulated Temperature
My SHIFTPOD was present both at Coachella as well as Further Future. Both festivals were hot during the day and cold at night, so I really got a chance to see if my SHIFTPOD could end my suffering all these years. The answer? YES. I slept comfortably under the sun in Indio, California until 10am. And the heat didn’t wake me up, it was people walking by. Likewise, at night, I was comfortable with a blanket and my pillow. The 6 windows allow for great ventilation and the reflective material on the outside is perfect for strong rays.
Size (Assembled)
This thing is legit the size of a small room. It can easily fit a queen sized blow up mattress if you’re looking to glamp, or it can easily fit you and three of your best friends (plus all your belongings/food) if you don’t need the entire SHIFTPOD to yourself.
Setup is Easy
I can set up my SHIFTPOD by myself in 60 seconds. And I can take it down in 60 seconds. Don’t believe me? Watch my videose below. What takes more time is actually staking it into the ground.
Waterproof
Believe it or not, it rained like crazy at Further Future back in April. And when I say rained like crazy, I mean an absolute downpour. And not just once. MULTIPLE TIMES. What didn’t get wet? My friend Liisa and I, and all of our things. We half zipped our windows for air to come through, and sat comfortably in our SHIFTPOD while the storm passed. Even with the flooding that took place in the mud outside of our tent, zero water came into the SHIFTPOD. The material is sturdy and the zip-in floor kept us dry and comfortable.
Windproof
Talk about experiencing everything mother nature has to offer. At one festival I was faced with some serious rain and at another, some SERIOUS wind. The wind at Coachella was so serious they released multiple advisories over the weekend, warning campers about what the wind could do to their tents. As my friend Zach and I walked back to the SHIFTPOD late at night, we noticed collapsed tents and covers EVERYWHERE. And what stood loud and proud? The SHIFTPOD. Completely unaffected by any windstorm. Unbelievable.
CONS
Weight
Nothing in life is perfect, even a sleeping structure as awesome as my SHIFTPOD. When the SHIFTPOD is all packed up in its carrying case with its stakes, you’re looking at lugging around 58 lbs. Its not the most ideal thing to carry around if you’re by yourself, but splitting the weight with your camping buddy isn’t so bad. And if you have car camping available, taking it out of the car is a piece of cake.
Size (Disassembled)
When your SHIFTPOD is sitting in its carrying case, its about 6 feet long. What does it look like? A body bag. How do I know? Because carrying it through the casino before Further Future, I had a lot of people ask what it was… “A dead body?” This obviously makes it a bit of a challenge to fly with, etc. so make sure to plan accordingly if you’re boarding a plane. Most airlines do have special guidelines for outdoor gear, etc. and its not really any bigger than a surfboard and people fly with those all the time.
Is it expensive?
Well, they’re not cheap. But expensive is a relative term. And expensive to me is glamping for $1000/person at a festival and not getting to keep anything. If you want exact pricing on the SHIFTPOD, click HERE. To me, if you’re planning to hit a few camping festivals this season and you want to be comfortable, then SHIFTPODS are made for you. Likewise, if you’re going to hit Burning Man, you definitely want one of these. Is it expensive? No. Its an investment.
Side note: Some tents of the same size sell for $800+. And they don’t have all the benefits listed above.
So, overall is it worth it?
ABSOLUTELY, 100%. I could not get over how wildly awesome my SHIFTPOD was, especially after having it survive through both massive windstorms and thunderstorms. I’m pretty much in love with my SHIFTPOD and I can’t wait to camp in it in two weekends at Lightning In Bottle.
Wanna see it in person, for yourself? Maybe have a little tour?
Of course you do! And I’m here for you. I will be having tours at LiB of my SHIFTPOD every day of the festival starting on Friday. You can come and see it for yourself, and ask all the questions you’d like.
FESTPODS vs. SHIFTPODS.
I’ve seen some comments being posted from Further Future about SHIFTPODS leaking, etc. This is NOT TRUE. The owner of SHIFTPODS created a less expensive version of SHIFTPODS, called FESTPODS for mass rentals at festivals. Further Future offered these as a way to “glamp” for the weekend. I heard that some of these FESTPODS had experienced a few issues, none of which are experienced by an actual SHIFTPOD.
SHIFTPODS are:
- More reflective
- Have 6 windows
- Overall use more durable material
32 Comments
Did you camp in the festival car camping at coachella? Isn’t the pod too big for one of those spots?
Yes, I did do car camping at Coachella. The Shiftpod was a bit larger than the designated camping spot, but it wasn’t an issue at all. Most people who have a nicer set up extend a bit beyond the parameters of their space, and everyone adjusts accordingly. I hope that helps 🙂
Awesome, thank you so much for the quick reply! I was just worried that the Event Staff might be nazis about it, but apparently they aren’t! Glad to hear…
How do you put poles back in place when they have been removed?
You don’t remove the poles at all! They pop in and out, kind of like an umbrella. Watch our video to see what we mean!
Not sure you need anymore input on the ShiftPOD but I mad video about it. Might be helpful.
Woah! Do you have more of these?
Is it possible to hook up a window AC unit on a Shiftpod? I ask because we camp at festivals in Texas during the summer, where it’s still 100F in the shade.
Yes it is! Theres a special opening in the SHIFTPOD for an AC unit to hook up. Its below the window so it wont cause any kind of hazard.
For Burning Man I made a DIY swamp cooler for our RV(no longer have, sadface), but I am wondering if the ShiftPod would even need something like that for day sleeping in 90degree heat. What are your thoughts?
You can easily attach an AC unit to the Shiftpod! Theres a special hole for it to connect to your car or generator 🙂 Hope that helps!
I was considering getting one to take down to Arizona for the winter. Do you think it would be practical to live in in the desert for a few months? I ruled out a trailer as my truck would not be a good tow vehicle and I can’t afford to replace the truck with a van at this point.
Yes. Its a pretty reliable shelter system, so solid in fact, that it is being used with FEMA. It is an emergency shelter that has been shipped off to countries in need after disaster relief as well. One thing to note is that you will need shade for it in the summer, but if you’re using it during the winter, just make sure to keep enough blankets handy. Hope that helps!
is the shiftpod 2 waterproof??
Yes it is!
Can i fit 2 queen air mattresses in one Shiftpod?
You can, but you would have little to no room in the middle of the two mattresses. You would, however, have room above your heads where you sleep and at your feet. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much!
Looking at buying one for a roadtrip – Does it fit easily into a normal size car?
Yes but realistically only if you have two people in the front seat and none in the back!
So you’d need to fold down the back seats? Would the car need to be a 4 door?
How well does the reflective material work to ward off sun? WIthout an AC unit, would this thing stay cool enough in the hot sun of a festival?
Thanks for this really helpful post, by the way.
I have a SHIFTPOD1 and it is AWESOME! I will say, we had some issues w/water leakage, primarily around the windows. There’s a lot of stitching and seams are often troublesome. That said, the guys at SHIFTPOD sent me a jar of sealant as well as a rainfly for the tent. My understanding is that the SHIFTPOD2 utilizes a whole different means of waterproofing and stitching. It also comes with screens for the doors (definitely a plus!). I haven’t experienced a rainstorm since re-sealing the windows and using the rainfly so will keep you posted on that. We have landed our spaceship at a couple Lockn’ fests as well as some smaller, local to-do’s and it is perfect for festival camping. As you said, part of the festival experience IS the campsite/homebase and these tents work great. The ease of setup is almost surreal for the space you get inside the tent. Should you have any issues, the team at SHIFTPOD is wonderful and quick to help resolve whatever those issues may be. We love ours and am considering making the investment into the newer model. See ya’ at the fest!
What is the floor demensions? I have a portable hammock stand and want to make sure it fits inside before I pull the trigger
I just received ours, and with the hexagonal shape our queen mattress takes up most of the space. There is little to no ventilation inside with few option for fresh oxygen flow. The Windows are small potholes and the doors are very slim. We have been using the original shelter systems dome. This year at burning man will be rough as we average two weeks on the playa. There is small chance of even a small shelving system with portable heater and fan fitting inside and Id say about four bins stacked in twos will probably take most of the space. It does give the impression of being in a small dark room like a submarine would feel. It will keep playa out of the tent and seems sturdy to survive in the rougher weather. If you are a person with asthma, anxiety, or claustrophobia I would highly suggest exploring other options. This tent probably maxes out at two people for any event lasting more then two days.
I love the reflective look of the SHIFTPOD, but is too reflective for a campground? I don’t want to blind people walking by or anything.
Not too reflective 🙂
Is it pretty dark inside? We work at festivals as vendors, and sometimes need it to be completely pitch dark so we can sleep in late in the morning. If the door is shut but windows are cracked does it get bright? And have you tried the shiftpod mini??
What about dust storms. I was seeing that you need to leave windows open so you don’t suffocate. Does dust fly in during?
How much are the festpods worth?
What makes you ask? Have you found one for sale?