Tentsile vs. OpeonGo: Product Comparison

OpeonGo are a recent entry to the camping market and have developed a 1-person tree tent /hammock which uses 2 trees as anchor points.

The founder is a backcountry camper and industrial product designer and that experience is reflected in the tent they've developed. We're excited to see how OpeonGo's range develops over the coming years.

This comparison is based on the Aerial A1 which is currently only available for pre-order (September 2020) and so we can only take into account the features advertised by OpeonGo and our own experience.

Tentsile UNA Pros:

• Our 3 points of tensioned contact heavily reduces lateral sway compared to the two anchor trees in the Aerial A1 set-up and provides a more secure base to sleep on.
• A lower profile, so it will be far less effected by strong winds.
• Uses ratchets to allow for a tighter, more taut setup.
• At 2.9m long, there is much more space in the UNA compared to 2m for the Aerial A1.
• The UNA pole is far smaller than the long pole required for the Aerial A1, meaning less potential for a break and easier to fix.
• The UNA's 2,500HH rainfly provides a little more weatherproofing than the 1,500HH rainfly offered by the Aerial A1.
• You can set the tent up on the floor, but this does need a Ground Conversion Kit.
• Our tree tents have been tested, adapted and improved based on 7 years of testing, development and customer feedback. OpeonGo may need multiple revisions to it's current model.

OpeonGo Aerial A1 Pros:

• The Aerial A1 can be set up on the ground without any accessories required, unlike the UNA which requires a Ground Conversion Kit
• Has more headroom (90cm / 35") than the UNA (35cm / 13.8"), so you can sit up straight while still being under the rainfly.
• 200kg maximum load vs UNAs 120kg max.
• Set-up looks simple, doesn’t require ratchets and only needs 2 trees, however, they need to be much thicker than the trees required for the UNA so may be difficult to find.
• Branded Austrian-made buckles.
• No single-point of stress on the straps.

Summary

Many elements of the Aerial A1 are very similar to Tentsile and so it's very likely that the Aerial A1 was influenced by Tentsile and OpeonGo set themselves the challenge of developing a tree tent that works with 2 trees instead of 3.

The two tree system does mean you have fewer suitable trees to find, but those trees do have to be much thicker than is required for the UNA so that could increase the setup time a little.

The Aerial A1 will be affected a little more by wind and may be a little less stable than the UNA, but aside from that, it appears to be a solid tree tent option.

We applaud any company developing products that encourage people to spend more time outdoors and so we hope that the Aerial A1 can inspire more campers to do just that. Once we've managed to test out the Aerial A1 ourselves.