Modpod – the modular sleeping solution for camping and climbing
This is ModPod. My brief was to design a sleeping solution that can be suspended from the side of a rockface, whilst offering more comfort and being less daunting to beginners than existing products. The product should take the experience of sleeping on the rock face from being an uncomfortable necessity only done for big wall climbing, to being an enjoyable experience in its own right.
Whilst there are a handful of portaledges on the market already, the problem with them is that they can be difficult to set up, and heavy to haul. Users will be held up only by their harness when setting up their ledge, often leaning against just a vertical rock face. For me this was the most significant problem I wanted to tackle in my design, to produce something far more user-friendly than anything else currently available.
Another barrier to entry is that portaledges are not cheap. The most popular one currently on the market retails at £600 for the ledge alone - a lot of money to invest in something you’re not even sure you will like. This was a big factor as to why I decided to go for a modular design. Rather than the user needing to buy and carry around a separate tent and portaledge, ModPod can be set up as both.
It comes with 3 main parts:
- The fly (outer tent)
- The inner tent pod
- The portaledge set up
The fly can then be used with either the pod, if setting up camp on the ground; or draped over the portaledge, if sleeping on the wall.
In good weather you may not always want to use the fly, allowing you the option to enjoy watching the sunrise from your bed. However, in rainy or windy weather, the fly can be deployed over the ledge for protection from the elements.
The main innovation of my design compared to anything on the market is the easy setup of the frame. By splitting the frame into 8 sections, connected with custom hinged joints, the frame is fully collapsible and already assembled in one piece. The frame opens and collapses in an accordion-like fashion, without the need for awkwardly fitting poles together when suspended in your harness on a rock face.
For added strength and stability, all the hinges are also reinforced with a spring loaded, auto-locking mechanism, to keep the frame fixed in place during use. The latches slide back during pack down, to release the bolt and allow the frame to collapse and fold up. The hinges have been refined to reduce weight as much as possible, without compromising on strength or aesthetic finish.
Overall, the total weight of the product is just under 11kg, with the portaledge set up being 9.23kg – only a few grams more than the most popular existing portaledge (9kg).
ModPod allows the user to explore the outdoors with more freedom and sleep under the stars wherever your adventure takes you.
Design work