The sleeves main function is to protect the inner tube which is does superbly, but it also plays a part in adding strength and substance to the airbeam. Ripstop nylon is a woven fabric that uses a special reinforcing technique making it resistant to tearing and ripping. The outer sleeve is made from a very tough and robust ripstop nylon material.Essentially it has three parts the outer sleeve, the inner tube or inflatable tube and a one-way or non-return valve. When the car engine was started up it would pump up the tent! We don't think Vango will be developing a similar method for their airbeams! So What Is An AirBeam?Īn airbeam is surprising simple and uncomplicated. We understand that one way of pumping them up was to remove a spark plug from your car's engine and connect the ten's airbeams to the engine with a long tube. In fact people are still selling and buying them. Some people are still using them to this day and there are many nostalgic anecdotes to be found on the internet regarding them. The Pneumatic Tent Company produced an inflatable tent back in the 1960's, called the Igloo.

You may not be aware, but airbeam tents are not new. This article seeks to answer those questions Are AirBeam Tents New? They are a major departure from the traditional methods of providing a tent or awning with its skeleton - the underlying structure on which to hang the clothes or flysheet ( whichever you prefer ). Airbeam poles probably represent the biggest change in tent and awning development within the last decade or more. Was there an alternative? The answer of course brings us to the present day - airbeam poles. Poles that had to be stored, looked after and transported to and from site. Yet, despite all these technological advances, one thing remained constant tents had poles. Dome tents, tunnel tents, semi-geodesic and full geodesic tents appeared on the market and the departure from the traditional tent shape had arrived. Combining these tent poles with new fabric materials that replaced the weighty traditional canvas, enabled tent designers to flex their creative minds and realise the potential new tent shapes were born. Over the years, as new materials have been developed, tent poles have taken on new characteristics rigidity has given way to flexibility and poles have become lighter whilst retaining strength. Many of us will be familiar with the traditional shape of the ridge or frame tent. The stubborn rigidity of these poles and the weight of canvas they had to support, tended to determine the shape and design of the tents. Traditionally, tents and awnings have used rigid tent poles made of wood or metal to form their shape and structure.

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