Heimplanet Fistral Review: One Funky, Inflatable German

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Once properly prepped, this novel tent pumps to life in seconds.

“Ill blows the wind that profits nobody.” So wrote Shakespeare in his 1591 play Henry VI, and the phrase still holds true today. Case in point: while causing unprecedented harm in so many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic also boosted a number of industries, from online shopping to biking to home fitness to camping. And according to top camping info and booking app The Dyrt, the effect on the latter continues to linger, with more than 15 million Americans pitching tents for the first time over the past couple of years.

With so many neophyte adventurers comes a push to make the activity more accessible, and among the most natural ways to do so is simply offering tents that are easier to set up. One brand that’s ahead of the curve in that regard is Hamburg, Germany-based Heimplanet, which has specialized in tents with inflatable frames since 2010.

I recently got a chance to check out one of Heimplanet’s flagship offerings, the new-and-improved Fistral, which is positioned as a light, compact option for 1-2 people. I packed it onto the back of a motorcycle for a quick trip to Harriman State Park, about an hour north of New York City. Here’s how it fared.

The Fistral really is oriented toward portability and ease of use, and thanks to German engineering, it largely delivers on those fronts. In its packed form, it’s a compact rectangle measuring about 15 x 8 x 8 inches and weighing in at 6.44 pounds. (Fully assembled, the footprint is just over 14 square feet, with an internal height of 44.09 inches, just a bit under four feet.)

Construction is fairly rugged: the inner tent is made of 40D nylon ripstop DWR (breathable) while the rain fly is 40D double ripstop HT polyester polyurethane. Thanks to a criss-crossing inflatable frame made of durable HT polyester and Thermoplastic Polyurethane, the whole tent can in fact be brought to life with just a few moments of pumping. It does take some earlier prep work to get it to that ready state (see below), but once you do, it’s ultimately a pretty efficient — and charmingly whimsical — experience.

If you simply watched this recent promo video, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Fistral comes to life in mere moments, right out of the box. And while that can eventually be pretty close to reality for you, there are two critical caveats. First, when you first get the tent, you do have to do a fair amount of initial prep work aligning the frame, chords, inner tent and rain fly.

I know because the day before my camping trip, I decided to play around with the tent, and boy was I glad I did. Working in the kitchen of my NYC apartment (which I do not recommend), it took some seriously Googling, YouTubing, futzing and finagling to get everything sorted out. It took me probably an hour, but I am hardly an ace camper, and more experienced folks — with more space and or more assistance — could probably set it much faster.

The cool thing is, once you do have it sorted out, you can fold it up, stick it back into the very same stuff sack it was in before and take it on your trip. The next time you pull it out and lay it out on the ground, you really can inflate it under a minute. Yes, you still need to stake it and finetune a bit, but watching the frame take shape like some sort of giant spider is genuinely cool and quite magical to behold.

But here's the second caveat — it will only inflate in seconds if you use the almost comically large Double Action Floor Pump that Heimplanet sent me for the test. No shade to this pump, it is incredible fast. But it was also incredibly difficult to fit into a bag for motorcycle camping. If you prefer to travel light, I would recommend the Double Action Mini Pump the brand also sells. It is likely much slower, but costs just over half as much (~26.74 versus ~$45.18) and is way more space efficient.

The photo below tells much of the story. Though Heimplanet says the tent fits one to two people, lying down it was fairly cozy with just me in there. It doesn't have a super high ceiling, either (a little under four feet), so if you are trying to accommodate two humans, especially over several days, they had better be fairly compact people.

The Fistral does offer a number of vents as well as two entrances and two vestibules. But it is worth noting, the actual doors of the inner tent are more like windows, with their lower openings sitting probably a foot off the ground, so it takes a bit of skill to climb into the tent and back out. Bottom line, yes, you can totally hang out in this tent, relax, read, change clothes, stash gear, et cetera. But it's primary function — and one it does well — is serve as a shelter for your bed.

Spending time with the Fistral, I came to appreciate it in a very specific way — as a light, portable base camp for other activities, as opposed to say, a Snow Peak-style tent where hanging out comfortably is kinda the whole point. With that viewpoint, the tent suited my plans — to set up camp and then spend the day ripping around Bear Mountain on the Indian FTR Carbon I was also reviewing — quite nicely.

The Fistral is ideal for such a purpose not only because of its small form factor. As hassle-free as it is to travel with and set up, it still provides a couple nice options for active folks who need to stow gear. The two vestibules offer a generous amount of space for keeping your equipment out of your bedroom at night. And inside the actual tent, there's this pretty sweet little row of pockets where you can conveniently stash smaller items.

Pro tip: if you decide to drop your motorcycle key in one of those pockets, make sure to remove it before you take the tent down and pack everything back up. Avoiding that huge hiccup will ensure the whole process is as smooth as Heimplanet intends to be.

If the quick setup capability appeals to you, one tent you’ll definitely want to consider is Decathlon’s Quechua 2 Second Easy Tent ($229), which not only won an Innovation Award from Outdoor Retailer but is also the “quickest tent to pitch” in our guide to the best tents you can buy.

If you are intrigued by the Fistral’s inflatable element, the whimsical Acacia Outdoors Space Acacia tent ($999), which can also float on water, is worth a look. See our full review here.

If the quirky factor is what caught your attention, check out the $599 Tentsile Connect 2-Person Tree Tent (3.0) , a hammock-based option you suspend from trees, which also cracks our guide as the best upgrade tent.

Editor's note: In a total coincidence (no joke), Gear Patrol readers can score a sweet discount on Heimplanet tents though Wednesday, August 9. Use promo code gearpatrol20 at checkout to get 20 percent off sitewide (excluding the HPT Selected section of curated products Heimplanet does not actually make).