A Compact Collapsible Shelter

At last year’s Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Washington, the only places I found to change into and out of my boating clothes were the portable restrooms—exceptionally awkward and unpleasant changing spaces. In anticipation of this year’s gathering, I shopped online for pop-up camp shower tents. I bought one, but it was too bulky and heavy when folded and provided much more room than I needed when set up. I continued my search and found Pankay’s offering, billed as a “Pop Up Privacy Tent, Portable Outdoor Camping Bathroom Toilet Tent, Collapsible Shelter for Camping & Emergency.”

Photographs by Christopher Cunningham

Most privacy tents are made to accommodate stand-up showering—this one is 74 1⁄2″ tall, and much larger than what I was hoping to find. When stowed in its 23 1⁄2″ bag (seen here on the ground to the right), this larger tent weighs 4 lbs 10 oz. By contrast, the 51″-tall Pankay pop-up tent, which fits into the smaller green bag seen here, folds down to 14″ in diameter and weighs just 1 lb 1 oz.

The tent is made of a lightweight 190T (T = threads per inch) polyester fabric. The sides are 51″ tall and the top has a diameter of 36″. The hat-like crown adds about 2 1⁄2″ to the overall height and rests on top of the occupant’s head without restricting mobility—I can easily turn my head to see out in every direction without having the whole tent rotate. A 2″-tall band of black mesh between the top and sides provides ventilation and a view out without compromising privacy. There is a webbing strap over the crown so that the tent can be hung up if a fixed location is desired. Three flexible hoops give the tent its cylindrical shape; the touch of a magnet indicates they are all made of steel.