Bike touring is a blend of cycling and backpacking. Trips typically last between a few days to a few months and mostly take place on paved roads.

Bike tourers are constantly concerned with the safety and organization of their kit. Today, there are no tents specifically designed to safely store and protect the bike while comfortably accommodating the biker within the tent.

On the market today, there are two options for bike touring tents. Bike tourers either buy tents designed for backpacking/bikepacking from popular brands like REI, or they buy tents specifically designed for bike touring from less common tent manufacturers like Topeak. The tents sold at REI don’t incorporate bike storage into their design, and the lesser known tents incorporate bike storage in awkward ways. There is an opportunity in the market for a seamless tent design that both protects the bike and comfortably accommodates the biker.

I was inspired by the Bower bird during the design of this product. I find that bike touring evokes a sense of freedom and free-spiritedness much like the bird. Bower birds are known for constructing elaborate structures similar to tents which is why I chose to draw inspiration from them.

My main priority during concept development was to create a clean separation between the bike area and the sleeping area. Each of these concepts explores how the bike can store within the tent and how the tent can store on the bike.

Because tent fabric is so expensive and I had one chance to sew my final tent, it was extremely important to extensively prototype my design. I used cardstock and wire, 3d printed pole architectures, and miniature sewn models to get a holistic understanding of proportion, draping, and tension.

The Bower 1 bike touring tent is designed for tourers travelling long distances between camps. Focused on storage and setup, the Bower 1 allows tourers to seamlessly setup camp after a long day of biking. Not only does the Bower 1 store neatly within the bike frame, but it also stores the bike within its vestibule so that tourers can sleep comfortably knowing their bike will be safe from theft and rain overnight.