Bringing the minimalist comforts of space habitats to the campsite.
TAXA OUTDOORS’ campers and trailers all have a similar look. They’re alien and angular, like a Lego Bionicle action figure. There’s more than a little Chinese takeout-container influence there, too. And then, on the inside: pure spaceship.
That last one makes sense when you consider that the company’s founder and designer, Garrett Finney, used to be the senior architect at the NASA Habitability Design Center. He focused on making astronauts comfortable and productive in the cramped confines of the International Space Station. “The ISS engineers made something people could survive in. But we had to think about how you could survive well,” Finney says. That meant addressing questions such as where would I put a picture of my family? or how do I change my clothes? without upsetting the tight balance of energy, effciency, and resource needs that the ISS already had.
And it worked. Finney’s insights helped astronauts limit stress, deal with unforeseen issues, and, ultimately, stay more productive—all things that, sure, to a slightly less life-or-death extent, also apply to camping.
This story is from the June 2019 edition of Popular Mechanics.
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This story is from the June 2019 edition of Popular Mechanics.
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