Tentsile Universe 5-Person Three-Element Tent Review

Camping in the air, on the ground or on the water is what the Universe 5-Person Three-Element Tent is built for, going by the page. The spec sheet lists an 880lbs / 400kg capacity, a 4-Season rating, a 99.2lbs / 45kg unit weight, a 102sqft / 9.5sqm floor and an inflatable SUP board floor, and the page says it sleeps 5 adults on the ground or 3 in the air. Prices start From $2,399 for Base Only and reach $2,899 for the Full Universe Tent.

Specifications

Options and pricing

Two options: Full Universe Tent at $2,899 and Base Only at $2,399, which is why the page shows From $2,399. The page does not spell out what Base Only leaves out, but says the tent includes a Trillium 3-Person Hammock for Air Mode. The spec sheet lists an inflatable SUP board floor (with mesh Trillium), 3 x 35mm x 6m straps, 3 x 2.5-tonne rated ratchets and 1 x pole hub with 6 x anodised poles. The page says it is made to order. Neither option showed as out of stock when read.

How it compares

The Universe lists From $2,399 at 99.2lbs / 45kg with 880lbs / 400kg and 102sqft / 9.5sqm. The Trilogy 6-Person Tree Tent lists $2,090 at 69.4lbs / 31.5kg with 1200lbs / 550kg and 198.3sqft / 17.9sqm, and the Safari Stingray 3-Person Tree Tent (3.1) lists $1,159 at 33.1lbs / 15kg with the same 880lbs / 400kg and 78sqft / 7.25sqm. The Stingray 3-Person Tree Tent (3.1) lists $729 at 24.4lbs / 11.05kg.

Shipping, returns and warranty

Shipping is free on orders over $199 sent from the US (lower 48) and EU countries; for Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand the page says its rates are kept as low as it can and gives a rough guide of $10 for most accessories and $20 for heavier items inside the US mainland. Average delivery is 3 to 5 working days in the US and EU and 7 to 10 days for the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. PO Box addresses are refused. The page says no extra taxes or duties apply to purchases from the US, EU, Canada, Australia or the UK, optional cover from Route can be added at checkout, and free shipping covers the first delivery attempt only; stack and accessory parts can come from different warehouses and arrive in separate packages. Returns: unused, unopened products in their original packaging can go back within 30 days of receipt, and opened or tested products can too, with a restocking fee the page gives as $20 for an unopened box and $50 for a used product (another line on the same page says $30 for all non-warranty returns). You pay return shipping on opened products unless they are defective or were sent wrongly, pre-loved and clearance sales are final, Canadian returns go to a US return centre with duties paid, and EU returns that are not warranty cases go to the UK. Warranty: products bought on tentsile.com after January 2025 carry a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects when used as the manuals say; straps and ratchets are covered for 5 years and a rainfly is meant to be replaced about every 3 years. The exclusions include poles and pegs, wear and tear, UV degradation (fabric rated for 1,500 hours for black mesh, 2,500 hours for green fabric and 3,500 hours for Safari fabric), snow load over 1 inch, high winds and products bought from third parties. Orders from $35 to $2,000 can be split into four payments with Zip, ClearPay, PayPal or Afterpay.

Before you buy

Tentsile's page header says "Rated 4.5/5" with "1100+ reviews" and "120,000+ Happy Customers"; these are the store's own figures and were not checked. Independent coverage we could open is thin: a hands-on review of the Connect by TechGadgetsCanada (March 2024, about 8 set-ups and 4 to 5 nights) found a steep learning curve, workable trees at only about half of its stops and one cold night, and a Wilderness Times write-up of the Stingray summarises specs and owner feedback without showing any hands-on testing. Tentsile's own pages set limits that matter, for example a recommended set-up height of 1.2m / 4ft on its Trilogy page, a 1 inch snow-load limit in its warranty terms and an FAQ warning that tension loads can reach 15kN, so only healthy trees should be used. The store also warns about copycat sites, and its returns and warranty terms apply to purchases made on tentsile.com.