Glampers Unite: Collapsible Hot Tubs Are a Thing That Exists Now

Glamping has been having a renaissance in recent times. For too long, your fussy friend was always the one to kill the vibe on every camping trip. You know the kind — the one fumbling with expensive battery packs and car adaptors for their hair straightener while the rest of the group settle into full Bear Grylls-style wildling life. But now, the tables have turned. Now, the glamper has an awesome arsenal of James Bond-level gadgets at their disposal and, if you laugh at them, they won't let you into their amazing impromptu hot tub.

The latest invention to set glampers' hearts aflutter, the Nomad Collapsible Hot Tub is exactly what it sounds like. Delivered to you in what must seem like the most infuriating IKEA-style flat pack ever, the tub is easily transportable within a regular-sized duffle bag. When fully assembled, this vinyl-coated slice of heaven transforms to a structure 1.5m wide and 60cm tall. It holds 850 litres of water and approximately four or five super-chilled adults.

As idyllic as this concept sounds, it obviously hinges on a few important things. For instance, unless you carry 850 litres of water with you wherever you go, you really need to be camping somewhere with easy water access. The tub needs to be filled with the help of a pretty hardcore water pump, and it has to be heated with a nifty little water heater coil. This means two things: you really have to be prepared — this isn't the $2 shop blow-up pool you fill up with the hose on Australia Day — and you have to willing to pay for it.

In a special sale offer, Nomad are selling both the tub itself and the water heater coil for US$990. But that's not taking into account the water pump you'll need to fill it or the inevitable postage you'll rack up in shipping both to Australia. All in all, you'd surely be looking at around $1500 for a dip in the spa. Plus whatever exorbitant costs you and your glamping buddies are already paying for a tent with a king size bed in it.

All things considered, it still has a crazy amount of pulling power. Even if you can't assemble an IKEA flat pack to save your life, even if you consider a ticket to the hot springs a splurge in the budget, even if you get pruny fingers immediately after jumping into any form of hot water, you really can't deny how much better your camping trip will be with a gadget like this.