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Single-person sleeping areas connected by a common space give you a living room in the great outdoors.

There’s nothing like getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a little commune with Mother Nature. Spending the day hiking through the mountains or woods is a great way to spend time with friends or family, and there’s a real sense of fun comradery when you all pile into your tent together come nightfall.

However, once it’s time to turn out the light and get some sleep, there can be such a thing as too much closeness, especially if the day’ activities included plenty of sweating and/or drinking. One Japanese outdoor goods company, though, has a solution that lets you and your camping companions share a tent but still have your own sleeping spaces.

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Doppelganger Outdoor calls it the Crazy X, and while the first half of the tent’s name is debatable, it definitely deserves the second. The plus-shaped tent has four sleeping areas that are all connected at the center, allowing occupants to slumber without fear of rolling over or kicking one another in their sleep. Each sleeping area has its own entrance/exit, so if you need to get up in the middle of the night to pee or howl at the moon, you can do so without waking anyone else up (as long as you howl quietly, of course).

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You might be thinking that you could achieve many of the same benefits just by using four small tents, but the core of the Crazy X concept lies literally at its core, which Doppelganger Outdoor calls the “meeting space.” This connected common area offers a bit more headroom, allowing you and your friends to chat, plan your hiking route for the next day, or figure out whose fish that got away would have been the biggest.

▼ You can also drink there, but that really goes without saying.

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▼ The roof flap can also be peeled back for increased ventilation.

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Despite the tent’s unique form, Doppelganger Outdoor insists it’s easy to set up, even for people who aren’t seasoned outdoorsmen. If the above photo has you thinking the Crazy X’s construction is similar to an umbrella’s, you’re right, and all you have to do to raise the central roof is pull a single cord.

▼ “Pon,” being a Japanese sound effect for something popping into shape, isn’t a step you have to follow.

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After that, just extend the sleeping compartments and hammer in their pegs to tie the structure down.

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▼ As an added bonus, the Crazy X looks pretty cool lit up from inside.

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And if you’re taking the train or bus to you campsite, don’t worry. The tent folds up into a carrying case that’s only 54 centimeters (21.3 inches) long, and the whole thing weighs just 3.6 kilograms (7.9 pounds).

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Doppelganger Outdoor lists the Crazy X’s official price at 18,000 yen (US$160), but several online merchants are selling it at a discounted price. It’s currently available on Amazon Japan for 16,800 yen, and on Rakuten from as low as 12,000 yen, or 3,000 yen a person if you split the cost four ways.

Follow Casey on Twitter, and maybe he’ll show up with marshmallows for your next camping trip.

Source: Doppelganger Outdoor via IT Media
Images: Doppelganger Outdoor