Get Set For Glastonbury - With A Waterproof Cardboard Tent

With festival season almost upon us, it may be time to shelve the cheap, disposable tent idea and look at other options.

Like, for example, the cardboard tent. And, yes - it really is waterproof.

The KarTent came about after its inventors discovered that one in four festival-goers leaves their trashed tent behind when they pack up to go home.

So now there’ll be one less thing for campers to take away, with the 100 per-cent cardboard creations heading straight to the recycling bin instead of landfill.

Jan Portheine, CEO of KarTent, said: “I saw this picture of the rubbish and devastation left behind in Weston Park after V Festival and just thought ‘I have to solve this’.

Camp as cardboard: KarTent’s creators are confident that even Glasters won’t get the better of their creation (Caters)

"Lots of the rubbish left behind was tents and tent parts which can’t be recycled and have to go straight to landfill.

"After having already successfully made a cardboard beach house, I realised I had the perfect solution to the problem.”

The environmentally-friendly cardboard tents measure 2.4 square metres by 1.6 square metres inside – comfortably accommodating two festival-goers and their possessions.

This festival season, they will be widely available at festivals in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as gatherings including Wildfire, Great Northern, Glastonbury and Creamfields in the UK.

Prices will depend on the festival, with some sponsored tents offered for free, while others will cost up to £40 for the duration of the event.

Jan’s Amsterdam-based company tested out their tents at 10 festivals across the Netherlands last summer – selling more than 600.

The 23-year-old launched the business after graduating from Delft University of Technology with a degree in architecture in June, when he constructed a cardboard beach house for his final show.

To make sure a KarTent prototype was completely waterproof, Jan left one up in his garden for two-and-a-half months and said he is confident the structure can survive the British summer.

“Last year when we were testing the tents at festivals across Holland we had an awful summer – at one point we had more than 50ml of rain in two days – and they were absolutely fine.

"I am confident they will do just as well against any rain in the UK this summer – they can easily last at least four days of rain and stay dry inside.”

The tent’s rain-proofing includes an inner layer and outer layer of treated cardboard, combined with a structure which funnels water away.

Tents can be drawn on, personalised and printed on by sponsors.

This summer they will appear ready-pitched at UK festivals, but revellers in Holland can also order their own and have it delivered and built at the event of their choice.