The History of Dome Tents

The period from 1945 to 1980 saw an explosion of small, innovative companies that were working to improve tent design and technology. This period came to a head in the mid to late 1970s when the geodesic dome tent was unleashed. The tent offered more interior space for campers as well as more airflow and could be easily assembled from lightweight materials.

  1. History of Geodesic Domes

    • R. Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller was the inventor who originated the geodesic dome design in the 1940s. The structure is composed of interconnected triangles that give it strength, and there is less exposure to cold in winter and heat in summer because of the low exterior surface area relative to the inner volume. The interior concave shape allows for easy air circulation, and the exterior shape has low wind resistance, enabling a light structure to endure high wind. In fact, Fuller created dome tents that he sold to the U.S. military in the 1950s.

    First Geodesic Backpacking Tent

    • The first commercial geodesic dome tent was created in 1975 by Robert "Bob" Gills and the staff at The North Face. His original design was called the "OI," which stood for "Oval Intention." The embedded word, "tent," was no mistake, as the designers had the intent to revolutionize the tent industry. The design was licensed to The North Face, and Gillis went on to form Shelter Systems Company in 1976.

    Snowlion

    • At the same time Gillis and The North Face were getting OI ready for market, another designer and company was working on a dome tent, both named Snowlion. Bob Howe was the designer of the tent. The company had created and printed catalogs for a 1977 exposition in Houston's AstroDome, but the company went out of business before they were able to launch the revolutionary product. After the demise of Snowlion, Howe went on to design tents for a company called Wilderness Experience.

    Current Dome Tent Varieties

    • Robert Gillis now works for his company, Shelter Systems, which creates a wide range of tents. They create models as large as YurtDomes, which have been used for emergency relief, on scientific expeditions and for the Burning Man Festival. Their Solariums are temporary structures that are half domes that press close to a house for an easy addition where an outside door is present. Bob Howe Design Group likewise continues to create camping gear and emergency shelters for companies such as The North Face and Sierra Designs.