An igloo is an ingenious winter shelter, but building an igloo the traditional way requires a certain amount of skill and a lot of snow. That’s where Inland Iglu comes in. Users can use a garden hose to build something similar to an igloo.
Currently being targeted in a Kickstarter campaign, the Inland Iglu takes the form of a pop-up tent-like dome made up of linked fiberglass rods and a fabric mesh cover. A set of supplied LED rope lights are wrapped around the structure and the user’s garden hose is pulled inside and connected to an outlet in the dome’s ceiling.
When the hose is turned on, the spray exits the top of the Iglu, settles on the outside, and freezes into a layer of ice. The dome’s red plastic “depth whiskers” let users know when the ice cover is at least 6 inches (152 mm) thick. At that point, turn off the hose and disconnect it. Drain if not needed. Freeze hard.
inland igloo
According to the designers, it takes about 10-15 hours to build an Iglu this way. In fact, a similar technique is used to create much larger ice castles. Once completed, Iglu is reported to be able to withstand external loads of up to 700 pounds (318 kg) without collapsing. Yes, all rods, meshes and other hardware are reusable.
Assuming Inland Iglu reaches production, you can get one for a US$349 pledge. Planned retail price is $499. Other non-igloo structures such as pirate ships, rockets, and castles are available for a small pledge.
The setup process is explained in the video below.
Inland Igloo: The Coldest Winter Fort
Source: Kickstarter, Inland Iglu
