The story behind the NINJA TENT goes back to 2016 when we moved the production of the NINJA TARP to Vietnam. The factory we found was a top-notch one, with a long history of leading the industry. Their production line was full of lightweight tents from some of the most admired American brands. I never imagined they would take on an order from a small Japanese brand like ours, but maybe our passion got through to them, because they gladly agreed to produce the NINJA TARP. That was an incredibly exciting moment for us. Right then, I made a promise to myself: one day, I would develop a tent with them. It was both a personal goal as a designer and a way to repay them for their trust.

With that motivation, I started working on the tent. My goal was clear: I wanted to create a tent that I would personally want—light, strong, spacious, and comfortable! I set out to make a tent that fulfilled all my wishes. The process, as usual, began with sketches, moved on to 1/5 scale models, and then full-size prototypes. Every step was new and full of challenges, and I became so absorbed in the project that I often forgot to eat and sleep. The part I enjoyed most was creating the full-size models. It was an amazing feeling when the space turned out just as I had envisioned from the scale models and CAD designs.

But there were some unexpected challenges. The first sample from the factory was noticeably smaller and narrower than what I had specified. How could the world's top tent manufacturer make such a mistake? Feeling a bit disappointed, I flew to the factory and set up the tent right in front of them, measuring it to prove that I was right and they were wrong.

To my surprise, the dimensions were exactly as instructed!

The issue turned out to be due to climate differences. In Tokyo, it was a dry winter, while the factory was in the middle of a hot, humid summer. We discovered that the sample made in the factory shrank by about 5 cm when brought to Japan. While this made sense given the stretch and shrinkage of nylon fabric, it was still shocking to see it firsthand.

There were many other small adjustments, and we had to change the launch plan several times. The project ended up causing more trouble and cost for the factory than I had intended, making it less of a "thank you" and more of a burden.

So yes, the NINJA TENT is a classic example of how a designer's enthusiasm can sometimes cause headaches for everyone around him.

For those who get their hands on a NINJA TENT, I hope you can sense a bit of the designer's selfish but passionate nature in it.

Let’s pack and go!

Tetsu Saito, Designer
PAAGOWORKS
Oct. 25, 2019