What might look like a small toy village is actually a set of tiny houses used for camping and protection during music festivals in the United Kingdom. Podpads are designed to be a fun, comfortable and secure solution to the less attractive aspects of camping. They are rented out at various festivals for around 350 GBP or $550 a week and can be purchased as a guest house or child’s playhouse.
Designed and developed for Glastonbury Festival 2005, the podpad will stand up to the most severe of weather conditions. They are comfortable, weatherproof, cool, soundproof, secure, and safe with optional extras available to increase comfort. They are also a possible solution to a group base camp, on-site storage, as well as live-in accommodation.
The podpad is designed to accommodate two adults comfortably on either a double or twin beds. In exceptional circumstances, they can accommodate a family of three. The podpad is 8 feet by 6 feet with a wooden floor and a fitted carpet. They have raised beds with mattresses, shelving, windows with curtains, a mirror, light and a 12V socket. Podpads are also solar powered by a panel outfitted as a sunflower on the roof. This can be used for low usage items such as charging cell phones, laptops and iPods.
Podpads are usually offered for camping and festivals in small groups called podcamps, and also come in scaled up versions called the Luxpad, the Bunkpad and the Octopad. The Luxpad is 10 feet by 8 feet and has a higher roof, more storage and 240v power. The Bunkpad is the same size as the Luxpad and offers bunkbeds for families. The Octopad is a 16-foot octagon with a low roof. It’s supported by a center pole and can accommodate a large family or group.
Photos courtesy of Podpads, Rockness and NME
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
Wish these had been available when I was working as a stagehand at Cal Jam and US Festivals. Such pods would add a measure of comfort to life as a roadie.
I like the sunflower solar panel.
There’s some hints in the pictures on how such a house fits together (and still be mobile to take it on trips.
It would be a fun small project to make one of these houses, but I’m afraid that not all the details needed for sturdy construction are disclosed in the images and on the web site. Anyone who wants to try and figure this one out?
Look to be a simple tab and slot system for the walls, same for the roof with slot/clamp(?) to secure it. The windows appear to be colored plexi on slides for air circulation when needed… No floor, ground cloth with carpet over.
Simple but rather ingenious… I like.
Hmm, keep expecting to see a smurf or something lurking around those things. I like the idea, but the colour scheme is scary!
$550 a week to rent one of these? That seems reasonable.
I’m just kidding, of course. I wonder what kind of drugs people are on to think that this is a reasonable price to charge or to pay for renting this thing.
They are safe (lockable) accomodation for music festivals, etc… so are to keep the ones with drugs out 😉 High cost, but bringing the less rowdy crowd back to 3 day concerts and priced what the market will allow.
Adorable pods guys. Very retro 60’s.
Yes, You could buy a large tent, two cots and some air mattress for that price. Rooms and rentals in the UK are higher than here though. I bet you could buy the materials to build it for that much though.
Don’t get me wrong or anything, but they kinda look like .. doghouses.
I would like to see some plans for these, would the pieces fit in a pick up truck? How many do you think you could pack into a truck? And what are they made of? The article says they are sound proof, that would mean they are not ply wood. Could bunches of these be flat packed and sent some where for emergency shelter? How much would the cost to build?
Oh yeah, Smurfs for sure.I agree about the paint jobs. Smurfs have been at work here.
I have seen furniture designed this way, with slotted pieces that just slide together, pick nick tables with attached benches tables and chairs. What if we could come up with a whole house and furniture set that you could build this way? lay all the pieces in a pick up truck and take it any where. Assemble it with out tools or skilled labor. Think of the applications, hunting camps, temporary quarters while building, red cross emergency shelters………. All the info is out there, they have been invented, what we need is some one to build them and make a set of easy to follow plans.
By the way, this site is loading incredibly slowly to my computer, but I’m not having that problem with other sites. Is any one ells having slow loading?
Yes, very.
THB was mentioned & Kent interviewed (on the new popularity of tiny houses) in a NYTimes article this week and it went viral on the wire services 😉 Lots of new visitors, I suspect.
Oops 😉 Make that timesunion.com…
I’ve been finding it very slow to load for quite some time now, and sometimes the photos will only partially load or not load at all. I haven’t been having the same problems with any other site. Drives me bonkers, this is one of my favourite things to check daily.
I’m sorry but $550./week to rent one of these Dog Houses without any facilities is outrageous.I know things are more expensive in the UK but I am pretty sure you could rent a fully equipped caravan for about the same amount & it would include all the modern conveniences like a TOILET & WATER & not an inflatable mattress. At an equivalent price of $2200./month you could own several of these but who would want to when there are so many better designed plans available. Sorry to be so negative but this site is all about affordability & innovation & I don’t see either with these Pods.
without windows, seems like it would get very smelly with two music festival types sleeping/ living in it for a week. I’d favor a tent and not bring valuables.
That is not the main safety issue at large concerts, it is for personal safety.
Any way…
More info would be nice. You know, plans, materials etc.
We don’t need to quibble about the rent and usage.
Could these be made using big sheets of insulation board? The way those new shelters at burning man are made?