This is the new Heimplanet Mavericks Blue Ice, it’s an expedition-grade tent designed specifically for explorers, adventurers, and other professionals who need quick-to-set-up shelters that can withstand extreme weather.
Heimplanet tents all use a patented Inflatable Diamond Grid (IDG) structure with multiple seperate chambers – ten independent air chambers in the Mavericks design – which allows it to flex in high winds.
The Heimplanet Mavericks Blue Ice is an expedition-grade inflatable tent built for explorers, adventurers, and other professionals who need a stable, quick-deploying shelter suited to extreme conditions.
History Speedrun: Heimplanet
Heimplanet began as a simple idea on a surf trip in Portugal in 2003 when co-founders Stefan Clauss and Stefan Schulze Dieckhoff were frustrated by the tedious process of pitching traditional tents in inclement weather.
They wondered if it would be possible to design a tent that could be inflated in minutes – and still be tough, weatherproof, and simple to set up. That idea evolved into a decade-long development process that would eventually lead to the founding of Heimplanet GmbH in Hamburg, Germany, in 2010.
The company’s first tent, the Cave, made its formal debut in 2011 and quickly established Heimplanet’s reputation. It used a geodesic “Inflatable Diamond Grid” (IDG) structure that replaced rigid poles with interconnected air beams, creating a tent that could withstand high winds but still pack down into a compact bag.
The design was distinctive, it was both technical and organic, and it marked the start of a new category in outdoor equipment. The Cave became a cult favorite among travelers, surfers, and industrial design enthusiasts, putting Heimplanet on the map not just in Europe but in the United States and around the world.
The company grew rapidly in the 2010s, developing new models like the Fistral, Backdoor, and Nias, each for different use cases but all using versions of the original inflatable IDG architecture. Collaborations with brands like Mizu, Maharishi, and 66°North helped Heimplanet expand its global reach, and its tents were featured prominently in design museums and industrial design exhibitions.
Heimplanet now has seven unique tent designs in production, with each having a number of sub-variants to choose from. They also sell backpacks, bags, tarps, ground sheets, pumps, and more.
The Blue Ice variant was developed from the original Mavericks design, further refining the geodesic “Inflatable Diamond Grid” frame that originally made Heimplanet famous in the outdoor and camping sector.
The Heimplanet Mavericks Blue Ice Tent
The Heimplanet Mavericks Blue Ice is an expedition-grade inflatable tent built for explorers, adventurers, and other professionals who need a stable, quick-deploying shelter suited to extreme conditions.
The Blue Ice variant was developed from the original Mavericks design, further refining the geodesic Inflatable Diamond Grid frame that originally made Heimplanet famous.
The Inflatable Diamond Grid concept was first developed for expedition teams working in high-wind environments, offering structural integrity that can withstand gusts up to 180 km/h (112 mph). The Blue Ice version keeps that framework but improved on every detail, making it one of the most durable inflatable shelters in the world – if not the most durable outright.
With a floor area of 13.2 square meters (142 square feet) and an interior height of 195 cm (6.4 feet), the Mavericks Blue Ice is intended as a group or base-camp tent rather than a human-portable backpacking shelter.
It weighs 25 kgs (55 lbs) and packs down to 70 cm by 35 cm by 90 cm. The tent’s frame inflates in under five minutes using dual double-action pumps, and Heimplanet’s multi-chamber system ensures stability even if one section loses pressure.
The use of pressurized air in the Inflatable Diamond Grid is the secret to the tent’s high wind resistance – as each beam can bend and flex with the wind in a way that aluminum or fiberglass tent poles simply can’t match.
The outer flysheet of the tent uses a Sil/PU5,000 mm coating for higher tear resistance and improved waterproofing. The roof design has been reshaped over the earlier Mavericks to better shed snow and rain, while revised upper and lower vents manage airflow in severe weather.
The use of pressurized air in the Inflatable Diamond Grid is the secret to the tent’s high wind resistance – as each beam can bend and flex with the wind in a way that aluminum or fiberglass tent poles simply can’t match.
A reinforced groundsheet, thicker guy-lines, and an improved pegging kit are included, along with a full repair kit and two pumps. These changes result from field feedback from Arctic and alpine teams that used the earlier Mavericks tent in real expedition environments.
The tent is now available for pre-order on the official Heimplanet website here, with deliveries expected to begin in November.
Images courtesy of Heimplanet
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