A journey from mammoth-hide shelters to high-tech inflatables

Long before titanium stakes and inflatable beams, humans were pitching tents made of mammoth hide and wooden frames. In fact, archaeologists uncovered one of the earliest known tent-like structures near present-day Moldova, estimated to be over 40,000 years old. Built by Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, this ancient shelter used mammoth bones and animal skins to create a mobile home base—proof that the instinct to find portable shelter runs deep in our DNA.

Nomadic peoples across the globe took this idea and evolved it in every corner of the globe. From the lavvu used by the Sámi of northern Scandinavia to the yurt of Central Asia and the tipi of the Plains tribes in North America, these structures weren’t just functional—they were ingenious responses to specific environments.

As military campaigns expanded across continents, tents became essential gear. “A tent is to the soldier what a home is to the civilian,” wrote Jacob John Mayland, an officer during the American Civil War. By World War II, the classic canvas A-frame was the go-to shelter—sturdy, miserable, and impossible to pack small.

Enter the age of recreational camping in the late 19th century, when adventurers and aristocrats alike began exploring the idea of sleeping under the stars for fun. By the 1960s, lightweight nylon and aluminum poles became the standard.

And today? Some tents pop up in seconds. Some still take time, patience, and a handful of tent pegs. A few even float. ;)

No matter what kind of tent you like to camp in, you're part of a tradition that’s over 40,000 years old. That instinct to find shelter, rest under the stars, and call a patch of earth home for the night? It’s timeless. And it’s still one of the best parts of being human.