“The world is your waterbed” according to SmithFly, the creators of the floating Shoal Tent, an inflatable sleeping craft that lets you drift off while drifting out on the water.

The base is inflatable as is the tent structure, obviating the need for poles. Waterproof and wind resistant, it features a thick drop-stitched floor that serves as a robust but comfortable air mattress.

The tent is about eight by eight feet along the outside, and a person within can stand up without hitting the top.The top attaches easily but also detaches quickly in case of emergency. Each unit comes with a storage bag, foot pump and patch kit in case those shoals turn out to be rocky.

Of course, you have to be a bit adventurous to try this out on the open water, but SmithFly suggests sticking to “your favorite farm pond, salt water flat, spring creek, or eddie on your favorite river.” They are scheduled to cost around $1500 and are available for pre-sale.

More from its maker: “SmithFly designs and builds modular gear for sportsmen who want to be able to change and reconfigure their gear to suit various conditions and situations. Our goal is to build as much as possible in the USA.Our unique small batch mentality allows us great flexibility to test and maintain the highest standards of quality possible..”

Designers are always trying to reinvent the chair or improve the shoe, but zippers have stayed largely the same for a long time, which begs the question: is there room to innovate on this simple fastener?

Nendo has designed a series of alternatives titled Zippppper for manufacturer YKK. Their work challenges the notion that a traditional set of interlocking teeth is all zippers have to offer a piece of apparel or other material product.

The team wanted to do more than change the color, size or handle. “In lieu of focusing on superficial finishings or decorations, it was important to take a step back and delve into the fundamental question, ‘what exactly is a zipper?'”

They are made to close gaps and open easily, but beyond that there are a lot of possibilities. Their solutions include: (1) a three-way zipper that could be used for things like interior tent partitions, (2) a version with a gap to let through headphones or cords, (3) a one-handed variant with a rotating easy-grip clip, (4) a right-angled set of intersecting zippers and (5) a self-connected loop (purpose unknown).

“The basic concept of a zipper is to open and close the opening between two pieces of material without any gaps,” explain the designers, “but by thoroughly assessing each component individually and through further reassessment – five new zippers were created.” Really, though: any zipper that doesn’t stick would be an improvement.

Combining the cheap convenience of a hostel with the outdoor access of a tent, this wheeled micro-dwelling can be carted behind a bicycle then lowered into the water for a night of floating fun.

Created by Royal College of Art (RCA) graduate Daniel Durnin, the shelter features a watertight bottom, canvass walls and operable wood-framed fenestration for viewing and circulation.

The tent-on-the-water approach renders urban lakes, rivers and streams suddenly more accessible, creating alternative campgrounds that take up no space on land. It is designed with city’s like Durnin’s own (London) in mind, places where waterways are more prevalent than unused grounds.

“I hope that the work will reawaken our connection with nature using the waterways as a catalyst and restore balance to the more networked living space that we now inhabit, not just in London but across the globe,” says Durnin.

Looking as much like a kind of outer space habitat system as a campground compound, an assembled complex of POD units can be arrayed in whatever pattern suits the available space and user needs.

The larger ‘Maxi’ sleeps up to 8 people while the smaller ‘Mini’ sleeps 4. Each type can be joined using POD connectors and modified via additional accessories, including an ‘inner sleeping cell’ that divides space within a given unit, separating kids from adults, or at least: sleeping zones from play spaces.

Part of the promise of the system is the ability to weather bad days almost entirely within a closed complex, separating space for sleeping from areas for socialization and storage. Connective tunnels can be closed off to provide privacy or opened for mutual access. These features could also come in handy at festivals and gatherings where some seclusion might be desirable from time to time.

Weatherproof and durable, a compound composed of these modules is as much a temporary tiny home as a camping tent. With dollar prices in the high three figures, these may not be the most affordable solution, but the creators of POD are more interested in quality than cost savings.

Meanwhile, a new and improved version is also on its way: “The all new POD Elite range will go even further to create a social camping experience with interconnecting tents. Totally innovative and stylish, further improvements have been made to the Elite range including enhanced UV protection and a lighter weight, more durable design. Functionality and fun unite in this bespoke camping product.”

A brilliant application of material science toward simple living, this portable self-inflating structure folds up into a manageable miniature package but expands to create a small dwelling space.

Created by Martin Azua, the Basic House is a genius “habitable volume; foldable, inflatable and reversible … made from metalized polyester” that uses body or solar heat to inflate itself. As its designer explains, “is not a product, rather a concept of extreme reduction.”

In a clever twist, this tiny portable space is made to be inverted so that it can deflect solar heat (for cold situations) in one configuration but capture it (to warm its interior) when reversed. Versatile and durable, the design could be used for everything from homeless shelters and travel tents to emergency housing and much more.

More from its maker on his motivation: “Our habitat has turned into a space of consumption in which an unlimited number of products satisfy a series of needs created by complex systems and relations that are difficult to control. Cultures that maintain a more direct interaction with their environment show us that the idea of habitat can be understood in more essential and reasonable terms.”