Outdoor styles are becoming increasingly polarized.
MONTHLY JOURNAL May. 2022 vol.1

THE FREE SPIRITS" was launched in China in 2011. The brand was started by designer Wang Jigang, who has been making tents for more than 25 years, with the goal of "making the world's best tents," and is now making its mark in Asia and beyond. The high quality of these tents is captivating even the most experienced tent makers, especially in Asia.

Mr. Oh and Ms. Sugime met in 2019. They hit it off immediately, and Mr. Sugime decided to be in charge of sales in Japan.

Mr. Wang originally worked for a canvas company. He became interested in tents and decided to start his own company to make the best tents in the world. Now, our factory has grown and we are also involved in OEM work for famous brands that everyone knows.

What exactly makes FREESPIRITS' tents so outstanding is, first of all, their beautiful appearance.

Fleece Spirits tents do not wrinkle easily. Even if an amateur were to put them up, they can be stretched tightly. The reason for this is that the king, who knows all about fabrics, aligns and combines the fabrics in different directions for each part of the tent. This tends to reduce yield, but it directly affects the beauty and strength of the tent. And the fabrics are also made of carefully selected nylon. Nylon is more expensive, but it has a higher specific strength than polyester, which is widely used. In other words, for the same weight, a stronger tent can be made. Or it could be said that a lighter tent can be made with the same strength. We sometimes use nylon made in China, but the King's eyes are very strict, so most of the fabrics I propose for cost reduction are not adopted (laughs).

The next best thing is unparalleled quality and price. Tents from [Free Spirits] are not cheap. They are quite expensive. But if you compare their quality and price to other brands, their cost performance is overwhelmingly superior.

I have no doubt that they use the finest fabrics and poles. The seamstresses who work at the factory are all veterans, and they are like a hundred skilled seamstresses. The addition of Wang's knowledge to that makes for the best tents. To be honest, we really don't make much money (laughs)" (Sugime).

It may be difficult for the untrained eye to estimate the quality, but every time we hold an exhibition, many people involved in the industry say, "Is this quality really good at this price? Among them, "ROBOTECH," the flagship large dome tent of "Free Spirits," is repeatedly sold out after its release, despite the fact that it costs over 400,000 yen.

It may seem rather expensive, but it contains 10 DAC poles, and the fabric is 70 denier, silicone-coated nylon. DAC poles are those high-end poles known from the "Helinox" chairs. The silicon coating is more waterproof than polyurethane coating, and the fabric itself is stronger. That said, it also costs more for the processing. Probably, if other brands were to sell this quality, the price would go up by more than 20%.

At first, I honestly wondered if such an expensive tent would sell," says Sugime. But the response was even better than expected, and we are still out of stock," says Sugime.

These days, the number of high-quality outdoor brands is increasing considerably in China. Among them, "Free Spirits" tents stand out from the crowd. There are only a few places where you can see them in stores, but the quality is overwhelming.