Tree tents get campers off the ground and into the air

SALT LAKE CITY – Campers and outdoor enthusiasts are embracing a fun, unique way to sleep under the stars on hybrid hammock-tents that are strung up between trees.

Some of the portable treehouses were on display this week in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer show.

Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst with the market research firm NPD Group, says retailers report the so-called tree tents are generating growing demand from customers.

Powell says millennial campers are drawn to a type of tent that keeps them dry and off the ground and that can be used in many settings.

Most of them can be broken down and stored in bags like normal tents. They are designed to be used anywhere a person can find trees, boulders or rock crevices sturdy enough to anchor them.