Oru ‘Camp’ Launches Origami Furniture for the Outdoors

Foldable camp furniture is nothing new, but it’s never folded quite like this. Oru Kayak, a pioneer in origami watercraft, is taking its paper plane plans and bringing them to land — for the first time yet.

At its heart, the Oru Camp collection comprises a chair, table, and storage cube — though that doesn’t quite tell the full story. Not only does the launch mark a new chapter of traditional camp and outdoor product design for Oru, but the products also target improved durability, versatility, and aesthetic appeal over competing brands in the space.

Here’s a rundown of Oru’s terrestrial debut: the SwitchTable, PopLounge chair, and FlipCube storage box.

Oru Camp Furniture

Because portable, collapsible camp chairs and tables already exist, you might wonder what Oru has to offer. Obviously, the origami approach lends a novel twist, but the brand claims this also has definite functional benefits.

Oru’s press release reads:

Portable furniture typically depends on point-loads and mechanical hinges to provide structural integrity. These are common fail points and, once compromised, lead to furniture ending up in the trash. In contrast, Oru Camp is built using “living hinges,” a property of origami folds that effectively distribute large amounts of weight and add exceptional durability. Since folds replace rivets and stretched fabric, Oru also eliminates unnecessary weight while providing unique features such as native, built-in storage to each product.

In layperson speak, the origami folds claim increased durability over traditional folding hardware. What’s more, Oru claims this design allows the Camp collection to trim ounces while maintaining comparable strength. According to Oru, all of the Camp products have been tested to 20,000 folds.

Oru claims every piece in the camp furniture collection carries a setup time of about 30 seconds.

And obviously, it’s likely to catch a few extra glances from other campers or beachgoers.

SwitchTable

The aptly named SwitchTable can transform between high and low configurations. At full height, the table stands 29.5 inches tall. But users can opt to set it up as a “coffee table”/bench, at 15.25 inches high. Oru designed this conversion so that it requires only two folds.

And the SwitchTable also has a flip-open top to provide storage. It retails for $229.

• Boxed: 18.5” (L) x 22.5” (W) x 6” (H)
• Low configuration
  • Built: 22.25″ (L) x 41.25” (W) x 15.25” (H)
• High configuration
  • Built: 22.25″ (L) x 41.25” (W) x 29.5” (H)
• Weight: ~11.5 lbs.
• Maximum load: ~400 lbs.

PopLounge Chair

Oru’s camp lounger presents a spin on the contemporary art deco icon, the Adirondack chair. But while a traditional Adirondack will just take up a bunch of lawn space and leave you with a sliver, the PopLounge is both stowable and provides a little gear storage. The PopLounge costs $189.

• Boxed: 22.5” (L) x 18.5” (W) x 3.5” (H)
• Built: 25.75” (L) x 18.5” (W) x 30” (H)
• Weight: ~7.25 lbs.
• Maximum load: ~300 lbs.

FlipCube

Rounding out the Camp collection is the FlipCube — the most multipurpose of the line. Call it a storage bin, a stool, or an end table — the FlipCube is the most modestly priced of the bunch, at $99, but does a little of everything.

• Boxed: 16.25” (L) x 16.25” (W) x 3.5” (H)
• Built: 16.25” (L) x 16.25” (W) x 14.25” (H)
• Weight: ~7.25 lbs.

The entire Oru Camp collection is live now and will officially be available to purchase on May 11.

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