This is not the first time that the chain has cooperated with a third-party company to develop a product. On the other hand, associating your Quechua brand with another is unique to this day. This shows that in Villeneuve d’Ascq, at Decathlon’s headquarters, we believe in the French craze for vanlife, and also, in the notoriety of the Naït-Up brand, with which the brand has partnered , within the community of insiders of sleeping on the roof of the car.
Naït-Up has believed in this craze since 2007, since the founding of the small company in Alès, in Gard. After somewhat complicated years, where the two founders worked alone, because the roof tent was not really trendy at that time, theThe start-up’s business exploded as soon as Covid ended. Since then, around thirty employees have been working in new premises and it is there, in this corner of Gard, that Décathlon spotted the right opportunity.
Everyone is a winner
Because we cannot suspect the giant of sports stores of practicing philanthropy by supporting an SME which manufactures all its products in France. If Decathlon has teamed up with the specialists from Alès, it is to benefit from their know-how and their notoriety in the small world of roof tents. A very community-based world, which is expanding, now has its own festival, and can be found on social networks and the multiple shows dedicated to vanlife.
In addition, these enthusiasts need accessories, awnings and cooking pots to brighten up their outdoor vacations. A very good plan for the brand. It is already the absolute leader in classic tents in France, or Quechua became a common name, as Frigidaire supplanted the refrigerator. As a result, the brand does not want this new phenomenon of sleeping under canvas to escape it. So she headed for Alès.
Better not to have black
In the Naït Up workshops, for two years, prototypes were developed until reaching the final model: the Quechua + Naït up, an association of the client and the manufacturer, but also an association of know-how, since Decathlon, fair play, has revealed the secrets of its fresh&black which already equips its tents. What’s that ? A system of canvases which offers more freshness and more darkness under the makeshift shelter. We will therefore avoid the new roof tent in winter, and we will also avoid it if we are afraid of the dark.
Still, the set is now available on the Decathlon website at a price of 2,500 euros. It’s expensive, but about the average of the models available on the market, since we find them between 1,500 and almost 5,000 euros. For this price, we have a 125×215 bed in the unfolded box which, once closed, does not exceed 22 cm thick. Even if, like any roof tent, this one causes the car transporting it to consume a few extra deciliters of gasoline, due to poor aerodynamics.
