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Technology brings added convenience, safety, comfort and enjoyment to camping and hiking
New technologies and lighter weight materials have revolutionized the camping industry Additionally, a trend toward shorter camping trips has resulted in a decline in sales of tents and sleeping bags.
Following a surge in camping vacations after 9/11, when many Americans were reluctant to travel abroad, camping sales have leveled off, and car camping and day hiking have eclipsed backpacking in popularity.
"Today, when many families have two wage earners, whose vacations may not correspond, people are going on shorter trips," said Ira Wachtel, owner of Champaign Surplus in Champaign, Illinois.
Wachtel notes that the backpacks he sells today, by Osprey, Gregory, Kelty and other high-end manufacturers are lighter and more compact than those he sold five years ago. The average backpack then had a 40-70 liter capacity as opposed to the 25-40 liter packs of today.
Almost all of Wachtel's backpacks have internal frames, although he still sells some external frame models to Boy Scouts.
Champaign Surplus has focused on camping and kayaking for more than two decades. But sales of equipment for these activities have declined.
"In general, there is a decrease of interest in camping," said Wachtel. "People are doing it on a one-day basis."
Accessories have also changed dramatically. Flashlights, once a camping staple, are outsold today by LED headlamps, which Wachtel carries from Black Diamond, Petzel and Princeton.
Water portage has evolved from the traditional military canteen to the Nalgene bottle and, more recently, to backpack hydration systems consisting of a water bladder and a hose that clips onto clothing.
"As you participate in an activity like hiking or biking, you can drink water whenever you want," said Wachtel.
Few campers today buy canteens, said Wachtel, but Nalgene bottles remain popular. Although they have no hose system to permit hydration while moving, they fit compactly into a backpack, are available in a variety of colors and are easier to use and to clean than canteens.
Sales in present tents
Wachtel sells tents in two separate categories. For family camping, the trend is toward large, multi-room tents retailing at about $90. The other category is small, top-of-the line, one-person tents by manufacturers such as MSR and Kelty. Most tents in the latter category are manufactured from lightweight polyester, which resists deterioration from ultra-violet light radiation, and are equipped with aircraft grade aluminum poles and stakes. Many weigh less than five pounds.
In general, tents today, are lighter, smaller and easier to set up than years ago.
George Smith, president of Leisure Life USA of Knoxville, Tennessee has spent 40 years in the tent industry, first as executive vice president of Camel Manufacturing and from 1984 as head of Leisure Life.
Under the Trek label, Smith manufactures three models of cotton canvas tents and many models made from synthetic fabrics.
"We cover the waterfront from the least expensive to the largest tents," said Smith, noting the importance of easy assembly. "People are in a hurry today. They want a tent that will pop up quickly and easily."
The majority of Leisure Life's sales are of large, low-cost, family cabin tents. Tent prices have come down, said Smith, and today many of his tents retail for less than their wholesale prices 20 years ago. The drop is the result of imports from Asia, where labor costs are minimal, and pressure from mass marketers to supply tents at lower prices.
A Trek family-style multi-room tent wholesales from $64 to $269, and Smith's least expensive 5x7 dome tent wholesales for $19.
Smith also produces expedition quality dome tents.
"There is a type of camper who wants very high end products and expects to pay $200-$400 for two person tent," said Smith, noting that these tents have numerous features including flexible poles that return to their original straight shape, exotic suspension systems, insulating flies, wide side cloths that reach the ground and remove water from the tent, and a vestibule room to store gear. The 20-40 denier high tech fabrics are lightweight and waterproof.
The tent business has declined, said Smith.
"It has not grown measurably for a long time. There is a lot of competition for people's free time. Other sports are growing faster than camping"
But Smith has found a niche producing tents for the U.S. military. There are not a lot of differences between military and commercial tents, he notes, except that military tents are required by the government to be made in the U.S.
This can be difficult, he said. As manufacturing has gone overseas, many of the raw material suppliers that were located in the U.S. have gone out of business.
"Because of the limited number of suppliers, it has become increasingly difficult to produce these tents," Smith said.
But he has strong success with a tent that he has patented and that has been used by the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq for the past three years.
This tent shelter replaces the traditional one-man tent. Wrapped up, it is no larger than a Frisbee®. When a strap is removed and the tent is tossed in the air, it pops up to full size to make a complete tent with one pole supporting the fly. The tent is also impregnated with pyrethrum, an EPA approved insect repellent that is harmless to humans but deadly to insects.
"That tent is quite novel and has not been introduced to the commercial market," Smith said.
Bag of sleep
Once a tent is set up, the camper's next need is a sleeping bag.
"Everything in the sleeping bag line has changed radically over the past fifteen years," said John Wright of Slumberjack, Inc. "Customers used to ask first about the fill and warmth of the bag. Now the question at the top of their list is what is the stuff size."
These sizes have decreased dramatically. Ten years ago, said Wright, a 40-degree rectangular sleeping bag rolled up to 14 by 18 inches. Today, the same type bag is 6 by 9 inches.
"The fills are more efficient so you get a smaller carrying size and lighter weight," Wright said.
New fills include Climashield, Thermolite Extreme and Primaloft. All are different configurations of polyester.
And they are economically priced. A Slumberjack Climashield filled sleeping bag retails for $79 to $99.
Wright also produces more expensive down-filled bags, which retail from $200. Down is the most compressible fill on the market, and also the longest lasting and lightest.
Sleep systems have become an important segment of Wright's business. Ten years ago, a customer might add a pillow to the purchase of a sleeping bag. Today the trend is to buy a whole sleep system, which typically consists of the sleeping bag, a bivy to waterproof it, a water resistant liner, and a pillow.
Although the 40-degree bag remains the standard, recently there has been increased interest in lightweight bags designed to keep the camper warm at lower temperatures. These include 20 degree and zero degree temperature bags.
For the camper seeking cushioning in addition to that offered by the sleeping bag. Therm-a-Rest, a division of MSR, produces a variety of two-inch thick open cell mattresses. The company claims to have invented the open cell or self-inflating mattress more than two decades ago. Weighing only two pounds, the mattress rolls up to less than five inches in diameter, said company spokesperson Kerri Dellisanti.
A woman's version of the mattress features additional foam for the torso and feet.
Dellisanti notes that the traditional ground cloths are closed cell. The open cell mattress, by contrast, holds air in the foam producing greater comfort.
author: BY HOWARD PROSNITZ