More Americans Discovering the Joy of Camping According to Kampgrounds of America’s (KOA) 2019 North American Camping Report, there were 78.8 million total camping households in the US (tent, cabin, RV, van, etc.) during 2018, a 1.4% increase from 2017, or 62%, compared to 61% for 2016 and 2017. The report also revealed 39.23 million camping households camped at least once during 2018, with those camping 3+ times/year the largest category, at 17.65 million, a 72% increase since 2014. Although a smaller percentage (31%) of 2018 campers said they camped less than 50 miles from home, compared to 35% for 2017, traveling 200 miles or more to a camping destination increased from 17% for 2017 to 20% for 2018.

Camping Is Almost Universal it was during 2017. 46% of same-sex camping households did so with children, compared to 52% of all camping households. Teens (members of Gen Z) continue to be enthusiastic about camping, at 66% in the 2019 KOA report, scoring higher than Millennials, 51%, and Gen Xers, 52%, and all campers who camped with children, 51%. Each generation had a life event during 2018 that impacted its camping behavior: Millennials, having kids/presence of kids in the household, 30%; Gen Xers, seeing popular destinations, 27%; and Baby Boomers and Mature, retirement, 37% each.

The First Year More New Campers Are Americans of Color 2018 was the first year non-Caucasian Americans represented a larger share, or 51%, of new campers, compared to 49% of Caucasian Americans, although Caucasian Americans continued to account for the largest share, or 71%, of all active camper households. Of greatest significance was the 22% of Latinx Americans who were new campers during 2018, compared to their 16% share of the total US population. The 22% share was also a 5% increase from 2017, and a doubling from 2015’s 11%. Many Latinx Americans households are multi- generational, so they continued to lead in multi- generational camping during 2018, at 74%, compared to Caucasian Americans, 59%; African Americans, 69%; and Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, 59%.

Millennials Are Having a “Glamping” Good Time An increasing number of Millennials said they intended to camp more often during 2019, at 61%, and Gen Xers are almost as enthusiastic, as 56% said they would camp more. Glamping, or unique accommodations with enhanced services and amenities, continues to increase in popularity, as the KOA report found 45% of all campers were interested, but 50% of Millennials, a 25-point increase from 2017, and 46% of Gen Xers. “Van life,” or camping in a smaller, motorized Class B RV, is also becoming a favorite among Millennials, increasing from a 10% interest during 2017 to 14% during 2018.

Outdoor Products Sales Are Soft, but Some Sub-Categories Buoy the Industry The NPD Group defines the $18.9 billion core US outdoor industry as including outdoor equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories. It experienced a 4% decrease for the 12 months ending April 2018 and 2% for the 12 months ending August 2018. Outerwear, which represents almost 30% of industry sales, or $3.0 billion, increased 2% for the 12 months ending August 2018. Although accessories is the smallest sub- category, backpack sales increased 4%; duffle bags, 6%; and fanny/waist packs, 52%. The NPD Group also reported during August 2018 that the increased popularity of climbing and cycling propelled sale of gear in these categories by 10% and 2%, respectively, for the 12 months ending August 2018.

Major Effects on the Industry Climate change is occurring, regardless of the cause, and outdoor recreation is specifically vulnerable as more wildfires will limit accessibility to forests and hunters and anglers will discover their favorite game have changed their location or disappeared. The Trump Administration’s May 2019 tariff increase on Chinese imports had a direct effect on a number of outdoor products, including backpacks, sports bags, leather ski gloves, camp stores and others, increasing the tariff from 10% to 25%. The US government, the Congress specifically, is helping to promote more camping with the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (SOAR) Act that would create a permitting system, so campers could enter different federal lands with a single permit.

Advertising Strategies Outdoor equipment retailers have major opportunities to increase sales by targeting new campers, especially African Americans, Latinx Americans and Asian/Pacific Island Americans, and those families that camp with multiple generations. Retailers can also promote camping equipment as gifts for those with whom campers camp: spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, friends, siblings, etc. Nearby campgrounds and other camping facilities will likely find carefully selected TV ad campaigns will help elevate their brand with campers and provide the kind of visual messages that attract campers and encourage them to spend more nights.

New Media Strategies Although many people view camping as an opportunity to “unplug” from technology, retailers and campgrounds should promote a daily “tech hour” while camping to share the day’s activities and discoveries via short videos. Retailers and campgrounds can also be proactive advocates of how climate change and governmental regulations are affecting camping, with curated news stories on their Websites and/or social media pages and encouraging campers to share their perspectives. Retailers can use social media to organize and promote trash pickup and rehabilitation projects in the community’s parks and local national/state campgrounds and forests, and then share those results with videos of the activities.