Outdoor Insight

F or several years the main aisles of Outdoor Retailer have embraced a growing group of outdoorists that use vehicles not only to get to the trailhead, but to travel, camp and stay out on public lands as long as possible. Not to be confused with off-roading, today's overlanding has its roots in overland safari-style travel from Australia and Africa and is influenced by the motor campers of the 1950's, the VWs of the 1960s and 70s and the car campers of the 1980s here in the U.S. Overlanders travel in everything from Sprinter vans to Unimogs to Jeeps and Subarus and make up a group of affluent semi-nomads, who seem to work remotely in some form of digital technology. What does the popularity of overlanding mean for outdoor retailers? In addition to racks and rooftop tents, people recreating from vehicles are snatching up solar lights and self-sustaining systems such as BioLite stoves; car camping gear and double-wide sleeping bags; and two-wheeled overlanders are some of the biggest consumers of ultralight gear. The industry witnessed the hammock craze of 2014 through 2017 and that trend coincided with the resur- gence in roof top tent camping, led by Tepui, and other off-the-ground camping options from brands such as Tentree and Hang Pod. Now hammock brands are diversifying into accessories, bags and tents, and there's a half-dozen more rooftop tents on the market as well. "People are just flooding into the rooftop camping market," says Tim Nickles, owner of Boulde, CO-based brand Roofnest. "We see so many lightbulbs go off on people's heads when they see a Roofnest for the first time at events — not just the hardcore overlanders, we're talking regular weekenders with a Subaru here." "One of the biggest trends that we've been seeing is the hunger for overland and automotive brands to get into the outdoor/active lifestyle spaces and for the outdoor/active lifestyle brands to start targeting to the overland consumer," says Martin Maisonpierre, brand director for Seattle's HayterComm, which displayed a multi-brand overland trailer rig at Winter OR in January, right next to Sprinter builder, custom van specialist Tourig in the main lobby. "The response was crazy from brands and consumers alike. " Q Photo: Dometic OVERLANDING & CAMPING OFF THE GROUND THIS PRODUCT GIVES BACK GOOD IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. SAFE WATER FOR YOU AND CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD. LifeStraw Flex supports our doing good programs, where every LifeStraw product sold provides one child in a community in need with safe water for an entire year. With your help and support, we've reached over 1 million children and our reach is growing every day. The versatile LifeStraw Flex filter, with new technology that meets NSF 53 standards for lead removal, can be used in 5 different ways: 2 With the included so touch bottle 3 Attached to a plastic water bottle 4 Attached to a hydration bladder 5 As a gravity filter Lifestraw.com 1 As a personal straw August 2018 • Outdoor Insight • 37 outdoorinsightmag.com

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