Number Crunch
The Pandemic Sparked a Camping Craze
Because what’s more liberating than backyard glamping?
25%: That’s the increase in sales of camping gear in the third quarter of 2020 over the prior year, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing NPD Group data. One big reason for this apparent uptick of interest in the great outdoors is, of course, the pandemic. With many traditional entertainment options like movies and concerts shuttered — and hopping on a plane or taking a cruise losing its appeal — more consumers have apparently gotten so desperate to get out of the house they are willing to buy a tent and a Yeti cooler and sleep in the woods.
The Journal links this to a broader embrace of pandemic-friendly outdoor activity from golfing to biking. The camping-equipment spike actually extends a growth trend that dates back more than a decade, but a recent survey from the Kampgrounds of America chain found that a quarter of respondents made their first-ever camping trip after the pandemic started. That could mean lasting good news for an outdoor-gear business serving lots of new happy campers.
Or it could just mean lots of new tents stuffed into the back of closets by this time next year.
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