Beautiful and Easy Camping Trends

Special outdoor sleeping bags for women have been around for a few years. But at outdoor outfitter SeaToSummit, they're moving even more into focus. "The industry continues to be dominated by men. Many women don't think they can find products tailored to them. Yet 51 percent of the people on the globe are women," says Barry Robertson, technical resource manager at the Australian outdoor company.

The women's sleeping bags are cut widest in the hip area, rather than the usual shoulder area. In addition, there is an extra zone with synthetic fiber in the lower area, so that female outdoor fans with wet and cold feet feel comfortable again as quickly as possible. The special sleeping pads for women also have thicker insulation. Says Robertson, "We don't like to hear the word trend, but women need to become more of a focus in the outdoor industry."

Whether bikepacking or trekking, those who haul or move their gear on foot appreciate the industry's efforts to keep things light. The company Nordisk recently presented "The 1 kg Camp" - according to its own statement, the world's lightest overnight camp, consisting of a tent, sleeping pad and sleeping bag. The exact weight of the lightweight is 1050 grams. The promise: "dry and warm at night, light as a feather during the day".

Some want it easy, others want comfort. "More and more customers are focusing on livability. More important to them than an extremely lightweight tent is that they can sleep well at night because the ventilation is perfect and they can also sit down in the tent to read," says Barry Robertson of SeaToSummit. Accordingly, the tents are much taller than the mini tents optimized for ultra-light weight, and are equipped with sophisticated ventilation systems. These also reduce the annoying condensation on the inner wall of the tent.

Sustainability remains one of the dominant megatrends in the outdoor business. A good example is the compostable tent from Nordisk. It is made of jute, sisal, bamboo, coconut fiber, shells and cotton coated with beeswax. The tent is not yet available for purchase, but Nordisk CEO Erik Møller has revealed that it could well go into production. In the process, he said, consumers won't have to dig much deeper into their pockets than they would for "ordinary" tents. According to Møller, it will cost around 1800 euros.

Wherever the Giboards appear, they are a magnet for young and old. They look like snowboards over which a small slackline is stretched. The advantage: While a large slackline must first be laboriously set up between two fixed trees or pillars, the Giboard fits easily into the camping bus and can be taken anywhere.