When "camping" becomes a symbol of lifestyle

When did camping start, and it broke out from the "hardcore" outdoor enthusiasts?

As a part of outdoor sports, traditional camping mainly pursues functionality and lightweight. It focuses on exploration and challenge, which may be rough and hard in the eyes of the public.

However, some people call it "Glamping", while others define it as "style camping" that emphasizes aesthetic expression. From cotton tents, awnings and inflatable beds, to omelet tables, moon chairs and gas lamps, equipment is constantly increasing for a more comfortable experience.

There are more than 550,000 notes about "camping" in Little Red Book. The data shows that during the period of 20021,1-May, the search volume of Little Red Book camping increased by 428% year-on-year. According to Tmall's consumption insight, "exquisite camping" increased by more than 130% on June 3rd this year. According to "Alibaba 202 1", the eleventh issue of "Holiday Consumption Travel Trend Report" shows that in September, the sales of camping goods on Tmall platform increased by over 50% year-on-year. On the flying pig platform, the booking volume of tents and camping increased by over 1400% month-on-month.

Camping to the public has become another "fresh" choice for urban consumers after picnicking.

The charm of camping "only when you have been there will you understand"

People's core demand for camping is essentially their desire for nature. Early outdoor camping is more like a "survival in the wild" challenge to return to nature. With the development of modern civilization, people living in cities are burdened with great pressure and anxiety, so many people regard outdoor activities as a breathing space under high pressure.

Affected by the epidemic, the demand for camping was further stimulated. On the one hand, consumers who don't live at home are restricted from traveling long distances and going abroad, so they turn to places around the city. On the other hand, they hope to be closer to nature and have a healthier lifestyle.

Besides nature, there are also human factors.

Except for one-person camping, most camping is a multi-person trip. Set up a tent together, go fishing, barbecue, blow dry, and chat around the stove at night. These processes can also meet people's social needs. According to the "20021Z Generation Camping Social White Paper" published by Taobao and Soul, the social quality of camping is higher, and 78% of the post-1995 generation said that they spent more time with new friends they made during camping.

In addition, many stylized camping has also become the embodiment and expression of aesthetic interest, and photos uploaded to social networks such as friends circle, Little Red Book and Weibo have also become a social currency, which has its own communication attributes.

Nowadays, when people think of camping, what comes to mind may be a charming picture of being in the mountains and rivers. People sit under the awning, drink their hands and blow the wind, warm themselves around the bonfire at night, and express their hearts under the starry sky ... The media call this exquisite camping a "one-night utopia" social interaction and a "petty bourgeoisie" lifestyle.

Although this is likely to be a powerful filter, it needs to face the intrusion of mosquitoes, snakes and ants behind the embrace of nature. The seemingly elegant photos may have been sweating and had to endure many inconveniences. So you have to ask people why they go camping, or they have different opinions.

Jump "camping fever"

Different from the long-term development of outdoor sports abroad, the "camping fever" that has arisen in China in recent two years can almost be said to be a sudden emergence.

According to a set of data from the American Outdoor Association, 48.4% of Americans participated in outdoor activities in 20 15 years, with an average of 82.5 times per person per year, among which camping is the most interesting project for potential outdoor athletes. Camping has also been strongly supported and promoted by the government, and educational camping activities have been gradually carried out in primary and secondary schools in the last century.

Japan's camping culture was also cultivated from an early age. Schools often organize camping courses to popularize camping knowledge and cultivate young people's self-care ability and cooperative spirit. Parent-child camping is also the choice of many families. In addition, Japan's Fuji Rock Music Festival and Going Out magazine combine camping with performances, markets, eating and drinking through a series of activities, attracting young people to participate and promoting the development of more diverse forms of camping.

On the other hand, China's new camping became popular with the help of social media.

Content platforms or media, such as Ethereum, a campus and mountain culture, promote camping from the perspective of fashion trends and lifestyles. Xiaohongshu also launched the "Camping Commune" project at the end of this summer, providing campers with official recommendation, camp information, traffic inclination and other services, including brands such as Hot Field and ABC Camping.

As a large outdoor scene, camping is indeed an ideal carrier for many different types of content. From outdoor survival skills, camping culture and natural landscape to various camps and camping brands, they can all be presented in camping-related content.

The popularity of these contents has also brought more entry-level players to the "camping circle" and accelerated the break of camping. For example, the Japanese cartoon "Swaying Camping" not only tells the story of five female high school students who love the outdoors, but also introduces a lot of knowledge and culture about camping. The popularity of this cartoon has led to the soaring number of tourists in Yamanashi Prefecture, the number of campsites has tripled, and the income has reached 80 million yen, which has also fascinated domestic audiences with camping.

Domestic brands have entered the market.

New-style camping faces a wider audience and attaches more importance to the role of equipment, so its barbaric growth has also created a large number of demand gaps. In addition to high-end brands in Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, cutting-edge domestic brands have also joined in, aiming at the consumption characteristics of domestic camping audiences, lowering the experience threshold and constantly upgrading facilities, equipment and services.

According to the survey data of Tianyan, there are currently 26,000 camping-related enterprises in China, of which more than 60% camping-related enterprises (all enterprises) were established after 2020. In 2020 alone, more than 8,400 camping-related enterprises will be added, with a growth rate of 86%.

In the past, outdoor enthusiasts wanted to feel exquisite and luxurious camping, and perhaps they would create a unique personal style camping with international brands such as Haitao Xuefeng, Nord and Tentipi. Nowadays, young people who want to "try early" will choose camping with a bag, that is, the camp provides all accommodation facilities such as tents, and is equipped with buffet barbecue and other services for eating, drinking and having fun.

Many new camping brands have launched experience packages around glamping, not only acting as agents for foreign outdoor brands, but also organizing various camping activities. The location of the camp is also very particular. It needs to keep a certain distance from the city, but it cannot be completely separated from the city. Huang Li, the founder of Hot Wilderness, said that they would try to avoid the wilderness and choose well-equipped campsites, such as hotels, scenic spots and high-end homestays. However, the construction of domestic camps is still in its infancy, and the number and distribution can't meet the demand. At the same time, the services it provides are relatively single and homogeneous.

In terms of camping equipment, domestic outdoor brands such as Mugaodi, Ke Nuo, Soul of Freedom, etc. have launched stylized product series in response to consumers' demand for face value. In addition, industries related to camping scenes have also ushered in growth. The data shows that camping has also driven the consumption of related products such as drones, coffee pots and frisbees.

However, the demand blowout has also aggravated the pressure on the supply chain, and the product price has also increased with the lack of production capacity. According to media reports, Gogogo, a camping collection store, placed ten times more orders for the factory this year than last year, but because "workers and equipment can't keep up, the arrival time can often be delayed by half a year". The China Camping Market Research Report released by Lazy Bear Sports shows that since this year, raw materials for camping equipment, including iron ore, steel, aluminum and PVC, have been rising in price, which has affected the operating costs of upstream companies. The indirect impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has also increased the difficulty of balancing supply and demand.

As mentioned above, the development of new camping in China is almost by leaps and bounds under the social trend, but now "exquisite camping" is more like a symbol of lifestyle: it has stripped off the self-challenge of outdoor sports and left more entertainment and leisure similar to urban life; At the same time, "symbolic consumption" is added to show personal taste and status-people are keen on "exquisite camping", not only paying for the experience of being close to nature, but also paying for the symbolic value of outdoor leisure.

Whether the camping industry will enter a more stable development stage after the popularization of consumption, and whether the outdoor culture represented by camping can penetrate into the hearts of the public and gradually mature, it will take time to give an answer.