From a niche hobby, it gradually entered the public’s field of vision
. How far can the "camping fever" that depends on the sky to eat?
One night three years ago, a post-95 boys who worked in the Internet industry Carbonized Pinecone and friends went to the beach outside Shanghai to experience a camping trip.
In the middle of the night, he sat alone by the campfire, watching the kerosene lamp above the tent sway gently under the blowing of the sea breeze, and felt that everything around him was quiet.
Now, riding a motorcycle to camp on weekends has become part of the daily life of Carbonized Pine Cone, and he has to camp at least twice a month.
In the past two years, he noticed that more and more people experience this outdoor activity.
The popularity of camping topics on social media also confirms the discovery of carbonized pine cones.
As of June 30 this year, I searched for "camping" on the social platform Xiaohongshu, and there were more than 290,000 notes related to it, covering various aspects such as campsite selection, camping equipment brand, and camping gameplay.
When camping has gradually entered the public eye from a niche hobby, new market demands are also brewing.
I found a different self in camping
As a camping Up owner, Carbonated Pine Cone likes to share his camping experience with others, but he also pays great attention to privacy. He appears wearing a helmet in the video and does not disclose his true identity.
Camping alone is a way of decompression he chose for himself.
"I like to go to camping sites in the mountains or on the seaside alone. When my brain is empty, I will gradually relax my whole body and mind."
From the perspective of Carbonized Pine Cone, contact with nature and freedom are the essence of camping culture.
In the selection of campsites, he prefers toll campsites with basic facilities such as drinking water, internet, and toilets.
Van, a media practitioner born in the 1980s, has explored more "how to play" from the perspective of family camping.
“Camping can accommodate many scenes, from camping, preparing ingredients, cooking, to crafting, sports, and making friends. Basically all family members can find their own way of relaxation in camping.” Van, who rarely cooks. The outdoor cooking skills were "unlocked" in the campsite. "In the camping, we look forward to discovering a different self."
Van's son is in the first grade of elementary school this year. Van and his family will match different parent-child activities in the camping.
"I prefer camps with wild fun and restrained artificial facilities. I also took my kids to try fishing, paddle boarding, surfing, hiking, cave exploration, etc., but I think camping brings him more of a subtle influence. , Such as how family members collaborate outdoors, what to pay attention to when socializing with other children, how to deal with negative emotions, etc." Van said.
There are more camping trips, and Van often updates his camping notes on social platforms under the name "Feng Van Ji".
According to Van and Carbonized Pine Cone, as an outdoor activity, camping requires high outdoor knowledge and equipment for campers, and there are certain thresholds. "Newcomers can participate in the'carry-in' camping first to see if they can adapt. Overnight outdoors".
Entrepreneurship inspiration of "check in with a bag"
Before 2020, Zhu Xian was the founder of an outbound travel company. Xiaoyun and her husband ran an outdoor wedding photography studio for domestic tourists in Thailand.
During an epidemic, both Zhu Xian and Xiaoyun’s companies pressed the "pause button", and camping came into their sight at this time.
"Since the outbreak of the epidemic, people are more willing to play in open natural scenes. With this kind of psychology, camping is connected to nature and has a certain degree of privacy, and the popularity has also risen." Zhu Xian said.
By chance, Xiaoyun came to Yanzhou Island, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province.
She had already "entered into the pit" to camp, and she caught the original ecological environment of Yanzhou Island surrounded by mountains and seas. She immediately rented a residential house and gradually converted it into a small white house camp.
The tent area of the camp can accommodate up to 30 camps, half of which can be "checked in with a bag" and the other half are prepared for campers who bring their own tents.
"If the guests are not used to sleeping in tents, we still have two B&B rooms." Xiaoyun said.
Xiaoyun pays attention to the "small and beautiful" campsite, while Zhu Xian's camping project is more commercial and large-scale.
In the process of self-driving camping with his family, Zhu Xian bought camping equipment along the way according to popular recommendations on social platforms, ranging from tents and sleeping bags to mosquito repellent water and compressed towels. Roughly counting, there were nearly a hundred kinds.
A long list of camping equipment allows Zhu Xian to see the potential of this industry.
"To experience a camping experience, how many people are willing to buy so many equipment? If the threshold is lowered and the equipment is equipped in advance to make'check in with a bag' possible, how many people are willing to try?" Zhu Xian said.
In September 2020, Zhu Xian and his friends created the camping brand "Hot Wilderness". In less than a year, they opened up 14 campsites in Sanya, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Wuhan, Beijing and other cities, mainly for Guests trying camping for the first time.
The "Hot Wilderness" mainly attracts two types of guests: parents with children, and young people who like to share information on social platforms.
Although the customer groups are different, the needs of the guests for comfort and convenience are the same.
"We use a model of sharing profits with hotels, scenic spots, and private owners. Relatively speaking, the investment is relatively small. The cost is mainly reflected in camping equipment and personnel salaries. At the same time, guests can also enjoy a relatively mature hydropower network, supporting facilities and security. The system allows you to experience outdoor life without having to endure too much inconvenience caused by the outdoors." Zhu Xian said.
Will camping be "a gust of wind"
According to the company's data, there are currently 21,000 campsite-related companies in China. 2020 is an explosive period for related company registrations. The number of registrations for the whole year is 7,933, an increase of 331.6% year-on-year, and the number of registrations in the first 5 months of this year is 6941 Home, an increase of 286.5% year-on-year.
The market is hot, but there are also many problems facing campground operations.
"The maintenance of the campsite is a long-term work, and the details must be in place. Before we were camping in a campsite in Qingyuan, Guangdong, we encountered heavy rain, and a big tree fell less than 4 meters away from the tent. It was really very impressive. Danger. The reason for the resumption should be related to the camps being vacant after the 2020 epidemic and the managers’ failure to inspect them.” Van said.
The operation of campgrounds is also affected by various outdoor factors such as seasons and weather.
"Camping can be regarded as relying on the sky for food. As the weather changes and the season changes, camping will be difficult to carry out. We have set up camping spots all over the country for this reason." Zhu Xian said.
Xiaoyun’s Huizhou Xiaobaiwu Camp was affected by the local drought and the epidemic, and it has made little profit since it opened. “This is something I didn’t expect before. This industry is full of various uncertainties.”
In order to increase income, Xiaoyun plans to increase commercial photography, skateboarding experience courses, summer camps and other services in campsites.
Zhu Xian is also leading the team to explore more “camping+” gameplay. “We are trying to integrate with more local attractions. For example, we are cooperating with Hebei Chongli Taiwu Ski Resort in the near future. Guests can start at Taiwu Town. Stay for one night, and then go to the campsite to set up a tent and cook a bonfire the next day. The experience will be more enriched."
Picnics that were "popular" on social media almost at the same time as camping are now silent. Will camping also be "a gust of wind"?
In Van's view, this is a process of scouring the sand. "What is popular, everyone will swarm to do what, but what can stay after the craze is all that excels in business or professionalism. Camping is in The country is still in its infancy, and there is still a long way to go."
Zhu Xian believes, "What new trends will emerge from camping in the future is difficult to predict now. We can only follow the needs of young people to iterate products step by step. After all, the era of'one trick' has long passed. ".
(Carbonized pine cones, Van, and Xiaoyun in the text are pseudonyms)
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Li Xuan Source: China Youth Daily