Inside Outdoor Summer 2017

Participants and product designers are jumping

on the vehicle-based adventure bandwagon

hether one is willing to admit it or

not, the dirty automobile has long

been entwined with outdoor recre-

ation. After all, the first motorized

campers date as far back as 1910, while one of

the nation’s oldest camping clubs, the Tin Can

Tourists, reportedly got its name from the tin cans

welded to radiator caps, which was an outward

symbol of membership in the group. Certainly,

there is nothing novel about a van or hatchback

tricked out to carry and accommodate road-trip-

ping climbers, surfers or backcountry skiers, and

their accompanying gear.

On the other hand, it’d be naive to summarily

dismiss, disregard or even underestimate the

growing role and deepening integration of

motor vehicles into outdoor recreation. To pur-

ists, of course, vehicle-based adventuring will

remain the antithesis to “human-powered” recre-

ation. For them, cars will continue to be simply

a ride to the trailhead and a trunk to transport

gear. For many others, motorized vehicles

also serve as accommodations, power supply,

changing room, remote office and access to the

previously unreachable. Campers and tailgaters

even can now attach a table to one of their tires.

Indeed, from vanlife and “overland” to RV road

tripping and comfort car camping, vehicle-based

adventuring is encouraging participation, widen-

ing access to remote lands and driving product

innovation; and it’s likely a bigger opportunity

then many industry participants currently realize.

Martin

Vilaboy

Inside

Outdoor

SUMMER

2017