The Dragon Boat Festival holiday is approaching. I want to go camping with my family in Shanghai Century Park. The plants are lush in early summer and the temperature is relatively pleasant. The thoughts of Ms. Chen, a citizen of Shanghai, reflect the love of many consumers for camping. In recent years, camping has evolved from a simple “survival in the wild” to a “refined enjoyment”, deeply integrating into People’s Daily lives, becoming a new consumption hotspot and also attracting the attention of listed companies.
Industry insiders point out that with the improvement of residents’ living standards and the change of consumption concepts, camping is transforming from an occasional leisure activity to a regular lifestyle. At present, domestic camping consumption is showing a trend of family-oriented development, and it has become a common scene for a family to participate in camping together. In the future, the camping industry is expected to extend its industrial chain through the “campsite +” model, achieve integrated innovation in outdoor equipment, theme services and cultural experiences, and promote the transformation and upgrading of camping from a single activity to a compound leisure lifestyle.
Camping consumption shows the feature of “equipment advancement”
Camping has gained popularity among the public in recent years due to its features such as proximity to nature, short-distance convenience, and fashion and novelty. Its rise has also driven the vigorous development of related industries such as tents, canopies, folding tables and chairs, and camping bases.
A reporter from China Securities Journal visited the offline stores of several outdoor brands such as Decathlon, Pathfinder and Mugaodi and found that the sales of camping equipment were very hot. At a Decathlon store in Minhang District, Shanghai, a staff member introduced, “The weather has been good recently, and the number of customers inquiring about camping equipment has significantly increased.” Our main promoted family-style product combines a tent and a canopy, making it suitable for setting up in parks. Moreover, its quick-opening design is very convenient. Many parents will purchase a set of equipment such as tents, tables and chairs, camping lights and floor MATS. A customer who was choosing rental equipment in the store said, “Our family plans to try camping this weekend. We’ll rent a set first. The daily rent is around 50 yuan, which is very cost-effective. If we like it, we can buy it later.”
At the Mugaodi store in Xuhui District, the salesperson said, “We have different types of tents such as mountain camping and park camping. It’s currently the peak season for camping, and there are a lot of customer inquiries before weekends and holidays. Our store is rich in camping equipment, and some products have discount activities.” The staff at the Pathfinder store also said that the discounts on the products were generous, which attracted many consumers.
According to a report by iiMedia Research, with technological progress, camping consumption is characterized by “equipment advancement”. The simple combination of tents and sleeping bags in the past has now been upgraded to a modular system. The sky screen combined with a projector can form an open-air cinema. The car refrigerator can ensure the freshness of food ingredients. Even smart tents that can monitor PM2.5 have emerged, bringing consumers a more refined camping experience.
Listed companies are actively making plans
Facing the new consumption trend of camping economy, many listed companies have acted promptly and actively laid out related fields.
In the investor relations activity record sheet, Mu Gaodi introduced that since the launch of the Cold Mountain tent in 2003, the company has continuously expanded its product line and successively introduced a wide range of outdoor clothing and equipment such as backpacks and trekking poles, dedicated to creating a full range of high-performance outdoor products for consumers, from camping to hiking and mountain climbing. Regarding future development, Mu Gaodi stated that they will focus on the innovation of functional, lightweight and intelligent equipment, extend the scenarios of “camping + hiking and mountain climbing”, strengthen the concept of environmental protection and sustainability, expand into niche fields, integrate social attributes and personalized experiences, and promote the diversified development of the industry.
Camping equipment manufacturing enterprises represented by Pathfinder are also constantly enhancing their design innovation and R&D capabilities. The products of the Pathfinder brand cover multiple fields such as mountain climbing, hiking, skiing, camping and travel. According to its 2024 annual report, the company has carried out research and application of the canopy spire camping tent. Pathfinder claims that in response to the pursuit of outdoor camping enthusiasts for product functionality, practicality and light luxury, the company continuously innovates and upgrades its product structure.
Zhejiang Nature, focusing on its core business of outdoor sports goods, proposed in its 2024 annual report that it will further enhance the category advantage of automatic inflatable mattresses and develop products such as exquisite camping and midday rest mattresses suitable for new energy vehicles, leading the new demand for automotive camping.
The camping economy has great potential for development
According to a report by iiMedia Research, current camping consumption behavior presents three major characteristics: In terms of consumption frequency, camping once every one to three months has become mainstream, which meets the fragmented demands of holidays. From the perspective of consumption scenarios, grassland and lakeside camping sites account for over 40%, and the ecological environment has become an important consideration for consumers. In terms of consumption level, medium-priced equipment accounts for approximately 40%, reflecting the trend of consumption upgrade.
In terms of market size, the core market size of China’s camping economy has been increasing year by year. In 2024, the core market size reached 213.97 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 60.4%. The market size driven was 1,155.45 billion yuan, increasing by 46.8% year-on-year. It is estimated that by 2030, the core market size of the domestic camping economy will rise to 487.98 billion yuan, driving the market size to reach 2,399.85 billion yuan. With the upgrading of consumption, camping and its related industries have huge development space in China.
Zhiyan Consulting’s analysis suggests that the current competitive landscape in the camping market is diversified and fierce, with both domestic and foreign camping brands vying for the market. With the advantage of cost performance and a profound understanding of the domestic market, domestic brands are gradually establishing a firm foothold in the mid-to-high-end market. In the future, driven by both consumer demand and enterprise layout, the camping economy is expected to enjoy a broader development prospect.
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