With so many different ways to camp and more people working remotely, campgrounds are adding campsites and expanding their calendars. Between 2021 and 2022, 15.5 million people went camping for the first time. Even more popular, hiking is the top outdoor activity in the country. Both hobbies require specific equipment and these five small businesses use expert knowledge to innovate and excel in this broad retail category.
Dream Hammock
Husband and wife Randy and Deanna Smith started Dream Hammock in 2012. The small family business is headquartered in the village of Fredericksburg, Ohio, where everything is made in the Smiths’ home workshop.
A longtime Boy Scout leader, Randy had done his fair share of tent camping. As he got older though, it became growingly uncomfortable. He turned to hammock camping as a more forgiving alternative but felt he could make the tethered cradles even more comfortable. Deanna turned Randy’s first design into a reality and other camping enthusiasts took interest. Each of them left their careers of more than 20 years to create custom hammocks and develop their burgeoning business.
Although Deanna passed away in 2021, her kids and relatives continue to use the skills she passed down to hand sew and fulfill orders. Uninterested in becoming a large company, Dream Hammock remains focused on quality and maintaining a connection with the customer. Each hammock is handmade and built to the customer’s specifications, so lead time is currently eight weeks.
Eezy Supplies
Based in Seal Beach, California, Eezy Supplies keeps the car camper organized. Jaime Lozoya started this company in 2012 with a simple idea that he’s continued to finetune over time: keep camping gear organized, secure, and easily accessible.
A simple concept that resolves a universal challenge, the Eezy Supplies Rig Caddy lineup provides versatile options for the casual car camper and overlander alike. Even used on barbecue grills, these magnetic mounts can be safely attached to any metal surface without scratching or lifting paint. The rig accessories are completely customizable and can hold cooking and cleaning supplies, lanterns and headlamps, tools, drinks, and anything else the camper wants to have at their fingertips. These caddies are aluminum, rust-resistant, and made in the United States.
The small team at Six Moon Designs cares about customer satisfaction and encourages an open dialogue in order to improve its products.
Six Moon Designs
In 1977, Ron Moak went on his first hike on the Appalachian Trail. From then on, hiking became a big part of his life. The only challenge was that he couldn’t afford much of the backpacking gear on the market. He also wished it was lighter, so he and his wife learned to sew in order to make their own tarps, sleeping bags, and jackets. In 2002, they made their first commercial product, The Europa Tent, and Six Moon Designs was born.
Six Moon Designs makes lightweight shelters, backpacks, umbrellas, and other camping accessories. With a focus on ultralight backpacking and affordability, Ron continues to hike hundreds of miles each year, refining existing products and inventing new ones (like the Gatewood Cape, a combination poncho/shelter system).
Ron’s son, Brandon, shares his passion for adventure and joined the company in 2007. He can be found shipping orders, cutting patterns, sewing, repairing, and emailing. The small team at Six Moon Designs cares about customer satisfaction and encourages an open dialogue in order to improve its products.
FlipFuel.Co
Co-founders Eric Flottmann and Frank Healy each have several startups under their belts. In 2021, they teamed up to create FlipFuel.Co and a product by the same name. Intended for consolidating isobutane fuel canisters, this small gadget comes in handy for lightweight backpacking and bikepacking.
The goal of the FlipFuel is to mitigate the inconvenience of campers having to take partially filled fuel canisters on their trips. About the size of an AirPod case and weighing only 35 grams, this small device accomplishes a pretty substantial task. In four easy steps, fuel can be transferred from one canister to another. First, the user places the receiving canister in the freezer and sets the sending canister in the sun. After 10 minutes, the tanks are threaded onto each end of the FlipFuel. To control the transfer, the user simply twists the valve open and closed. It’s recommended to weigh each canister before and during the process in order to avoid overfilling the receiving tank. Once this process is completed, the empty tank can be recycled.
In addition to the FlipFuel, this small business also sells other camping accessories and freeze-dried food made by some of their favorite independent brands.
Heather’s Choice
Determined to pack nutrition into dehydrated food that can be taken anywhere in the world, Heather Kelly founded Heather’s Choice and started making high quality freeze-dried meals 10 years ago. These just-add-water eat-in-pouch meals come in a variety of options and are handmade in Anchorage, Alaska.
Made with premium ingredients like wild Alaskan salmon and 100% grass-fed bison, these food pouches are meant to replicate what a healthy eater would prepare at home. Heather’s Choice wants to ensure its adventurous customers are energized, satiated, and ready for anything wherever they go. Some of the options include various buckwheat and fruit bowls, muesli with milk, bison chili, smoked sockeye salmon chowder, and vegetable lentil soup. In addition to these meals, Heather’s Choice also makes pocket-sized snacks called Packaroons. These are essentially individually wrapped coconut-based cookies that serve as the perfect pick-me-up on a hike back to base camp.
Facing high production costs and adamant about keeping production in-house in order to maintain quality standards, Heather’s Choice plans to relocate to the contiguous United States in the near future. Currently working on funding this move, the company has its sights set on Ashland, Oregon.
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