The 2010s changed everything - from how people shop to how people talk. It also changed how people camp.

This decade brought the smartphone into ubiquity and social media into our back pockets, introducing new concepts like glamping in the process.

So, how might the information age continue to shift camping into the new decade? Let’s explore how outdoor living is likely to develop in the 2020s.

Environmental Sustainability

The 2010s changed how people understood environmental responsibility, and this shows no sign of slowing in the coming years. As discussed in our last blog, this issue gained prevalence in the early Millenium years and is only set to grow in importance for conscious campers as global temperatures rise.

Expect campers to prioritize their environmental impact and opt for activities that minimize damage to the world around them. Watch this space, and innovators like Picture Organic or Patagonia.

Overpopulated Camping Sites

In a similar vein, the coming decade is expected to bring even more campers to the outdoors. This is a trend that continued throughout the 2010s as camping grows in popularity with younger generations.

According to the 2018 North American Camping Report, camping grew across the United States and Canada, with 77 million U.S. households having someone who camps at least occasionally.

Further, the report notes that new campers are more diverse than the overall population. Millennials and Gen Xers make up three-quarters of all campers, with Millennials alone accounting for 40%. 

With more campers, however, comes more demand for space. It will be interesting to see how popular campsites and national parks cope with increased visitor numbers in the coming decade. Some have adjusted to a new normal of lotteries for even ‘average’ camping sites on popular weekends in peak season.

Smarter Camping Tools

Tech is yet another trend that will continue to move and shift camping with the times. The smartphone and its bevy of useful applications - think digital compass, flashlight, GPS location - will be just the start of tech implementation into the rugged outdoors. 

From instant tents to rethought trailer dollies, technology will continue to change how we camp in the coming years. Expect projects which merge tech and the outdoors to further development in this coming decade - especially as camping demographics become younger.

Anticipating future trends is never an exact science - however, camping guided by tech seems to be the way forward in 2020 and beyond. Campers themselves are becoming smarter, and it makes sense that camping will become smarter with them. Ideally, this will be with the conservation of environmental impacts outdoors activities can bring.