Camping Industry Busier Than Ever

The pandemic has led to an increase in camping, this is confirmed by a Wisconsin-based guiding company specializing in outdoor activities.

On 40-acres outside Waupaca, a winter camping workshop was organized last month by NOW Outdoors, which offers all-year-round camping, backpacking, and paddling adventures throughout the Midwest.

On this weekend, over 30 newbies met, ranging between ages 20 to 70, with a fair mix of women and men and almost all sharing the same theme.

“Most people come out on these trips by themselves, they’ve got spouses or kids or siblings or friends that just don’t want to do this stuff, whether it’s winter camping or even summertime stuff, so it’s a great way just to meet other outdoor enthusiasts and kind of connect,” said Nick Gordon, owner of NOW Outdoors.

Gordon started his guiding business in 2010 and claimed the past two years had been the busiest he’s ever witnessed.

“When the state shut down when the country and the world shut down, many folks I think were feeling kind of stuck indoors, and we’re social creatures, we want to get out and do stuff and be around people,” Gordon said.

Over the weekend, campers learned the basics of proper gear and how to utilize fire as a tool to stay warm, dry off and cook food.

Gordon recommends going with experts is a wise way to start.

“When you go with people who know more than you, you learn a lot of stuff a lot more quickly, you avoid a lot of mishaps. We try to help people get out there farther, longer and safer, we do first aid courses that are wilderness-themed, and if you’re a hunter and you want to go out farther in the woods without carrying as much gear, we want to help you do it if you want to get into paddling if you want to bring your kids camping and make sure they have a really good time, come out on our trips, and we’ll help you get the confidence and the skills to do it really well,” Gordon said.

This story originally appeared on Wbay.com