Camping Styles
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Who camps in B.C.? Camping Styles help us get to know our visitors
It’s virtually impossible to optimize services, digital products, and policies for users when you don’t know who your users really are. Though we have been speaking directly with visitors for several years, we wanted to learn more.
For example, who are the people who visit parks and recreation areas? What motivates them to get outdoors? And what is their experience when they get there?
In this post, we share what we learned from about 75 conversations with a variety of visitors. These learnings have shaped a set of user types that we call Camping Styles. Camping Styles have become a valuable tool for teams across our organization to use when making decisions that impact our visitors.
What Camping Styles are (and are not)
Camping Styles are inspired by Thinking Styles
The idea for Camping Styles came from Thinking Styles, a method developed by strategic researcher and author Indi Young. It is a way to dig beneath behaviours and preferences to understand users on a deeper level.
Camping Styles are visitor archetypes
They shine a light on the different ways people approach their camping experiences in B.C. They help us understand how campers think, their emotional reactions, and personal rules for camping.
Camping Styles are based on research
They are not fictionalized characters. We created them by finding patterns in what real people told us about how they think, feel, and approach their camping experiences.
Camping Styles help us empathize and understand
They are a tool to help us expand our idea of who campers are and what they need. This is especially useful when making decisions that impact visitors directly.
Camping Styles are not demographics
Camping Styles do not divide along lines such as age, gender, ethnicity, or physical abilities. Each style includes people from a variety of demographics.
Camping Styles are not rigid
One person does not always equal one Camping Style. People’s Camping Style can change depending on context. For example, if one weekend you’re out in the backcountry alone, and the next weekend you are car camping with a big group of friends, it’s likely that you are a different Camping Style on each weekend.
Camping Styles are not perfect
Camping Styles are designed to evolve as we learn more about our visitors. Our current styles represent what we know so far, but as we talk to more people, the styles will change along with our knowledge.
Meet our Camping Styles
From our conversations we have uncovered six distinct Camping Styles, and we’ve (hopefully) given them memorable names.
- Organized Enthusiast
- Spontaneous Camper
- Group Gatherer
- Nervous Newbie
- Destination Driven
- Solitude Seeker
Organized Enthusiast
Meticulous, efficient, planner
“I’m the planner. My family doesn’t care where they are going. They just ask me… where and when?”
The Organized Enthusiast loves planning (or at least they love the results of their planning). They want their favourite campsite in their favourite campground, and they go all-out to get it. Many Organized Enthusiasts plan camping for their family, so they need the security of a reservation before they leave home with a car full of kids and gear.
Most likely to get to the campground in a car or RV, or by sail or power boat. Lean towards planning, comfort, making reservations, and frequent camping. They may be quite independent and usually camp with a few friends or family.
Represented by the chipmunk, a campground fixture who loves to plan.
Spontaneous Camper
Flexible, easygoing, low-maintenance
“When we want to go, we go. We pack the basics, load up the truck and we go out there and hopefully we find a site.”
The Spontaneous Camper is Organized Enthusiast’s opposite in many ways. They need flexibility in their life, so they mostly rely on first-come, first-served camping. They do get anxious about the campground being full though, so they often have one or two alternatives in mind when they set out.
Most likely to get to the campground in a car or RV, 4-wheel drive, or hiking.
Lean towards spontaneity and first-come, first-served camping. They are quite independent, generally seeking a quiet experience, and may not camp as often as Organized Enthusiasts. Represented by the cougar, because they are always ready to pounce on an available campsite.
Group Gatherer
Fun-loving, energetic, sociable
“Other people enjoying it adds to the value of the experience.”
The Group Gatherer loves to get together with a big group of friends and family to enjoy the outdoors. They see camping as an opportunity to socialize with their loved ones away from all the bustle of daily life. They may be a bit rowdy, but they do worry about bothering their neighbors!
Most likely to get to the campground in a car or RV, sail or power boat, or kayak or canoe.
Lean towards socializing and planning. They are likely to make reservations and seek the finer things in camping life, like flush toilets and showers. Group outings are hard to plan, so the Group Gatherer tends to camp infrequently. Represented by the racoon, another campground regular who enjoys a rowdy group hang.
Nervous Newbie
Brave, curious, tentative
“To practice, we packed our bags and walked around in the city, to get a feel for where the aches and pains were.”
The Nervous Newbie may be brand new to camping, or they may be about to try a more adventurous type of camping, like backcountry or boat-in camping, for the first time. Typically, they do a lot of research to learn all the camping lingo, what gear to bring, how to stay safe, and so much more. They may even practice things like setting up the tent or carrying a full backpack before leaving home.
Most likely to get to the campground in a kayak or canoe, by hiking, or in a car or RV.
Lean towards planning ahead and seeking help from friends or online. They tend to favour a comfortable experience with other people around in case they need help. Represented by the deer, as they may sometimes feel like a deer in headlights.
Destination Driven
Practical, activity-oriented, thrifty
“The rec site isn’t the destination. The hike is the destination and rec sites help us get closer to it.”
The Destination Driven don’t really camp for camping’s sake, unlike the Organized Enthusiast and Spontaneous Camper. For the Destination Driven, camping is a convenient and cheap way to get closer to the destination, like a hike, a great fishing or hunting spot, or mountain bike or off-roading trails. They may even opt to camp as an inexpensive stopover on a road trip.
Most likely to get to the campground in a car or RV or 4-wheel drive.
Lean towards independence, seeking little help. They don’t prioritize comfort or amenities and may seek a degree of solitude. They find first-come, first-served camping usually works best for their lifestyle. Represented by the bear, who can also be seen hunting, fishing, and foraging across B.C.
Solitude Seeker
Confident, flexible, adventurous
“If you want to get away from people, you have to do something that most people don’t want to do.”
The Solitude Seeker wants to get as far away from civilization as they can. They love spending time in wild places, where they can have an “almost spiritual” experience. They are liable to put in a lot of effort to get far away from people. That means they need to be self-sufficient, and most are knowledgeable about staying safe in nature.
Most likely to get to the campground by hiking, 4-wheel drive, or sail or power boat.
Lean towards independence, adventure, and solitude. They tend to be spontaneous, getting out whenever there’s a stretch of good weather.
Represented by the wolf, another B.C. local who is known for seeking solitude in wild places.
We can’t do this without you! We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in our Camping Styles research. If you haven’t spoken to us yet, we are always looking for people who would like to take part in future design research activities. If you’re interested in sharing your thoughts and experiences about outdoor recreation in B.C., please sign up.
