Camping Trade World – Issue 10

C O N N E C T I N G T H E G L O B A L C A M P I N G I N D U S T R Y 

ISSUE 10 | CAMPINGTRADEWORLD.COM

WELCOME 

C O N N E C T I N G T H E G L O B A L C A M P I N G I N D U S T R Y 

ISSUE 10 | CAMPINGTRADEWORLD.COM 

MEET THE TEAM 

DAVID GUEST 

EDITOR 

David has worked in B2B publishing since 2006 and has edited 

several major titles in that time. He has also worked on the UK’s 

biggest consumer camping magazine, Camping & Caravanning. A 

keen camper and outdoorsman, David will bring you the very latest 

international industry news. 

david.guest@dhpub.co.uk 

JUSTIN FOX 

PUBLISHER 

Justin is hugely experienced in publishing and oversees the running 

of all of David Hall Publishing’s titles, which includes not only B2B 

titles, but also some enthusiast consumer brands too. Justin’s 

organisational and sales skills are invaluable to the business. 

justin@dhpub.co.uk 

WILLEM BONNEUX 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

Fluent in several languages, Willem is hugely experienced in 

helping outdoor industry brands realise their global communication 

ambitions. He has a broad background in sales, marketing and key 

account management. 

willem.bonneux@dhpub.co.uk 

GUIDO KNEGT 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

Guido has a wealth of experience in helping companies grow their 

international export businesses. He speaks numerous languages 

and is well-known for going that extra mile for all of his international 

customers. 

guido.knegt@dhpub.co.uk 

MARK GRAFTON 

DESIGNER 

Mark is the man who takes our essential trade info and turns it into 

something beautiful. A freelance designer with more than 20 years of 

experience as a magazine and digital designer, we trust him to make 

us look good. 

housegrafton@gmail.com 

PAUL EVANS 

ART EDITOR 

Paul is the Art Editor of our publishing house and he runs the rule 

over the creative direction of our titles. He has worked in the company 

since 2008 and keeps our vision in focus. 

ARE THERE HARD TIMES AHEAD? 

I 

■t’s difficult to say whether 

we as an industry will 

look back on the unusual 

happenings of the last few years as 

a good or bad thing overall. When 

COVID first became a word in 

everyone’s vocabularies, it was 

quite obviously a bad thing. As 

time passed, it became clear that 

it was actually going to be a very 

good thing for RV and camping. 

It brought new people to the 

pastime, it brought back lapsed 

customers, and it strengthened 

the resolve of already staunch 

campers. Records tumbled, RVs 

flew off production lines as fast as 

was possible, and campgrounds 

took unprecedented bookings. 

Natually, a boom like this was 

only ever going to be finite. And 

it feels like right about now, at 

least over the last few months 

and perhaps for the six months 

to come, the bubble may be 

getting a little closer to bursting. 

I think this is something pretty 

much all of us knew – there was 

no way records could continue 

to be smashed in terms of sales 

and registrations at the rates 

they were going at – but now we 

have started to see some hard 

evidence that that is happening. 

The monthly wholesale shipment 

figures from the USA’s RV 

Industry Association showed 

that for August 2022, total RV 

shipments were down by around 

36 per cent. Dig just a little deeper 

into those figures and a clearer 

pattern emerges. Towable RV 

shipments were down a staggering 

41.5 per cent in August 2022 

compared to 2021. Year to date, 

towables were down almost 4 

per cent. Motorhomes saw fewer 

negative figures, but the growth is 

starting to slow. All motorhome 

shipments were up 16.8 per cent 

for August, and up 6.5 per cent 

year to date. Most categories are 

showing very minimal growth, 

with the exception of van campers 

(Class B), which are up 40.5 per 

cent year to date. Take that away 

and motorhomes overall may not 

look so healthy. I’m not bringing 

any of this to your attention to 

scaremonger or play the doom 

and gloom card, simply to 

highlight that what goes up must 

come down. Many companies will 

already be well aware of this and 

will have planned for the cyclical 

nature of our market. The only 

problem these days is that the 

highs and lows of the natural cycle 

are more extreme than ever before. 

Take care not to get carried too 

far one way or the other. 

Enjoy the issue, 

David Guest 

02 | www.campingtradeworld.com

CONTENTS 

10 

14 

20 

28 

Photo: Jack Wolfskin 

BASECAMP 

06-13 Catch up on what’s been happening around the world in 

the camping, caravanning and RV industries. 

THE DETAIL 

14-15 How one of the UK’s biggest campsite booking websites 

recorded perhaps its most successful summer ever, with a 

booking every six seconds at its height. 

16 A new camping online marketplace has arrived in Europe 

after proving its worth in its homeland of Australia. 

18-19 Is TikTok taking over from Google as the way in which 

people search for holiday ideas and inspiration? This 

evidence suggests it is. 

20-21 A wrap-up from this summer’s Tent and Awning Trade 

Show at Stoneleigh Park in the United Kingdom. 

FEATURES 

22-27 Our latest ‘doing business with’ article focuses on the 

Netherlands, featuring expert insight from industry 

insiders and the latest statistics. 

28-39 If somehow you missed caravanning’s biggest showpiece 

event, we have you covered. Check out our interactive 

round up of Caravan Salon Düsseldorf including plenty of 

video highlights. 

40-41 Another look at how SuperCoils from SuperSprings 

International could help RV towers improve their rides. 

42-43 An interview with Ballistol managing director Andreas 

Zettler and marketing and PR manager Leif Jacobsen. 

44-45 Why relative newcomer to the luxury campervan market 

Wanderer is expecting big things for its future. 

46-51 A focus on the outdoor clothing and luggage market, there 

is profit to be made here if you can find the right partners. 

52-55 Become a better business by focussing on improving your 

approach to hybrid working, with tips from our marketing guru. 

MAKING CONTACT 

56-59 Our round-up of interesting and smart products that have 

caught our eye in the market over the last couple of months. 

46 

56

BASE CAMP 

AUSSIE INVENTOR HAS GLOBAL AMBITION 

■he Duoetto is already a wellknown 

and popular product in 10l water heater that features a digital 

launch the Duoetto MK2 – a 12v/340v, 

T 

both the RV and marine markets. readout, Incoloy 840 heating element that is 

This innovative water heater was designed corrosion resistant, single weld line tank for 

to give people in mobile vehicles the same sturdy construction, SPCC steel and enamel 

levels of hot water comfort they were used tank, and polyurethane insulation to make it 

to at home, but in a package that is easy to 

use and also not too heavy on the pocket. 

Its inventor, Australian Jay King, like 

all inventors, was not satisfied. Even 

though he had created a successful 

product that was in demand, he could 

see improvements that could be made 

and so began tinkering with ideas 

and designs. Jay’s innovative mind 

eventually led his company, Aus J, to 

even more efficient. Jay said: “We’re excited 

to launch the latest Duoetto MK2, which 

is especially suited to caravans, equestrian 

transport, campervans, yachts, motorhomes 

and a huge range of recreational vehicles. 

When you’re on the road or out on the 

water, readily available hot water is a real 

luxury.” The Duoetto MK2 has a very 

low power draw (4.2amps at 240V and 

25amps at 12V) and the internationally 

recognised Australian WaterMark 

accreditation. Just goes to show you that 

even when you think you have a winning 

product, improvement is always possible. 

Visit www.ausj.com.au to learn more or 

contact Jay at sales@ausj.com.au 

▲ The RVTI does great work to attract new workers (Pic: © RVTI). 

▲ The New Age Caravans team celebrate (Pic: © New Age Cara). 

TRAINING THE NEXT 

GENERATION 

With the growth of the RV 

market being what it is, it’s 

never been more important that 

we as an industry focus on the 

next generation of workers who 

are going to keep the wheels 

of the market turning. One 

of the most key areas is RV 

technicians – the people who 

actually put together our RVs, 

caravans, and motorhomes. 

Luckily, there are organisations 

like the RV Technical Institute 

(RVTI) from the RV Industry 

Association. The RVTI provides 

industry-backed curriculum and 

an RV technician certification to 

provide world-class training for 

RV maintenance and repair, and 

the organisation just launched a 

new and improved website. 

“We are so excited to 

announce the launch of the new 

website,” said RV Technical 

Institute executive director, 

Curt Hemmeler. “We believe 

it will be a valuable resource 

for individuals looking to be 

trained, those who are currently 

in training, and for those who 

have received certification and 

want to stay up-to-date with all 

that the program has to offer.” 

The new website features 

more comprehensive 

information about the 

programme, a better user 

experience, and the ability to 

find in-person training and 

search for jobs. 

See the new website and learn 

more about the RVTI right 

here: www.rvti.org 

20,000 NOT OUT 

Australian manufacturer New 

Age Caravans and Walkinshaw 

Group recently celebrated a special 

milestone as the 20,000th New 

Age Caravans chassis rolled off its 

production line in Melbourne. The 

chassis in question will become a 

Manta Ray 16ft pop-top, one of 

the original ranges produced by 

the company that has become a 

staple since 2010. 

New Age Caravans managing 

director, Chris Polites, said: 

“It’s a fantastic milestone seeing 

our 20,000th chassis off the 

production line, and on top 

of that, the unit being a 16ft 

pop-top is a fantastic link to our 

history and journey here at New 

Age Caravans. 

“It’s a significant achievement 

that we are very proud of 

internally, but importantly, 

it’s a great celebration of local 

manufacturing here in Australia, 

which is really bouncing back 

after the challenges of the last 

few years.” The company has 

been ramping up its production 

in recent months after the 

disruption of the COVID-19 

restrictions – it now employs 

more than 300 staff and produces 


BASE CAMP 

more than 2,000 caravans per 

year, sold and serviced by 15 

dealers around Australia. 

EXTREME LENGTHS 

Sometimes, there is only one way 

in which to prove the quality of 

your products, and that is to test 

them to the very limits. Actions 

speak louder than words, as the 

saying goes, and motorhome 

brand Malibu is hoping its 

latest actions scream from the 

rooftops about the strength of 

its latest models. The company 

is letting social promotion 

association Tototravel.it use a 

Malibu I 430 LE to attempt to 

travel to Europe’s most extreme 

easternmost, northernmost, 

southernmost, westernmost, 

lowest and highest points, all 

in 20 days. The trip started 

on September 25 from the 

Easternmost point (Virmajärvi 

in Finland, on the border with 

Russia) to travel all around 

Europe stopping by all the 

other extreme points: the 

Northernmost (Knivskjellodden 

in Norway), the Lowest manmade 

(Tagebau Hambach in 

Germany, a large open-pit coal 

mine), the Geographic Center 

(Gadheim in Germany, the 

geodetic center of the EU), 

the Highest (Mont Blanc), the 

Lowest natural point (Etang 

de Lavalduc in France), the 

Westernmost (Cabo da Roca 

in Portugal), to arrive at the 

Southernmost (Punta de Tarifa 

in Spain, a former island now 

connected to the land), in only 

20 days. Overall, the route will 

be over 9,000 km long needing 

hundreds of hours of driving, all 

done by Salvatore Magliozzi. 

▲ Conquering Europe in a 

Malibu motorhome – proof 

they are worth the money. 

www.campingtradeworld.com | 07

BASE CAMP 

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS 

■verybody likes winning awards, and those companies in the camping and outdoors 

industries are no different. At the recent Outdoor Trade Show in the UK, the 

E 

annual awards were voted for by the public after a judging panel of industry experts 

had selected the finalists in each category. More than 2,000 consumers voted online during 

the summer, and here is how the results ended up: 

Accessories 

Backpacks/Travel Luggage 

Camping Equipment 

Climbing 

Clothing 

Diversity & Inclusion 

Footwear 

Sleeping 

Tech Accessories 

Tent/Awnings 

LifeStraw - Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze Bottle 

Water Filter System 

Osprey - UNLTD 

Exped - Ultra 3R 

Ocun - Bio-Based Dyneema Quick Draws 

Rab - Mythic Ultra 

Ordnance Survey - OS Maps 

La Sportiva -Aequilibrium ST GTX 

Therm-a-Rest -Parsec -6c/20F sleeping bag 

Zoleo – Location share device 

Vango - Apex Compact 200 Tent 

From these ten winning products, the panel of expert judges selected the overall ‘Product of 

the Year’, which is the Rab - Mythic Ultra. 

▲ Dutch show Kampeer & Caravan rewarded sustainability. 

SUSTAINABILITY 

REWARDED 

Dutch camping and caravanning 

show Kampeer & Caravan 

Jaarbeurs will feature a 

sustainability award for the first 

time at its 2022 edition when it 

takes place from 5 to 9 October. 

The show, which takes place in 

08 | www.campingtradeworld.com 

the city of Utrecht, is a big draw 

for camping and caravanning 

enthusiasts in the Netherlands 

and neighbouring countries, 

usually attracting more than 

35,000 visitors. The sustainability 

award will seek to give out 

prizes for the most sustainable 

innovations in the camping 

industry in the Netherlands. 

Rachel Jankowsky, of the 

Kampeer & Caravan Jaarbeurs 

show, said: “The world around 

us is constantly changing and 

sustainability is an increasingly 

important theme. Sustainable 

innovations give new energy and 

contribute to positive changes 

for the future.” 

IMPORTANT RECALL 

NOTICE 

AL-KO Vehicle Technology 

Electronics announces that a 

potential product risk has been 

identified with the CSB2 and 

CSB2-LT devices, known under 

the brand CBE. The company 

recalls these car battery charging 

systems for the motor home 

sector. The CSB2 and CSB2- 

LT system allows the charging 

of the car battery, when the 

service battery of the motor 

home is connected to external 

220V chargers or a solar panel. 

The electronic devices sold or 

installed after June 1, 2021 can 

be damaged by overvoltage 

spikes on the 12V DC power net 

in the motor home. Therefore 

the devices can overheat and 

burn or cause a fire, which poses 

a serious risk to people in or 

around the motor home. Find 

out the full details online at: 

www.cbe.it/recall/ 

▲ The recall item in question.

BASE CAMP 

MOVERS AND SHAKERS 

The who’s who of hires and promotions 

RV and caravan component supplier 

Lippert Components has announced that 

Joerg Reithmeier will take over the role 

of managing director caravanning EMEA. 

Joerg has been with the company since 

April 2019 when he took on the role of 

senior advisor for business development. 

The aim of his assignment was to offer 

support in acquisitions in Germany 

and help stimulate growth within the 

European caravanning market through 

strategic acquisitions. 

Leading British caravan and motorhome 

manufacturer Bailey of Bristol has 

announced the appointment of Steve 

Bruce as its new operations director. 

Having spent almost 20 years at leading 

furniture company G Plan and with a 

proven track record of delivering large 

scale business transformation, Steve 

has a wealth of experience that will be 

beneficial to Bailey. 

Casey Tubman has been named as the 

new president of Winnebago Industriesowned 

brand Newmar Corporation. Casey 

will report into Winnebago Industries 

president and CEO Michael Happe and 

will be based in Nappanee, Indiana in 

the United States. With more than 25 

years of experience working in a variety 

of leadership and executive roles at 

home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool 

Corporation, Casey is well placed to help 

Newmar drive revenue and profit growth. 

Thor Industries has announced the 

retirement of Jim Ziemer from its board 

of directors, effective 1 October, 2022. 

Jim will continue to act as an observer to 

the Board through the end of calendar 

year 2022 following his retirement. Jim’s 

retirement is consistent with Thor’s 

Board of Directors refreshment plans, 

and, as the company added two new 

directors last year ahead of this planned 

retirement, no additional new directors 

are planned at this time. 

RV giant Winnebago Industries has 

announced the appointment of Ray 

Posadas as Vice President, Investor 

Relations and Market Intelligence, 

effective September 6, 2022. Posadas 

succeeds Steve Stuber, who was 

appointed Chief Financial Officer of 

Grand Design RV in April 2022. 


BASE CAMP 

▲ Roof tents were everywhere in Hall 3 at Caravan Salon. 

A ROOF TOO MANY? 

■f you spent any time at all at Caravan Salon 2022 

(whether you did or not, check out review starting 

I 

on page 28), you will have noticed a trend that seems 

to have gained momentum to an almost unsustainable level. 

Roof tents are everywhere. And we mean everywhere. It 

seems that in the 12 months since last Caravan Salon, a new 

roof tent brand must have popped up (pun intended) every 

few weeks. But is this sustainable? In reality, while they look 

cool and they do inspire consumers, the actual use of roof 

tents is relatively small across Europe. In some countries like 

the UK, not all campsites accept them, and in other countries 

the market just really isn’t that large. What do we make of 

it? Well, we can only repeat what we were told on the show 

floor, and that is that there will be a sharp decline of the 

number of roof tent brands and models over the next 12 

months because there are simply too many to service what is 

ultimately a relatively niche market. While they might attract 

interest and attention at shows and events, actual sales of the 

tents have remained fairly steady, with no signs of any great 

boom to come. Perhaps the ceiling (pun intended x2) for 

these rooves is not as high as we all imagined. 

AFTERMARKET NOT AN 

AFTERTHOUGHT 

Much is made of the service 

and aftermarket sectors – a 

hallowed Holy Grail for 

many brands seen as a way of 

increasing their market share 

and also bolstering the overall 

strength of their brand. One 

company that definitely views 

it this way is Dometic – the 

difference is, they’re doing 

something about it. At Caravan 

Salon, the company introduced 

a new programme for its service 

partner network in the EMEA 

region that it hopes will help 

it fulfil high demand in the 

RV market and generate new 

business for itself and its partners. 

The new platform is based 

on a well-established, proven 

model containing upgraded 

features. Focus is to generate 

additional business in the service 

area (break-fix, maintenance, 

installations, upgrades) while 

fulfilling the high customer 

demand in the RV market. 

Online, hands-on training and 

access to a knowledge database 

are part of this program. This 

will further enhance our mutual 

beneficial partnership. In parallel, 

Dometic has launched on a 

selective base, service centres 

in several countries in EMEA 

region, thus responding to the 

increased customer demand, 

while supporting our partners. 

The team is working closely 

with partners and dealers in 

each area. This initiative allows 

Dometic to better understand 

the customer demand and 

improve its service level. 

A FAMILY AFFAIR 

When you have a family of 

brands, it’s sometimes hard to 

know the best way in which 

to show that. The benefits of 

having a family are obvious, 

but how do you communicate 

that effectively to the industry 

and your end-customers. The 

Stellantis group has some ideas. 

This automotive giant decided to 

go all-in on the family messaging 

at Caravan Salon this year by 

having a multi-brand display 

for Fiat Professional, Citroën, 

Peugeot and Opel – a new family 

of products, widened thanks to 

the merger between the FCA 

and PSA Groups. While this 

may not seem revolutionary, 

the idea of doing this with such 

huge and well-known brands is 

an interesting one. Stellantis has 

framed it as its family is perfect 

for your family and re-emphasised 

that with the broadening of 

its range of RV base vehicles. 

▲ Dometic has the aftermarket sector in focus (Pic © Dometic). 

10 | www.campingtradeworld.com

BASE CAMP 

The four base vehicles on 

display showed a cross-section 

of the options from which 

motorhome manufacturers and 

customers can choose. The Fiat 

Professional brand exposes 

a Ducato Chassis Cab L4, 

Citroën shows a Jumper Temps 

Libre VAN L2H2, the Opel 

brand is represented by the fully 

electric, 5-seater E-Zafira Life. 

Finally, also powered purely 

by electricity is the exhibition 

vehicle from Peugeot, an 

E-Rifter in L2 length. 

DEALS ON WHEELS 

French camping giant Trigano 

has entered into exclusive 

negotiations for the acquisition 

of 70 per cent of the capital and 

voting rights of Italian leisure 

vehicle accessory distributor 

S.I.F.I. A key player in the 

▲ The Stellantis family at Caravan Salon (Pic © Stellantis). 

Italian camping, caravan, and 

motorhome market for some 45 

years, S.I.F.I. is a national leader 

in the distribution of accessories 

in this market. 

Global leader is trailer 

running gear, chassis and 

components DexKo Global has 

signed an agreement to acquire 

TexTrail Inc from American 

Trailer World. Established in 

1980 and with more than 30 

locations throughout North 

America, TexTrail is a supplier 

of trailer parts, accessories, 

tires and wheels to trailer 

manufacturers, dealers and 

repair shops throughout its 

network. It has developed a 

reputation as one of the leading 

suppliers of trailer parts and 

accessories in the industry. 

Leading American camping 

brands Sierra Designs and 

Kelty will now be distributed 

in Germany by Stadler Sports, 

an agency set up by experienced 

outdoor industry pro Lars 

Stadler. Stadler Sports already 

handles brands including 

Exped, Crazy Idea, Darn 

Tough and Super Yellow, and 

its founder Lars has almost 

20 years of experience in the 

outdoor industry to lean on in 

his new role. 

Rolling awnings and 

rollerblinds crafted in Italy 

M: info@scalabros.it 

D: www.scalabros.it 


AROUND THE WORLD 

UNITED STATES 

A recent survey of America’s leisure travellers 

found that 36 per cent, representing 65 million 

Americans, are planning on going RVing in 

the next 12 months, according to the country’s 

RV Industry Association (RVIA). More detailed 

anaylsis of the survey revealed that even the 

higher prices of fuel are not putting RVers 

off, with 79 per cent of them saying that their 

travel plans have not been impacted by rising 

costs. A move towards remote living and 

working is also helping push these figures, 

with 39 per cent of millennials saying they 

would consider that and 47 per cent of Gen 

Z-ers saying the same. For more, check out 

www.rvia.org 

01 

Around the world 

Camping and leisure vehicles are a global business, but 

each corner of the world faces its own unique challenges 

and enjoys its own successes. Here’s a snapshot of what’s 

been happening on planet camping the last few months. 

02 

What’s happening 

in your part of the world? 

Contact us today and 

tell us your story: 

david.guest@dhpub.co.uk 

SPAIN 

The latest data from the Spanish Association of the Caravanning Industry 

(ASEICAR) has shown that its market is suffering from a slight decline 

with a 14 per cent decrease in new motorhomes registered in August 

2022 compared to last year, and a 30.4 per cent decrease in new caravans 

registered in the same period. Second-hand caravan sales were also down, 

but second-hand motorhome and campervan sales were up slightly. The 

reason for the slowdown is largely down to the lack of availability of new 

motorhomes and chassis. ASEICAR is keen to warn people about the 

danger of buying motorhomes from unverified sources, as it has seen 

several dangerous vehicles reach its market. Learn more at www.aseicar.org 


AROUND THE WORLD 

03 

UNITED KINGDOM 

John Lally, the director general of the UK’s National Caravan Council has called on 

the British government to offer more support to camping and caravanning industry 

in light of Liz Truss becoming the country’s latest prime minister. He said: “We were 

encouraged to hear the new prime minister commit to urgent action on energy 

prices for businesses, as British manufacturing will otherwise suffer severely, as will 

thousands of rural and seaside tourism businesses, if help is not received quickly. Help 

for our members in manufacturing and tourism will protect jobs, many of which are 

in areas of higher unemployment, and will pay dividends by contributing towards a 

successful ‘aspiration nation’.” Find out more at www.leisurevehicleshub.co.uk 

04 

SWEDEN 

Records are currently being 

smashed by one of Scandinavia’s 

largest campsite chains First 

Camp. The group recently 

reported that it delivered record 

revenues in July. Also in August, 

the campsite chain broke records. 

The group’s total revenues 

were estimated US$15 million, 

a proforma increase (excluding 

effects from new acquisitions) by 7 

per cent vs August 2021, and by 27 

per cent vs 2019. The total revenue 

increase including effects from 

acquisitions was as much as 43 per 

cent. First Camp CEO Johan Söör 

said: “It is very satisfying with such 

strong results for the two most 

important months of the year. 

The entire market has had strong 

growth thanks to the return of 

international guests but also due 

to a higher interest in camping 

following the Covid-19 pandemic.” 

Check out www.firstcamp.se for 

more. 

05 

NETHERLANDS 

Dutch camping and caravanning show Kampeer & Caravan Jaarbeurs featured a 

sustainability award for the first time at its 2022 edition when it took place from 5 to 9 

October. The show, which is hosted in the city of Utrecht, is a big draw for camping and 

caravanning enthusiasts in the Netherlands and neighbouring countries, usually attracting 

more than 35,000 visitors. 

The sustainability award gives out prizes for the most sustainable innovations in the 

camping industry in the Netherlands. It is an initiative of the Kampeer Sustainability 

Award is an initiative of Kampeer & Caravan Jaarbeurs (KCJ), the Kampeer & Caravan 

Industry (KCI) and the Nederlandse Kampeerauto Club (NKC). Learn more at www. 

kampeerencaravanjaarbeurs.nl 

06 

AUSTRALIA 

The Caravan Industry Association 

of Australia (CIAA) has leant 

its support to the country’s 

National Road Safety Month this 

September to help inform and 

advise caravan users about safe 

driving and towing. There are 

840,000 registered RVs in Australia 

so the CIAA will be delivering daily 

safety messages to its audience 

about topics including preplanning, 

understanding your 

RV setup including towing and 

your caravan weights, fatigue 

management and reminding 

people to be patient. Learn more 

about CIAA’s work at 

www.caravanindustry.com.au 


PITCHUP.COM THE DETAIL 

£355,000 

The amount 

earned by Pitchup’s 

best-selling campsite 

in the last year 

A booking every 

six seconds: Pitchup’s 

record-breaking 

camping summer 

Online booking platform Pitchup.com has reported a record-breaking summer in 2022, 

with more people booking camping and glamping through its website than ever before. 

N 

■nline camping and 

glamping booking 

platform Pitchup.com 

has revealed it enjoyed a recordbreaking 

summer in 2022 with 

several new records achieved 

for bookings, sales, and overseas 

visitors on its website. 

On the busiest day of the 

summer – Tuesday 9 August – 

Pitchup took a booking every 

six seconds for the more than 

5,000 camping and glamping 

sites listed on its platform. 

It totalled 7,446 bookings 

in just 24 hours, which was 

the equivalent to more than 

21,000 people, smashing the 

previous record set in July 

2021 by around 12 per cent. 

On the same day, a new record 

was also set for most bookings 

on a single campsite, which 

achieved 95 bookings in a 

24-hour period. The peak day 

for campers across the summer 

period was Saturday 27 August 

with a staggering 110,228 

people holidaying with Pitchup 

that weekend. 

This summer also signals a 

welcome return to the UK by 

campers from further afield. 

Bookings for campsites in the 

UK from customers abroad 

have grown by 708 per cent 

compared to 2021 (equivalent to 

34,000 arrivals so far this year). 

Dan Yates, Pitchup founder 

and managing directors, said: 


THE DETAIL PITCHUP.COM 

PITCHUP’S SUMMER STATS 

7,446 

Bookings in 

24 hours on 9 

August 2022 

95 

Bookings for one 

individual site in 

24-hour period 

708% 

Increase in bookings 

for UK campsites 

from people 

overseas in 2022 

110,228 

People holidaying 

with Pitchup on 27 

August 2022 

33 million 

Visits to Pitchup 

website in the last 

12 months 

54 

Countries 

available to book 

on Pitchup.com 

“This summer we’ve noticed 

some interesting developments 

in booking trends - average 

lead time between booking 

and arrival has come down 

16 per cent in the past 12 

months and now sits at 31 

days. Traditionally, Sunday is 

the busiest day of the week for 

bookings. We’d already had a 

really strong weekend heading 

into that week, with our 

busiest-ever Saturday buoyed 

by great weather forecasts, so 

while Tuesday isn’t typically 

the biggest day for sales, given 

the other booking trends we’ve 

noted this year it wasn’t a huge 

surprise.” 

Established in the UK in 

2009, Pitchup has grown to 

offer sites in 54 countries 

around the world, to date 

handling some 3.2 million 

bookings equating to 25 million 

bed nights. Bookings in by 

31 August for September to 

December arrivals in the UK 

this year are 197 per cent up 

compared to the same period in 

2019. In fact, the last quarter of 

the year is seeing almost double 

the growth in bookings seen for 

the year as a whole. 

With the cost of living crisis 

showing no signs of slowing, 

outdoor holidays are not only 

good for our health and the 

planet - they also continue to 

represent excellent value for 

money. 

And they’re not as weatherdependent 

as you might think 

thanks to a significant increase 

in glamping options like pods, 

lodges and yurts, it’s a valid 

choice for a value holiday at any 

time of year. 

▲ Campsites, glamping sites, and caravan parks sold pitches at record pace this summer on Pitchup. 


ECOMMERCE THE DETAIL 

Ecommerce platform 

ready to stir up 

European market 

B 

Just six months after its inception in Australia, e-commerce marketplace 

Everything Caravan & Camping is going global after launching its platform in 

Europe at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf show. 

■uying and selling online 

is nothing new. Yet 

somehow the takeoff 

of e-commerce has been a 

little slower in camping and 

caravanning than other markets. 

At least that was the view of 

Australian duo Paul Widdis 

and Kathrin Bischof. In one of 

those ‘necessity is the mother 

of invention’ scenarios they 

launched Everything Caravan & 

Camping in Australia to cater 

to the rapid growth the markets 

had seen there in the aftermath 

of the pandemic. After just six 

months of success, the company 

decided it was time for expansion 

and headed off to Caravan Salon 

and launched their platform in 

Europe too. 

“Europe had more than 

500,000 motorhome, caravan 

and leisure vehicle sales last year 

alone, and we know Germany 

has had good early year results, 

that’s why we believe this is 

the right time for us to expand 

our Australian operations 

into Europe,” said Everything 

Caravan & Camping CEO and 

co-founder, Paul Widdis. 

“We are proud to be launching 

our new web site with www. 

everythingcaravancamping.de 

at the Caravan Salon, a 

worldwide recognised show for 

our industry,” added co-founder, 


▲ Australian duo Paul Widdis and Kathrin Bischof have 

successfully launched Everything Caravan & Camping in Europe. 

Kathrin Bischof, who heads our 

European operations, 

“The advantage for European 

based businesses is that our 

Marketplacer platform gives 

individual manufacturers and 

suppliers the ability to upload 

details of their product offerings 

to the site and provide realtime 

views of stock availability. 

Customers can quickly locate 

the products they need and 

place orders for delivery. 

“With more Europeans 

choosing to holiday 

domestically as a result of the 

COVID-19 pandemic, we 

believe the prospects for the 

outdoor, caravan, motorhome 

and camping sector remained 

very strong.” 

Mr Widdis said www. 

everythingcaravancamping.de 

will help customers who are 

keen to support their local 

European businesses but who 

may not be aware that some 

exist. He concluded: 

“It’s all about helping 

people to find and purchase 

the products they need 

to enhance their outdoor 

experiences and lifestyle. With 

our technology platform we 

can provide Europeans with 

the latest caravan, camping 

and motorhome products and 

services.”

TIKTOK THE DETAIL 

Is TikTok the new 

Google in camping? 

The way in which we search for camping and travel inspiration is changing. Social 

media platforms such as TikTok are outstripping traditional search engines, and 

Pitchup.com has the evidence to prove it in its latest study of online trends. 

B 

■ack in the good old 

days when people were 

planning a holiday, 

they used to seek out the most 

relevant Lonely Planet, or some 

other such guidebook. Pretty 

soon after that, they turned 

to online guides and websites, 

guided by search engines such 

as Google to find the right 

content. Nowadays, the hashtag 

is king, and social media is its 

kingdom. More than ever before, 

people are turning to social 

media to find travel ideas and 

inspiration for their camping 

holidays. The proof? Well, new 

research by online camping 

booking platform Pitchup.com 

has revealed that the #camping 

hashtag has had more than 

10.7 billion views on video 

sharing platform TikTok. One 

of the more recent social media 

interfaces, TikTok has a young 

and rapidly growing audience. 

Within PitchUp’s study they 

sited information from Statista 

that says TikTok and other 

similar social media platforms 

are replacing Google as the 

way in which people search for 

travel ideas and inspiration. 

Meanwhile travel company 

Arrivia backs this up by with 

its own study that found that 

almost one in three travellers 

turn to social media for holiday 

inspiration. 

To go deeper into this rabbit 

hole, Pitchup decided to see 

which countries had the most 

views of the #camping hashtag 

to reveal where the trends are 

taking off fastest. The winner by 

some way, which may surprise 

a few, is Colombia. The South 

American nation topped the poll 

with more than 50 million views 

of the #camping hashtag on the 

video sharing platform, with the 

UK (38 million), Australia (11 

million), Mexico (9 million) and 

Brazil (5 million) making up the 

rest of the top five. 

“The country’s diverse natural 

TOP 20 GLOBAL camping and glamping 

destinations on TikTok based on hashtag views 

Country 

Hashtag Views 

Columbia 50,624,200 

UK 38,224,229 

Australia 11,355,902 

Mexico 9,702,538 

Brazil 5,152,178 

France 3,203,564 

South Africa 2,567,700 

USA 1,413,915 

Ireland 1,043,515 

Canada 898,476 

Spain 200,082 

Norway 134,019 

Portugal 86,510 

Italy 74,116 

Iceland 35,621 

Turkey 25,498 

Morocco 14,195 

Germany 6,288 

Greece 5,545 

Belgium 664 

Source: TikTok hashtag views, Aug 2022 

See PitchUp’s study in full: https://www.pitchup.com/camping-ideas/top-camping-destinations-on-tiktok/ 


THE DETAIL TIKTOK 

landscapes 

and slew of 

National Parks 

gives adventurists 

the opportunity to 

go camping in exotic 

locations such as in 

the desert, surrounded by 

mountains or by the ocean, as 

well as overlooking stunning 

lakes and even rainforest. This 

unique scenery may be just 

one of the reasons why videos 

of camping and campsites in 

Colombia have the most views 

on the platform.” – so said 

the Pitchup report. Data was 

determined by calculating the 

total view counts of thousands 

of camping-related hashtags per 

location on the TikTok app. 

Food for thought indeed, 

perhaps TikTok is where we 

should be targeting some of our 

marketing attention, at least. 


TENT & AWNING TRADE SHOW THE DETAIL 

A trip to canvas city 

On a baking hot day during an unseasonal British heatwave, tent and awning brands 

from around the country pitched up at the annual Tent & Awning Trade Show. 

Camping Trade World went along to see what was new (and to find some shade). 


THE DETAIL TENT & AWNING TRADE SHOW 

WHAT THE EXHIBITORS SAID: 

Lauren Burgoyne, Camptech: 

“Camptech Products Limited are delighted to be 

exhibiting at the show this year. The Tent & Awning 

Show is beneficial for brands and dealers to get 

together on a personal basis. This year we are able to 

present new designs and receive direct feedback from 

our customers before the new season starts. We are very 

much looking forward to exhibiting and showcasing 

some of our products” 

▲ The breathability of tents and awnings was put to the test. 

F 

■or five days during one 

of the most intense 

heatwaves the UK 

has ever seen, a host of brands 

which specialise in the family 

camping and caravanning 

market headed to Stoneleigh 

Park in the centre of the 

country for the annual Tent 

and Awning Trade Show. The 

five-day event, which took place 

from 7 to 11 August acts as a 

launchpad for tent and awning 

brands to release seasonal 

collections and showcase their 

newest innovations to dealers 

and the press. Brands including 

Quest, Westfield Outdoors, 

Zempire, Outdoor Revolution, 

Regatta, Crespo and Camp 

Tech were all in attendance, and 

the large outdoor facilities at 

Stoneleigh Park allowed ample 

space to showcase thousands 

of tents and awnings in their 

natural habitats. 

Some of the highlights 

spotted by us on our visit 

included the new Evogreen 

series of tents from Regatta 

that include What Three 

Words location finders and are 

made from recycled materials. 

Camp-Tech also impressed with 

a growing range of spacious 

caravan and motorhome 

awnings that feature highquality 

features and fittings. 

New Zealand brand Zempire 

also had plenty of new models 

to showcase, many of which will 

be launching to the market by 

the time you read this – expect 

updated colours, designs and 

layouts. 

One interesting trend that 

was explained to us by several 

brands was that the tent market 

is now in a decline after a 

rapid boom directly after the 

pandemic, whereas this is not 

happening with awnings. Some 

believe that once a certain 

section of new campers have 

tried tent camping they don’t 

return to it, others simply 

believe that a tent is not a 

regular purchase. The continuing 

boom in the leisure vehicle 

market appears to be helping to 

keep awning sales high, though. 

For more information on 

next year’s event, keep checking: 

www.thetentshow.co.uk 

Adam Hughes, Quest: 

“The Tent and Awning Trade Show at Stoneleigh is fast 

becoming the biggest combined trade show for tents, 

awnings and accessories in the UK. It gives the visitor 

an excellent chance to visit many of the top brands in 

outdoor leisure trade at one location and is being used 

as a launch board for many new products, from many 

different brands.” 

Mike Kerry, Blue Diamond / Outdoor Revolution: 

“The Stoneleigh Tent and Trade Show has become 

more and more important to Blue Diamond over recent 

years. Ideally located in the Warwickshire countryside it 

attracts many buyers in a concentrated environment, 

and gives us the ideal opportunity to showcase our new 

and existing ranges alongside other valued Brands, 

saving everyone valuable time and money. Being close to 

Birmingham International Airport we are now attracting 

European Buyers for the first time in 2022, and as a result 

MCS have kindly extended the show by an extra 2 days.” 

Ian Christian, Zempire: 

“I’m pleased to announce our participation once again at 

the annual Tent show at Stoneleigh Park in August this 

year. A professional and personal show highlighting the 

new tents on offer from the industry for the coming year. 

It is the perfect opportunity to come and view our new 

range for 2023 with lots of new and exciting innovations 

for the camping market. We will be showcasing new 

models and some new styling of the Zempire products. 

We have exhibited here for many years and find it to be 

the perfect venue for nationwide participation from our 

retailers, all under the windy cloudy sky of Stoneleigh Park. 

The Café on site is amazing as well.” 


NETHERLANDS DOING BUSINESS WITH... 

Photo: Fresh Goodies.(Unsplash) 

DOING 

BUSINESS 

WITH... 

The Netherlands 

The low country of the Netherlands is a nation full of avid campers and also brands and 

manufacturers determined to make the caravanning world a better place. Camping 

Trade World gives you the lowdown on this thriving nation in the leisure vehicle industry. 


DOING BUSINESS WITH... NETHERLANDS 

T 

■he Netherlands could 

be considered a country 

at the forefront of the 

camping and caravanning industry 

in Europe. While it may not 

have the same level of vehicle 

manufacturing as neighbouring 

Germany, or indeed the idyllic 

mountains and lakes of nearby 

France and Italy, it still has a 

thriving industry of consumers 

who are hungrier than ever to use 

camping as one of their main forms 

of travel or holiday. Given that it is 

a fairly small country in terms of 

geographical size, the Netherlands 

is a country with more than its 

fair share of campsites – campsite 

guide ACSI lists more than 1,000 

in the country, so the full figure is 

probably much larger than that. If 

you ever did decide to go camping 

in the Netherlands, you are never 

far away from either a campsite or 

some kind of roadside amenities 

for campers. The split of popular 

camping styles is fairly even in the 

Netherlands. Motorhomes and 

caravans are, of course, popular but 

tent camping also takes a sizeable 

chunk of the market thanks to the 

success of Dutch brands such as 

Karsten. An interesting facet of 

the industry in the Netherlands is 

that trailer tents are probably more 

popular here than any other place 

in Europe. Could it be because the 

country is so flat? Possibly. More 

likely though is the fact that there 

are many trailer tent brands that 

call the country home such as 

Alpenkreuzer, Holtkamper, Easy 

Caravanning, Campooz, and more. 

Many of these brands are still 

manufactured in the Netherlands, 

as is the aforementioned Karsten, 

and also fellow tent brand De 

Waard. These high-quality brands 

have enjoyed success throughout 

Europe and prove that the 

Netherlands is not just a consumer 

market, but also a market that 

supplies products for export to 

other countries too. 

The market in the Netherlands 

has, like the rest of Europe, 

▲ KCI Secretary Hans Louwers sadly died in September 2022. 

been enjoying steady growth 

with motorhomes driving the 

increase in number of new leisure 

vehicles registered for some time. 

This has hit a stumbling block 

in the last year or so due to the 

chassis supply problems that are 

plaguing the industry, but the 

appetite from Dutch campers 

seems to be still high, with 

records still being achieved in 

terms of camping products sold 

and also in terms of pitch nights 

being sold too. A great source of 

information about the industry in 

the Netherlands is the Kampeer 

en Caravan Industrie (KCI), more 

on which can be found here: www. 

kampeerencaravan.nl 

SAD LOSS 

Lastly, it would be remiss of us to 

not report the sad death of Hans 

Louwers, a hugely important and 

influential figure in the camping 

and caravanning industry of 

the Netherlands. Hans was the 

secretary of KCI (Camping 

and Caravanning Industry 

Association of the Netherlands) 

since 2013 and died on 13 

September, 2022. A statement 

from Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of 

Jaarbeurs Utrecht, the organiser 

of Dutch camping show Kampeer 

& Caravan, said: “From our many 

years of collaboration with KCI 

for the Kampeer & Caravan 

Jaarbeurs, we have come to know 

Hans as an extremely motivated, 

committed, and optimistic 

person. Due to his creativity 

and connecting capacity in the 

industry, he has made a major 

contribution to the success of the 

Kampeer & Caravan Jaarbeurs 

in recent years. We will miss 

him greatly. We wish his family, 

friends and colleagues strength to 

bear this great loss.” 

FACT FILE 

Capital: Amsterdam 

Population: 17,750,000 

Dialling code: +31 

Prime Minister: Mark Rutte 

Official languages: 

Dutch 

Time zones: 

UTC+1 

Currency: Euro 

Internet domain: .nl 

ECONOMY IN FOCUS 

$1.2 trillion 

GDP (USD) 

$68,500 

GPD per capita (USD) 

3% 

GDP growth 

2.9% 

unemployment 

TOP IMPORT PARTNERS: 

Germany 

China 

Belgium 

USA 

Russia 

TOP EXPORT PARTNERS: 

Germany 

Belgium 

UK 

France 

USA 



ECONOMY IN FOCUS 

The Netherlands is 

estimated to be around the 

17th largest in the world in 

terms of gross domestic 

product (GDP) and is one 

of Europe’s most important 

and significant. In times 

gone by, the country has 

been a supplier of natural 

gas to Europe, but more 

recently its economy 

is built on trade and 

distribution. Its numerous 

port cities are a lively hub 

of international export 

and import with countries 

all around the world. 

Amsterdam is probably 

one of the world’s biggest 

distribution hubs, via land, 

sea, and air. Like many 

fellow well-developed 

European nations, the 

Netherlands has strong 

financial and high-tech 

industries and also a big 

service market. Despite its 

small geographical size, 

the Netherlands punches 

above its weight in terms 

of its agriculture output 

too – both in terms of crops 

and also products from 

cow’s milk. The country 

is also a popular location 

for exhibitions and trade 

shows, with the Rai Centre 

in Amsterdam being a wellused 

destination for many 

different industries. 

WHO’S WHO 

The Netherlands is still home to a large number of brands and manufacturers in the camping and caravanning 

industry. Most of those brands are involved in tents, awnings, and trailer tents, but there are also many suppliers 

of components and accessories too. Here we have compiled a list of some of the country’s most interesting 

brands and suppliers to help you formulate a better understanding of the market and possibly even forge a 

strong business connection. 

SUNSHINE GROUP 

With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, the Sunshine Group is the owner 

of some of the Netherlands’ most well-known camping brands including Dorema, 

Alpenkreuzer, and De Waard Tenten. Covering awnings, trailer tents, and regular tents, this 

is a company with strong tradition in the market and also a strong export business into 

countries outside the Netherlands. 

www.sunshinegroup.nl 

CAMPFIRE GROUP 

A leading manufacturer of mobile camping products, Campfire Group owns brands 

including Holtkamper and Easy Caravanning. The company claims to initiate, invest, and 

innovate with all of its products to ensure that the needs and desires of camping consumers 

are met with dynamism. With a mission to help Europeans rediscover real camping, 

Campfire Group has grown considerably in recent years. 

www.campfiregroup.nl 

KAMPEER EN CARAVAN INDUSTRIE 

Like all good countries, the Netherlands has a strong association to help protect and defend 

the interests of companies in camping and caravanning. The Dutch Association for the 

Camping and Caravan Industry (Kampeer en Caravan Industrie, or KCI) helps to organise 

the efforts of companies in the market and also does consumer-facing marketing under its 

Camp to Go brand that helps encourage more people to get involved into the hobby. 

www.kampeerencaravan.nl 

Photo: Campfire Group 



DARE TO BE DIFFERENT OUTDOOR 

What started as a family camping trip in the Netherlands has grown into becoming one 

of Europe’s biggest roof tent providers that supplies more than 15 different countries. The 

company claims that its roof tents and other products guarantee compact and comfortable 

camping for all campers. It also provides awnings, tents, and other accessories. 

www.dtbdoutdoor.eu 

KARSTEN TENTEN 

Founded in 1981, Karsten Tenten is one of the Netherlands most famous camping exports. 

With beginnings supplying products to the Red Cross and the Dutch army, Karsten provides 

high quality tents for family camping of all shapes and sizes and recently expanded into 

inflatable tents. Its products are still manufactured in the Netherlands even to this day. 

www.karstententen.com 

HORREX 

Horrex is a specialist component manufacturer for the leisure vehicle market with several 

high-quality brands that provide products such as fly screens, slide-outs, blinds, skylights, 

doors, and more. The company even has an electric bike brand that is perfect for the 

camping industry. The company supplies leading OEMs around the world including the UK, 

Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Japan. 

www.horrex.nl 

THETFORD 

While Thetford is a global company with branches around the world, its European 

headquarters are still located in Ettn-Leur in the Netherlands. The company is a specialist 

in sanitation for RVs and leisure vehicles and has approximately 95 per cent market share 

in these sectors according to its own estimates. The company takes great pride in its strong 

focus on its customers and uses their input to help develop new products. 

www.thetford-europe.com 

CAMPOOZ 

Quality, ease of use, rugged looks, and Dutch design – that’s how trailer tent brand 

Campooz describes its products. It supplies large, family-friendly trailer tents that are 

easy to tow and set-up and feature a wide range of facilities and accessories inside. It is a 

company that is all about helping people discover the unknown and enjoying the endless 

journey that camping can provide. 

www.campooz.com 

SHOW BUSINESS 

The Netherlands is a 

popular location in Europe 

for shows and exhibitions 

and one of its major shows 

in the camping and leisure 

vehicle space is Kampeer & 

Caravan Jaarbeurs. Taking 

place in October in the city 

of Utrecht each tear, the 

show normally attracts in 

excess of 35,000 people. 

As well as being a place for 

brands and manufacturers 

to showcase their wares, 

the show also hosts a full 

programme of workshops, 

talks, holiday advice, 

tips and tricks about 

sustainable camping, and 

entertainment including 

live music for visitors. It 

also hosts awards for the 

most sustainable products. 

You can learn more about 

the show online at: www. 

kampeerencaravan 

jaarbeurs.nl 

Photo: Sunshine Group 



INSIDER 

INSIGHT 

DUTCH MARKET STATS 

*Statistics from AWNB’s The Dutch Go Camping Report, published April 2018. 

3.5 million 

Estimated number 

of campers in the 

Netherlands 

51% 

Of Dutch campers take 

their holiday domestically 

40% 

Of Dutch campers are 

families 

1.4 million 

Members of the 

Netherlands’ AWNB go 

camping every year 

€2.3 billion 

Spent of camping holidays 

in 2017 in the Netherlands 

France 

Is the top destination for 

glamping holidays by the 

Dutch 

17 days 

Average length of camping 

holiday by the Dutch in 2017 

Gelderland 

Most popular Dutch 

camping region in 2017 

NORBERT VAN NOESEL, BOARD MEMBER OF KAMPEER EN 

CARAVAN INDUSTRIE (KCI) AND MARKETING MANAGER FOR 

THETFORD EUROPE. 

CTW: How is the camping/ 

RV market in the Netherlands 

right now? 

NvN: “The Netherlands 

represents a very healthy 

RV and camping market. In 

terms of the ratio RV’s to 

inhabitants the Netherlands 

has a ratio of 350 per 10,000 

inhabitants, making it a leading 

country in Europe. At the 

end of September 2022, the 

Netherlands will count about 

600,000 RVs (425,000 caravans 

and 175.,000 motorhomes), 

which is an all-time record, and 

has grown by 20,000 RV’s this 

year. The biggest growth is in 

motorhomes: 15,000 of which 

80 per cent are second hand 

due to the relatively high taxes 

in the Netherlands. Caravan 

numbers have decreased about 

one per cent on average in the 

last 10 years, but since April 

2021 caravans are showing a 

small growth again.” 

CTW: What is the biggest 

opportunity in the Dutch 

camping/RV market right 

now? 

NvN: “The KCI has been 

intensively stimulating the 

Dutch RV and camping 

market over the last years via 

its Camp to Go campaigns. 

Via its website, digital 

campaigns and TV program, 

Camp to Go stimulates both 

the traditional target group 

and newcomers to stay in/join 

this market which has led to 

a growing interest and sales 

in the Dutch market. The 

Covid 19 pandemic has further 

stimulated the Dutch market 

as well, due to the fact that 

people realised that travelling 

in your RV is the perfect way 

to have your holidays in your 

own safe bubble. 

“A huge opportunity lays 

in the move from owning to 



using an RV. A strong growth 

of rental and sharing platforms 

is showing this movement. A 

growing number of people do 

buy an RV, not only for their 

own use, but also for sharing 

purposes. This happens both 

commercially, to cover costs 

or make profit, but also but 

also within their family. More 

rental and sharing directly 

means that RVs are more 

intensively used, so more 

weeks per year. If you realize 

that next to more intensive 

use of RV’s, due to the Covid 

19 pandemic people also more 

intensively make use of their 

own sanitation, you understand 

there is a huge demand for 

Thetford sanitary products, 

cassette toilets, porta potties 

and toilet additives. 

“There are several 

developments in the world 

that actively contribute to 

stimulating the RV and 

camping market. The growth 

of consciousness of hygiene 

(stimulated by Covid 19), 

but also the fact that there 

is a growing sustainability 

consciousness with ‘flyingshame’ 

as a result. Besides 

this Airports (like Schiphol) 

have huge issues, because a 

lack of people, leading to long 

waiting lines and a lot of lost 

luggage. Add an ongoing war 

in Ukraine to this and you will 

understand people prefer not 

to fly, stay closer to home, be 

flexible in where they go and 

stay and be more in control of 

their own bubble. This supports 

a structural interest in the 

camping and RV market.” 

CTW: What is the biggest 

challenge facing the Dutch 

camping/RV market right 

now? 

NvN: “A huge challenge 

currently lays in the supply 

chain. A shortage in parts 

in general and specifically a 

serious shortage in chassis 

is hindering the growth of 

our market. Specially the 

Motorhome business is 

suffering from this. Fiat, 

traditional a big chassis 

supplier seems to turn its back 

to the RV market. OEM’s 

are moving to other chassis 

suppliers like Ford, Mercedes 

and Volkswagen, but it takes 

time to get supplies to the 

right level. 

“Another challenge Europewide 

is the fact that due to 

growth of chalets/mobile 

homes there is a growing 

limitation in terms of free 

camp spots on camp sites. This 

is a risk for the camping/RV 

market because this will take 

away a part of the feeling of 

freedom of people that love 

to go out camping. In the 

Netherlands a part of this 

issue is solved by a growing 

number of smaller farmer 

campings, but Europe wide 

this is a serious issue.” 

CTW: If you could change 

one thing about the Dutch 

camping/RV market, what 

would it be and why? 

NvN: “Sustainability is a hot 

topic in general, and also in 

our camping and RV market. 

KCI is lobbying towards 

governments to emphasize on 

the sustainable character of 

our market, comparing it to 

e.g. flying or taking a cruise. 

Our market is investing a 

lot in becoming step by step 

even more sustainable. In that 

perspective electrification is 

an important development. 

This electrification of vehicles 

includes the electrification 

of cooking and cooling in 

the vehicles. E.g. Thetford 

was able to grow its position 

towards refrigerator market 

leadership by introducing 

a wide series of T2000 

compressor refrigerators. On 

the KCJ (Dutch camping 

and RV show in Utrecht), 

held from 5th till 9th of 

October, a congress will 

be held fully focusing on 

sustainability, including 

a sustainability contest, 

supporting the sustainability 

move. This congress is 

organized by the NKC (Dutch 

Motorhome Club), KCJ 

(Show organization) and KCI. 

Furthermore, the lobby for 

more availability of free camp 

spots needs to be continued in 

the strongest way possible.” 

▲ Thetford produces a wide range of cleaning and toilet fluids that are longstanding favourites among campers. 


CARAVAN SALON REVIEW 

Caravanning 

is still king 

The biggest ever Caravan Salon Düsseldorf show did not disappoint with more 

exhibitors, visitors, and halls than ever before. Camping Trade World was on the show 

floor to bring you a full, detailed wrap-up of anything you might have missed and more. 

T 

■he buzz and hum of 

excitement as the 

doors of the Messe 

Düsseldorf opened for the 

first day of Caravan Salon 

has not been quite like it was 

this year for some time. After 

two years of the show being 

heavily hampered by restrictions 

imposed due to the coronavirus 

pandemic, 2022 represented an 

emotional return to the show 

being simply a celebration 

of innovation, inspiration, 

and connection. For 10 days, 

Düsseldorf could well have been 

considered the global epicentre 

of caravanning, camping, and 

RVing as more than 235,000 

attendees poured through 

its doors from 72 different 

countries. A record-breaking 

736 exhibitors from 34 countries 

awaited them in the 16 halls 

of the blister-inducingly large 

Messe Düsseldorf. Somewhere 

in among that crowd was the 

Camping Trade World team, 

seeking out new and innovative 

companies, products, and 

ideas that can help bring the 

camping and caravanning 

industry forward into a new 

and prosperous era. Despite 

background challenges facing the 

market, such as soaring costs of 

energy, the war in Ukraine, and 

the lingering supply problems 

left as a hangover of COVID-19, 

there was a refreshing and 

genuine air of positivity within 

the show halls, something wellnoted 

by organisers and industry 

leaders alike. 

Erhard Wienkamp, managing 

director of Messe Düsseldorf, 

said: “Despite a difficult 

economic environment we 

have succeeded in reaching 

out to visitors with extremely 

high interest in this form of 

holiday and concrete intentions 

to buy. Very striking was the 

excellent atmosphere during the 

entire duration of the fair, the 

connected passion for mobile 

leisure was noticeable at all 

times. Only Caravan Salon 

reflects the entire caravanning 

world with its great variety.” 

CTW TEAM STATS 

Meanwhile, Herrmann 

Pfaff, president of the German 

Caravan Industry Association 

(CVID), said: “After two 

years with pandemic-related 

restrictions we were finally able 

to meet again under relatively 

normal conditions in Düsseldorf 

in 2022. As expected, this 

opportunity was used by many 

people to gather information 

on the innovations and trends 

in the caravanning sector. And 

Caravan Salon again more than 

lived up to its reputation as 

the leading trade fair. The 61st 

edition was not only the biggest 

ever but also set standards in 

terms of the quality and variety 

of exhibited products and 

novelties. There has never 

been a larger selection of 

motorhomes, caravans and 

accessories on display. In 

addition, the fair has developed 

into an important dialogue 

platform where our industry 

maintains close exchange with 

decision makers in the political 

sphere and tourism because 

the economic and touristic 

potential of caravanning as 

a form of holiday is far from 

being exploited and needs 

to be promoted more. The 

Caravan Salon has always 

been not only a stage for 

new products but also an 

emotional meeting place both 

for caravanning fans and for 

newcomers. This aspect has 

become even more important 

in the current times because 

motorhomes and caravans 

embody freedom, individuality 

and dreams connecting people. 

This is why it does not come 

as a surprise that our way of 

travelling gained in popularity 

even long before the pandemic 

and many vacationers could not 

imagine life without it today. 

An end to the caravanning 

trend is not in sight. In short: 

the 61st Caravan Salon not 

only thrilled its visitors but 

was also a complete success for 

organizers and exhibitors and is 

making our industry more than 

optimistic for the future.” 

40,077 

STEPS TAKEN IN 

THE SHOW 

28.4KM 

TRAVELLED 

BY ELECTRIC 

SCOOTER 

640 

PHOTOS TAKEN 

22.8GB 

OF VIDEO 

FOOTAGE 

CAPTURES 

25+ 

MEETINGS 

ATTENDED 

TAVERNA 

ELEON 

TOP RESTAURANT 

(GREEK) 


REVIEW CARAVAN SALON 

235k 

VISITORS 

72 

COUNTRIES 

REPRESENTED 

736 

EXHIBITORS 

16 

HALLS 



TRUMA UNVEILS ‘NEXT GENERATION’ IN HEATING 

Already a firm favourite among motorhome and 

campervan owners, the Truma Combi heaters were 

given a revamp at this year’s Caravan Salon with the 

release of the Combi D. This launch did much more 

than just add a letter to the name, the system runs 

off diesel and it offers a lighter, more economical, 

and durable, more efficient, and more independent 

heating solution for RVs and leisure vehicles. 

Truma’s strategic product manager for heating 

systems, Craig Hawthorne, said: “Indeed, the Combi 

Diesel variant is the leading 2-in-1 solution on the 

market for heating and hot water in one appliance 

with an additional hybrid function. We have further 

developed this competitive edge with new product 

characteristics.” 

LIONTRON PARTNERS WITH ON DUTY 

German LiFeP04 battery expert LIONTRON used its 

appearance at Caravan Salon to officially unveil a partnership 

it has entered with technology company On Duty. Between 

them, the two German companies offer a flexible, versatile, and 

very easy-to-use system that can help caravan and RV users 

control almost every aspect of their battery with ease. From 

switching on the lights, changing their colours, monitoring the 

battery levels including power in and out, monitoring inverters, 

and much more. On Duty can also control other systems such 

as those from Truma – the idea is that one panel can control 

everything. 

Check out the video below for a full explanation from On 

Duty’s Daniel Kalwitzki. 



HORREX INNOVATES FOR CHANGING CHASSIS 

In the same year that it is celebrating its 35th year in business, 

Dutch firm Horrex came to Düsseldorf with an impressive 

innovation. Well-known for its high-quality fly screens, the 

company has been hard at work developing one specifically for 

the tricky Ford Transit chassis. With more and more campervan 

and motorhome builders turning to vans like the Ford Transit 

due to general chassis shortages in the market, this is a smart 

move by Horrex and one that was very well received at the show. 

Watch Horrex’s Taril Huijbers explain in our video above. 

“We were very happy with the response from journalists and the large 

number of visitors at our stand. Düsseldorf as a fair location provides 

an ideal platform for our seasonal kick-off.” 

HOLGER SCHULZ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HOBBY. 

GLAWNING TAKES TO EUROPE 

A British luxury awning provider, 

Glawning certainly caught the 

attention of passers-by at its 

debut Caravan Salon show. The 

company produces impressive 

glamping-style awning tents that 

have proved incredibly popular 

in the UK since the company’s 

launch in 2013. Started by a 

couple who became frustrated 

with the boring green canvas 

awnings on the market, they 

created this luxury bell tent 

design that helps combine the 

best of camping, glamping, and 

campervanning in one product. 



A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY 

WITH PUNDMANN 

Imagine 60 minutes of shower 

time with 40°C water in your 

campervan or caravan using just 

five litres of water… with German 

heating and water solution expert 

Pundmann, you no longer need 

to imagine. The company has 

launched an eco shower system 

that provides exactly that, thanks 

to an innovative water recycling 

and filtration system. Made in the 

EU, this system can be fitted by 

OEMs or it can even be retrofitted 

by end users – the whole system is 

designed to be compact and can 

be controlled via a very easy-touse 

foot pump that means you 

can keep the water recycling while 

you shower. Unsurprisingly, this 

product caught the attention of 

many in Düsseldorf. 

PEGGY PEG GETS TOUGH 

Innovative German brand Peggy Peg has made quite a name 

for itself in the European market with its very smart system of 

screw-in tent pegs. But not content with how far it has come, 

the company launched a brand new, super strong version of 

one of its pegs at Caravan Salon that is made from marinegrade 

steel – designed to help you pitch up in the hardest and 

toughest of terrains. The peg requires an impact driver to get 

it into the ground, but it has been developed with the help 

of Peggy Peg’s global team of distributors, which it is hoping 

to expand with an appearance at the upcoming Motorhome 

and Caravan Show at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. If you are 

interested in being a UK partner, contact Peggy Peg today on 

service@peggypeg.net. Learn more in the video below. 



“[The show] was characterized 

by great interest in the products, 

poor supply availability, and high 

uncertainty about the future. 

People love mobile leisure and 

want to purchase vehicles despite 

significantly increased prices. 

Buying interest was significantly 

higher than expected.” 

DR HOLDER SIEBER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, EURA 

MOBIL AND TRIGANO DEUTSCHLAND. 

CAFRAMO KEEPS ITS COOL ON DEBUT 

Canadian company Caframo was 

a first-time exhibitor at this year’s 

show, but it didn’t let that deter it 

from making a big impression. The 

company was largely showcasing 

products under its SEEKR brand 

including the Sirocco II, a low power 

draw, lightweight, foldable fan that 

is perfect for inside RVs, caravans, 

and other leisure vehicles. As well as 

fans, SEEKR also offers the STOR- 

DRY air circulator that is perfect to 

help avoid the build-up of moisture inside camping units. It 

has a strong presence in North America, but more recently has 

been focussing on expanding its reach into other countries 

after having some success in Australia. The European market 

seemed the next perfect place for SEEKR to spread its wings, 

and this show allowed it to do that. 

Allow Caframo’s Andreas Maechler to explain the benefits of 

SEEKR products in our video below. 

CAMPFIRE GROUP KEEPS THE TRAIL HOT 

Dutch firm Campfire Group, which is the parent 

company of Holtkamper and Easy Caravanning, 

conducted a significant trailer tent launch at show. 

The hugely popular Easy Caravanning TakeOff 

showcased a new contemporary interior with stylish 

wood décor, matching upholstery fabrics and six 

different designs, which can be easily visualised via a 

product configurator on the Easy Caravanning website. 

The exterior of the new TakeOff is available in three 

versions – Active, Sport, and Xcite – which all feature 

manoeuvring handles, automatic night lights, front 

and rear organisers and a compressor cool box. The 

Xcite will also have 15-inch allow wheels. Under the 

Holtkamper brand, Campfire Group launched a new 

version of its Aero trailer tent that will now feature 

charcoal mudguards like its siblings the Cocoon 

and the Kyte. The Holtkamper designers have also 

revealed that they are working behind the scenes on 

the successor to the Holtkamper Flyer, the model with 

which Holtkamper was extremely successful in the 

1980s and 1990s. 



CUSTOMER COMES FIRST AT THETFORD 

At global RV sanitation and accessory brand 

Thetford, the customer is vital to everything 

it does. In no case is that clearer than in 

some of the new products it revealed at 

Caravan Salon, including the cassette carry 

bag. It may seem a simple idea – a carry bag 

to store and transport the cassettes from 

cassette toilets – but it is a product that 

has been developed entirely through the 

feedback of its global audience of customer. 

The sheer size of this audience (more than 95 

per cent market share in the RV sanitation 

sector) means that the company has a very 

wide scope of data to focus on when it 

comes to determining what its new products 

should be. The Carry Bag is made of strong 

PVC material, contains a solid zipper for 

effortless opening and closing, and features 

two strong carry handles. The interior 

material has a glaze finish for easy cleaning, 

and the bags are washable up to 40 degrees, 

without shrinking. 

ALPHATRONICS TARGETS THE MAINSTREAM 

German connectivity brand is further enhancing the way in 

which it helps caravan and motorhome users to enjoy the 

technology they love while on the road with the introduction 

of its STREAM mobile router. Launched at Caravan Salon, the 

router allows you to use mobile internet with practically any 

device (including smart TVs) thanks to its state-of-the-art 

technology and easy install. The STREAM features two SIM 

card slots so that you can use different networks in different 

countries and allows you to receive WLAN and LTE via its 

multifunctional atena. The set-up can be carried out via the 

alphatronics app and can also help you manage the system 

once in use. 

Alphatronics’ Charlene Garvert explains more about the new 

system in our video below. 



SUPER SERVICE FROM SUPER B 

Dutch lithium iron phosphate battery expert Super B utilised 

the Düsseldorf show to fully explain the benefits behind its 

high-end, made in the Netherlands batteries to customers 

new and old. The company’s LiFePO4 batteries have been 

manufactured to outperform lead-acid batteries on the road, 

on the water or off-the-grid, and feature small, lightweight, 

maintenance free boxes that are robust, safe and reliable. 

With an already strong reputation in many different industries, 

Super B is hoping that the combination of its high-end 

products and its equally high-quality levels of customer and 

sales service could help it to grow. Learn more from the show 

with Super B’s Huub Huitink in our video (left). 

“We are more than satisfied with this Caravan Salon. Our forecasts were 

exceeded significantly. Our dealers are enthusiastic and have given us 

plenty of positive feedback. Especially our multi-brand strategy with new 

base vehicles by Volkswagen, Ford, MAN and Mercedes-Benz.” 

GERD ADAMIETZKI, CHIEF SALES OFFICER, KNAUS TABBERT 

FURNIKA SHINES A LIGHT ON RV OPPORTUNITIES 

Poland-based lighting expert Furnika almost had more new 

products on its Caravan Salon stand than existing ones, 

such has been the hard work put in behind the scenes by 

its research and development team. Lighting is a tricky field 

in which to do anything particularly innovative, but Furnika 

appears to have achieved it with flexible stalk lamps, dimmer 

adjustable spotlights that can be fitted onto a surface of made 

flush to it within a recess, and much more. 

The company’s Krzysztof Popyk gives us a full demo in our 

show video above. 



DOMETIC TURNS UP THE HEAT WITH CADAC 

After acquiring South African camping cooking 

brand Cadac in 2021, Dometic used Caravan Salon 

as the perfect place to reveal some of the new 

portable cooking products the brand has launched 

for 2022 and beyond. The company revealed a 

new Cadac Dometic outodoor cooking range that 

includes a new 2-Cook Pro Deluxe lightweight 

twin-stove burner, and also a new Carri Chef 40 

high performance burner. A statement from 

Dometic said: “Cadac Dometic products are BBQ 

companions on the patio, balcony, garden, caravan 

site, picnic or beach. But Cadac Dometic’s “Braai” 

(as South Africans call it) concept is not just about 

grilling a hamburger. Braai means from grilling, 

to baking, paella-pan cooking, teppanyaki-style 

cooking, oven-style cooking and roasting, and most 

importantly it is about getting together with friends 

and family as a social event.” 

SALY CARAVAN BRINGS OFF-ROAD SOLUTIONS TO EUROPE 

After enjoying success in its native Turkey and also in countries 

such as Saudi Arabia, Saly Caravan showcased its Mokan off-road 

caravan in Düsseldorf to a warm reception. With large cabin 

dimensions, torsion axle and two-berth capacity, the Mokan is 

made from sandwich panel, high-insulation walls, and features 

a solid ceiling and all-round robust construction making it 

ideal for off-road, off-grid camping. The Mokan wasn’t the only 

caravan being shown off by Saly at the show, it also revealed its 

new micro camper the Caradrop – a mini caravan Caradrop for 

4 seasons with its fully insulated wall, floor and ceiling structure. 

Starting from just 400kg in weight and with a smart slideout 

kitchen, this caravan is designed to be an affordable and 

accommodating way to help you get out there. 

Saly Caravan’s Tolga Ozarslan explains all in our video below. 



SCALABROS COVERS IT ALL 

Italian roller awning and blind 

specialist Scalabros made their third 

visit to Caravan Salon this year and 

used its humble stand to showcase 

the ease of which its camper van 

awning can be pitched and folded 

away. Thanks to some smart design 

ideas such as a roller pully action on 

the canvas and foldable legs, this 

awning has caused quite a stir in the 

market since it was introduced and also 

showcased in Camping Trade World. 

Scalabros also revealed a new product 

that it has developed in the shape of its 

new sticky blinds – blinds that can be 

cut to size for any camper window and 

simply stuck to the window when they 

need to be used. 

Co-founder of Scalabros, Benedetto 

Scalabrini, gives us a demo in our show 

video (below, left). 

“The interest in our form of holiday continues unabated; especially 

high is the demand for comprehensively equipped motorhomes. 

Also in line with the trend are four-wheel drive and self-sufficiency.” 

CHRISTIAN BAUER, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT, HYMER GMBH 

INSULATION INSPIRATION 

Not too many caravanners out there 

think about the barrier that is between 

them and the elements when they are 

out in bad or cold weather. Luckily for 

them, there are companies out there like 

Ravago, which showcased its impressive 

Ravatherm XPS and XPS X insulations at 

Caravan Salon. Already strong in many 

industrial markets, these lightweight, 

strong, and energy efficient insulation 

solutions not only protect RV users from 

the cold by they also have best-in-class 

water and vapour resistance to stop 

moisture build-up inside your camping 

unit. The company showcase this feature 

in action using a special display that 

compared Ravatherm with a standard 

insulation in terms of water that was able 

to pass through. 



TECH TRIUMPHS FROM TELECO 

Teleco introduced a new 

affordable infotainment system 

with a wide range of features at 

the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf. 

The T-CPA70 DAB system’s 

large glossy 6.8-inch touch 

screen allows you to keep an 

eye on and control the main 

apps available on your Android 

smartphone or iPhone. The new 

Teleco system integrates a DAB 

digital radio and GPS receiver. 

It can be installed on the 

dashboard of vehicles capable 

of accommodating double DIN 

products, such as Fiat Ducato, 

Citroën Jumper or Peugeot 

Boxer, to name a few examples. 

Teleco infotainment will always 

be a valuable and extraordinary 

travelling companion for 

camper owners. 

ALWAYS SUNNY WITH MOSCATELLI 

With the thoughts of being green very much on every 

camper’s mind at present, it was a great time for solar panel 

expert Moscatelli to be making its third appearance at the 

Caravan Salon show. The company specialises in small and 

uniquely shaped solar panels that can even work as a unit 

across multiple panels – all with the aim of helping people 

fit them to the rooves of smaller vans, or vans with unusual 

windows, aerials and other obstructions. Most of its solar 

panels are made from lightweight plastic, but it also has glass 

options for more permanent installations. 

We found out more about these interesting green products 

in our video with Matteo Maschio below. 



HELLA GOOD LAUNCHES 

Caravans and motorhomes don’t have to look boring and 

old fashioned, and with the help of lighting expert Hella, 

they won’t. The company already works with many highend 

manufacturers such as Adria and Fendt, and used the 

Caravan Salon show to exhibit some of its existing and new 

products. It created LED lighting in almost any shape you 

can imagine (and probably some you can’t) as well as being 

a producer of quality headlamps and even illuminated 

emblems and logos to really help caravan and motorhome 

manufacturers flex their creative muscles. 

“Contrary to expectations this 

year’s fair was very well attended. 

The record number of exhibitors 

is definitely also very much due 

to industrial upstream suppliers. 

Suppliers are always a guarantee 

for innovation. Positive to note 

is that the expert conversations 

have clearly increased in quality 

over the past few years.” 

JÜRGEN, VÖHRINGER, MANAGING PARTNER, 

VÖHRINGER GMBH 

CREATING LUXURY LOOS WITH SOG 

Just when you thought all the products relating to 

RV and caravan toilets had already been made, along 

comes German brand SOG with an amazing solution 

to help eliminate the bad odours caused by having a 

toilet in a confined space. Using no chemicals at all, 

SOG toilet ventilation is kind on your wallet and kind 

on the environment. A small, specially developed highperformance 

fan switches on automatically when the 

toilet valve is opened to create negative pressure in the 

waste-holding tank. This immediately creates suction 

at the valve opening, causing fresh air to be drawn 

in. Odours arising during use are therefore drawn in 

with the air and directed outside. The system switches 

off automatically when the toilet valve is closed, but 

continues to provide permanent aeration – as the 

oxygen supply – through a pipe or hose connection 

that is always open to the outside, thereby promoting 

the decomposition process. 


SUPERSPRINGS INTERNATIONAL AD FEATURE 

The secret that 

SuperSprings 

International 

wants you to know 

For years, a selection of RV users has been enjoying the unrivalled benefits of one 

of SuperSprings International’s best-kept secrets. But SuperCoils are a product so 

good, they shouldn’t be kept a secret from anyone… 

T 

■here’s a secret lurking on 

the shelves at the factory 

of American suspension 

expert SuperSprings International 

(SSI). It’s a secret that has the 

potential to change the way that 

towable RV users live their lives, 

but up until now, only the curious 

or the perfectionists have taken 

advantage of it. That is a pattern 

that will soon be changing – 

once word gets out just how 

beneficial fitting a truck with 

SSI’s SuperCoils is, you will be in 

a race with likeminded RV users 

rushing to improve their rides for 

good. 

SSI’s marketing director, Tom 

Bateman, explains: “SuperCoils 

are American-made, high-grade, 

shot-peened steel replacement 

coils. They have a progressive 

spring rate, much like our other 

products so that you can enjoy 

the factory ride of your truck, 

but so that they provide superior 

load-levelling support and ride 

comfort and control when you’re 

▲ SSI’s marketing director, 

Tom Bateman 

hooked up and towing.” 

SuperCoils are based around 

four S’s: Sagging, Suspension, 

Simple, Solution. ‘Sagging’ refers 

to the fact that all coil springs will 

sag over time with repeated use 

and eventually the load carrying 

ability they have will subside 

– something hugely important 

for RV towing. This means that 

considering a coil spring upgrade 

should be something pretty 

much everyone should consider 

for proper vehicle maintenance 

but surprisingly few do. The 

‘Suspension’ S refers to the fact 

that SuperCoils will upgrade your 


AD FEATURE SUPERSPRINGS INTERNATIONAL 

▲ A long-lasting and smooth ride for trucks who tow RVs – that’s what SuperCoils from SSI promise to deliver. 

suspension when it is sagging 

due to age or because of added 

speciality equipment. ‘Simple’ 

is self-explanatory. Supercoils 

are very similar to traditional 

coil springs and thus just as easy 

to fit. The difference is in their 

high-quality, made-in-America 

steel construction, which makes 

them a long-term, heavy-duty 

solution – perfect for RV towing. 

And ‘Solution’ is indeed that last 

S – once fitted, SuperCoils are 

a maintenance-free lift solution 

that can be installed in under 

two hours, are backed by the 

company’s warranty, and promise 

to keep you lifted for longer than 

you would ever have thought 

possible. 

“A common question we 

get asked when people first 

learn about SuperCoils is 

whether they should use them 

or SumoSprings,” says Tom. 

“The answer is that you can 

use both – and we’d actually 

recommend that. SuperCoils 

are a replacement to factory coil 

springs. SumoSprings are an 

enhancement to your suspension. 

Sagging or over worked coil 

springs should be replaced with 

SuperCoils. Vehicles needing 

additional load support and/or 

increased ride comfort should 

consider using SumoSprings in 

conjunction with coil springs 

or SuperCoils. Most popularly, 

SuperCoils complimented with 

SumoSprings Solo (in place of 

factory bump stops) are a great 

suspension solution.” 

This product is a perfect 

aftermarket add-on that could 

be sold by a wide range of RV 

dealers, hire companies, camping 

equipment providers and more. 

They are easy to fit at home 

by the end user, or dealers can 

easily fit them too. They are 

available in a very wide range of 

measurements and sizes, focussed 

on improving the suspension of 

trucks such as the RAM. 

Tom continues: “The benefits 

for discerning RV users are 

obvious with SuperCoils, which 

is why we want more people to 

know about them. There are also 

very wide opportunities for RV 

dealers too – imagine being able 

to offer a complete suspension 

overhaul on a customer’s RV 

or truck and RV when they 

come in for a service combining 

SumoSprings and SuperCoils? 

You could make even a pretty old 

and battered RV or vehicle and 

towable RV combination feel 

like it’s just driven off the factory 

line, that’s how impressive 

making this full upgrade can be.” 

The tagline that accompanies 

the impressive SuperCoil range 

is: “Level Up. Stay Level.” 

– a promise from SSI that 

SuperCoils can be paired in the 

front and rear to level a truck 

as well as providing all the 

load support necessary to stay 

level. This isn’t a quick-fix or 

a patch-up job, this is a longlasting, 

genuine upgrade to your 

towing vehicle – one that users 

of towable RVs and caravans will 

probably wonder how they lived 

without. 

To learn more, head over to www.superspringsinternational.com/supercoils/ 


BALLISTOL INTERVIEW 

Sustainable growth 

in camping 

With a history stretching back more than 100 years, a family-run and owned model, 

and a core product that hasn’t changed since the early 1900s – Ballistol is a name 

you can trust. Company managing director Andreas Zettler and marketing and PR 

manager Leif Jacobsen tell us why. 

I 

■t seems obvious to say 

it, but the world was a 

very different place than 

today in the year 1874. Jesse 

James was robbing trains, the 

work of impressionist painter 

Claude Monet was being 

shown at the first impressionist 

exhibition in Paris, and David 

Kalakaua became the first 

king of Hawaii to make an 

official visit to the United 


States. In the background of 

these global events, a German 

company was established 

by the name of Chemische 

Fabrik F.W. Klever. Under the 

stewardship of Wilhelm Klever, 

this company began with the 

production of coal-based oils 

and fats. However, it made a 

breakthrough at the turn of 

the century when the German 

Imperial Army needed an 

all-round oil with very special 

properties: a multi-purpose oil 

that would be suitable for all 

the materials of a weapon – for 

cleaning, care, and conservation 

of the metal parts, wooden 

stocks, and leather straps. Dr. 

Helmut Klever, son of Wilhelm, 

rose to the challenge and 

developed Ballistol – a multipurpose 

oil that is still being 

sold by the company to this day.

INTERVIEW BALLISTOL 

▲ Some products in the Ballistol range have been around a long time, others are newer creations designed to solve other needs. 

“You will struggle to find a company that offers as wide a product 

range as us. We want to grow, but not too fast. We want to stay a 

family a business and grow out of our own strength.” 

ANDREAS ZETTLER – BALLISTOL MANAGING DIRECTOR 

“The product can be used 

for a very wide range of things. 

It is still in use now and it is 

the same quality than from 

when it was first developed in 

1904.” explains current Ballistol 

managing director Andreas 

Zettler. Andreas now runs the 

company alongside his brother 

Christian after their father Dr. 

Heinrich Zettler bought it from 

the Klever family. Naturally, 

the product range has expanded 

and evolved during the last 

100 years, but the fact that 

the original product is still so 

relevant today is something 

to behold – as is the fact that 

Ballistol has always been a 

family affair. 

FAMILY FORTITUDE 

“I think the main benefit 

of still being a family-run 

business is that we have short 

routes to making decisions,” 

Andreas explains. “We can clear 

situations much faster than in 

a big company, not just with 

business decisions but also it 

makes us much closer to our 

employees. There are never that 

many steps for someone to be 

able to talk to their boss, so if 

anyone has a problem, they can 

come directly to us. We know 

our employees personally, we 

know their problems, so we can 

take good care of them. It’s like 

a big family.” 

That quick problem solving 

is also delivered on a business 

point of view as well as a HR 

point of view. If customers 

approach Ballistol with 

questions or issues, Andreas 

and Christian can very quickly 

determine a solution. Andreas 

handles the sales and business 

operation while Christian is 

the chemist in charge of the 

products – it’s a balance that 

works well. 

Being family run also means 

that there are no shareholders, 

no hunger for exponential 

growth that cannot be 

sustained, just a focus on doing 

the right thing, keeping their 

promises, and hopefully leaving 

a successful and sustainably 

growing company for one of the 

Zettler children to inherit. 

Marketing and PR manager 

Leif Jacobsen said: “Being a 

family business is one of our 

core values for sure. Us, as 

employees feel like we are part 

of a family and that makes it 

very easy for us to do our jobs. 

There is a very good mood 

among the staff, and this makes 

us happy to go to work every 

day.” 

SPREAD FOR SUCCESS 

That sustainable growth has 

seen Ballistol reach a size of 

roughly 100 employees and with 

a market share that is expanding 

into more and more nations 

around the world. Already 

strong in its native Germany, 

Ballistol recently made 

significant expansions into the 

United States, South America 

and also into new markets 

too – as well as shooting and 

hunting, it has a growing 

presence in camping, outdoors, 

household and more. 

“We managed to handle the 

challenges of the last years quite 

well,” said Andreas. “We did 

everything we could, and our 

employees were very engaged 

in how to help us through this. 

Our very wide range of products 

also means that when one 

market is down, we still have 

success in others – that is a big 

advantage for us.” 

The company has decided 

to make a concerted effort 

to grow in our industry with 

many existing products already 

with numerous applications 

suitable for camping and 

caravanning, and several new 

products even better suited to it 

including barbecue cleaner and 

mosquito and insect repellent, 

universal plastic cleaner, and 

waterproofing spray. 

You can listen to an in-depth 

chat with Andreas and 

Leif over on the podcast of 

our sister magazine 

Gun Trade World. 


WANDERER AD FEATURE 

A wandering route 

to prosperity 

A 

Combining a passion for camping with huge experience in vehicle 

production, Wanderer is a made-in-Europe luxury campervan brand 

on a mission to expand its reach across the continent. The company’s 

Dagmara Hinc tells us how. 

■s is often the case with 

companies worth their 

salt in our industry, 

Wanderer began when three 

business partners decided 

to combine their passion 

and their interest. The three 

founders of this Poland-based 

company brought together an 

enthusiasm for motorhomes, 

knowledge, skills and experience 

in marketing, and more than 

20 years of experience in the 

transport industry, including 

building motorsport vehicles. 

The end result is a premium 


campervan company that likes 

to think it does things a little 

differently to the norm. 

“We strive to make each of 

our vehicles unique, we approach 

each client individually and meet 

their expectations,” explains 

one of those three partners, 

Dagmara Hinc. “Our vehicles 

are functional, easy to use, we 

focus on the highest quality 

soundproofing and isolation 

of cars in combination with a 

luxurious interior trim in natural 

materials. Bearing in mind that 

this type of campers is quite 

small, we have developed every 

possible space for an additional 

cabinet or storage space. What’s 

more, when it comes to the 

place, we have designed special 

water tanks, which are in the 

cover under the car, and we have 

replaced the gas bottle with a 

gas tank. All this is to save space 

and the convenience of our 

customers. We don’t do quantity, 

but we do quality. 

“We believe that the quality we 

focus on, a unique approach to 

the customer, the highest quality 

soundproofing and thermal 

insulation as well as special 

technical solutions that will 

facilitate and make the journey of 

every motorhome easier.” 

The last year has been quite 

the ride for Wanderer – the 

company has vastly expanded 

and developed its production 

line and brought in new methods 

and manufacturing solutions 

that improve how it operates. 

The proof of that comes from 

the fact it has been approved 

as an authorised Volkswagen 

partner and it also received 

the Best Luxury Campervan

AD FEATURE WANDERER 

Manufacturer – Europe award 

for 2021 by EU Business News. 

“The number of orders has 

increased, which makes us very 

happy that more and more 

Wanderer motorhomes will appear 

on the roads,” says Dagmara. “A 

lot has happened during the last 

year, but it was very positive for 

us for which we are thankful.” 

Dagmara and her team are also 

confident that the recent boom 

in the campervan market will 

continue as more and more people 

seek to try camping rather than 

going to hotels for their vacations. 

At present, Wanderer is 

strongest in the German 

market – a market known for 

only accepting good quality, 

durability, functionality, and 

innovation – further proof that 

Wanderer vans are as good as 

the company claims. Besides 

Germany, Wanderer also has had 

some success in neighbouring 

Switzerland, and it is hoping 

to expand into new markets 

including Sweden, Italy and 

Spain in the near future – it is 

actively looking for new partners. 

Dagmara explains: “We would 

like to still more focus on our 

products, we strongly believe that 

quality is the most important 

thing which we would like to 

improve all time. In the near 

future, we plan to introduce 

other car brands for a better 

choice for our customers.” 

We asked Dagmara what one 

thing she could change about the 

industry if she could, her reply: 

“Maybe we are old fashioned, 

but we really see the oncoming 

transformation to electric cars 

as actual threat. Camping is 

independence, camping is 

freedom. This is what motivates 

our customers – going out in the 

wild, exploring new places. With 

the driving range limitation and 

lack of charging stations for the 

moment we see development of 

electric cars as a threat in a long 

run – so yes, if we could change 

that we probably would.” 

WHO ARE YOU? 

Company: Wanderer 

Founded: 2017 

Location: Gdynia, Poland 

(also has an office in 

Emmering, Germany) 

Products: Luxury 

campervans made with 

high-quality, premium 

fittings 

Web: www.wanderervan.de 


CLOTHING & LUGGAGE SECTOR SPOTLIGHT 

SECTOR 

SPOTLIGHT 

Clothing & luggage 

Outdoor clothing and luggage is a staggeringly large market, but 

a large portion of it crosses over into the camping sector. Here, we 

examine the market and the brands that have more than enough 

relevance for the average camper and outdoor enthusiast. 

T 

■he old saying goes: 

“there’s no such thing 

as bad weather, just 

the wrong clothing” – a saying 

that the team at Camping Trade 

World firmly believe in, having 

experienced it in both good and 

bad terms. While the saying 

may be slightly tongue in cheek, 

it’s obvious that the world of 

outdoor clothing has made 

some huge advancements over 

the last few decades in terms 

of technology, performance, 

and also sustainability. We no 

longer need to wear the skins 

and furs of animals on camping 

excursions, there are now a 

staggering array of high-tech, 

high-performance manmade 

materials that can keep us warm, 

dry, cool, non-sweaty – anything 

we desire. While not a market 

that is specific to camping or 

caravanning, the outdoor clothing 

and luggage market covers a wide 

range of what campers need. 

Waterproofs, insulation, hiking 

boots, backpacks, headwear, 

socks, and just about anything 

else you can imagine are needed 

by campers. And that is not lost 

on the makers of these products. 

They know that they need to sell 

inspiration as well as the benefits 

of their clothing or luggage items, 

and camping is often one of the 

ways in which they try to tell 

the story of their products. This 

backpack is perfectly weighted to 


SECTOR SPOTLIGHT CLOTHING & LUGGAGE 

carry heavy loads on long hikes, 

this coat is perfect for a sudden 

downpour when sitting outside 

your caravan – you’ve heard these 

stories before. So the idea that the 

outdoor apparel market is part of 

the camping market should not 

be a difficult idea to grasp. 

THE STATISTICS 

MODERN CONSUMERS 

The modern outdoor consumer 

is much more informed than 

they once were. Even in the 

last decade, the research that 

goes into the average purchase 

has increased considerably, 

as has general knowledge 

about different materials and 

technologies and their benefits. 

This can be seen on the frontline 

in outdoor retail stores, where 

customers will come to staff with 

much more prior knowledge 

when seeking advice on a 

purchase. Gore-Tex, ripstop, 

Vibram, Primaloft – these are 

now household names and so 

is the knowledge about the 

benefits they bring to clothing 

and luggage. This is beneficial in 

many ways, but it can also make 

introducing new technologies a 

little more difficult. As a brand 

bringing in a new technology, 

buzzwords alone simply aren’t 

enough. You need to explain what 

your product or technology does, 

how it does it, and also sell to the 

customer how this will benefit 

them out in the field. A lot of 

this information comes from the 

internet and the fact that any 

consumer anywhere can easily 

research what is good and what 

Global interest in Google search term ‘Outdoor clothing’ & ‘Camping luggage’ in the last year 

100 

75 

50 

25 

26 SEP 

2021 

16 JAN 

2022 

Top five countries with highest Google 

search interest for the term ‘camping 

luggage’ in the last year 

Australia 

United Kingdom 

USA 

Canada 

New Zealand 

isn’t. It also comes from the fact 

consumers are more conscientious 

– both with how they spend 

their money, and also about how 

certain products are made. 

CROSSOVER CENTRAL 

There is so much crossover 

between camping gear and 

outdoor apparel that many 

brands have spread their wings 

from being just camping product 

providers into a bit of both. 

Examples include tent brands like 

Vango, Nemo Equipment, and 

Sierra Designs launching their 

own high-quality backpack and 

rucksack collections, or company’s 

like Snow Peak, which is just 

Outdoor clothing 

8 MAY 

2022 

Top five countries with highest Google 

search interest for the term ‘outdoor 

clothing’ in the last year 

United Kingdom 

New Zealand 

Ireland 

Australia 

South Africa 

as big in fashion and apparel as 

it is in tents. Even caravan and 

motorhome companies have 

got in on the act with brands 

such as Knaus Tabbert proudly 

showcasing a range of clothing 

such as soft shell fleeces at the 

recent Caravan Salon – not only 

a great way to expand their range 

for fans of the brand, but also a 

fantastic marketing exercise. It 

is only natural that brands look 

to the markets that neighbour 

the one they currently work in 

as the most obvious places for 

expansion, and we see this an 

awful lot in the clothing and 

luggage market when relating to 

camping and RVing. 

Camping luggage 

28 AUG 

2022 

US$3.9b 

Size the outdoor apparel 

market is forecast to grow 

to by 2024 

€481m 

Estimated value of 

camping accessory sales in 

Europe in 2021 

4.52% 

Growth of outdoor apparel 

market in 2020 

1.8% 

Of GDP in the USA was 

accounted for by outdoor 

recreation in 2021 

4.3m 

Jobs supported by outdoor 

recreation in the USA 

56% 

Of American campers say 

a tent is their preferred 

camping method 

37% 

Of campers in the USA 

in 2021 said hiking/ 

backpacking was the main 

activity they paired with it 




▲ Camping in the outdoors requires the correct clothing and luggage, whatever the weather. There is a lot of choice out there. 

Despite the obviously technical and price differences of many of the 

products on the market, it should not be lost on anyone that fashion is still 

of key importance in this market. 

TRENDING 

In the outdoor clothing and 

luggage market the trends 

come and go as quickly as they 

do in the rest of the fashion 

world. Despite the obviously 

technical and price differences 

of many of the products on the 

market, it should not be lost on 

anyone that fashion is still of 

key importance in this market. 

The same way certain styles have 

come back around in the regular 

fashion world, we are seeing that 

happen in the outdoor clothing 

market too. Many brands – Rab, 

Craghoppers, and The North 

Face to name just a few – have 

created products that would have 

looked just at home in 1995 for 

modern consumers. Many of 

these even include retro logos for 

the brand to further incite a sense 

of nostalgia. 

This is just one trend that is 

in operation at the moment. 

Another is that outdoor clothing 

doesn’t have to be in glaring 

bright colours, it can be more 

subtle, and it should also be able 

to be worn in an urban setting 

without looking out of place. 

Brands like Berghaus, Patagonia, 

and Sprayway do this well. 

Another trend that seems to 

be growing in the industry is 

having more of a story behind 

your brand and your products. 

If you can show that the brand 

has a long history and that it still 

adheres to the traditions of the 

original founder, then that goes 

a long way with customers. In 

short, we are humans, we like to 

tell stories, and if there’s a cool 

story behind the new fleece we’re 

wearing, we want to know it so 

we can tell our friends about it. 



BE GREEN AND MEAN IT 

One of the most important 

themes seen in the outdoor 

clothing market in recent 

years is that of being more 

responsible when it comes to the 

environment. Whether that is 

making products from recycled 

materials like brands such as Jack 

Wolfskin or Patagonia or offering 

a repair service for old products 

so that existing ones are repaired 

rather than new ones bought, 

such as Rab. Initiatives like this 

definitely carry serious weight in 

the outdoor clothing sector, but 

they have to be genuine. The days 

when you could call something 

‘eco’ without actually proving how 

or why are long gone. There must 

be a tangible and real story behind 

what you are doing as a brand to 

make it resonate with consumers. 

And these days, end users come 

to expect at least a small effort 

of trying to be sustainable when 

it comes to clothing. Using less 

water in the manufacturing 

process, making things from 

recycled plastic, offering long 

warranties or free repairs, all of 

these things now don’t give your 

brand the edge, but elevate it onto 

the starting playing field that 

many brands are already on. 

▲ Hiking is one of the most commonly combined activities with camping and caravanning. 

TECH TRIUMPH 

Buyers in the outdoor clothing 

market are a little less sensitive 

to price, provided you can prove 

the product you’re selling will 

perform. Some of the biggest 

names in this sector have prices 

at the top end of the scale, but 

it is because they work and they 

protect against the elements, 

allowing people to get out 

camping whatever the weather. 

The technology in outdoor 

clothing and luggage now is so 

smart we often don’t even realise 

it as consumers. But if you can sell 

the solidity of your tech, you have 

gone a long way to helping it stick 

in the minds of consumers. 



BUSINESS CONNECTIONS 

By its very nature, camping takes you into places where you 

sometimes need specialist or at least better equipment than you 

would walk around the city with. Whether that’s rain jackets 

and hiking boots, or camping furniture and backpacks designed 

for carrying your whole life in – there is a wide range of brands 

Clothing and luggage brands related to camping 

providing these products. We have attempted to curate a list of key 

and interesting companies who manufacture clothing and luggage 

that is either specific for camping or very useful for general outdoor 

activities closely associated with it. Hopefully, within the list you will 

be able to find a meaningful business connection. 

Arc’teryx 

www.arcteryx.com 

Black Diamond 

blackdiamondequipment.com 

Fera 

www.feragb.com 

Helly Hansen 

www.hellyhansen.com 

Alpkit 

www.alpkit.com 

Buff 

www.buff.com 

Fjallraven 

www.fjallraven.com 

Jack Wolfskin 

www.jack-wolfskin.com 

Ayacucho 

www.ayacucho-outdoor.com 

Columbia 

columbiasportswear.com 

Giraffe International 

www.giraffeuk.com 

Kathmandu 

www.kathmandu.co.nz 

Barbour 

www.barbour.com 

Craghoppers 

www.craghoppers.com 

Haglöfs 

www.haglofs.com 

Keela 

www.keelaoutdoors.com 

Berghaus 

www.berghaus.com 

Deuter 

www.deuter.com 

Halti 

www.halti.com 

Keen 

www.keenfootwear.com 


▲ ???? 



▲ There is a very large range of products in outdoor clothing that have crossover into the camping and RV markets. 

Kelty 

www.kelty.com 

Nemo Equipment 

www.nemoequipment.com 

Sea to Summit 

www.seatosummit.com 

Zamberlan 

www.zamberlan.com 

Lowepro 

www.lowepro.com 

Mammut 

www.mammut.com 

Meindl 

www.meindl.de 

Merrell 

www.merrell.com 

Montane 

www.montane.com 

Mountain Equipment 

mountain-equipment.co.uk 

The North Face 

www.thenorthface.com 

Osprey 

www.ospreyeurope.com 

Páramo Clothing 

www.paramo-clothing.com 

Patagonia 

www.patagonia.com 

Rab 

www.rab.equipment 

Regatta 

www.regatta.com 

Salewa 

www.salewa.com 

Scarpa 

www.scarpa.com 

Schoffel 

www.schoffelcountry.com 

Sierra Designs 

www.sierradesigns.com 

Sprayway 

www.sprayway.com 

Vango 

www.vango.co.uk 

*Note: We know this 

isn’t every company 

that deals in clothing 

and luggage on the 

planet, but we hope 

you can make a 

meaningful business 

connection through 

it. If you feel we’ve 

missed you out, contact 

us today to talk about 

editorial opportunities. 


HYBRID WORKING BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS 

BECOME 

A BETTER 

BUSINESS 

Hybrid working 

Just a few short years ago, the idea of hybrid working was a far-off myth that many 

companies would never entertain the idea of. Today, it’s something that might be 

expected by your current and future employees, so how do you navigate the landscape? 

A 

■ppreciation for the 

simple things in life, 

changed perceptions 

on international travel, a 

heightened fear or becoming 

ill – there are many things 

that the COVID-19 pandemic 

has left us with as a society. 

From a business point of view 

perhaps the most significant was 

remote or hybrid working. At 

the beginning of 2020, remote 

working was largely treated 

with disdain and distrust, and 

quite rare in most lines of work. 

Fast-forward to today and many 

employees expect at least some 

level of flexibility when it comes 

to where they work. The need 

for 100 per cent home-based 

working may have subsided, but 

modern workers, especially those 

in younger demographics, now 

come to expect the option to 

be able to mix how they work 

between a traditional office 

environment and working from 

home. You could argue that this 

is a natural progression that 

would have happened anyway, 

and that the pandemic simply 

accelerated matters. Or you 

might be of the opinion that it’s 

just not as effective as traditional 

models. Wherever you stand 

on the issue personally, it is not 

going away. And chances are, 

if you don’t offer some kind of 

hybrid working model, you run 

the risk of missing out on some 


BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS HYBRID WORKING 

of the best available talent in the 

marketplace. 

But hybrid working might not 

mean what you think it means. 

It could be a system of set days 

people are in the office versus 

at home. It could mean letting 

certain people work from home 

in the afternoons so they can 

pick the kids up from school. 

It could mean lots of things. 

The way to frame it is flexible 

working. Modern life is busy, 

it gets on top of us, and it can 

cause us physical and mental 

harm through stress and long 

hours. Anything you can do 

to shift the balance for your 

employees is surely then a good 

thing? Instead of spending 90 

minutes travelling to the office 

and then being frazzled and 

unproductive when they arrive, 

wouldn’t it be better if your 

employees could jump straight 

into a comfy chair at home 

with a hot coffee and start work 

earlier when they are fresher? 

Okay, so it’s not always that 

straightforward, but the benefits 

of hybrid or remote working are 

numerous if you can handle it 

correctly. 

The first and most obvious 

benefit is that workers will be 

more productive. As alluded 

to above, workers will be more 

efficient and get more done in 

a shorter time in the comfort 

of their own home. Hybrid 

workers are likely to concentrate 

harder on what they are doing, 

suffer fewer interruptions, and 

waste less time on menial office 

tasks. Another benefit is that 

your workers may be happier. A 

better work-life balance should 

leave people feeling happier and 

feeling like they enjoy their job 

more, which is likely to further 

increase that already boosted 

productivity. You may also save a 

few dollars too. Less commuting 

and less energy used in the 

office could save your business 

significant amounts of money, 

even if you help subsidise staff ’s 

home energy bills. Another 

benefit, which was the original 

idea behind remote working in 

the pandemic, is that staff will 

get ill far less often than before. 

Offices can be breeding grounds 

for germs, so by limiting the 

spread having people work from 

home, your workers are likely to 

have far fewer sick days. 

It is worth noting that there 

are a few downsides that you 

should at least be aware of when 

it comes to hybrid working. One 

is the increased cyber risks of not 

having a centralised IT system, 

another is possible burnout of 

staff who have trouble creating 

barriers between work and 

personal life. You could also see 

the culture of your company 

become a little eroded as people 

see each other face to face far 

less than before. Most of these 

issues can be overcome if you 

embrace hybrid working to 

the full and have a proper plan 

and policy in place to ensure it 

works. The less you treat it like a 

strange, new idea, the less it will 

behave like one. 


HYBRID WORKING BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS 

01 02 

TOP TIPS 

TO MAKE HYBRID 

WORKING WORK 

FOR YOUR BUSINESS 

INITIATE REGULAR 

COMMUNICATION 

One of the biggest 

setbacks about having 

staff working remotely is 

that they don’t get that 

organic, natural, and 

regular communication 

with their co-workers. 

Some of the best ideas 

happen this way, but it is 

important to remember 

they can easily happen 

remotely too. Ensure 

that you have scheduled, 

regular communication 

with your team via video 

meetings, phonecalls, or 

even just email. The key 

thing to remember is 

to keep things succinct 

and interesting. We’ve 

all been dying inside 

while enduring a dull 

and unnecessarily long 

Zoom meeting, so it’s 

important to understand 

the balance between 

good communication 

and why you are doing 

it. Its purpose should 

be to help the team 

understand what is 

happening, and not 

simply because “we 

always have a two-hour 

meeting on a Monday” 

for the sake of it. 

TRUST YOUR 

WORKFORCE 

One of the main 

misconceptions about 

remote working is that 

your staff will not work as 

long or as hard to get the 

job done as they would if 

they were in an office. In 

many cases, this is simply 

not true. Most of the time 

workers will be far more 

efficient when working 

from home without the 

distractions of a busy 

office. It will also mean 

they are able to manage 

their work life balances 

far better and feel a 

higher sense of duty 

because they are being 

trusted to manage their 

workload on their own 

time. Micromanagement 

is bad at the best 

of times, it’s doubly 

negative on remote 

workers. If workers 

are going to have low 

productivity and not take 

their job seriously, they 

are just as likely to do 

that in an office as they 

would be remotely. 


BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS HYBRID WORKING 

03 

PROVIDE WHAT YOUR 

TEAM NEEDS 

If you are willing to allow 

a hybrid working model, 

you need to make sure 

that your team has 

everything they need 

to work efficiently from 

home or on the road. This 

means not skimping on 

technology and hardware 

– while not buying 

people new computers 

or phones might save a 

little money in the short 

term, it will damage 

workers’ productivity and 

motivation in the long 

run. Providing what your 

team needs doesn’t just 

mean equipment, it also 

means psychological 

support too – give them 

the same access to the 

HR department that they 

would normally get if in 

the office, and also the 

access to their managers. 

The more you can do to 

make your employees 

feel like they belong, the 

better remote working 

will work out. 

04 

BEWARE OF 

EMPOWER 

BOUNDARIES 

Having your employees 

available to talk to via 

digital communication 

methods – whether that’s 

video calls or messaging 

apps – can be a doubleedged 

sword and can 

sometimes pressure 

staff into thinking they 

should be available at 

all times. In a traditional 

office environment, most 

workers would be able to 

leave work matters at the 

door when they headed 

home but having the 

constant contact that 

digital communication 

provides can break 

those barriers in a hybrid 

working environment. 

You can avoid these 

issues by having policies 

in place about working 

hours, or simply by 

having reasonable 

standards about people 

being able to deal with 

communications when 

they are next available 

if they don’t work 

traditional hours. The 

best question to ask 

yourself is “would I be 

happy to be contacted 

about work right now?” 

05YOUR 

BE 

EMPLOYEES 

Just like in the office, 

giving your workers 

autonomy can be a 

great asset. By allowing 

them to make decisions 

by themselves in the 

right scenarios you can 

improve their overall 

sense of worth, duty and 

loyalty towards the cause. 

Sometimes doing this 

can feel harder with a 

remote team as you can’t 

always physically check 

up on what they’re doing, 

but nothing can damage 

morale or productivity 

more than someone 

waiting for the boss to 

approve something while 

they are sitting in their 

home office waiting. 

Giving your employees 

their own autonomy can 

really help to boost their 

morale. After all, you 

hired these people for 

their skills and attitude, 

so why not trust them to 

make certain decisions 

and take certain actions 

on behalf of your 

business? 

06 

CLEAR AND 

MEASURABLE ON 

EXPECTATIONS 

One thing you 

should have in place 

and communicate 

clearly with any team 

members who work 

remotely is what is 

expected of them 

and what the goals 

of their role are. It can 

be very easy to let 

remote workers slip 

outside the orbit of 

measurables, but it’s 

just as easy to keep 

them within it by being 

organised and clear. 

Regular one-on-ones 

between managers 

and subordinates is 

always a solid idea, 

even if it’s just 10 

minutes every couple 

of weeks. Depending 

on job roles, objectives 

and goals should be 

clear, you can help 

to make this more 

visible by using an 

idea/project sharing 

programme such as 

Trello. The clearer it is 

what’s expected of your 

staff, the easier they 

will find it to hit their 

objectives. 



WOLF 

MOZZI ZAPPA 

Doubling up as both a tent lamp and also a mosquito 

killer, the Mozzi Zappa from Wolf is a smart product that 

all campers will find beneficial. The construction of the 

lamp ensures an even light distribution curve utilising 

impressive LED technology. The blue light has a special 

wavelength that attracts insects to an 800V grid, which 

delivers an instant death. The insect bodes fall through the 

inner space of the lamp and can be burshed away. 

www.wolfint.co.uk 

DOMETIC 

FRESHJET FXJ SERIES 

Dometic has launched what it describes as the next generation of 

RV air conditioners in the shape of its FreshJet FXJ series. The two 

electronic Dometic FreshJet FJX models (1700 and 2200 watts) 

promise to cool the cabin in record time and with minimal energy 

consumption thanks to a redesigned air distribution box inside. The 

electronic FJX air conditioners enable convenient remote control 

of from a smart phone or tablet computer. They are also ready 

for connection to Dometic’s premium wall thermostat for future 

integration into the company’s upcoming Full Climate solution. 

www.dometic.com 

REICH 

EASYDRIVER INFINITY 

The innovation team at Reich has created a caravan 

mover that has changed the game in that market 

sector in the shape of its EasyDriver Infinity. With a 30 

per cent more efficient transimission and optimised 

motor, this motor mover includes an app controller, 

is easy to install, has completely protected internal 

mechanics from water ingress, and gives the caravan a 

super-small turning circle. It also has soft start and soft 

stop and is available in both single axle and double axle 

versions. 

www.reich-easydriver.com 



GENTLE TENT 

B TURTLE 

Inflatable tents on car rooves are 

all the rage these days, but what 

about one you can tow with your 

bike? That’s exactly what Austrian 

brand Gentle Tent has produced 

with its B Turtle. Weighing just 

29kg, the inflatable camping tent 

has enough space to comfortably 

sleep two people and has a 

built-in travel trailer with 120l 

capacity. The awning has enough 

headroom to stand while the UV 

resistant and weatherproof fabric 

will protect from the elements all 

year round. 

www.gentletent.com 

LIPPERT 

BELVEDERE AND FIOCCO 

Belvedere and Fiocco are the new pop-up roofs dedicated to 

the Ford Transit van and the Transit Custom minivan. Thanks 

to a new construction system they have an extremely low 

weight, but excellent thermal insulation. The pop-up roofs use 

a different construction system, patented by Lippert, capable of 

giving lightness, heat resistance and the possibility of aesthetic 

customization. The upper part of the pop up roof is made with a 

sandwich panel, very similar to that used for the sides and roof of 

motorhomes, with external fiberglass coating and insulation in 

Styrofoam/XPS/extruded polystyrene. 

www.lippertcomponents.eu 

ISABELLA 

SOLAR LAMP 

Designed to be usefully placed on the spikes on top of 

Isabella windscreens, the all-new solar-driven lights from 

the Danish company can also be used on tables, in tents, 

or just about anywhere else when you are camping. They 

charge on six hours of sun and offer a cosy and diffused 

light source at the touch of a button. Once charged, they 

will emit light for between six and seven hours. 

www.isabella.net 



ERIBA 

TOURING 

German caravan brand Eriba has revealed a 

new generation of its hugely popular Touring 

range of caravans, featuring a new look, better 

aerodynamics, strong and durable construction 

and all-new interiors. The key features of 

the new Touring range include its small 

dimensions when the roof is down and excellent 

195cm headroom when it is open, low fuel 

consumption due to its aerodynamic design 

that is based on aircraft engineering, a choice 

between a fixed bed or seating area, a straight 

base that makes storage space easier to use, 

and an extended drawbar with aluminium cover 

to make it easier to install and use a bike carrier. 

www.eriba.com 

AUS J 

EZY RV SHOWER 

Sydney-based company Aus J has revealed the 

EZY RV external shower point outlet – a robust and 

versatile new product that fits many major global 

brands of RV water systems. The boxed EZY RV 

external shower point outlet set features a large 

shower head for better feel and water coverage, 

push and turn activation, a lock-off trigger, simple 

and secure clamps to attach to the outside of an 

RV, a two-metre shower hose, adjustable handle to 

control temperature, and a durable netted bag for 

storage when not in use. 

www.ausj.com.au 

HYMER 

FREE S BLUE EVOLUTION 

The new Hymer Free S Blue Evolution 

campervan is a new sporty special edition is 

based on the front-wheel-drive Mercedes- 

Benz Sprinter for the first time and features 

a striking vibrant blue paintjob, along with 

a huge array of premium features and 

installations that give it extra appeal. The 

van’s 9-speed automatic transmission, 

electric parking brake and reversing camera 

all work in conjunction with numerous 

driving assistance systems to create a driving 

experience that is designed for comfort. The 

van also features the Mercedes-Benz MBUX 

10” multimedia system. 

www.hymer.com 



WINNEBAGO 

REVEL 

With the Winnebago 

4x4 Revel – built on the 

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 

chassis – the iconic 

American brand claims 

that it’s time that RVers 

start treating roads more 

like suggestions. The 

function-fuelled design, 

powered by the reliability 

of a 3-liter turbo diesel 

engine and the freedom 

of on-demand 4WD 

means going off-road 

is never off the table. It 

also features a 320-amp 

hour LiFePO4 battery 

that can be monitored by 

Bluetooth and a Hydronic 

Heating System. 

www.winnebago.com 

THETFORD 

AQUA RINSE 

SPRAY 

RV sanitation expert 

Thetford has launched a 

new and improved version 

of its Aqua Rinse Spray. 

The new spray is a very 

efficient and effective 

toilet bowl spray that is 

essential for the toilet 

in your motorhome, 

caravan, or tent. Using the 

improved Aqua Rinse Spray 

significantly contributes to 

saving water: Less flushes 

are needed to flush down 

the feces and to keep a 

clean toilet bowl without 

skid marks. 

www.thetford.com 

CARTHAGO 

CHIC C-LINE T 

For the first time, Carthago has extended the model range of the 

chic c-line T with a model on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis 

with an AL-KO low frame. The new, round 7.5 metre long T 4.9 LE 

impresses with a layout with a large L-shaped lounge seating area 

and wide side seat bench, the spacious corner kitchen with the 

raised kitchen worktop and the designer bar cabinet, a sumptuous 

luxury washroom with the practical Carthago changing room 

and large lengthways single beds measuring up to two metres 

which can also be extended in the sleeping area. In addition to the 

customary elegant Carthago design, the new model stands out with 

its platinum-coloured bumper. 

www.carthago.com 


www.campingtradeworld.com

Camping Trade World – Issue 10

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