Camping time

1. Camping time Eleanor Davies, Faith Ling, and Tom Lovesey

2. Primary research • Conclusions from visit to Cotswold: • All of the equipment is very expensive, especially for someone who is only just getting into camping. • Most of the traditional camping equipment is designed as best as it could be. • Lack of technology orientated accessories

3. Secondary/Internet research • Conclusions from internet research: • A lot more variety within products and price points, with more products being accessible • More green and eco friendly options too, but had to search harder to find the more niche products • Large market of throwaway items, relatively easy to find and cheap.

4. Camping markets Festivals Glamping Festivals are a very popular camping experience. They generally attract young adults and teens. People go to festivals for the entertainment and over all experience. People who go to festivals generally tent to buy very cheap equipment as they don’t need to splurge on long lasting things. Glamping is a new form of camping that’s recently become more popular. It includes things such as staying in treehouses, lodges, tepees and huts. It is aimed at people who want a holiday outdoors but also don’t want to be too far from the luxuries and comfort of a home such as better hygiene than normal camping and actual beds. Touring Caravanning & statics people invest in motor homes and recreational vehicles so that they can go touring and sightseeing. They use these as it is efficient and cheaper to go sightseeing as there is no need for hotels, you have everything with you and it is all in the right places so you don’t have to unpack and pack every time you move on. Caravanning is a more expensive form of camping than just going in tent but is seen as an investment by middleclass families and older people. This is because they are able to camp at many times during the year with lots of comforts you would have in a home but not a tent. So it offers a lot more options. Tents Survival & Backpacking Pretty much everybody has gone camping in a tent. Tents are widely universally popular as they are the easiest way to go camping, so people can get away from their normal lives, get closer to nature, relax and socialise. Many families go away in tent, many groups of friends and even caravan and campervans can incorporate tents as they are a good way of adding a lot of extra living space. Tents are practical for many as you can get them for all of these areas of camping and you are likely to find one that fits your need, weather that’s a large tent for a family of a small lightweight tent for backpacking. Backpacking and survival camping are done by campers who really enjoy hiking and the outdoors. They generally take the bare minimum as they are carrying it and small lightweight products. They also tend to use a lot of what they find around them such as cleaning river water or tying tent up to trees.

5. Camping’s effects on the environment • Camp fires release toxic gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, people also harvest wood for their fires when they shouldn’t which puts the local environment at risk if many people do. • Lots of waste is left behind by campers which is a danger to the local animals and wildlife and can also pollute rivers/lakes • The main effects of camping on the environment is the general pollution and disruption of wildlife and natural habitats Camping’s effects on the environment • The number of music festivals hosted in the UK has grown by 34% in 4 years. this will have massively increased the carbon footprint of festivals and camping as a whole especially as waste is dealt with a lot more carelessly when camping than in a city. • There are huge issues with littering, clothes, food, alcohol, including people dumping tents and sleeping bags as they don’t want them at the end of the festival. An estimated 80 percent of trash generated by music festivals comes from what’s left behind by campers, and the Association of Independent Festivals guesses that 1 to 2 out of every 6 tents is left behind. the Isle of Wight festival in the U.K. saw 10,000 tents left behind in 2011. • There are also issues surrounding the chemicals used in the toilets at festivals as they are generally port-a-potties. This means these strong cleaning chemicals and also general toilet waste need to be disposed off and sometimes there are issues with leakages which means the local environment is polluted with these chemicals. • “We would spend up to £30,000 taking the waste away.” says Gareth Cooper, co-founder of festival no.6 • An environmental impact report revealed that attendees of Coachella Stagecoach and Desert Trip generate 107 tons of solid waste each day, only 20 percent of which is recycled as people tend to not utilize the provided recycling bins.

6. Coolest Cooler The coolest cooler was a Kickstarter project, which tried to redesign a product into something greater. The cooler includes: A Bluetooth speaker Blender USB chargers Additional storage for plates and cutlery This was useful and inspiring to us because it made us think about other products that already exist, and try to reimagine other existing products in a different way. It also shows that there is a want for more products like this, due to the Kickstarter being funded fully, and not on the market as a fully fledged product.

7. Gaps in the market • There were 2 main gaps in the market that we could find: • Eco friendly. From our research there is a lack of sustainably made products. • Food. Campers are primarily limited to canned food and freeze dried foods.

8. Solutions • Eco-friendly: after reading Cradle to Cradle, I have a better understanding on how products can be designed with the environment in mind, without having to use costly and damaging recycling processes. With this in mind, the product should be designed with multiple uses and a long lifespan. However, the product in question could be a redesign or improvement on an existing product, or include multiple features like the Coolest Cooler, in a more compact and easy to use design. • Food: the solution to this problem would be tackling how food is safely stored and kept at the correct temperature. If food could be stored like this, you could potentially have healthier food, that would keep a lot longer than the standard freeze dried solutions on the market currently. However, doing this would be practically challenging, and would require a lot of innovate designing.

9. Survey results

10. Survey results cont

11. Survey results cont

12. Survey results cont When was the last time you went camping? Most people who had gone camping had been camping within a year, the people that hadn't had only been camping with school in the past. What essentials do you bring camping? Food, tent, sleeping bag, blankets, water and wash kit were seen as the most essential. What food do you bring with you? Most popular were canned, crisps and dried. What do you enjoy or not enjoy about camping? Being close to nature, it is quiet and away from normal everyday stresses. Spending time with friends and family and relaxing.

13. Research analysis: • We found that most people struggled most with transporting their equipment when camping, followed by being cold. Because of this we decided to design to help people transport heavy goods when camping as we believe this is where a large gap in the market is. • From the rest of our research we also know that we will be designing for people that like traditional camping and use campsites. • They generally camp for around 3-4 nights and camp with family and friends. • People seem to go to festivals the most. This means it should be something that is not cheep and seem as disposable so it will not be left behind and contribute to the rubbish problem after festivals Brief How might we make transportation easier for camping? We are going to design and produce a product that allows common camping equipment to be transported with greater ease. This is especially important for those who have a significant amount of camping equipment to carry, or for those who are not as physically mobile such as the elderly or children. Areas we could address: Space issues Equipment is too heavy Too much to carry at once Brief

14. Primary research survey analysis Multiple surveys were done, this survey focused on finding out the popular types of camping, what attracts people to camping/what they do when they are camping and what problems they had encountered. Here is what was found: - 94% of people had been camping, so there is a very large market for it. - Why people do camping: 26% went camping for social reasons followed by 20% who went to get away from reality. 36% went camping with family (parents & children) while 30% went with friends - again, going mostly for social. People did walking mostly (37%) - followed by relaxing (17%). Most people went camping near the sea (32%) then at a national park and mountains (18&16%). As most people went camping for social events and to relax (not survival camping) it is likely we will not be designing something that is completely essential - more just useful. - the most popular type of camping was normal tent camping, followed by statics - so we will likely be designing for tent equipment. - 61% of these people were between 16&25 and 63% of this group was female. Although we had a very biased survey group as we were asking people at the university. But these are the types of people we have research from, and most likely who we will end up designing for because of this. - Most people spend around £100-£150 when camping so people are looking for an affordable holiday & products, and so this is probably what we should design. - Trends among what people wanted most in terms of new products were: safe heated blankets, taller tents so people don’t have to bend and more comfortable sleeping conditions. It is unlikely we will be designing new tents but we may look at improving sleeping comfort. - most people found trying to sleep at night the most uncomfortable thing about camping (41%) followed by assembling & dissembling the tent. Improving sleeping comfort seems like a good thing to design to help with as this seems to be a wide issue. - 21% of people take a car boot full of packing, so we would want to design something that doesn’t take up too much space when stored or it will not be desirable. - Most people go camping 1-2 times a year so it would need to be a long lasting & endurance taking product.

15. Initial concept ideas Tank Trolley Trolley on tracks, with a follow me around feature. Motorised, probably by solar panels or a beefy battery pack. GPS tracking, in case you or it get lost/separated. Tracks for all terrain, spreads weight and load evenly. Car boot dividers Cupboard and shelving retro fitted into existing cars, could be removable or fixed, depending on the persons lifestyle. Would provide ample storage for items, which would normally be piled on top of each other in a conventional packing system. Could be themed to look aesthetic, but could just be functional. Bungie cords and clips Modular box system attached together with bungie cords and clips. Can be easily interchanged and swapped around, making it user centred. Light weight sleeping bag Sleeping bag that is not only warm, but can also be squished down to a fraction of its size, flat packed and stowed away. Would also be warm and suitable for all weather types, not just spring/summer. Robotic exoskeleton Could just be legs, or the whole hog, with backpack and such built in. Suit would do all of the heavy lifting, with settings changeable to each persons needs and wants. Would be especially handy for elderly or immobile, as they could experience much more, without the physical strain they would normally be under. Ground rollers Used over rough terrain, to roll any large items along. Puffer jacket pockets Puffer jacket that has a transformative function, i.e, into a tent or backpack. Would be handy to have such a lightweight solution, being easy to put up, and to pack down. Could have extra storage in it too, plus would be hellafuego (stylish). Sled Similar to the trolley, but would have gliders instead of wheels Crane Make stuff easier to lift in and out of cars, vans, into tents and caravan. Would be a big help for someone who has back problems, or is unable to lift heavy loads. Could be stationary, placed at campsite, or on little wheels and remote controlled, to be able to carry loads about. Stacking equipment Easily stackable stuff, could be a whole system of tubs or boxes, for different items. Could be food stuffs or otherwise. Vacuum packing Rugged plastic bags that can be vacuum formed to reduce space. Useful for flatpicking and storing more, but doesn’t help with weight distribution. Tent that folds out of a bag By turning the bag inside out would create a tent cover. With the correct poles added will then make a complete tent. Could be styled traditionally, or very blue skies out there. Car seat to camping chair By detaching any car seat from the rails and combining it with this product will change the car seat into a self-standing chair suitable for camping. Trailer A common towing trailer with a twist. Compartmentalised storage, or just flatbed. Could be changed to the users requirements. Drone A drone attached to said storage to alleviate the weight. Could carry stuff to a site and drop it off for you, or follow you around. Car boot crane A crane that can be fitted to all car boots for easy of getting heavy boxes out. Similar to crane previously stated. Following storage canoe A smaller canoe which is built to carry camping equipment and can be towed along. Easy to transport, as could be attached to a roof rack as a normal canoe. Trailer that folds out into a tent By detaching the wheels and axle the bed folds out to form a pop up tent. Handy for glampers, or people with specific sleeping needs. Camping belt A utility belt designed to store all necessary camping equipment. Handy for small items that need to be easily accessible.

16. Car boot dividers Tank Trolley Trailer that folds out into a tent • Current car boot dividers don’t particularly utilise the space in the most efficient way. This is because they do not fit to each boot specifically but this would be difficult to do. However they do allow you to section up your things, and/or leave a large space for your dog as well as your equipment. • Trailer tents are practical as they are smaller and more compact and cheaper than caravans. However they are very difficult to set up and when they are folded down they don’t have very much space for storage at all so you still have to put all your equipment in your car. • Current trolleys are very flimsy and the wheels wont be able to go over all terrains or spread the weight evenly. The current handle is not very good for pulling it along as it doesn't have good weight distribution. • However tank tracks will mean that it can carry a heavy load over all terrains. Ground rollers Vacuum packing Stacking equipment • There are currently no ground rollers to carry equipment, however there is for water. This water carrier makes it earlier to transport water as you don’t have to carry it and the weight is evenly distributed. However it is difficult to pick it up when filling it to put the handle onto as it is very heavy. • People do use vacuum packing to help them with space and transportation of clothes food etc but it isn't very practical as they have to keep re vacuuming the bags, however it does help to save a lot of space. • The current stacking equipment for camping reduces a lot of storage space and is very practical in that sense but there is not much stacking equipment that helps with storage and actual transportation, it just takes up less space.

17. Tent that folds out of a bag Sled Car seat to camping chair The current options for fold out tents are currently pop-up style. Although these products are good, they are often seen as throwaway items, especially at festivals and short camping trips. The fabric is often flimsy and very breakable, along with the poles and ropes. However, because of all these factors, they are a lot cheaper than standard tents, and reduce a lot of the hassle around putting up and taking down a tent. Sleds nowadays are normally thought of as a children’s toy, to play in the snow with. However, they are an excellent way of transporting heavy loads around. They are made from either a durable plastic, or hardwearing wood and metal. However, the sled is constricted to how much weight the user can pull with them, and the athletic ability of the person, also assuming they are able bodied. There aren't any car seat to camping chairs combos on the market currently, however there are some similar product available. The majority of them are made out of similar materials to tent fabric, and look fairly sturdy and stable. They are also normally flat pack, so when they are not in use they don’t take up a tonne of room. Crane Light weight sleeping bag Following storage canoe Most standard cranes on the market aren’t really meant for lifting loads like camping equipment, except for in vast quantities. Most models are built to withstand a lot of abuse, and so would be ideal for a camping situation. The materials used would be quite heavy though, and making a machine like this collapsible would be very difficult. As far as we could see, there aren’t any existing products for following canoe storage. However, the product would be comparable to general canoes on the market currently. Most canoes are made of a heavy duty plastic, or fibre glass, however some more traditional versions are made from specific types of wood, and are normally hardwearing but incredibly light. Light weight sleeping bags are pretty standard nowadays, and most families have at least one in their home. However, they are incredibly awkward to carry around and store, and even more cumbersome to put back into their bags after being used. The insulation is normally pretty OK, but not suitable for all seasons.

18. Puffer jacket pockets Drone • Jackets with extra (often hidden) pockets are normally used for travel. However, this existing technology could be utilised for our brief to assist transporting camping equipment. The items would have to be quite small however, and the fabric would have to be quite strong, but also breathable. The load would also still carried by the person, but spread more effectively than a traditional backpack. • Current drones on the market are very expensive. Especially those which carry good cameras and can carry a lot of weight. However, being able to carry a heavy load would be ideal for helping the less able. Normally most drones flat pack down, which would be ideal for storage, and is a pretty fun tool, which would encourage kids to be excited about camping. They are a lot really hardwearing, which is a key requirement for camping equipment. Trailer Camping belt • Current trailers are reasonably priced and suited to the market. As a multi purpose product trailers can already be used for transporting camping equipment. However, they can be improved on, and adjusted for specific camping needs. Most trailers are metal as standard, however only some are flat pack, which makes storing the item a lot easier and appealing. • There are very few specially designed belts for camping. However, there are a vast amount of existing utility belts which are very similar to what a camping belt could be. Similar to the puffer jacket, the material would be very sturdy, and capable of surviving through a lot of abuse, while still be breathable and washable.

19. C D A B What do you think this product is/does? Most people had a good rough idea of what this product might be just from the picture. Most people thought it was a mechanical vehicle to carry stuff around/storage, with tracks for rough terrain. So this model was quite clear. Most people thought it was a rolling storage unit, storage shelves or storage container. Some thought it was a toilet roll holder or paint roller. Most people thought it was a trailer tent however a few thought of some other things such as a cart for your children, but most people knew that it was. Most people did think it was a mini caravan. Others thought it was a small wardrobe or camping shower. Would you use this product? Would this product make transporting camping equipment easier for you? User questionnaire. 17 Responses.

20. B D C A Would you be able to easily store this product? Would this product help with the physical impact of camping? Would you understand how to use this product? User questionnaire. 17 Responses.

21. B D C A Are there good features within this product? All terrain, storage when cam[ping, gps, solar power, self movement, moving heavy items over long distances, are the main points people have made about the good features. It seems people think it is mostly useful for people who love hiking. Some thought it would allow for faster setting up times and less mess. People thought it would be most helpful for carrying equipment especially when travelling on foot or at festivals. Sturdy, all weather, upgrade to tried and tested solution. Adds extra storage space from car, built in furniture, compact, lighter so less fuel consumption, not too bulky, very tidy design, would make set up quicker. Sturdy, waterproof, compact. Things you need built in split doors allow for privacy and also fresh air. Good height for standing. Includes your comforts while you’re camping. Dryer & warmer than a tent. That it both transports by rolling and becomes storage within tent, dual purpose. Easy to move, easy to transport and simple. Don’t have to carry equipment. Really helps with storage and organisation. Are there bad features within this product? Might be too small, not all sites like caravans and towing slows the driving. Looks too much like a horse box. Too big to be stored. Isn’t much different to a caravan May be heavy, getting the shelves out is difficult, cannot carry delicate objects. It has no lid, heavy to lift from the boot, takes up to much space/doesn’t fold away. Little over complicated and unnecessary as you drive your car to your pitch anyway. May not work on hilly environments. Solar panelled cannot be most reliable. Wouldn’t get into car easily. A caravan would be more comfortable, bad weather conditions, are the wheels very stable? Still need decent space in car to store. The door looks awkward to use. Would you add anything/make any changes to this product? A normal door/ pull out stairs/ ramp. Windows and canopy. A ramp, lid, remote control, collapsible, lights, emergency phone and charging port, will you constantly be waiting for it to catch up? Make it different to a caravan, add a space for a child's bed. Adjustable shelves, make sure its light to pull and waterproof try to stop things rolling around inside. User questionnaire. 17 Responses.

22. D B C A Ratings for product with the most people voting yes From the user centred questionnaire we have found that the horse box is the most liked and most successful solution for the market. They mostly liked that it was all weather, warm and dry, everything was built in and you can stand inside. However some people thought that it was too close to a caravan or horse box. 3rd 2nd 4th 1st Would you use this product? Would this product make transporting camping equipment easier for you? 4th 3rd 1st 2nd 1st 3rd 3rd Would you be able to easily store this product? 2nd Would this product help with the physical impact of camping? 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st Would you understand how to use this product? 12 15 11 7 Total: 3rd 2nd 4th 1st Final score:

23. Design approach to reduce impact Life cycle phase Environmental impact • Made from polymers which are made from crude oils which need to be extracted at oil rigs, which can spill and cause wide environmental damage, and are non renewable. Require energy for extraction & processing and so would emit GHGs. • Also made from metals which are also non renewable. Require energy for extraction & processing, and so would emit GHGs. • Also includes plywood, which is renewable but still requires energy for extraction & processing and so would emit GHGs. Raw material extraction and processing • Minimise materials needed • Used recycled materials, however they still require energy for processing but not extraction. • If moulds are being used the most efficient mould would include as many parts as possible, so less parts are being created, less energy use, less energy use assembling these parts and general less emissions. • Consumption of energy during manufacture processes is likely to be non renewables and also emit green house gases (GHGs) • Many materials and offcuts are wasted Manufacture • If manufactured aboard would need to be transported over seas, this would use non renewable resources (fossil fuels) and cause emissions. • Also very heavy so would use a lot of fuel and space so not many can be transported at once. • Manufacture within the UK to decrease the distribution distance needed. • Try to make light for lower fuel consumption. Distribution • Try to reduce weight to lead to lower fuel consumption while towing • Use low power eco friendly systems if things such as fridge are included Use • Would lead to high fossil fuel consumption when towing as it would be very heavy • Could possibly be hooked up to electricity when in use • Lots of wasted materials • Lots of electrical components in landfill can cause pollution • Lots of time spent taking materials apart to repurpose them for recycling. • Follow end of life vehicle directive and make it easier to take apart and label all components with what material they are so it is a lot easier to process repurpose and recycle & restricts the use of toxic materials. Disposal Life Cycle Assessment