Camping and Hiking: Growth in Recent Years

SGMA International recently indicated in March of 2005 that Americans are consistently spending more money on outdoor recreation like camping, mountain biking and hiking each year. Camping and hiking are activities enjoyed by 40 million Americans every year, both activities have enjoyed modest growth over the past 10 years. Sales growth has also increased with the introduction of more innovative products for these and other outdoor activities in recent years.

Participation growth in the outdoor category is coming from kayaking, snowboarding and wakeboarding. While these activities have seen significant growth in recent years, the total number of participants is small compared to fishing, camping, hiking and hunting. Research from SGMA shows that people take a great deal of pleasure from outdoor activities. However, few people are able to participate often. For example, 8.3 million people went hiking on at least 15 days in 2003, about 20% of the total. This compares to more than 16 million people (43% of the total) who participated in fitness walking on at least 100 days.

Concerned that the core market of outdoor enthusiasts is aging and is not being replaced by youngsters, many outdoor interests have begun programs to introduce fishing, camping, boating and hunting to children and people in urban areas. For many years, SGMA International, the Outdoor Industry Association, the National Council of Youth Sports and other organizations have lobbied vigorously for Congress to allocate spending for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which helps states purchase land for wilderness areas and to create parklands and develop playing fields. For many years, Congress ignored this program, then began funding it for 2000. Funding has declined again in recent years because of budget pressures, but SGMA and its membership are putting pressure on Congress to fund the LWCF.

Outdoor Recreation Facts

• Camping: Genderwise, participation is split 50/50.
• Tent Camping: The average tent camper has been camping for 13.4 years.
• Artificial Wall Climbing: The average age of an artificial wall climbing participant is 19.9 years of age.
• Did You Know? There are as many fishermen between the ages of 6 to 11 as there are over the age of 55.

For more information about these types of statistics visit www.SGMA.com