Snow Peak Long Beach Campfield

Winter winds still whipped off the Pacific Ocean in March when Snow Peak opened 56 tent sites in Long Beach, the eternally foggy town in southwest Washington. Wedged between chilly beach and thick forest, it provided ideal conditions for the stylish 66-year-old Japanese outdoor brand to show off its sleek camping and outdoor gear, from weatherproof tents to titanium chopsticks—available to rent by the piece or as a complete, pre-set campsite. Founded by a mountaineer in Niigata, Japan and renowned for its chic, innovative designs, Snow Peak chose Long Beach, which is driveable from Portland, Oregon and Seattle, as the site of its first U.S. campground for its natural beauty and recreational opportunities including hiking, whale-watching, kayaking, and crabbing. Though the water temperature rarely rises above a frigid 68° F, campers can cozy up in the Japanese-style Ofuro Spa, built from sustainably harvested Japanese cypress, or opt to stay in one of 14 climate-controlled Jyubako micro-cabins, designed by architect Kengo Kuma. The studios are spare and unadorned, with a platform queen bed and an option for additional sleeping mats, and come furnished with Snow Peak tables, chairs, and cookware for the kitchenette.

Though Snow Peak goods have been available in the U.S. for more than 20 years, this overseas venture fits with the current outdoor brand-based lodging trend. Earlier this year, REI bought 20 acres near the Grand Canyon to build its fourth "Signature Camp," and snowsports-focused evo announced a followup to its Campus Salt Lake City coming to Tahoe City. The movement has elements of corporatization, but it also brings together like-minded adventurers and provides an easy way for novice outdoors people to tiptoe into camping without buying all the gear. Unsurprisingly, Snow Peak’s first U.S. Campfield is already nearly fully booked this summer.

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