Why Cowboy Camping

By Whitney “Allgood” La Ruffa

Discovery of a Camping Technique

In the summer of 1994, I experienced the pinnacle of my scouting career: a multi-week backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.  At the end of our first day, it was time to set up camp and put up our tents. Our assigned ranger for the first night said to me and a few others, “Anyone want to meadow crash for the night?”  We had no idea what he was talking about, so he explained it was sleeping out under the stars like the cowboys used to.  I jumped at the chance for such an experience, and that night I stayed up way too late enjoying the vivid stars in the night sky above me.

That one night would forever change my approach to camping while on a backpacking trip.  Why fuss with setting up a shelter unless necessary to avoid nasty bugs or inclement weather?  After thru-hiking the AT in 1996, I started my ultra-light journey, and a big part of saving weight back then was swapping out a tent for a tarp.  Transitioning to a tarp was easy, as it was similar to the nights I had spent “meadow crashing” since my time at Philmont. 

Somewhere along the way in the late 1990’s, I was also introduced to the term “cowboy camping” from some friends who had thru-hiked out west.  They had no idea what I meant when I said I enjoyed meadow crashing. After explaining what it was, they said, “Oh, you mean cowboy camping!” and that eloquent term has stuck with me ever since.

After graduating from college on the East Coast, I moved to the PNW. Over the past two and a half decades, I have spent my time exploring the West mostly on foot.  I have been fortunate enough to circle cascade volcanoes, walk various long trails, and pioneer routes not yet hiked by others.  All of these adventures had one thing in common: whenever conditions allowed, I opted to sleep out under the stars.  

The Running Joke

In 2016, I was thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail. I spent my time in NM with a great group of guys, and each night we would get to camp, look at each other, and say, “Cowboy camp tonight?” All but two nights in NM, I slept out under the stars.  As most hikers do, we would lie there scheming up ideas for new gear or hiking-related businesses.  I would often joke that someone should start a brand making items for people who go cowboy camping, with a product line of ground sheets, and a few accessories to help keep your gear sorted and out of the dirt.

After the CDT, I switched my career and joined the Outdoor industry in a sales and marketing role.  Over the past decade, I helped identify and bring new products to market for the brands I worked with: umbrellas, backpacks, shelters, accessories, etc. The entire time, the running joke kept going, “We should start a business that just makes items for people who enjoy cowboy camping.”

The Joke Becomes a Reality

Life throws you a curveball now and again, and in July of last year, I found myself looking for my next great opportunity in life.  The job market in the outdoor industry was slim due to various factors, so this may be the time for the cowboy-camping brand idea to become a reality.  I spoke with my manufacturing contacts to ensure I could get what I wanted, spoke with my retail contacts and friends in the industry to see if there was a market to be had, and teamed up with my good friends at Minimal Gear to help make the dream a reality.

Why Minimal Gear?

Starting a company from scratch is no easy task. I have been close with Gilad, the Founder of Minimal Gear, since he first launched his brand in Portland years ago.  We first met when I was the President of ALDHA-West, and he was just a young guy with a new idea and hell of a lot of tenacity to bring it to fruition.  Over the years, we have shared business advice and best practices, helped each other out at in-person hiking events, and eleven traveled to a broad range of trade shows to help promote the brands we were representing.  Between our shared love of business hiking and rugby, we have become close confidants.

Through our friendship, I have also had the chance to witness how hard it can be to run a small business successfully, and the pieces needed to bring products to market, from sourcing and manufacturing to warehousing, shipping, and customer service.  It's a big hill to climb to do it well, and since Minimal Gear already had all these key pieces in place, it made sense to work together on this brand using shared resources instead of starting from the ground up.

Why we chose Flashspun HDPE Fabric

When deciding on material for the Cowboy Camping line, I knew I wanted to use something that was lightweight, durable, affordable, and highly water-resistant.  I also wanted a material that could be printed with water-based ink for future product-line ideas.  After years of proving itself in the field as a groundsheet and as material for accessories like stuff sacks and bags, flashspun HDPE would fit the bill.  This material comes in various weights and textures; it can feel solid like paper or be bonded and have a soft in-hand feel like most fabrics.  The most exciting part is that it can be printed with a proprietary water-based ink and printing process by our manufacturer.  

Besides having great material properties and water resistance, it is also on the more affordable side of fabrics used in the ultralight hiking space and outdoor industry.  Using a more affordable material creates a more accessible price point for users, allowing them to focus their money on an adventure rather than the gear they need to get for it.

In the end, the decision was easy to go with Flashspun HDPE fabric for this line's initial products as it struck the correct balance of price, weight, and durability. 

 The Final Steps

Once we had a framework in place, we got things in motion.  Over the past several months, prototypes were made, samples sent back and forth for refinement, and our initial order was placed. This past December, I traveled to Germany for the ISPO show to help introduce the brand and product offerings to a variety of overseas retailers with whom we have relationships.  The response was overwhelming, and I’m excited to get our initial products into the hands of retailers and customers alike.

We have big plans in mind for Cowboy Camping. Stay tuned for some special releases throughout the year, and we hope you will discover the wonders of sleeping under the stars.