A single night of camping in 100 degree weather is not what I would call an ideal evening out, yet that's what we were looking at as we loaded up the car Saturday morning to head to Snow Peak's 1st HQ4 Store Camp.
The Premise:
Store Camp is not a new concept for Snow Peak, but it is for the states. To date, we've been privy to the annual (now tri-annual for 2023) Snow Peak Way, but the smaller more local events that serve a different purpose are a relatively new concept. Chatting with the HQ4 team, they were confident this would be the first of many of these trips, especially once Campfield Long Beach opens later this year.
This first event though had a bit of a deeper purpose, invite new campers, (those who had purchased maybe their first Snow Peak tent recently) to come out and see what camping was all about. We got invited along to support that latter mission, and that meant bringing quite the setup even though we'd only be there 24 hours.
So as we pulled in to the HipCamp they had booked, a nice small farm towards the Oregon Coast, we knew we had quite the task ahead of us and the thermometer in our car kept climbing. Despite the heat and large amount of gear, we were able to complete our setup in under an hour. Allowing us to pause and drink enough water in the shade to cool off while other groups arrived to set up their campsites.
After a respite, we were able to explore the site a bit. While campers were set up in the main field, the plot also featured a forested area with individual campsites, saunas and a small lake at the bottom of the property. Like most farms, some small items were available including eggs - we purchased some duck eggs for dinner and sat down for the simple opening ceremonies.
The Experience:
We came to learn that we were clearly not the only experienced Snow Peakers, and the afternoon into the evening was filled with new faces and introductions. While the gear inevitably came up, so did the sharing of experiences with the outdoors and interacting with nature. We sat in chairs that were made for star gazing, cracked open bottles of wine and sake while unpacking what actually brought us together.
Heading back to our camp to enjoy dinner (chilaquiles with the duck egg we'd picked up earlier), we took some time to share our IGT setup with a few people who were curious.
Going late in to the night with Takibi time, we eventually called it for the day. Waking up would bring less heat, but still quite a bit. Despite that, we took the morning slow, continuing conversations from the day prior and slowly breaking down camp.
In doing so, we started to talk with some of the staff about Snow Peak Way, and what a Museum activation might look like for the 2023 SPW West event - but more to come on that later.
Overall, we had a great time with a different scale and vibe to the Snow Peak Ways that we're used to. I can only imagine this is what Campfield will feel like. A wide mix of people, diehards and casual campers, people who pack light or pack lots, using this as a moment to say hi in a way that I've never done at a state park campground or out in the boonies.
My only complaint would be that it's simply too short, one night isn't enough time out there with good people.
Gear List On This Trip:
Shelter:
- Spearhead Pro. L Shelter
- Spearhead Pro. Inner Tent
- Spearhead Pro. Inner Mat
Living:
Kitchen:
