It’s mid-summer in the Catskills, and soon, we’ll be facing autumn. For many of us city escapees, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: camping season! Getting outdoors, spending sunny days swimming in rivers, and chilly nights next to a campfire, has never been easier. Newest to the glamping scene, the geniuses behind Duffle Out are delivering everything you need to escape the city and enjoy a camping adventure—right to your NYC doorstep.
The idea was born by Michigan native Ryan Kovalak, after spending a work sabbatical cross-country camping with his family. The trio—Ryan, his wife, and their 7 year old daughter—camped their way through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Northern Coast of California, Oregon, Yellowstone National Park, Northern Michigan, Ontario Canada, and Upstate New York during the summer of 2017. It inspired them to change their lives.
Upon return to New York City, Kovalak was hooked on a sense of freedom, and antsy to somehow continue the adventure. He began brainstorming. As a branding agency vet, his experience in advising big companies on their customer experience–helping them evolve, innovate, and plan for the future—had prepared him to begin his own business. After several months of planning, in early 2018, he launched Duffle Out. The mission? To majorly simplify camping for New Yorkers.
As a seasoned camper, Kovalak knows how stressful planning a camping trip can be–especially collecting all the gear needed. As a result, Duffle Out, completely removes the stressful part of camping–that is, researching gear, buying gear, and storing gear. Instead, Duffle Out campers book a trip online (simply book dates & number of campers) and the equipment is hand-delivered to their doorstep.
Rentals are by the day. Two days, for two campers begins at $100. Everything arrives in two large duffle bags: a Sleep Duffle, and an Eat Duffle. Inside the Sleep Duffle, a tent comfortably sleeps two (but up to four.) Also included are two sleeping pads, two blankets, a lantern, flashlight, and a first aid kit. The Eat Duffle is just as, if not, more impressive, packing in a mini-stove and fuel, cookware, plates and bowls, utensils, marshmallow sticks, kettle, coffee press, water carrier, wash bin, soap, paper towels, fire starter, and waterproof matches. Wowza!
Duffle Out also has some great add-ons to make your camping experience more cushy: REI camp chairs, Yeti coolers, and solar panel chargers (so yes, you’re able to charge USB speakers, and Instagram everything.) All said and done, camping for an entire weekend with all the bells and whistles comes out to less than $200. And seriously–you can’t shake a stick at that! Check out duffle-out.com for more info, including their favorite camping spots within a couple hours radius.
